Building shaped like a boat: The Maritime Museum in Melaka, Malaysia

Melaka (formerly spelled Malacca) is a town in south-central peninsular Malaysia (between Thailand and Singapore). It has been an important seaport for centuries, being overtaken at various times by various European and Asian powers.

The town's interesting Maritime Museum is in a striking replica of a Portuguese ship that sank ("by the will of God", according to a sign outside) in the Straits of Malacca in 1512. The boat, the "Flora De La Mar", sank soon after the Portuguese overtook the seaport town, a turnabout over which the sign can't help gloating a little.

"Once political power is lost, everything else is lost"
Inside the museum are paintings, artifacts and model ships describing seven eras of Melaka's history:
1. 1400's - 1511: Malay Sultanate era
2. 1511 - 1641: Portuguese era
3. 1641 - 1795: Dutch era
4. 1795 - 1941: British era
5. 1941 - 1945: Japanese era
6. 1945 - 1957: British era (again)
7. 1957 - present: Era of Malaysian independence

The turbulent history and frequent changing of hands has given the town a multinational flavor, and tribute has been paid by the local tourist board to the colonial rulers of the past, as European fountains, Dutch windmills, and preserved Portuguese ruins are scattered around the town.

(Malaysia as a whole has a proud claim of multi-ethnic diversity and acceptance, as Malaysians, Chinese and Indians all live in reasonable stability, each group managing to preserve its own cultural identity and religious identification while coexisting with and frequently borrowing from its neighbors.)

The museum building-cum-ship is an intricately created, well-maintained and highly noticeable sight from the nearby hill (Bukit St. Paul) on which rests the ruins of a church built by occupying Europeans. The Flora De La Mer's masts and crow's nest tower over the surrounding area (which itself includes actual boats on the coast, which is right next to the museum).

The museum spills over into a nearby building containing more paintings, model ships and artifacts illustrating the maritime history of Melaka, as well as displays appealing for wildlife and natural habitat preservation. The outside of this small white building includes a neat design in which a boat appears to have smashed through the wall from the inside.

To get to the museum from Kuala Lumpur, take a bus from Chinatown's Puduraya station (there are buses roughly every half hour much of the day; the cost is around 10 ringgit, under US$4 one way, which is 2 hours).

From Melaka's bus station, get a taxi and tell the driver to go to Bukit St. Paul (i.e., St. Paul Hill) or Dutch Square; from there it's a short, pleasant walk down Jalan Quayside ("jalan" means street, so it's Quayside Street) to the museum, which obviously you can't fail to notice).

Admission to the museum is 3 ringgit, about US$1. Take off your shoes and carry them around in the plastic shopping bag provided at the door. Inside the ship, the dark wood and stateliness of the displays gives a cool, appealing glimpse into the importance of the sea to Melaka.

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