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.