Putrajaya & Melaka

We left Kuala Lumpur and headed south to Melaka (aka Malacca). On the way we stopped in Putrajaya, the administrative and judicial capital of Malaysia. While KL is the official capital, to alleviate crowding, a new government center was developed south of KL. Putrajaya is modern and well-planned. It reminded us of Canberra a bit.

The main attraction for us was the Putra Mosque, which is pink from the rose-colored granite. It sits next to the large green-domed Perdana Putra, the prime minister’s office complex. The mosque is beautifully decorated, and the friendly volunteers made our visit worthwhile, answering numerous questions that had come to mind when we visited the National Mosque in KL. For example, we confirmed that Muslims pray in Arabic without any prayer book, yet most Malaysians do not speak Arabic. A kind volunteer explained that she has memorized the prayers. We agreed that the language one prays in is not what is most important.

Historically Melaka is the city that put Malaysia on the map due to its geographical position on the straits between the Malay peninsula and Indonesia – it was an international trading center going back to the 1400s. Arabic, Chinese, and Indian merchants found their way there and brought goods and diverse religious and cultural traditions with them. Of course, this importance ultimately brought European colonialization as the Portuguese conquered Melaka in 1511; the Dutch defeated the Portuguese in 1641, and the British took over in 1824.

We wandered through the UNESCO heritage designated city center and marveled at the amalgam of influences. Old Dutch buildings sit next to the remains of Portuguese forts, along with Chinese buildings and temples and mosques with Chinese architectural touches. It's quite the melting pot.

We passed by the Tokong Cheng Hoon Teng (“Green Clouds”) Chinese temple, built in 1673, which is the oldest functioning temple in Malaysia, practicing Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

Walking along the river we occasionally caught a breeze, and we stopped to try a local treat at Cendol Kampung Hulu, which serves up the original cendol shaved iced, consisting of coconut shaved ice, coconut ice cream, cendol (green jelly noodles made from rice or green bean flour), red beans, and gula melaka (palm sugar syrup). It was interesting, to say the least, and did provide some cooling relief.

Trying different foods is always a highlight. We’ve enjoyed all kinds of new things, from Roti John (an omelet sandwich) to Nasi Lemak, a fragrant rice dish, considered to be the favorite national meal.

We went to see one more mosque, the Masjid Selat Melaka, which is built on the water overlooking the Strait of Melaka. It was an odd visit as the surrounding area was under development as the pandemic hit and not much else was completed, besides the mosque. It was like walking through a ghostown to get there and we were so overheated that we didn't go inside. Note the cruise ship off in the distance -- one of the unfinished projects we passed was an international cruise terminal. Without it, all the passengers had to be tendered in. 

Our next stops are the mountains and the jungle.

Thanks for reading,

Shana & Jeff