Starting from the old bridges of Melaka

These 3 bridges carried people across the Melaka river. All the three were supported by abutments at two ends. The Tan Kim Seng Bridge is an arch bridge, while the Chan Koon Cheng Bridge, a bowstring girder bridge. At one time, as bullock carts and bicycles were passing the Tan Kim Seng Bridge, pedestrians would walk along the both sides of the bridge. Bullock carts at that time were used to carry logs and was a good means of transport. Bullock carts also carried fire-wood doing the same job as the present van-sales. The Tan Kim Seng Bridge was bombed one time in the past.

                                      Across the Tan Kim Seng Bridge towards the Stadhuys, couples of the last century dated and discovered the lover's place. Couples roamed the hill of Saint Paul. Then, later, the yesteryears couples invaded a hockey field at the foothill before ending up in the rugby padang. 

The Kwee Meng Kuan Bridge is a metal arch bridge. It is until today, a foot bridge. This bridge really revealed trade existed in the past and massive trade flourishes between Kampung Pantei and Kampung Java. Another steel bridge of the past in Melaka was the Bailey Bridge in between the Spice Garden and Pengkalan Rama Pantai.

As for the Bailey Bridge, a friend by the name of Ibrahim who came to Melaka from Kedah, had with some 32 soldiers from the Terendak Arm Forces Camp, started to construct the bridge in the early 1980s. The troop was doing the nilai murni and managed to complete the bridge in a few months without using heavy-duty equipments. They started with the construction of the abutments at both ends. When the abutments is ready, they began to launch the arch. Until the panels were hinged by pins, eight men had to carry a single panel.

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/jenandtony/1/1250268253/23_melaka.jpg/tpod.html

These old photographs are provided by a friend by the name of Ah Chye yesterday when we were at lunch. His first home was at the First Cross Street, two doors away from the present Hard Rock Shop.

Now, his first home is serving barbecued dried pork meat or common local name, 'bak kwa'. Before this food shop, it was occupied by a printer, the Loh Brothers.

When Ah Chye was staying at this place, he was a young boy. Later, his father sold the shop house to the printer. He frequently went to an European home situated on the curve adjoining the First Cross Street and the Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. There was a mini golf area at the highest level of the house serving as home to an executive of Harper Gilfillan.

There was a shares and stock broking firm on this row, and there were two men who regularly walked up and down a bench which was placed beneath a green chalkboard every day except Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. They were wearing some sort of a darked coloured metal 'hair band' with a 'cup' at the end of a C-bend adjustable handle. They would stood still for a short while when they needed to write on the green chalkboard with white chalk and once in a while a duster was used to erase some errors. The cables attached to their 'hair band' is pretty long and the cable became messy as they walked up and down.

During breaks of that two men, seated and standing observers would mostly eat balls of Hainanese Chicken Rice plus a brewed cup of solid coffee seeds. Others would group around round marble table for toast bread and tea. Looking in 2012, these shops are just below the Dragon.

Ah Chye also make me to recall the jetty that stretched far after the Melaka river-mouth into the Straits of Melaka. The jetty gateway is located at the go-down or the local prefer to call, 'the gudang' of the past that later submitted to the construction of the main wet market. There was a delicious assam ikan pari stall that served the customers all night long until the next morning even after the fishmongers and vegetables sellers have opened their stalls for almost six hours. 

A man would stand on the hind edge of the junk afloat on the waters of Sungai Melaka and with a long huge log, long enough to reach the floor base of the river, he would push the junk feet by feet sailing forward until it reaches the vessel berth in the deeper straits of Melaka. The junk would be laden with goods from the vessel and returned for unloading at the go-down. Many 'tua ko' would be on the standby to carry such goods on their shoulders from the junk walking on planks above water into the go-down. 'Tua ko' is the name given to the man who make a living along the Melaka River carrying goods from the junk or onto the junk. There was even words that spread throughout the old town on who is the strongest 'tua ko'. He is able to shoulder three jute bags of flour steadily alone on one single trip from the junk into the go-down.

Streets close to these bridges, were covered with red exploded paper of the firecrackers extensively so much so that the locals were talking about its thickness to reflect the cultural enthusiasm.

Although this is only a very minute description of the colonial period, all the past events bridged by these three bridges have greatly nourishes Jonker Walk or 文化街