Christ Church Melaka

Right next to the Stadthuys, you'll find this beauty — Christ Church Melaka, the oldest functioning Protestant church in all of Malaysia. And let me tell you, stepping inside this place is like walking into a time capsule lah. The Dutch built this church in 1753 to celebrate a hundred years of their rule over Malacca. Can you imagine? They were so proud of surviving a century in the tropics that they built an entire church to mark it. And they didn't cut any corners either — the bricks were shipped all the way from Zeeland in Holland, each one individually wrapped in cloth for the long sea voyage.

Now, take a look at the ceiling when you go inside. Those massive beams? Each one was hewn from a single tree trunk, without any joins. The Dutch carpenters who did this were absolute masters of their craft, kan? And the floor tiles — those are original Dutch gravestones with Armenian and Portuguese inscriptions. Yes, you're literally walking over centuries of history with every step.

The church was originally a Dutch Reformed church, and it was painted white like everything else in the square. But in 1911, under British administration, it got its now-famous salmon-red makeover along with the Stadthuys and the clock tower. Some people love it, some people wonder what it looked like in white, but honestly — that red has become so iconic that Malacca just wouldn't be the same without it. One...