From futuristic skylines to sleepy colonial outposts, this vibrant nation, Malaysia, is an enthralling blend of old and new worlds, finds CHARLIE WALKER

AS WE drift across the calm night-time waters of the Melaka River, our tour guide Bernard points out an aged wooden mill wheel dating from Portuguese colonial rule before casually mentioning that there are 8ft monitor lizards lurking beneath the boat. Thankfully, we’re informed, they feed on small animals and not apprehensive tourists.

The port city of Melaka, dubbed the Venice of Malaysia, has been an important trading hub for the past 1,000 years. From the early 16th century until independence in 1963, the former kingdom was fought over and conquered in turn
by the Portuguese, Dutch and British.

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Just 80 miles south-west of the capital Kuala Lumpur, it provides the perfect contrast to the bustling metropolis, which is to be my next stop.

Myself and the other passengers are quickly won over by Bernard’s enthusiasm and inexhaustible knowledge. He tells us of a scene from the 1999 fi lm Entrapment starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery that was shot on the riverside near a striking scale replica of the Flora de La Mar, a Portuguese ship that sank laden with Malay treasure 500 years ago.

It’s now a maritime museum displaying artefacts and information about the various Asian and European ships that have called at Melaka over the past millennium.

Further down the river is the entrance to Jonker Street, where Dutch noblemen lived in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Today, antique dealers and riverscape artists vie for custom in the narrow old buildings with their uneven roof tiles, whitewashed interiors, ancient wooden beams and open courtyards.

With the greatest of care, I disembark from the tourist boat and wander through the Portuguese quarter of this
hotchpotch town in the warm evening air.

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Here, Papa Joe’s restaurant is a popular spot for visitors due to the lively acoustics and the Portuguese-Malay fusion cuisine. In a room decorated with the red and green of the Portuguese flag I am served a spicy selection of dishes, including mutton curry, pasu kaemadu (baked fish), pickled vegetables and nasi goreng (fried rice) while Papa Joe’s son and nephew croon traditional Portuguese folk music and strum their guitars.

THE CITY’S sights are all within walking distance. More fun is to use a trishaw, the brightly coloured, man-powered tricycle taxis that are festooned with flowers and blare music through tinny speakers.

Weaving through traffic, I come to the Portuguese fortress A’Famosa.

This used to have walls stretching along the seafront but it was largely destroyed during the 1641 Dutch invasion leaving only the grand gateway with its elaborately carved stonework and bronze cannons positioned outside.

Beyond the gate I find the roofless remains of St Paul’s Church, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, sittingon a hill with views of the otherwise flat city. To get an idea of life before then, I walk to the replica of a 15th-century sultan’s palace which houses the Melaka Cultural Museum. This grand wooden structure stands on stilts and the rooms are fi lled with displays and artefacts.

This close to the Equator, the humidity can be overwhelming and I am only too glad to retire to the palm tree-lined pool on the roof terrace of my base, the Hotel Equatorial. This 500-room tower block may not be intimate but its
comfortable rooms are fitted with all mod cons and have large daybeds in the window bays from which I watch the world go by bathed in the temperate comfort of an air-conditioning unit.

The minibus transfer to Kuala Lumpur is just two hours and takes me through lush palm plantations and steamy hills until the city skyline becomes visible.

At 1,483ft tall, the iconic Petronas Towers dominate all around them. These twin towers were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004.

The view from my room in the sophisticated Traders Hotel is one of the best in the city with a window the size of a football goal.

This frames the towers, which loom magnificently above the neatly landscaped Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park where children play in water features. It is even better at night when the towers are lit up. 

The world-renowned SkyBar is on the top floor of Traders. Entering for the fi rst time, I am spellbound by the city panorama that spreads before me, reflected in the elegant pool. I order a kiwitini champagne cocktail and sit at a sunken table. All around me, Malaysia’s movers and shakers are quaffing extravagant cocktails and chattering over the upbeat music.

NEXT morning I visit one of the city’s six leviathan shopping centres, Pavilion. Here, Western labels such as Gucci and Omega are sold in lavish stores.

It’s the kind of place that has helped attract a host of star names including Joan Collins, Kylie Minogue and, more recently, Elle Macpherson to the capital. The leggy supermodel shot the fi nale of Britain’s Next Top Model here in April. Without a supermodel income though, most things are out of my price range and so I hop on the Metro to ride two stops to Petaling Street or “China Town”.

Food vendors and bootleg salesmen jostle for position. Here I sample some laughably cheap street food including sweet kuih kodok (fried banana fritters) and satay celup (fish cooked in peanut sauce) all for less than 50p.

I also try some Nyonya food, the Chinese-Malay cuisine, during a later visit to a tiny restaurant where the otak-otak (grilled spiced fish in banana leaves) is delicious.

My tongue is still tingling from the piquant lunch when I’m lured into a building for a reflexology foot massage. The masseuse administers a blend of pleasure and pain before popping my feet in the “fish bath” where small fish
nibble away at my sandal-toughened skin, leaving it surprisingly smooth.

As I sit, fascinated at the gnawing, I’m suddenly very glad that it’s not a monitor lizard bath.

GETTING THERE:

Inspired by Asia (01423 704118/ www.inspiredbyasia.co.uk) offers a six-night stay in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka from £995pp (two sharing), B&B. Price includes return flights from Heathrow with Malaysia Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com), three nights at Traders Hotel, three nights at Hotel Equatorial and transfers.

Tourism Malaysia: 020 7930 7932/ www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my