During one of our work trips to Malaysia, hopped onto a car and drove to Malacca. It is a cheerful little town with loads to shop and eat. The main thing to try is the Hainanese Chicken Rice. Its a simple Chicken Rice dish with a distinctly unique flavour. The town has a strong Portuguese influence in terms of architecture. No visit to Malacca is complete without dropping by the Charles Cham’s Studio/Store ‘The Orangutan House’.
From Wikipedia: Malacca (Malay: Melaka, dubbed “The Historic State” ) is the third smallest Malaysian state after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca City, which is 148 kilometres (92 miles) south east of Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 kilometres (146 miles) north west to Johor’s largest city Johor Bahru, and 95 km (59 miles) north west to Johor’s second largest city, Batu Pahat. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.
Although it was the location of one of the earliest Malay sultanates, the monarchy was abolished when the Portuguese conquered it in 1511. The head of state is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Governor, rather than a Sultan.
