Skip to main content

Cruising the Malacca River



This picture of the Malacca River Cruise was taken by photographer Ham with my camera.

We were on the eighth floor of the Renaissance Hotel recently and the view of the Malacca River was quite stunning from where we were standing.

There was no time for a cruise, which is highly recommended, by the way.

We were on an overnight business trip to the historical city.

I remember Sumita Martin raving about it when she was reporting for the New Straits Times from Malacca a few years ago.

The river itself has an interesting history.

According to Melaka Malaysia Travel "throughout its history, the Malacca River slowly modified its role as a busy and productive port along the import trade route of spices to a popular tourism attraction".

It was called the Venice of The East by European colonialists who were looking for new areas to acquire and keeping them dependent.

A voyage by sea, stopping at various places and savouring local cultures ala Slow Boats To China has been my dream for as long as I can remember.

For now, I would settle for a cruise around the Malacca River.







Comments

Popular Posts

My year at The Rakyat Post

  Dec 31, 2014, the last day of the year and the end of my one year stint at The Rakyat Post , an online news portal. Educational is the best way to sum up my year at The Rakyat Post. Leaving your comfort zone is intimidating at first; it has a steep learning curve. But now I wish I had done it sooner and the whole exercise reaffirms my motto: “learn, learn, learn”. Einstein was spot on when he said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it”. When I left the New Straits Times to join The Rakyat Post on Jan 3, 2014, I didn’t know what to expect. Nelson Fernandez, also known as Mohd Ridzwan Abdullah, had invited me to join him at the website this time last year. Nelson Fernandez at his office at The Rakyat Post He was charged with assembling a team to provide content for the portal. And I am glad I said yes. Switching from traditional journalism to online journalism is challenging, as anyone who had made

Sabah is Veena's paradise

Life is seriously good in Sabah , says Berita Harian Sabah bureau chief Veena Rusli. "Every inch of Sabah is amazing. What is there to complain when you live, work and play in a holiday destination?" adds the bubbly Seremban-born, who has called Kota Kinabalu home for more than four years now. Veena looks at Sabah, known as "the land below the wind" , with the eye of a person who appreciates the simple things in life. Living in Kuala Lumpur for many years as a journalist had taken a heavy toll on her. She extols the virtues of a stress-free life which she has found in Kota Kinabalu. Veena Rusli jokingly describes herself as a full-time tourist guide and a part-time journalist. This refers to her hosting duties, which she does easily, when friends from the Peninsula visit Sabah. Unnecessary pressures such traffic jams and flash floods are minimal in Kota Kinabalu and these lessen the impact of  managing the worries of everyday life . I met Veena in Kota

Buah Tarap: A chance encounter

You learn something new everyday. My friend Alina is very fond of repeating this. And I agree with her. Today I tasted the Buah Tarap (Tarap Fruit) which is said to be unique to Sabah/Borneo. My colleagues and I arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this afternoon; we are here for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge which will take place at the Suria Mall over the weekend. After checking into the Beverly Hotel we walked to a nearby eatery for a spot of tea. It was then that I chanced upon the Buah Tarap and began snapping away. My colleague, who had eaten the fruit in Bandung, Indonesia, was excited to see it. He bought one for us to try. The stall vendor split the fruit into two and we bit into its flesh. Everyone liked it but describing its flavour remains a challenge. The fruit, which looks like nangka (jackfruit) or chempedak,  has an unusual combination of tastes: it is sweet but not as sweet as the jackfruit nor as chunky. Words fail me. It feels so light t