On a hot afternoon my friend, Serena, and I drive into Melaka. A “hot afternoon” is eternally true in western Malaysia, but driving in to Melaka — sooo this century!

For there was a time, whole centuries of time (14^th – 17^th), when sailors trenched out a path in the ocean by Melaka. When power, money, glory, everything revolved around ships coming in, this sheltered trading port was at the crossroads of the lucrative spice/silk highway — a sultry siren of a stop, no sailor could resist!

And the tussle for her? — endless!! The Portuguese snatched her from the founding Malay Sultans (1511), then came the Dutch (1649), then the Brits (1795)… until, finally Malaysian Independence (1957).

Downtown, at the Dutch Square (aka Red Square), we gaze across at the famed landmarks — Stadthuys, a typical Dutch-styled townhall from 1650. The Christ Church from 1753, earliest protestant church. Just behind are the ruins of A Famosa the Portuguese fort from around 1511. And a few steps away is the replica of Sultan’s Palace commemorating the Malay kings (from 1400s), who built Melaka ground up.

Serena cocks a puzzled eyebrow… the British landmark? Well, they painted the Dutch Square red! Lol!! It’s true, the British stamp on Melaka was more to stamp her out of existence. Their own port down-strait (Singapore), couldn’t thrive beside a Melaka. So “kill the competition!” was their solution. It is the reason Melaka looks like a princess buried alive. Like oddly paused, then restarted, differently.

Yet Melaka’s charm is not so much in how these historical markers of her heydays pepper the landscape… but in how she salts them with her own personality! Quaint, quirky, hot and spicy, she is the quintessential Malay town that re-invented herself. By the time the Brits left, she couldn’t become a bustling port again… that ship had sailed! But with her heirloom gems, and her own vibrant, multi-hued flair, she tinted her grey’s and re-bloomed again – old dame maybe, but still an enchantress!

Checking out the monuments and museums, we envisage the prosperous old port town. But have I mentioned, it’s hot, phew, hot…?! In no time, we’re really thirsting for a tall, cool drink… And it comes… packaged in surprise! Not tall, but a round, fit-in-your-hands-small-watermelon drink! The guy plunges his whisk into the fruit itself, blades whir, and voila – we drink, straight from the fruit! Cool!

Sipping by the river I feel the vibe of Melaka… laid back, charming, romantic. The boardwalk curves along the water, little shops, bars, jammed together, each craning to get some river. A cruise boat chugs past the colorful wall art work on the banks, cats blink lazily at the sun.

We amble back via Temple Street. The houses of worship of three different faiths, plumb on one festive street! Melaka’s myriad religions, all centuries old, are the strings of her lute, each different, yet thrumming to the same melody — of harmony. Later that night we head to another kind of road… Jonker Walk. A lively night-market that comes alive with music, street-food, bars, restaurants and general bonhomie. We chill by the beautiful yellow open-pavilioned mansion café … green shutters flirt the large-leafed palms, and the music wafts out mellow… we smile contentedly into the night, the intoxicating ambiance overflowing our glasses!

Yet it’s in broad daylight that we stumble upon a true heart of Melaka… right at our homestay!! At first sight, it’s a charming boutique home. Then we notice the street… period houses stand as siblings in a family pic, all wearing similar genes! Over breakfast we get the whimsical tale – of their very special ancestors and their connection to Melaka!

In the mid-1400’s, the story goes, the Melakan Malay Sultan, married a Ming Dynasty princess, and her entourage of 500 Chinese followers, married and settled in Melaka. But History missed recording this wedding…! Could be it was just early traders from China that married local women, and anchored in Melaka. Either way, these marriages spawned a whole new sub-ethnic community, the Peranakans.

The unique Peranakan identity – customs, food, dress, homes, even language – is a cultural syncretism, a colorful fusion of the Malay and Chinese, but distinctive in itself! It’s like the refreshing new green, when yellow and blue intertwine — different, yet with hues from its origins!

We’d wanted to visit the Baba-Nyonya house, but here we are already in this living museum, a Peranakan home! Inside it’s a surprisingly deep house, belying the small front entrance. Apparently because the Dutch taxed by the street span a house took up. Ornate doorways, antique furniture with inlaid work, and elaborate arcs and screens make up the eclectic decor. The beautiful bedrooms upstairs whisper of a bygone era. My favorite feature though — several courtyards, mini gardens really, almost like airy wells of light, break up the cool dark interiors. “Shall we have a house plant?”, she’d asked… he’d brought whole gardens indoors…!

As we continue traipsing, snacking, browsing through town, peeking into art galleries, spas, cafés and the oh-so-lovely shops selling unique treasures, I reflect on the spirit of Melaka. Like the earliest immigrants’, hers is a spirit of resilience and adaptability. When the winds of change blew, she re-adjusted her sails, reinvented, resurrected… From international trade center to becoming a cultural-heritage tourist getaway – her rainbow’s flecked with all she’s gathered in her dance for survival! And is more the beautiful and interesting for it! It is this dazzling brilliance of an arc I tuck away, to hold close – someday it will brighten up a dreary confinement, beaming in the hope of brighter times!

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