Yup, it's a lighthouse on the chapel's tower.
Of course, by 2 p.m., I was looking more and more wasted. It was hot and I looked like a roasting pig. My mother wanted to buy souvenirs right away and I was like, "agad-agad?" I mean, we just set foot in Malacca for no more than 2 hours and she wanted to go souvenir shopping right away. But I wanted to take a nap and it was futile gallivanting around Melaka because the sun's rays were making me as red as the Dutch Square. I eventually won, so we headed back to the hotel and I was able to take a bath and nap.
An hour and a half later, I heard my stomach growl then I realized, I was hungry. Not wanting to eat hainese chicken for the umpteenth time, I asked the very helpful front-desk officer where to buy sandwiches and gave me a couple of options. I chose the nearest restaurant from the choices; it was in Jonker Street. I did buy sandwiches and noodles to go and the place was teeming with tourists, mostly caucasian. Apparently, they mainly serve western food. A bit expensive, though but the food's yummy. The resto's name is cute: Geographer. "No MSG" says their sign outside.
We went back exploring Melaka before 5 pm. By then, there were fewer people and the sun had mellowed. We climbed the way to Stadthuys and we just hiked and wandered around. We saw a very old a vintage fire truck which was worth the photos.
Apparently, this old fire truck started its service in 1939 and had been extensively used. It was even brought to Singapore by the British but the Japanese returned it to its rightful place in Melaka. It retired in 1974. How did I know? The marker said so.
Speaking of markers, Stadthuys' marker is located at the corner of the building, on the other side; not near its entrance. Weird.
Can you find the marker?
Stadthuys' Marker
My mother and I saw a stairs going up the hill and we climbed it not knowing where it leads. Lucky for us, it leads to a walking path uphill St. Paul's! Yay! It's got a nice view of Melaka. I even saw the Melaka Tower from the path.
Finally, we reached the St. Paul's Church at the top of the hill. As with the famed St. Paul's Church in Macau, it is also in ruins. It was built in 1521 as a small chapel, known as the Nosa Senhora - Our Lady of the Hill. It was later called as the Annunciation, until it was renamed as St. Paul's Church.
The chapel was expanded to two stories and somewhere in time, it lost its tower but the British built a light house. However, it was used by the British as storage for ammunition but was later on abandoned. Now in ruins, the walls and the lighthouse remain, as well as old tombstones of the Dutch and Portuguese. The marker says so.
A famous saint visited frequently the chapel and when he died, his remains were interred in there for nine months until his final resting place in Goa, India. A statue was built in modern times in his honor. Oh yeah, he's St. Francis Xavier.
A one-handed statue of Saint Francis. It baffled me and I learned through research that a tree fell on it and severed the right hand of the statue just before it could be consecrated.
Inside the church, there was a tomb-like metal cage. I was wondering what it was. Apparently, it was St. Francis Xavier's open grave. Had I known, I would have uttered a prayer. And, there were some bills and coins inside, I don't know why.
We followed the foot path downhill and found the Dutch cemetery. I felt a little sad because some of the tombs were family graves; and some had children who died young buried there.
Some lovers were having picnics.
