I-FEATURES MALAYSIA

Malacca is a city rich in history and heritage with photographs of its 500 year-old remains of the Portuguese-built fort and churches usually adorning most travel brochures – but it is modernizing really fast too. And when you go there you see the many different faces of Malacca – the old, historic Malacca with its ancient forts and churches vs the new, modern Malacca with its hotels and shopping malls; the quiet, sleepy side of Malacca with its deserted side streets vs the noisy, busy side of Malacca with its night markets; the traditional-style nyonya food and delicacies and the old-fashioned coffee shops and restaurants vs the contemporary-style food and desserts and the trendy eateries and hip cafes. And depending on where you are and where you look you get a big city feeling at the town centre or a small town feeling in the surburbs. And even the scenes and the atmosphere of Malacca by day vs Malacca by night are quite different. Jonker Street is very different during the day versus at night. And even the trishaws too – they glow with extravagantly decorative lights at night.