Melaka was our last stop after nearly a month in Malaysia. It was founded in the 14th century by a Hindu prince called Parameswara. He saw a white mousedeer kick one of his dogs into the river nearby, and was so impressed that he decided to name his city after the tree he saw the deer standing under. As good a reason as any for founding a new town, we suppose.........

For the next few centuries Melaka was an important trading post as a result of its geographical location and position as a place of shelter from the monsoon rains. Initially protected by the Chinese in 1405, it came to be colonised first by the Portuguese (in 1511), then by the Dutch (in 1641), then by the British (in 1795). As a result, the historical town centre is a curious mix of architectural styles and religious buildings, along a waterfront which is home to enormous monitor lizards.

We only have time to spend a day here so it's a bit of a whistle-stop tour of the sights. However, after 4 months on the continent we've had our fill of Chinese temples and replica tribal houses, and so we're happy to miss a few out! We do however make time for the Stadthuys, a huge bright red brick building which was the town hall and governor's residence, and is now home to the history museum. It's a pretty confusing place, which seems to travel hapazardly through time, and is also a big fan of telling stories through the medium of papier mache models. But we get the gist. We then wander up the hill to the remains of St Paul's Church, built in 1521 by a Portuguese sea captain. The only interesting things here are the old Dutch tombstones, carved with elaborate fonts and intricate bas-reliefs of skulls and ships.

Melaka is a big fan of the museum. We bypass exhibits devoted to the art of governance, to education, to literature, to stamps and even to kites. We do however make time for the Beauty Museum, a study of the weird and wonderful things people do in the pursuit of 'beauty.' We learn about foot-binding, scarification and tattooing. We see pictures of African tribes who shove big wooden discs into their lower lips, others who wear gold rings around their necks to make them look longer, and young boys who bind their waists to make them more attractive to the opposite sex (apparently women, the breadwinners in this culture, desire men with small waists because it implies they have smaller appetites).

But my favourite is the story of Ethel Granger, “the most famous lady in English history,” who, by wearing corsets throughout her life, managed to reduce her waist to a mere 13 inches. Never heard of her? Us neither, but apparently she was a pretty big (though small-waisted) deal in the early 20th century.