I have fallen into the trap. The trap of going on family vacations during public and school holidays. So is my luck now that I am married and with a daughter.
And so, last weekend, the long three-day Malaysia Day weekend, my wife, daughter and I decided to head down to Melaka, Malaysia's historical and heritage city certified and endorsed by UNESCO.
It's not much the holiday that I want to talk about. That was overall a fun and enjoyable time my family and I had. What I do want to talk about is a little bit more political.
Any holiday to Melaka city needs a ride on the famous Melaka River Cruise. It's a 45 minute boat ride up and down the Melaka River, which saw the glory days and also the downfall of Malay civilisation.
The boat ride was pretty good actually. But then, the audio commentary guide that played over the speakers on the boat explaining the ride was horrible!
Being a UNESCO heritage city that is rich in history and culture that dates back centuries, I was really expecting to hear (and then imagine!) the different stories that is related to the Melaka River.
I wanted to hear grand stories of old Malay adventurers, Chinese explorers and Arab traders making their way to this great river mouth to the grandest East Asian city of the 14th century.
I wanted to hear about the bloody and deadly battles that took place between the Dutch, Portuguese, British and Malays as they tried to conquer, colonise and defend this mighty empire.
I wanted to be serenaded by romantic stories about Parameswara, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, and the beautiful Hang Li Po as the wind blew my long silky hair and sprays of water moisturised my face.
But did I get that? Absolutely not!
What I did get was an explanation of how the old Melaka city bus terminal has now been moved to a new location and will be extremely new and modern thanks the the Melaka state government.
I was told the story about how the site of the 'old' Melaka market of the 1960s has now been moved and new office buildings are to be developed in it's place by the Melaka state government.
And there was the romantic story of how a Malay village by the river was kept clean and all the houses were painted a uniform pink thanks to the help of the Melaka state government.
Then there is the tacky and distasteful amusement park called Pirate Land that was built by the river bank with a whopping RM3.3 million, of course, with help from the Melaka state government.
Or something to that effect. After about 20 minutes into the commentary, I used my uncanny ability of selective hearing to just concentrate on my daughter's explanation on how she is actually Spiderman.
At the end of the 45 minute boat ride, I learnt nothing of the history and culture of Melaka, Malaysia's historical and heritage city, certified and endorsed by UNESCO.
It's sad and extremely annoying when a country's history and culture is tampered with by political forces for their own gains and selfish purposes.
Not only is it sad and annoying, it is also an embarrassment that, Melaka, being one of the most visited states in Malaysia by foreign tourists becomes a laughing stock.
Honestly, a family of Brits sitting across me were laughing all throughout the boat ride. And if my proficiency in Cockney serves me right, they were even trying to immitate the voice they heard on the speakers.
And for the many more locals who visit Melaka, who would probably be familiar with it's history. They, like me, would leave with the utmost disappointment.
And so, last weekend, the long three-day Malaysia Day weekend, my wife, daughter and I decided to head down to Melaka, Malaysia's historical and heritage city certified and endorsed by UNESCO.
It's not much the holiday that I want to talk about. That was overall a fun and enjoyable time my family and I had. What I do want to talk about is a little bit more political.
Any holiday to Melaka city needs a ride on the famous Melaka River Cruise. It's a 45 minute boat ride up and down the Melaka River, which saw the glory days and also the downfall of Malay civilisation.
The boat ride was pretty good actually. But then, the audio commentary guide that played over the speakers on the boat explaining the ride was horrible!
Being a UNESCO heritage city that is rich in history and culture that dates back centuries, I was really expecting to hear (and then imagine!) the different stories that is related to the Melaka River.
I wanted to hear grand stories of old Malay adventurers, Chinese explorers and Arab traders making their way to this great river mouth to the grandest East Asian city of the 14th century.
I wanted to hear about the bloody and deadly battles that took place between the Dutch, Portuguese, British and Malays as they tried to conquer, colonise and defend this mighty empire.
I wanted to be serenaded by romantic stories about Parameswara, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, and the beautiful Hang Li Po as the wind blew my long silky hair and sprays of water moisturised my face.
But did I get that? Absolutely not!
What I did get was an explanation of how the old Melaka city bus terminal has now been moved to a new location and will be extremely new and modern thanks the the Melaka state government.
I was told the story about how the site of the 'old' Melaka market of the 1960s has now been moved and new office buildings are to be developed in it's place by the Melaka state government.
And there was the romantic story of how a Malay village by the river was kept clean and all the houses were painted a uniform pink thanks to the help of the Melaka state government.
Then there is the tacky and distasteful amusement park called Pirate Land that was built by the river bank with a whopping RM3.3 million, of course, with help from the Melaka state government.
Or something to that effect. After about 20 minutes into the commentary, I used my uncanny ability of selective hearing to just concentrate on my daughter's explanation on how she is actually Spiderman.
At the end of the 45 minute boat ride, I learnt nothing of the history and culture of Melaka, Malaysia's historical and heritage city, certified and endorsed by UNESCO.
It's sad and extremely annoying when a country's history and culture is tampered with by political forces for their own gains and selfish purposes.
Not only is it sad and annoying, it is also an embarrassment that, Melaka, being one of the most visited states in Malaysia by foreign tourists becomes a laughing stock.
Honestly, a family of Brits sitting across me were laughing all throughout the boat ride. And if my proficiency in Cockney serves me right, they were even trying to immitate the voice they heard on the speakers.
And for the many more locals who visit Melaka, who would probably be familiar with it's history. They, like me, would leave with the utmost disappointment.
