Welcome to MelakaHotels.com

Welcome and thank-you for visiting. We at MelakaHotels.com have put together this information more as a primer for the first or second time visitor - certainly 'old Melaka (or Malacca) hands' will already know most of this material. That said, this should get most people off to a good start. If you are looking for more information on Melaka there are any number of good guide books (check out the Footprints, Insight Guide or Rough Guide series). BTW, if you are one of those 'old Melaka hands' and you think we missed something, don't hesitate to drop us an e-mail.

Weather
Melaka lies just 2.21° (approximately 245 km) north of the equator. As such the weather is maritime equatorial (hot and humid) - days are uniformly hot and sunny with intermittent showers year round. As well days are almost universally 12 hours long with sunrise around 7.00 - 7:25am depending on the month and sunset at 7.10 - 7:30pm accordingly. Daytime temperature averages between 22° C to 32° C (70° F to 90° F) however the humidity is quite high - a sticky 80% so often times it feels much hotter.

Melaka doesn't seem to have the more extreme monsoon rains that come to eastern side of the Malaysian peninsula but you can expect more rain from October to March (btw, monsoon refers to the wind, not the rain). However even during the wettest months there’s a better than even chance that it will be sunny for a good part of the day. Weather wise May, June and July are generally considered the best. As such loose and light summer clothing (preferably natural fabrics) is recommended, especially for outdoor activities like antique shopping and sightseeing.

Malaysia - General Information
The country of Malaysia, divided by the South China Sea, consists of two distinct parts. Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia situated in the upper northwest area on the island of Borneo. East Malaysia comprises more than 50% of Malaysia's land area and is divided into two states - Sabah and Sarawak.

Melaka is one of 13 states within Malaysia as well as the capital of the state bearing its name. Melaka is located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia approximately mid way between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states plus 2 federal districts (the two federal districts being Kuala Lumpur and Pulau Labuan) and is ruled as a federal constitutional monarchy with a King (Yang Di Pertuan) as the head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of the government. Nine of the thirteen states are ruled by Sultans. These nine states are all in Peninsular Malaysia. East Malaysia, with two states (Sabah, Sarawak), was not part of the original colony of Malaya and are administered by a governors appointed by the federal government as are Melaka and Penang - the two remaining states on Peninsular Malaysia.

The King is elected on rotational basis by the Sultans who rule the nine peninsular states and serves for a term of 5 years. There are two legislative houses (houses of parliament) - the 180 member People's Council which is elected every 5 years and the State's Council with 70 members - 40 of which are appointed by the King. For all practical purposes it is the People's Council that has the real power and forms the government and is led by the Prime Minister.

A Short History
Melaka is where Malaysia as it is known today began. As for Malaysia itself, it seems to have been settled first an aboriginal people some 10,000 years ago. Nonetheless, the mineral rich country has long attracted immigrants from Sumatra, Cambodia and even the Philippines in search of wealth. It was the Srivijaya empire from Sumatra in present day Indonesia that brought Hinduism to Malaysia in the 7th century.

The Srivijaya empire eventually succumbed to another Indonesian empire, the Javanese Majaphit empire and at the beginning of the 1400's a certain Hindu prince from nearby Sumatra named Parameswara - on the run from the Majapahit Empire - after a brief stint in what is present day Singapore set up shop at Melaka. In no time Melaka became the centre of spice trade from the Moluccas and a desirable piece of real estate.

Such wealth spawned envy from foreigners causing quite a bit of trouble for Parameswara but fortunately for the Sumatran prince, a certain Chinese admiral named Cheng Ho sailed into Melaka and subsequently forged an alliance with China that protected Melaka from marauders and allowed Melaka to expand its influence on the peninsula to what is pretty much present day Malaysia.

For the next 100 years or so the Melaka's fortunes increased to the point where European countries became interested in its wealth. First to come knocking were the Portuguese in the early 16th century who stayed on for better than 150 years but were never very well liked and for all their trouble did not leave a lasting legacy (about all that is left is the fortress A'Fomosa). Whilst the Portuguese could control the city militarily, they couldn't keep Muslim traders from moving elsewhere and taking their business with them - which they did.

Next in line were the Dutch who also stayed on for more than 150 years but in trying to control everything to their advantage furthered the decline of Melaka's power and glory. The Dutch were more interested in their possessions in Indonesia and Melaka whilst important, was of secondary importance to the Dutch (Batavia, present day Jakarta, was of first and foremost importance). That said, most of the historical buildings in present day Melaka were built during Dutch rule.

The last colonial power to lay claim to Melaka were the British, who to their credit saw the potential of Melaka as a free trade zone at Penang on the west coast. For a brief time during the Napoleonic wars the British took control of Dutch assets on the peninsula and this convinced them to expand in the area, which they did by sending Sir Stamford Raffles down the coast where he eventually landed in Singapore. In 1826, Melaka, Penang and Singapore formed what was then known as the British Straits Settlements.

After WWII, the British, finding it increasingly difficult to maintain its empire decided by 1955 that Malaysia would become independent together with Singapore and Brunei. This group would be known as the Federation of Malaya. On 31 August 1957 this Federation was declared independent. Then in September 1963 the Federation of Malaya was joined by Saba and Sarawak to form Malaysia. It was troubled from the start. Brunei pulled out at the last moment - afraid of loosing control over its oil and Singapore left nearly 2 years later (declaring independence on 9 August 1965) thereby leaving Malaysia as it is today.

Reminders of Melaka's colonial past can been seen throughout the city and are a main ingredient in drawing tourists. Guided tours are available but inasmuch as most of the historical sites are in close proximity to one another - a good guide book (or print our information located here) and a pair of shoes will do just fine.

Religion
Islam was first introduced to Malaysia in Melaka by Indian traders in the late 14th century. By early 15th century Maharaja Mohammed Shah, the 3rd ruler of Melaka converted to Islam and when his son, Mudzaffar Shah, succeeded as the sultan Islam was made the state religion. To this day Malaysia is an Islamic country with Islam as the state religion.

However that said there is, for the most part, wide tolerance for freedom of religion. This can seen in the multicultural Kuala Lumpur as well as the number of churches in Melaka. The total population of Malaysia is approximately 21 million persons comprised of people from several different ethnic groups and religious faiths: Native Malays (aka Bumi Putra - "sons of the soil") are the predominant race with 59% of the population. Almost all Malays are Muslim. The next largest ethic group is the Chinese with about 32% of the populace. The Chinese are an eclectic mix of Taoists, Buddhists and Confucianists together with some that are Christian.

The third largest group would be Indians at about 7% of the population. Most Indians are Hindu but there is a large percentage that are also Muslim. The remaining 2% of population is mostly indigenous tribesmen on Eastern Malaysia.

However it is important to note that certain states of Malaysia have a stronger Islamic influence than others and tend to be stricter in social etiquette. For visitors looking to worship there are any number of convenient mosques, churches, temples and shrines.

Simple Etiquette
Generally, Malaysia is a melting pot of different cultures and races and is very much Westernized in social etiquette, however it is important to recognize certain different cultural and religious characteristics.

Cultural etiquette has been described as the unspoken but assumed behavior that conveys politeness. Therefore it is important that you take the time to learn about and follow "local etiquette". In Malaysia, especially in east coast of the peninsula where there are more conservative (devout) Muslims, there are a few specific rules that visitors should be sure to know about and follow.

Many Malaysians usually greet each other with a less than firm handshake and may then place their right hand over their heart after greeting you as a sign of sincerity. It is also considered impolite to hand or receive anything to a Malaysian with your left hand - as in most Islamic countries the left hand is considered "unclean" and thus insulting. If this makes the action somewhat cumbersome by having to change hands, take the time to do it anyway.

To beckon someone, especially someone who is older, simply refer to them as "uncle" (pakcik) or "aunty" (makcik). People younger than you may also address you with such a term - take it as a compliment! Also, most locals will bow towards the elderly as they walk past them as a sign of respect (though not frequently seen in Melaka that much nowadays).

Physical signs of affection in public are frowned upon and on the East Coast of Malaysia, men and women keep a safe distance from each other in public.

There are certain areas of mosques that should not be entered by non-Muslims. Signs are often displayed or people will inform you. Conservative dress codes will need to be adhere to when entering such places (some mosques that are popular or historic will have robes available if you are not properly attired). Shoes must be removed when entering a mosque or temple.

As well, shoes are almost always removed prior to entering a Malaysian home and are sometimes removed before entering some buildings (a collection of shoes at the door is a giveaway that you should remove your shoes).

A common sight will be that most Malaysians eat with their right hand. In many local restaurants this is an acceptable behaviour. If you do wish to follow suit make sure to use your right hand as the left is used for more basic bodily functions (which explains the reason for the above greeting etiquette!).

Do not use your right forefinger to point to people, places or give directions. Rather use your right thumb with your four fingers folded underneath (this takes most Westerners some getting used to).

If invited to a Malaysian home, it will be best if you come with a gift. Though this is not a must, the host will definitely appreciate whatever you choose to bring - be it a souvenir from back home, some fruits or drinks purchased from a store around the corner. Even amongst Malaysians themselves, this practice is observed. Bringing a gift is known as carrying buah tangan, which literally means "fruit of the hands".

Lastly, Malaysians are nothing if not hospitable and will go out their way to offer guests a drink or snack - it would be impolite to refuse.