Since i arrived in Malaysia, every morning i wake up absurdly early. Usually at around 5am i begin to toss and turn, twisting myself in my bedding, exasperated at being tired but unable to sleep. I listen to my iPod, selecting soothing, calming songs which i hope will help my mind relax. Or i listen to Stephen Fry's Podgrams hoping that his rich and soothing voice will lead to slumber. Today, however, i listened to something far more interesting...

With the shutters closed and the lights off, the only sound in the room was the rhythmic beating of the ceiling fan. But then began the call to prayer - the temple is close by and the call was loud. So loud in fact that the only thing that could possibly have drowned it out was the very thing that did - the storm which has been threatening for days. I've never heard such thunder - a catastrophic rolling and rumbling which i could feel vibrating in my belly. This was accompanied by rain - and what rain! We are staying in a hostel by the river, and the sound of raindrops smacking into the water was almost deafening. As i laid in the dark i could only imagine the size of them - golf balls of water hammering into the fizzing river. Eventually the storm passed and the violent sounds were replaced by birdsong and the early morning hum of car engines as the town buzzed into life...

We are in Melaka, 144km from Kuala Lumpur, in the historic Chinatown region of the town, a melting pot of religions and cultures which have spawned Babas & Nonyas (intermarriages between Malays and Chinese), Chitties (Malays and Indians) and Eurasians (Malays and European settlers).

It's a wonderful place. From the moment we arrived we could see that the 144km we travelled might as well have been a million miles. Compared to the scruffy charm of KL, Melaka is vibrant and beautiful. Buildings are painted in vivid hues of red, yellow and blue. Temples are dotted between cafes and shops. Antiques and galleries are everywhere. And the people move at around half the speed of Kuala Lumpurns. At times you can hear nothing - it's wonderful.

We've eaten our best meal here - a spicy laksa followed by the strangest dessert i've ever eaten - Eight Piece Precious Chandol. This is a dish mad with shaved ice, palm sugar, condensed milk and cashew nuts. It also contains sweetcorn and kidney beans - it seems incongruous but it actually works - and the locals are nuts for it. For breakfast we ate traditional Indian roti with bananas and spicy sauces. I'm already looking forward to tea - skewers of meat and vegetables cooked ourselves at a kind of satay fondue!

I wouldn't want to stay here forever - it's simply not big enough. But it's exactly what we needed.

We kiss goodbye to Malaysia in a couple of days, so my next blog will come from Down Under. Melbourne here we come...