Kampung Parit Penghulu: Traditional Games

On the last day of our trip, we visited Kampung Parit Penghulu. Our first activity there was a game, tarik upih pinang (palm frond sledding), which was exhilirating.

Kampung Parit Penghulu: Paddy Fields

Our visit to the paddy fields was an eye opener as to how many Malaysians still earned their living by and the hard work behind to get something so staple in our daily meals onto our tables.

Kampung Parit Penghulu: Rubber Tree Plantation

Our first stop at Kampung Parit Penghulu was a rubber tree plantation. Here we learnt about how rubber latex was collected and processed to give us the rubber that is used in so many places in our daily lives. The wide expanse of plantation was impressive, to say the least.

Big Day Out: Jonker Street

On Day 2, we were given the opportunity to explore Malacca and visit various places-of-interest around the city. Such a place was the popular Jonker Street, which our class visited in three separate groups.

Big Day Out: Baba and Nyonya House Museum

Another highlight of Day 2 would be our visit to another museum, a group of three shophouses that were combined to form the Baba and Nyonya House Museum (however, the third one was converted to a cafe, namely the Cafe 1511). A drama known as The Little Nyonya was filmed here.

Big Day Out: Cheng Ho Cultural Museum

The Cheng Ho Cultural Museum, located in the old part of Malacca town, is believed to be the original site of the warehouse complex built by Cheng Ho. Cheng Ho is the Ming Dynasty Admiral who has visited Malacca many times while en route to the Western Ocean from 1405-1433.

Big Day Out: St. Paul's Church

Our first stop on our Big Day Out was A Famosa, a fortress built by the Portuguese. The only remaining part of the fortress still standing is Porta de Santiago, a small gate house. For more information on A Famosa, you can read one of our previous blog posts. 

Visit to MOZAC

MOZAC is a Science school located on the top of a hilly area. It has a large campus, consisting of several blocks. When we first entered MOZAC, we were warmly greeted by the teachers and students there and invited to a delicious but simple lunch. Then, we did not know what was in store for us.

Pre-Trip: Jonker Street

Jonker Street, also called Jalan Hang Jebat, was the name street through Malacca town, in what is today the core of the Malacca Unesco World Heritage Site. The name jonker is said to mean "junk", referring to the Chinese vessels.

Pre-Trip: A Famosa

A Famosa, one of the oldest surviving European architectural remains in South East Asia, is a Portuguese fortress located in Malacca, Malaysia. The Porta de Santiago, a small gate house, is the only remaining part of the fortress still standing.

Pre-Trip: St. Paul’s Church

The St Paul's Church is the church ruins that sit on the top of the St Paul's Hill. The hill was originally named as Malacca Hill. It was then changed to Monti Ali Maria or Mary's Hill after the Portuguese took over the hill. The original structure was a simple chapel built in 1521 dedicated to the Virgin Mary and known as the Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of Grace) or the Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of the Hill). According to 16th century Portuguese chronicler, João de Barros, the chapel was built by a Portuguese fidalgo or nobleman, Duarte Coelho, as an act of gratitude following his escape from a storm in the South China Sea.

Pre-Trip: Admiral Cheng Ho Cultural Museum

Ming Dynasty’s Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho) had a mighty fleet of several hundred ships that sailed seven times from China to the Western Ocean (Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean, Middle East and Africa) during the period of 1405 to 1433. Historical records have shown that this Ming Grand Eunuch visited Melaka (Malacca) at least five times during those famous seven voyages.