Melaka revisited: Part 1, St Paul's Hill in Bandar Hilir

It has been a while since I last went up to St Paul Hill in Melaka because of the very thoughts of cramming around with day trippers and tourists wasn't very inviting. Also the fact that it is so difficult to get a decent parking around Melaka these days, tourist or no tourist...The visit on a sunny December morning proved fruitful as there weren't really that many tourists (yet) and we were lucky enough to see a performing art rehersal for the big cultural event to be held on the site itself later that evening...

 The Cheng Ho museum that also display old fire trucks within its gated compound...

 Beautiful vista of the straits...to access, on can use the side path up the hill instead of going through the museum complex which will cost some tourist dollars...

 liked the old granite wheel, probably remnant of some kind of mill

 the exposed part of the original stairs made from red sandstone which are porous...

modern mistake: tiled over the old charming ones...

 The bell tower painted in white contrasting against the chapel which was built in sandstone

 A dancer rehearsing furiously under the mid morning sun inside the chapel's compound...

 Burial tablets dating back to 16th century encircle the chapel's open interiors

The burial tablets are predominantly carved with latin inscriptions, some in old Dutch or old Portugese, like this one in dark granite stone...