Wanderings: Malacca

January 5, 2026

The straight of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia is the passage between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. An estimated 25% of the world's commerce passes through the straight, including 80% of the oil bound for China.

Chinese Admiral Zheng He established relations with the local sultan in the eary 1400s, with the sultan acknowledging the Chinese Emperor and allowing passage for Chinese vessels. With a new Emperor, China retreated from the seas (1). The Portuguese soon seized the town and gained control of the straight in 1511. The Dutch expelled the Portuguese in 1641, who then handed control to the British "temporarily" during the Napoleonic wars. The British rules until the end of the Colonial era in 1957.

The train goes to Tampin, where a bus connects to Malacca (2) (3). Upon arrival at the Central bus station, I crossed over on the pedestrian bridge to discover missing and broken sidewalks, dirt tracks beside the road, broken walk lights, no cross walks, and poorly covered drainage ditches (4). I was glad to arrive at the hotel without a twisted ankle (or having tumbled into a ditch).

A riverside walk connects the hotel with historic city center. The Portuguese architectural influence is easily discernable on the walk. A Portuguese church, the Dutch Stadthuis and windmill, and an English clock surround the square as the Muzzeins call for afternoon prayer rang out from the opposite corner. A nearby ship reproduction revealed the narrow beam and steep sides of a Portuguse Caravel; approaching 5:00, I just missed the last entrance time.

A notable sunset spot near a mosque lies on a nearby island. Setting off for the few mile walk, I persisted for a mile or two until a six lane highway bridge with no shoulder caused me to abandon my quest. Back in town, the hill in town had a Portuguese gate and church, with a British steeple doubling as a lighthouse. Monkeys were jumping in the branches on the ascent.

The equitorial sun set over the water as cargo vessels plied the busy straight. A cruise ship weighed anchor and sailed off. As a Monday and the week after New Year's, and with the cruise ship gone, the town was quiet as I meanderd back to the hotel.

(1) One of the great "what ifs" of history is what if the Chinese had maintained their navy in the Indian Ocean (Zheng He ranged as far as Zanzibar). I have seen a diagram showing the relative size of Zheng He's vessel that drarfs the Portuguese Caravels arriving later in the 1400s.

(2) The former branch line to Malacca was removed during the Japanese occupation and the materials used for the River Kwai line (AKA the death railway for the British POWs who died in forced labor on the line).

(3) The railway and bus stations are within a few hundred yards of each other at Tampin, but separated by a muddy hillside and formidable fences. I walked to a closer bus stop, where the direct M20 bus flew by in the outer lane, ignoring me completely. The less-direct M21 did stop.

(4) I found it ironic that Malacca proudly proclaims on signs and billboards that they recently hosted a "sustainable" travel conference. I guess walking is not part of sustainable travel. The hotel clerk, upon hearing I walked from the bus station, simply asked "Why?"