Malacca was first discovered by a prince from Java in the 13th century. He ruled this area until 1511 when the Portuguese took it over. The Portuguese held onto Malacca with its access to trading via the Malacca Straits until 17th century. There is a church still standing which dates back to the Portuguese time. After nearly 300 years the Dutch invaded Malacca in 1597 and they held onto Malacca until 1797, when they handed it over peacefully to the British. There are a number of Dutch and British buildings still standing in Malacca. The British time of rule in Malacca and the rest of Malaya is on the whole looked on favourably as they introduced rubber plantations, palm tree oil and tea as well as tin mining which still add a lot to the economy even today. Malacca is a very pleasant place to visit full of history and n ow protected as a historical place. Sadly the Malacca Straits have moved further away from the historical centre through land reclamation. So the view from the Officers
Club is no more. We enjoyed it very much here, the people are warm and live quite simple lives. Salaries are not high but they are very welcoming. We really liked it.
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