We weren't too sure what to expect when we headed off on the bus from KL Sentral to Malacca. With a similar colonial history to Penang and both UNESCO listed, we weren't sure whether we would find two similar places. Whilst there were some similarities they also had their differences. Most of the attractions in Malacca appeared to be centred around the riverside and Jonker street, the latter famous for its weekend night markets, as well as its old buildings. It wasn't until we explored during the day that we were able to appreciate many of the older buildings, as they were hidden by the market at night. The other thing we noticed straight away was the number of museums in the area, many with free admission. For us, the museum of architecture proved very interesting with displays and explanations about the various styles of Malaysian architecture, and the influence of the various cultural groups who had populated the area over the years.

Malacca, as with much of Malaysia, is home to a diverse range of cultures and religions. Whilst predominantly Islamic, it is also tolerant to people from many other religions who have made the country home, and live harmoniously in the city. The other surprise to us in Malacca was the existence of many Western brands and fashions which hadn't been so obvious in Penang. It was easy to buy items similar to those we would expect to find at home. Indeed in need of a pair of comfortable sandals to replace my ailing Birkenstocks, I was able to opt for a lovely pair of Hush Puppies. Although it was difficult to find anything above a size seven this was a significant improvement from many of the places we've been where the biggest size is often a five.

KFC was evident, as it has been in the majority of places we've been to. Often located close to a Pizza Hut, so presumably part of the same umbrella organisation. Chicken is fairly consistent on most countries list of foods eaten, unlike beef and pork, which seems to give KFC a distinct advantage over the competitors in the race for world domination. For us, two days in Malacca would have been enough as we didn't feel there was a huge amount we hadn't already seen elsewhere, but it's a pleasant place, and our four day stop gave us the chance to take the bulk of our clothes to the launderette for a thorough wash. A first for John who admitted this was the first time he'd ever used public laundry facilities.

We also fitted in haircuts. Another first for John, who usually just gets a cut at the barber's. This time he was treated to the full works of the ladies salon. He looked terrified as the young girl fitted a cloak over him and proceeded to massage shampoo onto his head, whilst he was sitting in the chair. Ten minutes later with all his follicles agitated, and a nice head of suds he was taken to lie down on a plinth to have the bubbles removed. We both left the salon an hour or so later sporting tidy hair fibres and beaming smiles. Maybe four days here wasn't such a bad idea. Now suitably freshened we were ready to leave Malacca ready for the next stage of our trip- Borneo.