Project 365 2011 - Photo #31

Looking back at my old Malaysian International Passport, I've been to these countries:
1) Taiwan (Jan 2004)
2) Thailand (Dec 2004)
3) Indonesia (Dec 2004)
4) Singapore (Aug 2005, Dec 2006, Jan 2008)
5) Philippines (June 2006)
6) Russia (Jan 2007)

I traveled to these countries with my fellow church co-workers from 2004 till 2007. After I started working, my only trip to the overseas was to Singapore in Jan 2008.

Hmmm... I should plan to travel to other countries soon. Hehe!

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #30

Prawn: I'm a big, fat freshwater prawn!
Human: Good! Into the freezer you'll go!

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #29

A bunny-shaped hair-patch ribbon, just in time for Chinese New Year. :)

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #28

Ooo... A boutique with the name Joyce in it! :D

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Dinner @ Dae Jang Gum, Taman Danau Desa

Dae Jang Gum
Address: Jalan 4/109F, Taman Danau Desa, 58100 KL (same row as Little Jakarta).

I'm not sure if this outlet is related to Dae Jang Gum at Sec. 14, Petaling Jaya.

One word: Modest.

Generous panchan servings - 10 of them. The reason why I visit Korean restaurants is their enticing, colorful panchans.

Left: Sun Du Bu Jji Ge (Soft Bean Curd Soup with Rice)
Right: Yuk Ge Jang (Spicy Beef Soup with Rice)

Both dishes are steaming, hot, and spicy. Seriously, we shouldn't have ordered both of them in one meal. Lesson learned. I'd be glad to try anything non-spicy on the menu to balance that fiery, numbing sensation of my poor tongue. :)

Overall, dining here is moderately enjoyable and peaceful.

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #27

It's sooooo freaking hard to get three stars in Angry Birds. Urgh!

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Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part VI) - Sarawak's Natural Beauty

Photos courtesy of David Bates. :)

Here's a local folksong dedicated to the legendary Puteri Santubong, whom according to legend, inhabits Mount Santubong even to these days. I still remember the haunting tune. :)

For translation, read this original article.

Puteri Santubong, Puteri Sejinjang,
Penjaga gunung negeri Sarawak,
Manis sik ada dapat dilawan,
Anak dak dewa turun kayangan.

Ooo... Puteri Santubong,
Menenun kain… siang,
Ooo… Puteri Sejinjang,
Menumbuk padi… malam.

Satu harinya duak kelayi,
Beranok-anok sik renti-renti,
Sorang madah diri bagus agik,
Sorang sik ngalah sampei ke mati,

Yalah kisah duak 'rang puteri,
Suka kelayi setiap hari,
Lalu disumpah raja kayangan,
Menjadi gunung negeri Sarawak.

I love this shot of Misai Kucing, a local medicinal herb...

...and this serene lake overlooking Mount Santubong.

At Sarawak Cultural Village, I'm fascinated with these majestically tall stilts of Melanau (Sarawak Coastal People) Tall House...

...and intricately decorated stilts of similarly tall Orang Ulu Longhouse.

I'm thrilled climbing up and down these utterly dangerous-looking tree-trunk stairs that demand my 100% courage to "conquer" them without tumbling down like an egg. :P

These are hand-crafted sape, a traditional musical instrument...

...and here's a Penan man who speaks good English demonstrating his skills.

This stone statue resembles Jedi Master Yoda from Star Wars!

Last but not least, the beautiful Damai Beach.

Note: This is the final post from our Kuching Trip series.

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More photos on my Facebook albums:
Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part V) - Sarawak Cultural Village


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Other related posts:

• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part I) - Lodging
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part II) - Places of Interests in Kuching City Center
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part III) - Food: Pansuh Manok (Bamboo Chicken)
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food: Local Delicacies
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part V) - Borneo's Gourmet Coffee

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #26

Couldn't find any Ramlee Burger stall nearby my workplace, so have to give Otai Burger a go. This is Burger Ayam (Chicken Burger).

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Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part V) - Borneo's Gourmet Coffee

Photos courtesy of David Bates. :)

100% Pure
Borneo's Best Selection of Gourmet Coffee

Address: No. 87, Ewe Hai Street (opposite Berambih Lodge)
Contact No.: 082-420 290
Email: bbcoffee@streamyx.com

I'm attracted to this outlet's down-to-earth, homey, and welcoming ambiance. At one glance, it lacks the commercial appeal of Starbucks and Coffee Bean. However, it is this very point that sets it apart from those commercialized coffee outlets that sell over-priced coffees.

There are two species of Borneo coffee, the Liberica and the Robusta. Coffee plantations are located at lowland hilly areas of southwestern Sarawak, mainly the Bidayuh (Land Dayaks) villages and Chinese farms. In Kuching and Samarahan, coffee plantations are found in Lundu, Bau, Serian, Padawan, Asajaya, Simunjan, etc.

Green coffee beans are processed naturally by being sun-dried. Then, coffee beans of the finest quality are hand-selected and roasted in small quantities with specialized roasters. Freshly roasted coffee beans are 100% pure, clean, and contain no preservatives. Whole beans or ground coffee are then vacuum-packed to retain their quality and freshness.

Liberica Coffee has a smooth, mellow flavor and exotic aroma. It tastes really good either as black coffee or with added sugar and milk. Robusta Coffee has a soft and mild flavor with a nice, strong aroma and is typically served black.

This is Ice-blended Cappuccino with Condensed Milk.

Here's Caffe Latte, served in a quaint mug and a piece of peanut cookie.

These are coffee gift packs that we bought for our family and friends.

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More photos on my Facebook albums:
Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food Galore

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Other related posts:

• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part I) - Lodging
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part II) - Places of Interests in Kuching City Center
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part III) - Food: Pansuh Manok (Bamboo Chicken)
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food: Local Delicacies
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part VI) - Sarawak's Natural Beauty

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #25

Awesome and must-try Beef Kueh Teow Soup from Buna Kafe & Restoran @ Ground Floor, Kelana Mall.

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There are many other delicious dishes such as Green Curry Chicken with Rice, Chicken and Cashew Nut with Rice, White Tom Yum with Rice, Roti Jala with Chicken Curry, and many more! Their desserts are awesome too, especially Water Chestnut and Jackfruit with Coconut Milk.

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Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food: Local Delicacies

Photos courtesy of David Bates. :)
 
Laksa Sarawak
 
I've been craving for AUTHENTIC Laksa Sarawak for as long as I stay in Klang Valley. Now who can resist a bowl of steaming, fragrant curried broth with beehoon and topped with fresh prawns, beansprouts, slices of omelet, chicken breast meat, and fresh coriander? I can't! I'm more than happy to savor every spoonful and lick my bowl clean in the end. By the way, before you dig into your bowl of slurpy-licious laksa, remember to add these two must-have condiments: lime juice and special chili paste.

Belacan Beehoon
 
A good plate of Belacan Beehoon consists of beehoon, sweet chili paste, belacan paste, beansprouts, cucumber slices, and cuttlefish. Being able to savor Belacan Beehoon without fuss is not easy. It's indeed an acquired taste. For those who can't stand the taste of watered-down belacan, you might find this dish repulsive.

Mee Sapi (Beef Noodles)
 
Sarawak's Mee Sapi is another one of my favorite noodles dishes. Mee Sapi is generally handmade noodles served in mild-flavored herbal broth cooked with different beef cutlets and topped with fresh coriander. If you compare Mee Sapi to its sister dish, Seremban's sticky beef noodles, I still prefer this dish.

Tomato Crispy Mee (Chinese Style)
 
Look at those huge prawns sitting on a bed of crispy mee soaked in flavorful tomato-based broth. I'm salivating just by reminiscing the delightful sweet-and-sour taste of this special dish.

Kueh Chap
 
Kueh Chap is a dish of flat rice sheets served in a bowl of herbal broth cooked from pork and different part of porky innards - pork belly, intestines, etc. This is heaven-sent food for all pork lovers!

Kuching Kolo Mee
 
A simple yet delicious dish of handmade noodles tossed with lard and topped with char siew, fried shallots, and vegetables. If you want to try the "red"-colored kolo mee, ask for char siew oil. Kolo Mee seems to be the staple food for Kuching-ites.

By the way, Kampua, mostly found in Sibu and Bintulu is Kolo Mee's sister dish. I'll write about that when I'm back in Bintulu for Chinese New Year holidays in February.

Hakka Pork Mee
 
Similar to Kolo Mee. See those crispy fried lard? I bet you want to have a bowl right now!

Hakka Lamb Mee
 
This surprisingly flavorful and deliciously rich dish is David's favorite. It's braised lamb chops served with handmade noodles in thick broth.

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Now let's take a look at some of their famous drinks.

3-Layer Tea
 
You can find this in Klang Valley nowadays. The bottom layer is pandan syrup, the middle layer is evaporated milk, and the top layer is tea.

Wheatgrass with Evaporated Milk
 
I love this drink! Locals order them as Wheatgrass Si Peng - "Si" means evaporated milk and "Peng" means iced.

Sugarcane Topped with Coconut Flesh
 
What more can I say? It's indeed a great thirst-quenching drink.

White Lady
 
One of the infamous local shaved ice desserts, good for supper. It's called White Lady because the top whitish part is made from condensed milk mixed with shaved ice. You'll also find longan and pineapple cubes.

Matterhorn

This is another one of the infamous local shaved ice desserts. No milk is added and it's delightfully sourish with lots of longan, pineapple cubes, grass jelly, and transparent gelatine strips.

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More photos on my Facebook albums:
Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food Galore

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Other related posts:

• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part I) - Lodging
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part II) - Places of Interests in Kuching City Center
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part III) - Food: Pansuh Manok (Bamboo Chicken)
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part V) - Borneo's Gourmet Coffee
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part VI) - Sarawak's Natural Beauty

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Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part III) - Food: Pansuh Manok (Bamboo Chicken)

Photos courtesy of David Bates. :)

Al-Fayad Bamboo Chicken
Address: No. 115, Kampung Boyan, Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak.

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From the self-explanatory board, Pansuh Manok or Bamboo Chicken is a Sarawakian traditional dish - chicken cooked in bamboo with 15 kinds of jungle herbs and ferns.

Here's how the cooked chicken and herbs are poured from the bamboo.

Close-up shot.

Pansuh Manok
 
This dish is not really flavorful but it's surprisingly refreshing due to the (almost, I think) non-existence of seasonings. The clear broth retains the original flavor of chicken breast meat and jungle herbs and ferns. I don't know what are the 15 types of "grass" used in this dish but they are not bitter or weird. In fact, I enjoy munching them. :)

Pansuh Manok is definitely one of the interesting, must-try Sarawakian traditional dishes.

Belacan Midin
 
Midin is a local edible fern. It looks like paku-pakis but slightly thinner. Midin is usually stir-fried with belacan and chillies and best eaten with hill rice from Bario, Sarawak. :) 

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More photos on my Facebook albums:
Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food Galore

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Other related posts:

• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part I) - Lodging
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part II) - Places of Interests in Kuching City Center
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food: Local Delicacies
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part V) - Borneo's Gourmet Coffee
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part VI) - Sarawak's Natural Beauty

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