Melaka

Melaka was our last stop in Malaysia. The old town is another UNESCO world heritage site, with pristine Chinese shophouses, red Dutch colonial buildings and crumbling Portuguese ruins and a river running through the middle.

At odds with the beautifully restored buildings are the decorated trishaws around every corner, covered in flowers, tinsel and Hello Kitty toys. Melaka is one of the last places in Malaysia where trishaw drivers can still make a decent wage, and so they go all out to attract tourists.

At night the trishaws are lit up in bright lights and blare out loud music.

Jonker Street night market is the main event in Melaka (it's on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and so the city is much quieter during the week). There's plenty of food on offer, as well as clothes, toys and souvenirs.

Switching allegiances ahead of the World Cup final later that night.

Although it's a beautiful city with interesting architecture and great food, for some reason we didn't warm to Melaka as much as George Town. It all felt a little too polished for us. Still, we had a fun week here and it's a good stopping off point if you're headed to Singapore (which is a 4 hour drive).

To find out all about the regional specialities in this part of Malaysia, read my guide to Melaka's must eats.