Malakka – Malaysia

One of our planned excursions is a visit to Malacca. We had actually imagined something like a more or less private guided tour—similar to our firefly trip. But to our surprise, we initially find ourselves on a large bus with around 20 other tourists. This bus takes us to a station in Kuala Lumpur, where we are then split up into different vehicles. At that point, it all feels a bit like we’re being processed rather than guided.

Eventually, however, we end up on the right bus, and together with about 15 other people, we try to follow our guide Simon, who shares historical stories about Malacca in a Malaysian-English dialect. Slightly overwhelmed by the amount of information, we get off the bus and start rushing—at 37°C—from one sight to the next.

Photo opportunities pass us by in rapid succession, and we do our best to capture as much as possible. After visiting several temples, churches, shrines, graves, and markets, we return—completely exhausted—to our hotel in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur after about three hours of sightseeing and another three hours of travel.

It was definitely a hectic day of mass tourism, but we still enjoyed it and took home many beautiful and interesting impressions.

Tip of the day: If you’d prefer a more relaxed experience and want to spend more time at individual locations, consider booking a small private tour—or even staying overnight in Malacca.

Additional information (source: Wikipedia):

Malacca (Malay: Melaka) is a coastal city in the state of the same name on the Malay Peninsula in western Malaysia. The Strait of Malacca is named after the city.

Malacca has a population of around 370,000. Its port now mainly serves coastal shipping, as it is not deep enough for large ocean-going vessels. Since 2008, Malacca—together with George Town—has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.