Old-world charm

Malacca- IT WAS 10 o`clock in the morning at an old-fashion roadside kopitiam under a sprawling tree near the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca.
Hawkers selling mee rebus, nasi lemak, satay and lontong were busying serving customers, while the lady selling chicken rice was gettingg ready for the lunch crowd.

Inside, a small crowd was enjoying their late breakfast. They were Chinese, Malays, Portuguese and Indians. At a table at the far end of the shop, two people were playing Chinese chess. Supporters, several non-Chinese included, were standing around the table giving free advice on the next strategic move.

A scene taken out of a muhibbah drama? Not quite. It was the real world in the old city of Malacca where I took a short break to savour the local specialities during the Christmas holiday.

It was quite an unusual sight to people like us who come from a politically-sensitive environment in the Klang Valley where different races live, by and large, a segregated life, especially when it comes to food and eating places.

According to my friends, it is common to see people of different races and religions mixing quite freely in Malacca. I believe it is the same in smaller towns elsewhere. In Sabah and Sarawak, I was told, the muhibbah spirit is a way of life and not a campaign slogan.

In the days before the 1970s, small-town coffee-shops were the natural meeting points where friends of different races mingled freely, sharing gossip and thoughts over cups of kopi-o. Some even played mahjong together.

Malacca, steeped in history and rich in cultural legacy, contributed by a very mixed population, is truly Malaysian in every sense of the word. In fact, a book about Malacca written by the late Wee Hock Chye highlights a very interesting street scene where four religious places of worship stand less than 300m apart, near the Clock Tower.

They are the Tua Peh Kong temple, the Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi temple, the Kampung Kling Mosque and just a stone`s throw away, the Cheng Hoon Teng temple. All of them were built some 200 years ago when Malacca was a booming trading port on the busy Straits of Malacca, and they are still being used by people of different faiths.

The coastal city is a melting pot of different cultures that gave birth to a new community, the Nyonyas and Babas, which is unique to Malacca and Penang which share similar historical background.

They are the Straits Chinese who have adopted the Malay language and lifestyle, and they bring forth a colourful cross-culture that has become a strong tourist attraction.

But Malacca also boasts of other attractions such as Jonker Street, if you like antiques and the local cuisine. I was taken to a cendol and mee rebus stall at the foot of Bukit China where people can park their cars by the roadside to enjoy the specialties. It is an ordinary roadside stall under some big trees with customers sitting around the tables. Even the food is nothing to shout about but the ambience is unique.

We were actually sitting in a graveyard with ancient tombstones standing everywhere. They become an eerie backdrop but the customers don`t really mind. But what about after sunset? Thank God, the stall is closed at night. Even if it were open, I would rather give it a miss no matter how great the food is!

Malacca became a sleepy hollow when its role was eclipsed by Penang and Singapore. Today, with tourism and manufacturing driving the economy, it is expanding and thriving. With the new prosperity and influx of tourists, followed by the traffic jams, the narrow streets have become narrower. Parking space is shrinking and difficult to find.

So to overcome the problem, the locals have resorted to “window shopping”. They would stop their cars in front of a shop, wind down the windows and holler their orders. It is still possible to do this sort of “window shopping” in Malacca today, but if one were to try that in Kuala Lumpur, the driver would be honked off the road in no time.

Malacca has its charm. When Tourism Malaysia rolled out its tagline “Malaysia is truly Asia,” it should also promote Malacca as truly Malaysian in the same breath. It is still an ideal getaway where one can marvel and muse over its uniqueness.

Source : www.thestar.com.my (7 Januari 2008)
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