Oh Melaka

Had a blast of a weekend back in Melaka. Two aunties were there to celebrate my Dad-in-law's birthday and we ate and ate and ate. I love going back to Melaka because of the many memories it holds for me when I was young (besides the food and pampering from Mum-in-law!).

We drove by Klebang Besar and I was peering at all the familiar landmarks along the way, the Gospel Hall, my grand-aunt's house we'd visit every Chinese New Year... It's actually quite sad to see how shoddy town planning has affected the whole area. Pressing my nose to the car window, I would see lovely old shoplots, paints peeling off many of them but still in operation selling all sorts of things. Then I'd get a shock as these are punctuated by art deco buildings luminated with neon lights that jar the old and quaint scenery. Along the beaches you'd then get tall massive apartments randomly built that make the beach front hideous.

The thing that gets to me is that the historical parts are not taken care of. There is some construction going on in front of Mahkota Parade and it's been going on for years. You know the reason why? As they were doing the piling for the foundation, they hit upon a sort of wall. Upon closer inspection, it is actually part of the wall that connects to the A Famosa, the famous historical landmark of Melaka. Wouldn't that be an exciting discovery? NO! They've decided to proceed with their building after much discussion.

Poor Melaka.