Tracing the Lost Walls of Melaka: A 500-Year-Old Mystery - Where Did the Ocean Go?

On my first visit to Melaka, I checked out a few museums, and I was completely confused by the maps of the original city and A Famosa, the the fortress that the Portuguese built in 1511. What I was seeing in those maps didn’t match what I was seeing with my eyes in the modern city. What was going on? Since then, I discovered the answer: land reclamation! The shore of the Strait of Malacca had moved outward by over a kilometer. And that’s why nothing made sense to me. In fact, even my hotel was connected to this mystery. Back in 1511, my hotel would have been underwater. Armed with this new knowledge, I set off on foot with my trusty GoPro to walk the original perimeter of the Portuguese fortress and see it and experience it with new eyes. I started at Middelburg Bastion and traced the walls to the Porta de Santiago. Finally, I figured out a few things: Where the ocean actually was when the Portuguese ruled Why the cannon are aimed at what is now highways and hotels The surprisingly compact size of the "walled city" How laterite (my favorite building material) shaped the fort St. Paul’s Church and the shockingly young ages on the 1600s tombstones 📍 Locations covered: Melaka River, Middelburg Bastion, Bastion Victoria (St. Domingo), Dutch Square (Stadthuys), Porta de Santiago (A Famosa gate), St. Paul's Church, and Bukit Melaka. 🎥 Filmed on a Friday in Melaka – yes, that's the sound of angle grinders and weed whackers. That's Southeast Asia! #Melaka #Malaysia #History #AFamosa #TravelVlog #PortugueseFort #LandReclamation #StraitOfMalacca ************************************************************ Would you like to support me and keep Planet Doug spinning in orbit? Thank you very much! You can use the links and information below. Support Planet Doug on PATREON: ❇️https://patreon.com/PlanetDoug?utm_me... Support Planet Doug via Touch 'n Go by scanning my TNG QR code. Click here: ❇️ https://planetdoug.life/wp-content/up... Or use my TNG e-wallet DuitNow number: ❇️ TNG e-wallet (DuitNow): 150104393177 Maintain Planet Doug's Orbit with Paypal: ❇️ PayPal Donate Link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?busine... ❇️ PayPal Email: [email protected] Contribute with Buy Me a Coffee: ❇️ https://buymeacoffee.com/planetdoug FOLLOW ME: ❇️ Website - https://planetdoug.life/ ❇️ Instagram -   / planetdoug   ❇️ Facebook -   / planet-doug-104257208596429   ❇️ Substack - https://substack.com/@planetdoug? To subscribe to Planet Doug on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/c/PlanetDoug?... To subscribe to Planet Doug Behind the Scenes, click here:    / @planetdougbehindthescenes   ************************************************************ 📸 GEAR LIST 📸 🎥 Action Cam: GoPro Hero 12 Black 🎥 Action Cam: GoPro Hero 9 Black 🎥 360 Cam: Insta360 X3 🎤Microphone #1: Rode Wireless Go 🎤Microphone #2: Rode Wireless Go II 📱Smartphone 1: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 📱Smartphone 2: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus Laptop: Asus TUF A16 Gaming Edition Editing Program: DaVinci Resolve Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Editing App: Kinemaster for Android (Version 6) Music Source: YouTube Audio Library ************************************************************ Heartfelt THANK YOU to Planet Doug Patreon members! Your support through Patreon means more than you know! OCEAN PLANET Habibullah K. Dominik S. Gilles D. Armando B. CITY PLANET Daniel B. THTan Kwan K. STL Paul S. FOREST PLANET Khairulyadi M. Koo Keng K. Robert M. Siv LK Ting Special thanks to KY for all his essential help with my day-to-day struggles, to Habibullah K. for his amazing generosity, to Andy T. for great meals and much-appreciated donations, and to Mohd Zin bin A. for his awesome regular support. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Setting the Stage 03:05 - Middleburg Bastion 13:11 - Bastião São Domingo 23:05 - Beautiful Melaka 28:21 - Bastion Frederik Hendrik 31:46 - Bastion Mauritz 37:19 - Bastion Santiago 41:03 - Porta de Santiago 44:35 - Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum 46:49 - St. Paul Church 53:22 - 1929 Fire Engine & Bulldozer 55:38 - Conclusion & End Credits