Melaka River Cruise reminded me of Venice

Bienu Verma Vaghela

When our guide Jeevan told us that we are going for night river cruise, I was taken by surprise, till now I had known about the day-time cruises only.  A self-confessed night animal, I freaked on the idea. Excitedly we reached the venue from our hotel – Hotel Hatten which is phenomenal property of Hatten Group in Melaka in Malaysia. Melaka is a UNESCO Heritage site in Malaysia and it truly deserves the title owing to its history, culture, landscape, greenery, malls, jetty, Jonker’s street market, museums, churches and unforgettable becha ride. More on that later…

It was cool breezy evening, when we stepped into our cruise boat, absolutely neat and clean, well-lit and river waves making great sounds. River was absolutely clean and what a delightful outing it turned out to be owing to high tide and cool breeze. Whole tiredness of the day had vanished with waves splashing water and breeze soothing our senses. Guide told me that it was dirty like our Mithi river or even Ganges till few years ago, but now…you must visit to believe it. How spic and span it is! May be those who worked on the project, be invited to India to work on the face lift of our rivers.  It is unbelievable that till a few years ago,  the river was a stinking waterway lined with decaying houses on stilts and the untidy rear side of crumbling shop houses. At night many of the sights alongside the river are illuminated with colourful lights but during the day we would have got a better view of the murals and other details. But that was not to be…Lighting itself was quite a sight and delight!

In recent years it has had a major facelift. Yes, there has been a lot of new development but at the same time an effort has been made to preserve many of the historic buildings and bridges along the river. Even the newer buildings have been painted with colourful murals depicting different aspects of Malacca's rich history and culture. Malacca’s highlight was Beccha ride, which takes you round the city at very little cost and what a breezy ride it was. I was particularly lucky as I boarded the same rickshaw which Shahrukh Khan rode while his visit to Melacca. Driver showed me the pictures with pride in his eyes…I was even prouder. Beccha driver told me that Shahrukh Khan has huge fan following Malacca, when he was here, last year and was taking ride in his beccha, whole city was on streets, falling over each other to catch the glimpse. Bollywood is big in Malaysia and that influence can be seen all over. So back to the Melaka River Cruise which is a great way to see the sights of Melaka at a leisurely pace, in comfort and without breaking the bank. The Melaka River is where the town began and it has played a key role in Melaka's colourful history. Taking a river cruise is like seeing Melaka from the back door. When we stepped out of the cruise, we were welcomed with fire performers, cultural performers…what not.

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There are two jetties, one at each end of the route. You can begin the cruise from either jetty:

1. Muara Jetty, next to Quayside Heritage Centre, close to the Maritime Museum easily recognisable by the replica of the Portuguese ship Flor De la Mar. From here the cruise takes you upstream as far as Taman Rempah jetty where the boat turns around and brings you back to the starting point. The round trip takes 45 minutes and covers 9 km.The boat's recorded commentary will begin on the return leg of your journey (from Taman Rempah to Muara Jetty).

2. Taman Rempah Jetty, where a small spice garden is located, next to the Hang Jebat Bridge linking Jalan Tun Mutahir to Jalan Tun Sri Lanang. From here the cruise travels downstream as far as Muara jetty where the boat turns around and takes you back to the starting point.

Not to be missed while in Malacca. How I wish that cruise had lasted for few more hours.

(Author is travel blogger and owns www.travel-knots.com)