Treasures in Streets

I’m pretty sure every Malaysian has been to Malacca at least once in their life and so have I. I went there during my primary years for an excursion.

Malacca is listed as one of the most famous historical cities in Malaysia and is pronounced “Melaka” in Malay by the locals. Malacca has lived through Malaysia’s history and is widely known for its historical buildings and monuments.

There are many historical buildings in Malacca like the Portuguese fort - A’Famosa and Jonker Walk, but one of the most popular monuments in Malacca is the Christ Church which is also called the Red House by locals because the building is blanketed under a coat of red paint. The monument is located near Jalan Laksamana and Jalan Gereja and is just half a kilometre walk from Mahkota Parade. Tourists often come from all corners of the world to visit the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia – Christ Church.

When I first heard about this place, I imagined the streets around Christ Church to be beautiful and unique just like what they showed on television; streets filled with people walking about as birds flew happily above their heads while musicians played their melodious music into the people’s hearts. It seemed all too good to be true.

The streets around Christ Church have been around ever since the Portuguese empire. Isn’t that amazing! That actually means that these streets that we see right now, weren’t always paved with stone bricks but in a distance time might have just been a lonely dirt road. The streets would’ve been much more peaceful compared to today, as we have cars and lorry’s rolling about every day as to the olden days when cars didn’t even exist and people relied on animals to ferry them from place to place. Just picturing the life of the people who used to walk these streets just reminds me of how much our life standards have improved since then.

The streets around Christ Church today are filled with trishaws and hawkers. It’s a funny fact but even though we’ve got cars now, some of the locals still prefer the use of traditional transport like bicycles and trishaws. I guess something’s never change. As the economy around Christ Church has changed, modern trishaw drivers have also adapted themselves to operate as tour guides for tourists where they take tourists on a round trip around Malacca City or just around Christ Church. On the other hand, the streets are lined with souvenir shops and hawker stalls that sell a variety of goods from flowers to jewellery and toys. The products sold by these hawkers are mostly handmade, which in turn allows them to express their creativity while earning a living.

The streets around this place are always filled with life; people taking pictures, hawkers selling their goods and even trishaws honking to attract attention of the onlookers. These streets have made Malaysians proud to be Malaysian and lead foreigners to always be envied of our authentic heritage.

The Dawn of Kuala Terengganu

Streets of Malaysia.

Tell me people, what do you picture in your mind when people mention “Streets of Malaysia”? Generally, streets are all the same unless they mean something to you. In my case, when I think about this topic, it reminds me of Terengganu Street in Kuala Terengganu. It was 2 years ago when I was there to compete in the Chinese Orchestral Solo Competitions.

This shot was taken from the window of our apartment during one of the mornings.

At first glance, it looked like a pretty shabby street but after staying there for a few days, it turned out to be one of the most memorable places I’ve ever been to. I remember I was forced to wake up early in the morning on our last day because it was the last day of our trip and we were supposed to be heading back to Kuala Lumpur later that day. We weren’t supplied with breakfast that day and had to search for our own meal that morning, so we went along Terengganu Street, and on our way we found a morning market that was located nearby the apartments that we were staying in. Inside the market, we found many stalls that were selling green goods and meat products as well as food stalls which turned out to be where we had our breakfast.

The morning market in Terengganu Street is really much more different than the ones we have here in Kuala Lumpur. The market is really quiet during the wee hours of the morning compared to ours in the urban area. It really doesn't look like the normal markets we usually see in other places! The hawkers reach their stalls in the morning to prepare their stalls like any other market hawker there, but the difference is the way they do it. As we were walking around, I could see how neighbourly they were and that everyone helped each other out. Doesn’t it just make your heart feel warm when you see everyone working together with smiles on their faces? One step inside and you instantly feel calm and relieved because there aren't any foul-smells from fishes and other meat products, other than that, the ground isn't as dirty and wet as the markets in the urban areas, which is a real warm welcome.

The lifestyle of the people who live in Terengganu is so relaxed, enjoyable and harmonious. I actually envy them. I remembered meeting one of the neighbours in our apartment block. She was a mother of two, whom always had a great smile on her face. She’s a really friendly person and was always there to lend us a helping hand whenever we encountered problems in our apartment. Whenever we had an accident or the electricity wasn’t working properly, she would be at our doorstep with some cookies and a jar of milk for us to nibble on while her husband came to clear our problems.

The atmosphere in Terengganu Street is calm, friendly and peaceful. So don’t worry about feeling alone in these warm streets because everyone is welcomed to stay. It is a totally different experience and a memory to cherish. You will definitely feel like another person upon your return.