MELAKA RIVER - FACELIFT

Went for a walk at the mouth of Melaka River early this morning. The river and its banks have changed a lot! I should call it more a 'canal' now than a 'river'. There's no more of the natural flow that a river should. The water is black and polluted. Looks like they have 'detoured' the estuary thus the present 'un-natural' look. There's a watergate that controls the amount of water.

The Watergate at the mouth of the river.

Further up-stream, they have erected a Syrian look-alike water mill. It looks impressive but I don't see any connection with the history of Melaka! At the moment, the mill couldn't function because of insufficient water to power it.

The elegant water-mill which is not functioning.

Then just beside the mill, towards the main road they have built a look-alike Portuguese fort like the famous A-Famosa. In actual fact the original area, I was told, was a Portuguses fort in the 16th. century. When the Dutch came, they demolished it and built a Dutch Bastion (the Middlesburg - also lke a fort) instead. Now all that gone, the present government in attracting tourists, erected a brand new fort. They obtained the red laterite rocks from Prachinburi, a district somewhere between Bangkok and Cambodia - all the way they arrived in truck-loads!

The fort to be.

With cannons and all!

These are the original foundation of the fort in the 16th century.

I have a lot of memories about this part of Melaka River which I hope to continue in my next posting. Take care!