Old collection... Kg. Tempurong, Kuala Penyu, Sabah

This were photos taken during my health promotion activities in 2005. Many thanks to my friends for the lovely photos.

Sunset, Kg. Tempurong, Kuala Penyu, '05

The beach, during the day. Kg. Tempurong, Kuala Penyu, '05

Another side: the mobile bathrooms. Kg. Tempurong, Kuala Penyu, '05

Note: as described above, these are mobile bathroom that you can push around. The chamber pots are manually cleaned after some time. A common site last time in the village.

Kota Belud, roadside pictures.

Some amazing pictures of the country road during my travel. (No, I'm not commenting on my skill...)

Lush green paddy field, with Kinabalu peaks as the backdrop. Kota Belud '08



Paddy field with mountains background, Kota Belud '08

Mountain range reflection, Kota Belud '08

Masak - masak Melayu ~ Taugeh Masak Kicap @ Stir – fry bean sprouts in sweet soy sauce

This is a very easy one to cook, for all beginners because you don’t have to think much on how to clean and chop the vege and whatever fuss associated with cooking. Heck, I can even cook this with my eyes closed.

Tip of Borneo

Last time I could not provide any pictures for my Kudat posts though I raved so much of Simpang Mengayau so here I managed to procure some nice ones.

My Sabah Journey: conclusion

I would say that the journey was an enjoyable and interesting one, despite the sudden change of weather during the last days of it. And so I've covered the "back of the dog head" of Sabah ^_^ (If you look at the map of Sabah, it resembles the shape of a dog head. It's a sort of a joke among some Sabahan). I've reached Beaufort during my water - rafting trip by the antique wooden train; Kuala Penyu and Papar during postings; Labuan; Tambunan, Kundasang, Ranau, Poring, Tuaran, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu and Kudat during this journey. Next trip to be executed is to Sandakan and Tawau, and if possible to Tenom and Long Pasia.

I encouraged road trips to plane as many surprising and wonderful places can be discovered along the road. The roads are very easy and many signboards are found along the way. If you happen to be lost, just stop for a cuppa and chat up with the friendly people here who are more than glad to direct you to your destination. Petrol stations are located in main town and it is advised that you fill up the tank and relieve yourself whenever you pass one, as there seldom is one along the country road.

Most hotels and resort mentioned in my posts can be booked via the Internet on their respective websites. The website of Sabah Tourism also listed down the hotels/resorts/backpackers and contact information in accordance to each district.

Driving a Kancil is not suitable for such strenous trips as some part of the roads may consist of gravels and steep hills. Myvi is pretty OK. 4X4 is better.

Go for such trips if you like greeneries, villages, experiencing local food and cultures.

Take home Sabah tea, Tenom coffee, cheap pearls and crystals, seafood products, handicrafts and good memories.

Have fun ^_^

My Sabah Journey: Day (04) Home Sweet Home. Pantai Dalit.

Day 4.

The storm rested at dawn to a light drizzle that continued to the end of the day, making our visit to the Tip of Borneo a tipsy one against the wind. We peeped at the cool, rustic chalets of the homestay resort and browsed through the corals and shells at some makeshift stalls nearby before making the trip back to KK. The drizzle continued as we drived on and it was decided to be unsuitable for the Matunggong attractions so we took a detour to Kota Marudu instead for the heck of it.

Kota Marudu main town is another small town. Along the way, churches cropped up again but luckily there were still some Malay shops in town. Either we missed it or there's none, we passed no mosque along the road of Kota Marudu.

So now back to KK. If you know the roads well enough, you can bypass Kota Belud town and take a right turn at the 3 - way junction just after the Kg. Taun Gusi school. And if you are interested to view a breathtaking sight of a beautiful fisherman village river along the way, take the route of Pantai Dalit instead of following the direct route to KK as the signboards dictate. Following this route too will bring you to a road lined with stalls selling coconut puding made inside the coconut itself and also roasted lokan, a mollusc served with tantalizing chili dip.

Since the meal of lokan and pudding did not satisfy us, a buddy insisted on stopping at Anjung Selera despite my warning. After a disappointing meal (except for the sayur manis with egg and pucuk timun in belacan, which were so good), we stopped for the prayer at Likas floating mosque.

Another night at Marina Court.

My Sabah Journey: Day (03) To the Tip of Borneo. Kudat.

Day 3 was for Kudat.

Before leaving Kundasang, we took to driving into a village uphill where the vegetable plantatations were. It happened that during our visit that Sabah is having a Cabbage Festival so loads of cabbage were being brought down from Kundasang. So anyway we made it to some remote area somewhere up there and discovered the signboard to the cow farm. Not that we're eager for milk and dairy, just the curiosity so we drove on through wonderful sights of green meadow, rocky peak of Kinabalu and black-and-white cows grazing. To reach a guardhouse where we're informed that the place was currently closed to visitors for renovation.

The Desa milk cows, Kundasang '08

View of the Kinabalu peaks along the cow farm road, Kundasang '08

And so we made our way down to town and onwards, passing Nabalu town again and took a junction to Kota Belud that we saw the day before when we drived up. It turned out to be a shorter route compared to driving down towards Tuaran and rather straightforward. Furthermore, this route directed us straight into the main town of Kota Belud

Again, eating and praying in Kota Belud town is no problem as majority of people here are Muslim. There is a mosque and many Malay shops, and even a KFC here. On Sunday, a tamu will be held and among the specialties are the various kinds of local rice sold.

It started raining as we continued the journey to Kudat. As we passed through Matunggong on the way, we made mental notes to visit the Rungus long house, bee farm, gong factory and Rungus bead centre the next day on our way back. It was still raining when we passed by the junction to Simpang Mengayau @ the Tip of Borneo and Pantai Bak Bak (Bak Bak beach) so we headed straight to our next accomodation, Marina Golf and Country Resort.

Hmm... My expectations were probably too high for this 4 star resort as I did not find it living up to the stories and reviews by friends and Internet. The room was OK, but the bedspread shabby and even was frayed, there were no bathroom mat and shampoo, no room slippers, the sugar clumped, the room a tad stuffy and musty when we first entered. Thank goodness it was facing the sea.

The bay view from my room, Kudat '08

After a brief drive around town, a dinner at KFC and a snack at Sidek Esplanade, we returned to rest. Only to be woken up at 3 am by the storm. The wind was making a harsh sound outside as the storm raged and splattered against our window. But it was pretty mesmerizing to watch the waves curled and splashed, until one by one we drifted back to sleep.

My Sabah Journey: Day (02) Valleys of Heaven. Kundasang.

Day 2, we check out early and went looking for breakfast at Api Api Centre. Nothing special to report on food.

To start with, we took the road to Tuaran before reaching a round - a - bout there and took a turn to the direction of Ranau (there's a signboard, and the road is pretty straightforward). On the way we pass through on a rustic bridge, still sturdy from the olden days of steel bridges. Then we began another uphill drive along the same Crocker range, but less steep than the road to Tambunan. It was still quite early in the morning, around 9 am so the mist were still nestled and snaking among the green mountains and valleys.

Pit stop; Nabalu town of Kota Belud outskirt. Here there were tons of handicraft stalls but selling almost identical stuffs, apparently at 3 different prices (local Sabahan; local tourist; foreigner) since upon approaching, they slashed the prices down to 1/3 - 1/2 before we even start bargaining. But since we're likely to pass this place again on the way back, we only bought some fruits and climbed atop the viewing tower for a picture of the Kinabalu peak and the surrounding valleys. It was around 11.30 am but the mist was still thick around the peak that we'd to wait at the interludes of 5 - 10 minutes to view the peak.

Majestic peaks, Pekan Nabalu, Kota Belud '08

Of course, when we reached the small town of Kundasang, we just had to stop and look around. Flowers of brilliant colours, fresh and shiny fruits and vegetables... who could resist those? There were certain fruits not or difficult to be found in the city here such as tarap, buah lemak manis and tampoi that you can find here. There's also pickled strawberry. Salak was abundant too. Ah... I love tarap... It has the appearance of a small jackfruit at first glance, and smells like one with a tinge of durian. Not recommended to bring onboard a ripe one as its sweet smell is quite overwhelming, almost rivalling the king of fruit itself. The texture is also a bit like jackfruit but softer, and peeling a ripe one is as easy as indenting its skin and voila, it is open.

Anyway, there is a mosque here in Kundasang. Eating is not a problem as majority are Muslim and there are many Muslim shops here. There are also mini markets for you to get your Maggi for the cold night. Anyone interested with the garden within the War Memorial Park can find the park here behind some shophouses, and there's an entrance fee. By the way, we ate at Nabalu cafe-lounge-bakery where it served one of the best tom yum that I'd ever had. The home - made bread, beef burger and ginger chicken were good too.

Village and plantation, Kundasang '08

Next was Poring hot spring! It was already 3 pm but what the heck for our group. So off we drived another 40+ km towards Poring where most of us abandoned the RM3-per-entrance hot spring, after taking in its smell of egg (it's a sulphur - based hot spring...). For those interested in soaking, there are open and close areas where you draw up individual baths. We decided to have a go at the canopy walk on the hanging bridge instead. After slapping down the local rate of RM3, we clamoured up the first 500 metres UPWARDS of the trail. Reaching up ain't pretty, messed hair, sweaty... Height - phobia people, GO HOME. Looking down, one can feel dizzy as you scanned for the ground amidst the thick foliage. After 200 metres of swaying in the air, we made it down through a milder ~300 metres. Last entry hour is at 5.30 pm since the whole place closes down around 6.30 pm. Others; there is a bat cave, butterfly park and chalets. Arrange a proper transport as the local cabbies may charge you exorbitantly.

A waterfall near the entrance, Poring '08

Don't look down... Canopy walkway, Poring '08

We passed Ranau again on our way back and decided not to stop by as it was getting late. Additional info; those looking for transport to return to KK can look for the minivans and Unser here. For some fee, the cabbies or minivans from Kundasang will drive you to Ranau in the morning.

We were staying at Celyn hotel, a fairly new hotel in the area, about 1 km from the town, and literally isolated at some uphill area within a village. We almost thought we're lost as we climbed the 3 km uphill small road of gravels amidst the village and even passed by 2 ponies grazing peacefully by. The hotel itself was atop another steep hill.

Well, we took 2 Valley view rooms, which were cheaper than the Mountain view rooms. Turned out the two were just a mere distance away from each other and you can just climb up to the Mountain view area to view the Kinabalu, which, was hidden behind the thick fog and fluffy clouds most of the time. Even the valleys were only visible at around 9 am.

Valley view, Celyn. Kundasang '08

For a 3 star hotel, Celyn is comfortable. Though the appearance and food were only decent, I'd say that the facilities are pretty good enough. Towels, hot water, drinks facilities, TV with additional Astro channels (Cinemax, ESPN, Disney), batik bathrobes and extra pillows. So if you like to be uphill in some remote village where all is dark by 7, Celyn is an option. Booking is available via the Internet.

Well, we couldn't resist having a look at Pine Resort since the landscape of pine trees and flowers were so eye - catching. This place is one of the popular choices in Kundasang where you've to book early during peak seasons.

And so, the night passed on peacefully, albeit some snoring.

My Sabah Journey: Day (01) Butterflies in the sky. Tambunan.

All 4 of us hopped into the car with a map of Sabah, luggage and cash, camera (unfortunately, not mine) and food, and kick started our 4 days of driving trip across Sabah. Our first route, totally unplanned and spontaneous, to head UP and DOWN to Tambunan, Beaufort crossed out since the rail track is under renovation and not running.

So anyway... Like I said, it's a totally UP and DOWN trip all right along the Crocker Range. And Tambunan, the main town itself seems to be on the OTHER side of the range. We were travelling pass 2 mountains to get to it, namely Gunung Emas (Mount Emas) and Gunung Alab (Mount Alab). But the road surprisingly was not as winding as climbing up Fraser's Hill, smooth and amazingly steep. I wonder how the timber lorries managed to travel through this road daily. But the view was amazing! Green valleys, thick white mist, rainbows...

Roadside rainbow, Tambunan '08

On the way we discovered a recently opened butterfly park, Kipandi Butterfly Park. Since the engine was smoking threateningly from the strenous drive, we decided to stop and take a look. Though new, its museum of insects and other creepy - crawlies was cool enough and throw in a friendly guide, you'd be bowled over as he toured you through the museum and the park. The only butterfly name I can recall now is Raja Brooke, but rest assure that the park has many species to offer at close up ranges for an entrance fee of RM10. Another attraction was the wild orchid garden where you can see orchids as such you've never seen before. Different from their city counterparts, these wild orchids were sometimes so tiny that we brushed pass without noticing anything but their strong fragrance. If interested, you can buy some orchids to be taken home and figure out the immigration problem later.

Kipandi Butterfly Park, Tambunan '08

Next, a stop at Puncak Azam Cafe along the way. The food was ok, my 3 buddies were shocked with the noodle soup loaded with cucumber while my kampung - style fried rice turned out pretty good. The other reason we pit - stopped here was because there was a musolla there. The view from the verandah was... Let's just say that all I saw was white. The mist was too thick and it was pretty cold too. It's like being totaly wrapped up in a different world alright. A cold one.

The view from Puncak Azam cafe, Tambunan '08

Of course, we just have to stop at the Rafflesia Information Centre when we saw the signboard. Though disappointed that no flower was in bloom, we left with some souvenirs and continue. (By the way, the local newspapers will announce the start of blooming season.)

And finally... Finally we reached Tambunan main town. It's a small, quiet town. Majority were Christians so finding a place to eat was quite difficult. We stopped just for me to pray at the Nurul Iman mosque before beginning our journey back to KK. A stop at the petrol station prior, then we're off. The journey back was more relaxing as driving down was easier. But it started raining halfway and the mist became thicker till all you can see were your headlights.

Nurul Iman mosque, Tambunan '08

Back in Marina Court apartment, no one stayed up late.


Note: by the way, more complete information and amazing pictures of Kipandi Butterfly Park can be found here at http://beautifulkk.com/2009/03/20/kipandi-butterfly-park/ (Beautifulkk.com)

Western food: Fish & co

Status: Serve no pork

Venue/landmark: Warisan Square in KK city (behind Times book store); ground floor entrance, 1Borneo Hypermall

Time open – close: 11.00 am – 10.00 pm (roughly)

Contact no.: 088 – 485878 (1Borneo); 088 – 484989 (Warisan Square)

Basic RM per meal: RM 25.00 (w/o tax, +/- drinks)

If you like fish, this is another alternative to Manhattan Fish Market in Kota Kinabalu. Fast food and western style, that is.

What I like 2nd best here next to their food is their chic serving style. Unless you find it odd to eat in a frying pan, you’ll find it rather charming to eat freshly cooked fish out of its pan served on its wooden fish platter.

I particularly enjoy the items listed below:
1. D Best Fish n Chip In Town: agree! One of the best indeed.
2. New York Fish n Chip: oh… the cheese…
3. Coriander Catch: Catch of the day with coriander sauce. Love the dori!
4. Peri peri Catch: again, catch of the day with Peri peri sauce. It turns out a bit like sambal fish.
5. Seafood Platter for 2: small eater beware! It may need more than 2 of you.
6. Mussel Penne with Garlic & Butter Sauce: never has my kupang tasted so nice…
7. Chockie Junkie: sinful… chocolate shake with luxurious topping of whipped cream!

Service and hygiene so far are excellent. Nice ambient, family – friendly.

Malay food: Rohayu’s café

Status: Halal

Venue/landmark: near the round – a – bout of the State mosque. In fact, it’s junction is easily missed. So in accordance to the original KK map, i scetched a rough map. Right after you enter the junction, straight away give your signal to the left and enter a small junction. The signboard can be missed sometimes, especially when you are not familiar with the road.

Time open – close: 8.00 am – 10.00 pm (roughly)

Basic RM per meal: RM 8.00

I’m not sure what they serve for breakfast, but at lunch time rice and dishes will be served. You can also place your order on other items such as fried rice / noodles etc. Dinner time is mostly ordered stuffs.

I particularly like their Nasi Paprik. It’s very difficult to find a nice Nasi Paprik that suited me well since some places grated my nerve raw when they served a watery, colourless Nasi Paprik. Every single time I came here, I’ll be ordering the same thing.

Service and hygiene, I’ll give 3 out of 5.

A word of caution: lunch time can be hectic, and food runs out quite fast. Parking is not so easy unless you parked somewhere behind the youth centre (by entering the 2nd junction after the 1st one, on your left, near an old rail track)

Charity that is finger – licking – good!

Here’s the chance to enjoy your favourite fast food without being weighed down too much by guilt.

From 14 October 2008 to 16 November 2008, KFC and Pizza Hut – among all big names – are gathering donation to aid the World Food Program. At KFC, simply add RM2 to each purchase you made an get yourself a wristband in return.

Fast food has never been so good. In another sense, of course. I’m not encouraging it to be part of your staple diet. After all, KFC and Pizza Hut booth offer salad on their menu.

A day on Tanjung Lipat.

I've never known that on the days when the tides are low, you can actually look for oyster and mussel (kupang, a greenish - black mollusc) on Tg. Lipat beach. I had always pass by on my way back to UMS and saw kids from the opposite water village and picnickers splashing around, but never thought that the above activity ever existed.

So when a friend asked if I'm interested to join her, I said yes immediately.

Of course, they had to tell me to go upstairs and changed again, my jeans deemed unfit, and also to fetch a pair of old gloves if I have one, seeing that my hands are the soft and smooth ones of a student's.

Unlucky for me, the tide was high when we reached there at 2 pm under the blazing sun, so we settled to photographing ourselves silly while waiting for the tides to settle down. Until the dark clouds appeared, that was.

The rocks extending into the sea. When the tides are low enough, you can climb upon it. Even lower, you can see the oysters attached to lowere parts of the rocks.




The floating Likas mosque. The re - painting started somewhere earlier this year but still is getting nowhere. Anyway, this is one of the favourite tourist spots.



The Kota Kinabalu seaport seen from the rocks "island".



The Yayasan Sabah building. Another tourist spot. An exclusive revolving restaurant called @tmosphere presides the top level.



Next time, I'll get my kupang... till then, then.

McDonald oh McDonald...

Think you got anything to complain of to McDonald (Malaysia only)? Try here http://www.mcdonalds.com.my/ and click “Just Tell Us”. Well, the page stated there to describe any unforgettable moments you’d experienced in McDonald’s, and well, let’s just say that not all memories are the good ones alone…

Another raya story… Of competition and engagement

I was invited to celebrate raya in Kudat with some friends recently, and after much contemplation, I decided to attend it as I’ve never celebrated raya there before and was very curious on how the folks there celebrate.

Turned out I got more than what I’d bargained for. In fact, the trip turned out to be very amusing indeed. And interesting, of course.

When we reached the village, a blast of raya songs greeted our group. A tent was already erected on the small field encircled by the houses, where underneath it a group of adults and children were singing raya songs karaoke. We were told later that it was a preparation for an upcoming competition.

Competition?

We were ushered into the house of my friend’s relatives, and a huge spread was already waiting for us. Turned out that not only there was the competition preparation, but also an engagement was occupying the time of the villagers. But I was more curious in the detail off the competition than engagement. After milling around among the ladies who were stirring huge pots of food, including my favourite chicken in satay sauce, one of them disclosed the much sought out info. This competition apparently was held between villages in the area of Sikuati, where the each competed to see which village was the most festive in celebrating raya. So now they were going all out, preparing all sorts of food, rehearsing, cleaning and setting up their compounds etc to receive the judges, one of them being a prominent MP in the area.

Of course I was amused. Back in my hometown, such thing was unheard of. Or maybe they do it somewhere back there in Peninsular. But anyway, this is another thing I can add in my collection of raya memories in Sabah.

So anyway, the engagement. Actually, more like a marriage proposal and engagement planning. Which turned slightly sour when the future groom expressed his discomfort of being surrounded by too many of the other party relatives during the dowry negotiation. I suppose some off the relatives felt snubbed and uninvited as some were seen huffing on the way out. Then my friend’s mother returned home, fuming along the way. Apparently she could not tolerate the future groom any longer after he absurdly slashed the dowry down by half of the requested amount, shocking the whole family. “Whoever heard of RM5000 dowry nowadays” was her greeting words.

With prices of many goods hiking up, RM5000 is indeed too little to fund a wedding reception. Thank goodness the price of petrol is decreasing, but still, the decrease is not that significant back here as once the price of good hikes, they will never come down. So RM5000 is really out of question. I really pity the future bride in this case… such cheapskate guy, 2 years wasted. Too bad …

There is just something about the road of Sabah…

That simply infuriates you. Most of the time. All the time. All the way. Half of the way.

Trust me, you would have felt some of the sentiments above when you drive anywhere in Sabah, Kota Kinabalu included.

The buses. They are big, heavy, laden. SLOW. But they’ll simply slow down to stop anywhere along the road, or slow you down when they are leaving their stops, nosing their way out regardless that you are speeding 70 - 80 km/hour. They leave you seething as they crawl into the fast lane, oblivious to you who are coming at the speed of 70 – 90 km/hr.

Mini vans. Same case. So no repetition.

The rest, I rest my case. Seeing is believing.

My last Sabah raya

My raya celebration passed by peacefully, and not as bad as I thought it would be. Bad, as in no food, jam, bad weather etc. But certain things surely had sparked up my raya this year in this Land Below The Wind (literally, with its stormy weather recently…)

On the first day itself, I visited a lecturer’s house then off to the Likas stadium open house. I’d learn my lesson well on that day, if I ever do go to any public open house in the future (if EVER), I’ll go with a full stomach, or a partially full one. For a start, this event requires you to have some adrenaline pumping in your blood before you join the mad rush for food, as well as some energy reserve to wade through the thick crowd. Balancing skill, tall and strappy build, large numbers are a bonus as you can defend your stand when the crowd went mad. Keeping alert is another thing, one minute the crowd is very docile, the next thing you know someone has started screaming about the unfair way the caterers are catering to the line and out – of – que people or suddenly the line will “fold” into itself. The ferocity people show towards food is indeed a scary thing.

The next day, off to more open house by some Peninsular friends working in Sabah. Finally, real raya food. I think everyone dove into the spread of nasi impit, roti jala, lontong and laksa, and ate to their heart content. Only the Sabahan were pondering on how to eat the laksa Penang, and soon were downing them with gusto. Of course, we’re talking about the REAL laksa Penang here.

More open house, each getting better and better. The Sabahan ones tend to not serve the traditional Peninsular raya food, but instead opt to serve beriani, bakso, noodles, sometimes spaghetti, chicken wings and telupis, a glutinous rice local delicacy. And everywhere in Malaysia it seems, people celebrate raya for one whole month, just as they fasted the one whole month. Is this good, or bad? Shrug. I guess this let the extended families from faraway also get the chance to complete their endless to – visit lists.

Actually, to be honest, I’m not such a raya – person, unless food – associated. I’m the kind who hides in the kitchen on the pretext of helping out to avoid the comments and questions of my aging, my single status, my studies, my future plans… yada yada… coming from distant people who barely knows me and only materialize once a year in front of you, it feels kind of intrusive, almost like a stranger on the road asking you about your personal life. One even had the nerve to pinch me on the arm, for God sake.

Anyway, for my last raya in Sabah, I’m actually pretty happy with it. I got to spend time with mutual friends that I’ll see less of or never see anymore in the future. After 20 years spending raya back in my own hometown, skipping a year wont hurt. And I got to see and attend my first public open house, enjoyed the holiday peacefully, the empty roads without jam… I’d say this is one of the best raya in my life.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

First, I'd like to wish Eid Mubarak to all the Muslims out there.

Today is the first day of the Syawal month, signifying the end of fasting month. Again this year I'm spending my raya in Sabah. I'm already getting used to that.

Of course, I'm anticipating the collage celebration, my lecturers' open house, the TYT open house and so on. Among the main things today, one of them of course is food, food and more food ^_^ And for FREE.

And also food shortage. Not exactly a general thing but for the students without any mode of transportation, the collage cafes are closed during this festive season and will only open on their whim. So good luck to them, the poor students... But today is supposed to be a happy day so by and by something good will come along.

A rather short post, this one but I'll come back soon. A little break for now ^_^ Cheers to all!

Few Feet From Food: Shangrila Hotel

Location on your KK city map: 8P





Note: this is the 3 star Shangrila, located in Kota Kinabalu, not the 5 star Shangrila on Tg. Aru beach.


Food Radar:


North

Lucky you, as opposite of you is the Asia City area. Walk a little bit across the road and you will find numerous Malay restaurants, usually serving basic fares such as nasi campur and goreng - goreng @ fried stuffs e.g fried rice of all kinds, noodles etc. Within this area also there are 2 famous names in KK, Restoran Sri Sempelang and a branch of Krishna Curry House restaurant, sitting next to each other.




(Refer to your KK map, area P6 - P7)

While Restoran Sri Sempelang offers wide range of nasi campur @ rice with side dishes, including a huge sotong sumbat @ potato - stuffed squid (price range RM 6 - 10 per squid based on size), next door Krishna serves banana leaf rice and Indian vegetarian fares (price starts at RM 4). I'd recommend their fried fish, fish head curry and massala squid. Finish it off with their Sabah Tea teh tarik, served hot and frothy.






Bonus:
- GSC cinema with their painted posters (old - school, but amusing)
- Wisma Budaya: handicrafts and souvenirs.


As you can see above, Asia City complex is just nearby. Here you can find
- Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant on the ground floor (Indian food)
- lots of Chinese eateries
- Wagamama (Japanese food)

Roam around. If you are interested in Japanese snacks (halal in question), on the ground floor there's a Japanese shop selling Japanese stuffs and snacks imported from Japan.


If you walk further across the road opposite Asia City complex, then you'll reach CenterPoint, a shopping complex.

-Fast food outlets include Burger King (ground floor), McDonald (basement), KFC (basement), Pizza Hut (basement), Kenny Rogers (basement), 1901 (Palm Square, level 4).

-Big names: Secret Recipe (Palm Square, level 4), Coffee Bean (Palm Square, level 4)
-Others: Japanese Dream Food (Palm Square, level 4), Yoyo (level 2), MultiBake (basement), Tuah Baker (Palm Square, level 4), food court (basement; Chinese food, vegetarian food, Malay food e.g. Faezah Super)

-Bonus: Ngiukee superstore (Basement; get your pre – pack Tenom coffee here!), Guardian (Basement), Watson (basement, near food court, behind KFC), Body Shop (ground floor)


Warisan Square (next door, west of CentrePoint)

-Big names: Fish n Co’, Secret Recipe, Starbuck, Coffee Bean, YogurBerry, Veda Blue, Deli France

-Others: some Italian places I’ve yet to try, bakery, McDonald kiosk

Api Api Centre (next, east of CenterPoint. That is, if you can still walk):
-Thai, Indian, mamak, Malay, McDonald (with breakfast)… Lots. Restoran Sri Malindo is much recommended for Malay food.


North - West

If you take a turn to the right along the road near the parking lot, then turn north again, you will find the Evening Food Stall, which cater to the Chinese (non - halal). As the name implies, it starts operating only in the evening around 6.30 pm. Seafood can be found here.


West

I'd advise caution in this area as it's a bit secluded in some parts. Walking in groups with at least 1 male is very much advised.

Anyway, around this area you can find KFC, Scenario cafe and many other Malay and Chinese restaurants.

Few Feet From Food: Tang Dynasty Hotel

Note: in this post, I'm covering on Tang Dynasty Hotel at Wawasan plaza. There are other Tang hotel branches, but please refer to the website below.

Website: http://www.hoteltangdynasty.com/


Food Radar:

North - West

1- Anjung Senja: local / Malay food can be found here. Simple, hawker style outdoor dining facing the sea. Grade A – C stalls, take your pick.


2- Ocean Seafood Restaurant
Serve alcohol / cooking may contain alcohol. Fresh sea creatures swimming in their tanks for you to pick to your heart content. Price starts at RM20.


Further North – West:

1- Waterfront (I'll give an estimate of near 300 m for this):

Upscale dining. You can find Western / Indian (Kohinoo) / Japanese / Italian (Tuscany) food here. A word of caution, some serve and use alcohol in their cooking.


2- Filipino Market (I'll give an estimate of near 400 m for this):

Night time is the best. Hawker style, local fares. Ikan bakar, murtabak Jawa, bakso, nasi campur, the usual fried noodle / rice, chicken wings…

Pre – caution: hygiene.

Bonus: handicraft market next door.


West:

1- Api Api Centre: Thai, Indian, mamak, Malay, McDonald (with breakfast)… Lots. Restoran Sri Malindo is much recommended for Malay food (you’ll have to walk to the other side facing the highway to find it. Somewhere near CIMB).


Far – West:

1- CentrePoint: a shopping centre actually.
Fast food outlets include Burger King (ground floor), McDonald (basement), KFC (basement), Pizza Hut (basement), Kenny Rogers (basement), 1901 (Palm Square, level 4).

Big names: Secret Recipe (Palm Square, level 4), Coffee Bean (Palm Square, level 4)

Others: MultiBake (basement), Tuah Baker (Palm Square, level 4), food court (basement; Chinese food, vegetarian food, Malay food e.g. Faezah Super, Nelta)

Bonus: Ngiukee superstore (Basement; get your pre – pack Tenom coffee here!), Guardian (Basement: pharmacy), Watson (basement; pharmacy; near food court, behind KFC), Body Shop (ground floor)


2- Warisan Square (next door to CentrePoint)
Big names: Fish n Co’, Secret Recipe, Starbuck, Coffee Bean, YogurBerry, Veda Blue, Deli France

Others: some Italian places I’ve yet to try, bakery, McDonald kiosk


(Far) South - East:

1- Asia City complex: if you are willing to walk slightly further. Across the road, opposite CentrePoint.

Indian food: Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant.

Ground floor: roam around. Many Chinese outlets can be found here including a dim sum shop. Malay food, not much.

Top floor: food court


Next door, attached to lobby

1- Wawasan Plaza: another shopping centre.

KFC (Ground floor)

Bonus:
-Giant, Body Shop. All on ground floor.

- Parkson Grand (1st floor)

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Few Feet From Food: Promenade Hotel

Note: I’m covering Promenade hotel and its surrounding apartment complexes not including Colonade in this post.

Location: Kota Kinabalu, facing the sea and surrounded by MANY eateries. Plus Promenade itself offers great buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner so food is not an issue when you stay here.

Website: http://www.promenade.com.my/


Food Radar:

North - East:
1- Anjung Senja: local / Malay food can be found here. Simple, hawker style outdoor dining facing the sea. Grade A – C stalls, take your pick.


North – West:
1- Waterfront: upscale dining. You can find Western / Indian (Kohinoo) / Japanese / Italian (Tuscany) food here. A word of caution, some serve and use alcohol in their cooking.


2- Filipino Market: night time is the best. Hawker style, local fares. Ikan bakar, murtabak Jawa, bakso, nasi campur, the usual fried noodle / rice, chicken wings…

Pre – caution: hygiene.

Bonus: handicraft market next door.


South – West:
1- CentrePoint: a shopping centre actually.
Fast food outlets include Burger King (ground floor), McDonald (basement), KFC (basement), Pizza Hut (basement), Kenny Rogers (basement), 1901 (Palm Square, level 4).

Big names: Secret Recipe (Palm Square, level 4), Coffee Bean (Palm Square, level 4)

Others: Japanese Dream Food (Palm Square, level 4), Yoyo (level 2), MultiBake (basement), Tuah Baker (Palm Square, level 4), food court (basement; Chinese food, vegetarian food, Malay food e.g. Faezah Super, Nelta)

Bonus: Ngiukee superstore (Basement; get your pre – pack Tenom coffee here!), Guardian (Basement: pharmacy), Watson (basement; pharmacy; near food court, behind KFC), Body Shop (ground floor)


2- Warisan Square (next door to CentrePoint)
Big names: Fish n Co’, Secret Recipe, Starbuck, Coffee Bean, YogurBerry, Veda Blue, Deli France

Others: some Italian places I’ve yet to try, bakery, McDonald kiosk


3- Asia City complex: if you are willing to walk slightly further. Across the road, opposite CentrePoint.

Indian food: Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant.

Ground floor: roam around. Many Chinese outlets can be found here including a dim sum shop. Malay food, not much.

Top floor: food court


South:
1- Api Api Centre: Thai, Indian, mamak, Malay, McDonald (with breakfast)… Lots. Restoran Sri Malindo is much recommended for Malay food (you’ll have to walk to the other side facing the highway to find it. Somewhere near CIMB).


East:
1- Wawasan Plaza: another shopping centre.

KFC (Ground floor)

Bonus: Giant, Parkson Grand, Body Shop. All on ground floor.


2- Ocean Seafood Restaurant
Serve alcohol / cooking may contain alcohol. Fresh sea creatures swimming in their tanks for you to pick to your heart content. Price starts at RM20.

2008 Ramadan Bazaar - Asia City

Another favourite bazaar of mine that I always drop by on my way back from KK to UMS.

4.00 pm is the advised time to drop by if you don’t like crowds. Parking, well, I always parked in Asia City complex itself as I do not possess the luck of finding a good spot and for the fear of “scratch and run”. Plus it’s only RM0.50 (and secure so far) per hour (just how long do people spend shopping in a bazaar? I doubt anyone could exceed 2 hours).

So anyway…

Like I mentioned before, nasi kerabu seems to be the trend now. I like one particular stall manned by a talkative Kelantanese guy. Some may complained that the portion is a tad too small for RM4.00 (mainly guys) but for me it’s just nice enough. So far, we all agreed that the stall has the best nasi kerabu and accompanying side dishes.

I’m not too into kuih so I don’t know much about them. But I did notice that there were many stalls selling them.

What else? Colourful ais kacang, naan / nasi beriani with tandoori chicken, soya bean milk + pandan flavored ones (nice!), kek lapis Sarawak, yong taufu, nasi campur @ rice and side dishes, ayam madu, ayam golek, murtabak jawa, roti John, ikan bakar, satay… the bazaar has lots to offer.

And if you don’t feel like going through the crowd, there is always Restoran Sri Sempelang small bazaar in their parking lot or their restaurant spread of kuih and grilled fish, giant grilled squids etc.

Again, as noted in my previous post on IP bazaar, I think that Asia city’s too is worth a visit. A bonus here is the cheap parking space.

2008 Ramadan Bazaar - UMS

The UMS bazaar... Park everywhere, anywhere for free. The marching field is large enough for every one of us.

My first thought when I first saw the bazaar was… er, those specks of stalls comprise the whole bazaar or what? Because there are less than 10 operating stalls. One is by Kesumba (UMS housewives’ association), a rojak stall, some stalls selling kuih, 2 stalls selling nasi kerabu, a stall selling nasi campur, 2 stalls of nasi beriani and beriani gam respectively, and a stall selling drinks.

So I gingerly stepped out of my car for a closer peek.

Thankfully, it’s not as bad as it seems. At least they were selling decent stuffs.

Thumbs up to the stalls manned by the boys selling nasi kerabu. Not only they have a variety of the traditional side dishes, they also offer some of Kelantanese kuih like pisang sira (though the syrup did not look too thick) and nasi dagang to boot. The nasi dagang sold up pretty fast so get going before 5.30 (if you’re lucky).

The nasi beriani (not the gam one) guy amused me very much on one occasion when he handed me my change of RM2.10 with 2 notes of RM1 and a sweet.

The rojak buah KL stall, ask the uncle to prepare the “pedas” one or it’ll taste a tad boring. I always told him to forgo some dried stuff (unidentified, speculated to be a very, very dry type of tofu) and replace it with cucumber. Mango is a treat as he put it sparingly in his rojak.

Kesumba stall is pretty nice, albeit their expensive roti jala (RM0.50 per piece). Nasi campur and the rumored great karipap are sold here. (Again, I’m not into kuih. This info was from feedbacks of satisfied buyers).

May I conclude here, pretty good to stop by.

2008 Ramadan Bazaar - IP @ Indah Permai

Today, lucky for me, is a public holiday, thanks to the National Independence Day falling on Sunday. Because of that I managed to check out the bazaar in IP, which to this day I still regard as the best ever in KK. So anyway… off I went happily, anticipating the best, ankle pain and all.

What I had forgotten was to anticipate for the jam owing to the public holiday and because today is the first day of the fasting month.

My God… the jam… was horrendous… parking was a nightmare though in the end I managed to park somewhere near the UMS quarters.

This year, instead of the usual site opposite the row of shophouses, the bazaar shifted to the Giant parking space. In a way it was more convenient to walk around in one area rather than stroll along the long line of stalls selling the same stuffs over and over again.

From what I observed, nasi kerabu was the new trend in Sabah, or at least in KK. There were at least 6 stalls of them, the rice in every shade of blue from neon to secondary – school – uniform blue. There were even marine – and also green – colored ones. Sabahans and non – Sabahans alike were crowding these stalls for a taste of this Kelantan origin blue (or green or marine) rice.

Chicken wing stalls, as usual. Sigh… gone were the days of RM1 per wing. The current price nowadays ranged from RM 1.20 – RM 1.50.

By the way, I saw something that piqued my interest. A stall was selling palm – sized (man’s size, baby sting ray maybe?) sting ray grilled on hot plate. Too bad I noticed it too late so had to forgo it.

There was also a petai – based stall selling everything with this stinky bean (but this stinky bean has a cool name, Parkia speciosa) from fried rice to ayam masak pedas. It was actually my first experience with the bean throughout my whole life (don’t laugh… I wasn’t too adventurous in my younger years) but well… the bean proved to be too much for me though the fried rice was fine.

Then there’s the stall selling nasi dagang (another Kelantan origin), nasi tomato (rice cooked in tomato paste, yummy!), gado – gado (Indonesian traditional salad) and pasembor (well, a bit like salad with fried batter, fried tofu, hard – boiled egg, cucumber, taugeh @ bean sprout and sengkuang @ sweet turnip [really ah? I found this on the net…] tossed together in peanut – based gravy). The pasembor was alright though the gravy is too watery and sweet.

Altogether, I think the bazaar has gotten better with each passing year. 4.00 pm is the advised time to drop by as most people have not come out from the office yet. Parking… well, good luck with that.

Happy fasting everyone!

My foot

Literally that was exactly what I would like to say yesterday except that the irony of the whole situation made it unsuitable.

I strained my right foot ligament. Even the doctor who gave me such diagnosis looked doubtful but by the given history of no trauma, no insect bite/sting, no nothing happened there directly…

Let me go through again… on Friday night around 9 pm (God forbid I do this again till I graduate) I returned to the Medical ward in QEH to copy a case note of a patient for my case presentation due on Tuesday (since I rather not waste petrol and time to come back again on weekends). Upon entrance, my senior who was a houseman there greeted me with a relieved exclamation and straight away ushered me to help him with the new admissions. So there I was, a student, doing a houseman job of clerking and blood taking and filling forms then later blood C&S plus informing the weary nurses that this patient need this and that patient need that and so forth and later to be informed that the ward run out of blankets thanks to the 14 new admissions within 3 hours. Not to mention that the floor is covered by folding beds and a suspected pneumonia/TB patient was wedged in between others.

So by the time I left it was 2.30 am… reach college by 3 am to be let in by the sympathetic guard… drop off to bed with sore feet by 4 am. Then I woke up at 9 am with excruciating pain in my right foot which made standing and walking as something to be done only when necessary. And so I was off to the collage clinic where the doctor was baffled by what that seemed like a torn / strained ligament in sports injury turned out to be a non – traumatic one. Mind you I was wearing flat shoes.

God I can’t imagine how it is after I graduate later… I think I should consider Tawau Hospital instead now…

UMS & convocation... My day

Today I went to my seniors’ convocation, which was after contemplating for so long whether I should dress in jeans or baju kurung. And of the jam. And of parking space and ease.

To begin with, the Tamu Gadang kick started the whole convo event. Which also kick started my hell of driving back to hostel with all the traffic of outsiders and office workers clogging up the campus road. And so I rather stayed in the ward till 6 pm daily for the whole week than drive through the congested round – a - bout. There was nothing much about the whole Tamu Gadang event, expensive food, mess, noise… OK, so some AF artists came.

Then the convo started. More jam.

Anyway, my seniors’ convo day. The day they officially became real doctors. Literally since technically they were already doctors since they started working 2 weeks prior.

My God, I’ve never seen so many people congested in one space. And the heat. And the sudden downpour. And the long hours of the session.

I thank God that I chose to wear jeans as all the stairs climbing and chasing after our seniors to gave their congratulatory bouquets would be hazardous with baju kurung.

I don’t think I’ll come to my own convo until dragged kicking and screaming by my parents who paid for my school fees these 5 years. All the long hours, RM150 fees and registration, jam, crowd… I rather sleep in on the day – off that I’ll apply for my convo…

Western Food: New York New York

Status: Serve no pork / lard (The menu said so)

CAUTION: COOKING MAY CONTAINS ALCOHOL

Venue/landmark: 1Borneo, 1st floor

Time open – close:breakfast (9.00 am) - dinner (9.00 pm)

Reservation:

Contact no.:

Basic RM per meal: RM 20.00 (starting pay, w/o tax)

I love this place!!!

To start with, I love the deco with their comfortable sofas, chic dining wares and the half – round table with sofa seats in their respective “cave”. The colours are vibrant, with cheery music and friendly waiters/resses… I have very little to complain.

And cool menu! Literally and technically. It’s printed in magazine style, glossy paper and all, with tantalizing pics of the best they have to offer and is just plain cool! The list of goodies made us all drool and pore with such sweet agony that the waiter had to be sent away as we took our sweet time deciding. The list of dessert and chocolate beverages will send you wild and reconsider your earlier main course. They also had this small print next to each item e.g. diet friendly, sinful, daboom! And so forth to guide your pick. Vegetarians alike would find the menu to their liking (and will never regret their decision of becoming one) as there are many vegetarian entrees which even we non-vegan agreed as palatable. The pricing of each item is pretty much acceptable, Secret Recipe price standard.

By the way, small eaters beware! Some entrée really come in large portion such as the pastas and meat.

I just love their…

1. Fisherman’s clam chowder

Oh my God… generous amount of succulent clams in this creamy soup is sure to drive anyone wild. Too bad it does not come with garlic bread which is a separate entrée (evil!).


2. Mo’ mushroom

Mushrooms and more mushrooms! I love this vegetarian sandwich! The sautéed mushrooms and onions… the melted cheese… And wholemeal bread has never tasted better toasted. Suitable for small eater and those who wants to compensate for dessert (like me ^_^).


3. Mushroom Medley Pizza

Another vegetarian entrée generously topped with all sorts of mushrooms and cheese… heavenly!


4. Spaghetti Bolognese with Giant Meatballs

Giant indeed! I felt like I’ve just eaten a week worth of meat after I finished this one. Juicy, giant meatballs… heaps of sauce…

Sprinkle the cheese powder sparingly as the sauce tends to be salty sometimes.


Then there are others, I forgot to note down the exact name of each entrée:
- Under the soup section: the (5 fat) mussels in tomato based soup is worth a try though some may find it a tad bland. Cheese powder helps.

- Dessert: the deep fried Mars bar with ice cream of your choice and chocolate sauce… The melted Mars caramel oozing as you chew is just… To be eaten hot. Diet UNFRIENDLY but just plain LOVELY!

- Pasta section: Vegetarian lasagna. Bye bye Moo… Hello Tabasco. Dig in!

-Drinks: caramel hot chocolate, served with generous dollop of cream and colorful marshmallows… Thick, sweet, creamy… Lovely! Soak your marshmallows and stir the cream a little for the rapture. Green Apple Cooler is pretty nice and fizzy, pretty to look at. Lovers’ sunset… I agree with the sunset but where are the lovers? Not bad anyway. Lemonade… a tad too sweet.

To sum it up, I love this place!!!!