On a 3km walking tour along one of the oldest parts of this historical city, Zalina Mohd Som discovers rare lanterns, a hidden cemetery and possibly even a ghost-catcher.
"NOW this is rare," says Eddie Chua, his steps pausing between some parked cars by the narrow street of Jalan Kampung Kuli.I direct my gaze to where he is facing, trying to figure out what he's referring to, but nothing catches my eye.
There's only a dimly-lit row of shophouses there, visible to us because of street lamps and light emanating from gaps in the shut doors and windows.
I turn to face him and the tall, talkative guide puts on a cheeky smile, arms akimbo.
"This is rare," he says again, "and is one of the best parts of holding the walking tour at night."
"Oh, come on! What is rare? Tell us already-lah," I beseech him, impatient as usual.
Still with his signature smile, Eddie raises his left hand and points to a unit behind him. I can imagine that every eye in our group of 10 is following the direction of his finger.
The object of his interest are two beautifully-lit lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the five-foot way of a unit, partly hidden by a lush tree.
"Those are the first lanterns we've seen so far. Why?" asks Eddie, his typical way of getting everyone in the group involved and intrigued.
Come to think of it, yes they are. And we have been walking for 2km for the past 90 minutes, almost completing the 3km Melaka After Dark: A Journey of Rediscovery Tour, organised by Buddyz.co, an up-and-coming online travel agent.
"Why?" I echo his question.
HEIRLOOM LANTERNS
Lanterns are common items especially in a predominantly Chinese area like Chinatown, located on the west side of Sungai Melaka which is labelled as the Residential and Commercial Zone of Melaka Unesco Heritage Site.
"These are not common lanterns. They are Peranakan lanterns or surname lanterns as they carry information of the house they're hanging at," explains Eddie.
Usually hung as a pair, the lanterns will contain information like the surname, its origin and the vocation of the owner painted on them.
"Most of them are adorned with beautiful hand-painted Chinese artwork too," he says.
As these lanterns are made to order, they have become unique collectors' items.
This, he adds, puts the lanterns at risk of theft.
To minimise the risk, most owners choose to hang their lanterns in the morning and bring them in at dusk when business closes for the day.
"If you don't believe me, take a walk in this area tomorrow before you head home. You will see more lanterns even though they won't be as pretty as they're not lit up," he says.
Just as we move away from the house, Eddie throws us another nugget of information: "Do you know that there's only one lantern maker left in the whole state of Melaka, and that he's 90 years old?
HIDDEN CEMETERY
Digesting that information, we proceed slowly towards the end of Jalan Kampung Kuli. In the old days, it's known as Coolie Street because of the Chinese and Indian labourers working at the nearby port and plantations who lived in the area.
Just as we near the junction that meets Jalan Hang Kasturi, Eddie turns around and asks us a shocking question, "Where do you think the people here from the olden days were buried?"
"Bukit Cina?" someone answers, referring to the massive Chinese graveyard, located a few kilometres to the north from Chinatown. The site has been called the largest and oldest Chinese cemetery outside China.
"Nope. The earliest grave in Bukit Cina is from 1622 while this area goes back to the 15th century. Geographically, comparatively speaking, it's also quite far from Bukit Cina," Eddie explains.
He smiles and examines our faces one by one as he awaits our response.
Seeing our quizzical faces, he continues: "Okay, remember the Hang Jebat Mausoleum just before we reached the lantern house?"
Records show that the tomb at the mausoleum existed before the 1511 Portuguese occupation, even though its exact date of construction is still unknown.
"Yes...," he says in suspense. I can almost see a big question mark at the end of his one-word answer.
"Well, I believe we're standing on it now," he continues, his reply leaving us dumbfounded.
GHOST-CATCHER
We quicken our steps to catch up with Eddie, who has reached the T-junction, standing akimbo with his trademark cheeky smile. It must be his favourite pose.
As the rest of the group catches up, he throws us yet another question.
"Why does this gloomy unit look like it's haunted? Is it really haunted?" he asks, pointing to a house on Jalan Hang Kasturi that faces Jalan Kampung Kuli.
"Because it's bad feng shui to have a house facing a junction," I answer.
"Yes, that's right. But look at the two units next to it. They seem to be okay and not gloomy-looking at all. It's because they have put something to ward off the bad feng shui," explains Eddie.
He brings us closer to the houses and directs our attention to a sculpture at the top of the front column. From afar, it looks like a scary-looking frog. There's actually one each on each column of the flanking units.
"That is Yan Wang or King of Hades, the deity that controls all dead souls and is believed to be able to scare ghosts
away," he says. "I simply call it the ghost-catcher."
The deity, Eddie says, will go around to catch all the ghosts who fail to report back to it after the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is held during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, is over.
My mind is still thinking about the hidden cemetery, the ghost catcher and how they are linked but our tour has come to an end.
While the two-hour walk crawls to the finishing line at the elevated Jambatan Kampung Jawa, my journey of discovery continues with a night's stay at Courtyard @ Heeren, a boutique hotel that sits at the boundary of the core zone of the Unesco Heritage Site.
A JOURNEY OF REDISCOVERY
The Melaka After Dark: A Journey of Rediscovery Tour covers a section of the oldest part of Melaka City. Lasting about two hours, the walking tour stretches about 3km.
The route starts from Victoria Fountain, proceeding to Jalan Tukang Besi, Jalan Kampung Kuli, Jalan Hang Kasturi and Jalan Kampung Pantai before ending at Jambatan Kampung Jawa.
Each participant will be equipped with a wireless audio system for running commentary as well as a reflector vest for safety purposes.
As it's a walking tour, participants are advised to wear good walking shoes and come ready with a bottle of water, an umbrella or a raincoat and a good sense of curiosity.
FAST FACTS
Melaka After Dark: A Journey of Rediscovery
Buddyz.co
81-1, Jalan Daun Inai Besar
Sunway SPK 3 Harmoni,
52200 Kuala Lumpur
TEL 012-323 8085
EMAIL hello@buddyz.co
WEBSITE www.buddyz.co
HOURS From 8.30pm daily.
PAY RM50 (per adult), RM40 (per child)