Bandar Hilir

When I first migrated to Malacca in the sixties from Seremban, the in place here was Bandar Hilir. Bandar Hilir in English is downtown or literally town end. Yes I am a migrant to this beautiful place called Malacca and it has been wonderful staying here. Strangely enough I have very early memories of Malacca but not of Seremban from where I originated.

Bandar Hilir was just a place where lots of hawkers sell their food under the large raintrees in front of the A'Famosa from evening to early hours of the morning. The sea then was just after the very large field and the Coronation park was just beside it. The smell of carbide lamps, roasted cuttle fish, freshly scalded clams and cold cold iced "pat poh" or "leng chee kang" drinks are still very fresh in my mind. Yes those carefree wonderful years of doing nothing, just running around and making a nuisance of oneself .........hehehe!!!!

Then during my teenage years, Bandar Hilir was still the place to hang out and it was THE place to be on Saturday nights. By that time the hawkers under the trees were already relocated to where the Taming Sari Tower is now located and was popularly known as glutton's corner by the locals. The hawkers were upgraded to stall owners and the sea was just across the road from the stalls. The seafront had always been very popular for strollers and there were large crowds of people every evening enjoying the sea breeze.

Today the seafront is no longer there and neither is glutton's corner. The seafront was reclaimed and a shopping center was built on it together with some other concrete structures. Then the very large field was mutilated to make way for another shopping mall proudly named after the field that was there before - Dataran Phalawan. This very large field was where our first Prime Minister announced our independence from the British the very first time upon returning from England. At that time this very big field was only known as Padang Bandar Hilir or Bandar Hilir Field.

Bandar Hilir will always be a popular spot .............