A small trivia quiz for you - Who was the first European to sail around the world during The Age of Exploration in the 16th century? Ferdinand Magellan, Juan Sebastian El Cano or  Enrique of Melaka? Like most people you would probably have answered Ferdinand Magellan. Well, that's what we were all taught at school. Although Magellan was the leader of the expedition which left Spain (Seville) in 1518 with 5 ships, he didn't actually complete the journey.

After crossing the Atlantic, South America and the Pacific, he was killed in the Philippines during a battle with indigenous tribesmen loyal to Chief Lapu-lapu on the island of Macatan near Cebu. The surviving sailors made it back to Spain led by Juan Sebastian El Cano. So the answer to the quiz is actually El Cano and his crew.

But sadly enough we know very little about El Cano or the other crew members as Magellan was the leader of the expedition that set off from Spain and his name had become so famous. Long before Magellan set off on his Epic journey with the Spanish Navy, he had served with the Portugese Navy and spent a lot of time in India and South East Asia. One of these places was Melaka.

At the time, Melaka was the centre of Asian spice trade due to its strategic location at the narrowest point along the Melaka straight. Melaka in Malaysia and Calicut in Kerala, India, were the two most significant cities of the spice trade in Asia. Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta and Magellan have all visited Melaka, owing to the global significance of the city during their times. Magellan initially travelled to Melaka on diplomatic missions from the Portugese colony of Goa in India, and later on a conquest when the Portugese took control of Melaka in 1511.

Following the Portuguese conquest, Magellan left Melaka and headed back to Portugal with his Malay servant by the name Enrique of Melaka. Enrique later embarked on the epic journey around the world with Magellan and became especially useful as his interpreter in Asia. Melakans are proud of this fact that a Melakan was one of the first people to sail around the world. There is a statue of Enrique in Melaka Museum commemorating his contribution to the great voyage and as far as Melakan's are concerned the first person to sail around the world was Enrique of Melaka and the crew!

Very little architecture survives to this day from the Portugese era, except the ruins of a fort and a church established by the famous Jesuit Missionary Saint Francis Xavier. 

Two weeks before I left London, I happened to watch a documentary about Magellan's great journey which mentioned Melaka. That was the first time I had ever heard of the place. When I got to Australia, I contacted a couple I knew in Malaysia, letting them know I was looking to visit them along my route but wasn't sure where in Malaysia they lived. So when they told me they lived in Melaka and invited me to stay with them, I was ecstatic. The documentary about Magellan had fired up my imagination about this place that had global significance in the middle ages and yet I had never heard of it, as indeed like most people today.

Much of the surviving architecture today is from the Dutch colonial era who had expelled the Portuguese with their Malay allies in 1641, as the Portuguese influence in this part of the world started to declined. The Dutch had the longest control of Melaka before transferring it to British control in the 1820's as part of the Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1824. There are a number of buildings that are distinctively British but most of the surviving historical architecture in the town center is from the Dutch era.

Although, Melaka's central area is dominated by colonial architectures, it also has a mix of indigenous architectures which give photography enthusiasts the perfect motivation to take long walks around town while taking one's imagination back and forth through time. One of the notable features of Melaka is Kampung Morten village which was built in the center of town in the 1920's, in traditional Malay style architecture. Their unique boat like structure built on stilts and with curved roofs make them unique to this part of the world. A typical walk through town can take a traveller passed houses and buildings ranging in style from Malay, to Chinese, to Indian, to Colonial, to the modern.

On the outskirts of Melaka, there is a fishing village predominantly inhabited by a community of Malaysian-Portugese descent. It is popular with tourists for its distinctively Portugese influenced restaurants located by the sea front. The village holds annual Portugese festivals in June which attracts over 100,000 people. It is also famous for having extravagant displays of Christmas lights during Christmas where neighbours decorate their houses and front gardens in the most spectacular style to compete for prizes awarded by the city council.

Malaysia is a very multicultural and multi-ethnic country. It is made up of mainly Malay, Chinese, Indigenous, Indian and minorities such as the Kristang (mixed Portugese-Malay) with their distinct and yet fused culture, food and language. It's fascinating mix of faces creates an interesting backdrop for travellers who enjoy crowd watching, while taking a break by the side of the road with some Malaysian Tea (Teh Tarik).

In Melaka, as in anywhere in Malaysia, the hardest choice when eating out is deciding which restaurant to stop by - Malay, Chinese, Indian or Western. But food junkies are always assured there is no such thing as a bad decision, as any cuisine is as good as the other. Whether it's a road side outlet or an upscale restaurant, Malaysia is a food lover's paradise. My personal favorites were: Nasi Lemak for breakfast (Malay dish), Vegeterian curry for Lunch (Indian) and Noodle Steamboat for dinner (Chinese).

Nasi Lemak is considered to be Malaysia's most popular national dish. It is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and served with anchovies, peanuts, boiled egg, veggies and traditional chili paste. It is very commonly available in Malaysia and comes traditionally wrapped in banana leaves, conveniently packed in a newspaper for locals to grab and go in the mornings from take-away restaurants. Popular restaurants usually run out early and had to regularly rush in to pick up a pack ahead of the crowd. 

The Melaka Tourism Office provides a walking tour for a nominal fee, which lasts about 3-4 hours. It was an excellent tour with a very knowledgeable tour guide who was passionate about his home town and its cultural heritage. The tricycle taxis in the downtown area were one of the most attention grabbing sights of the the city, beautifully decorated with brightly coloured flowers and garlands. They were definitely the best looking and most eco-friendly taxis I have ever seen. They even have flashing LEDs that illuminate in the evenings!

In recent years Melaka has been on a green campaign to clean up the city, and especially its rivers which used to be heavily polluted. A walk around town must also include the walk along the Melaka river to appreciate some interesting indigenous vegetation and wild life which are part of the city's attractions.

How to get there

 - Bus from Kuala Lumpur, Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) or Kuala Lumpur International Airport; 2 hours and 15 Malaysian Ringits (£2.50 pounds)

 - Bus from Singapore Queen Street Bus Terminal - 3 hours and 25 Singapore Dollars (£12.50 pounds)

 - Flight to and from Melaka International - from various points in Asia and within Malaysia

Accommodation

 - Average daily cost of 1 Star hotel, £10

 - Average daily cost of 2 Star hotel, £16 pounds

 - Average daily cost of 4 Star hotel, £35 pounds

Food

 - Average Local restaurant, £1.20

 - Mid-range restaurant, 3 course meal £12.5

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