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| Sunday, 8-Nov-2009 23:11 |
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Sarawak - Miri, Malaysia's Oiltown : Trip To Niah Caves
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Located within the district of Miri , it is also part of Niah National Park. It is made up of several voluminous, high-ceilinged chambers. The Great Cave lies in a large limestone block, about a kilometer long and about half a kilometer wide. The caves is not accesible by road meaning you have to park your car at the Niah National Park HQ and walk a distance of about 8 km. From the Niah National Parks HQ, you need to take a boat to cross the river. In some areas, you need to climb steep staircase. There is also a long house nearby where you can explore the lives of Iban.
From Miri, Batu Niah Town is about 128km away, about 90 mins. drive. Midway, we stopped over to buy some fruits. The durians looked good. There are 3 varieties ... normal ones as we can find in Malaya. The other two types are small in size, about half a kg. each and the flesh looks very enticing. Tastewise, it is not sweet or bitter but 'lemak' only .. its AROma is not very strong, I still prefer the conventional durian.
Durian Kuning, the skin is green and the flesh golden yellow.
However, I have forgotten the name of the other type whose skin is yellow and flesh orange in colour.
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Dabai
Tampoi, can be found in Malaya esp in JB ....
Binjai looks like mango but taste is different.
also looks like mango except the skin colour, name unknown, flesh orange in colour
Keep on checking, Niah Caves pix in the next update.
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| Wednesday, 14-Oct-2009 00:29 |
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Sabah : KG. BULI SIM SIM, SANDAKAN
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One of the tourists attraction in Sandakan is Buli Sim Sim, a fishing village built on stilt. The sky was hazy due to the fire in Kalimantan, thus the background of the scene did not turn up very good.
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| Tuesday, 13-Oct-2009 16:29 |
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KK Night Market
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It has been 8 months since my last visit to Sabah. Thus, when I had this opportunity, I make full use of my stay.
Here are some pix from the KK Night Market located opposite Le Meridien Hotel, my fav. hotel in Sabah. Since it was fully booked, I stayed at Novotel Hotel @ 1 Borneo, about 15 mins. drive from KK.
You can eat or shop in while enjoying the sun set. The sunset was beautiful ....
If you like BBQ Chicken wings, you will be spoilt for choice. There are more than 10 stalls selling chicken wings.
If you can't make up yr mind which BBQ Wings to buy, then I suggest U buy the fresh chickens.
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| Friday, 18-Sep-2009 14:42 |
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My Award Winning Photo - Sunrise@Beserah Beach off Swiss Gdn Rst
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Just published in our company's quarterly magazine, my photo won the 1st place.  In fact the comments made by the jury ( 2 of them, one is a professional photographer) was very encouraging - very creative, excellent composition, good timing, excellent choice of subject and good technique. Many thanks to my daughter NTAR .....
In a company of 25,000 staff, if 2 % i.e. 500 sent in their entries with some sending in 2 or 3 entries, then there are actually more than than 1000 entries. Although the prize is not that big, the recognition that I got is very encouraging and gives me the belief that I can go further in photography.
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| Tuesday, 8-Sep-2009 04:37 |
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Travel & Food
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Whenever I travel, two things that I watch out most are its local culture and food. Although we may be thousands of miles apart, sometimes the food that we eat are similar. For e.g fried rice is an international dish such that there are 1001 varieties of fried rice from the simple kampong fried rice to USA style fried rice. Similarly there are also 1001 varieties of noodles ….
In Indonesia, you can find bakeries outlets with fantastic cakes and very often you have to endure a long queue at the payment counter. Watch the man in black with more than ten boxes of cakes queueing up at the payment counter.
I don't understand why cos the cakes are nothing special. Two such outlets are Kartika Sari ( not the gal who drank liquor) and Amanda Brownies.
Since Indonesia is close to us, their food is quite similar to ours but the same food can have different names. In Bandung, I found out these very funny or crazy names,
1. onde onde negro - kuih bom but the indon version is dark, thus it is called negro. Onde onde is also the name for kuih buah melaka.
2. bolu jepang - japanese bahulu, haiya japan where got bahulu???
3. Bugis Daun - must be a "bugisman inside", just like "intel inside".
4. Lontong Sapi - Compressed Rice with Beef
Now let us see the authentic Nasi Padang .... btw It doesn't mean ''Field Rice"
5. Fried Chicken
6. Fried Chicken too
7. Begedil
8. Sambal Anchoives
9. All U can eat
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| Tuesday, 8-Sep-2009 03:54 |
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http://www.flickr.com/superaro
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Well, if you have been waitin' for my updates here, that may take sometime since I'm also doing some updating in my flickr website. Here you can see my collections of pix, just anything but mostly birds, animals, sceneries and macro ... I created my flickr site sometime late last year but there was not much inputs until recently .
Right now you will be able to view pix of painted storks, flamingoes, iguana, sunbirds and also arabica bird. Soon I will add zebras, giraffes, macaques, etc etc ....
Go and click -
http://www.flickr.com/superaro
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| Tuesday, 18-Aug-2009 07:16 |
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A new blog- anything interesting
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My last entry was about 3 weeks ago. Actually, I was working out another blog - SuperARO.blogspot.com which will document anything interesting other than travel adventures.
SuperARO.fotopages.com will still be continued to document my travelling adventures
Feel free to have a look at SuperARO.blogspot.com . BTW, If you have anything interesting let me know, I may be able to accomodate it in my blogspot.
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| Wednesday, 22-Jul-2009 11:39 |
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Thistle Hotels
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Have you ever heard of these two new hotels in Malaysia ? It is under the Guoman group .
Thistle Hotel took over Guoman Hotel in Port Dickson, it is more of re-branding the hotel.
Even if you pay me RM1000 for me to stay in their deluxe suite, I will not take the offer. Nobody dares to stay here. Many of my friends have encountered with a headless ghost while staying here.
The other hotel is in JB, previously it was Hyatt Hotel at Jln Chat, overlooking the Straits. I was eager to see what this new hotel have to offer. But I was wrong, It was something that was least expected. After ordering the drinks, I was chatting with my friend when the waiter brought our drinks. Mine was Ice Cappucino. Instead of putting it on the table, he lost balance and the Ice Cappucino fell on me.
So embarassed, I complained to the Duty Manager who just listened but has no empathy to what I was feeling. Stupid Manager by the name of Ana .... One of the Cafe Captain took me to a nearby room and rubbed off the iced cappucino.
The hotel gave me a room where I was asked to changed and they took my jeans to the laundry. I was quarantined for two hrs. before it is ready. Even the luxury of room 1121 can never compensate me for the loss of time and other opportunities.
My complaint to the GM Philip Skitch for compensation fell on deaf ears. I will take the case to the next level as the hotel management is stubborn.
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| Thursday, 16-Jul-2009 13:07 |
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Bandung Re-visited : JJCM
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After all the visits you must be hungry, so let us see what is available in Bandung. Don't look for Mee Bandung and Air Bandung. Local food i.e. more commonly known as Sundanese Food in KL are aplenty here ...
One of the most well known restaurant is Sindang Reret .... in fact there is a big sign board (put up by the local authorities) at Jl. Juanda showing the direction to Sindang Reret
The way to Sindang Reret. Inspite of its name, Gedong Sate, Sate is not available here.
Let me take yr order pls.
Sate kambing
Gado Gado
 
Puteri Geulis & Avocado Juice
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| Monday, 6-Jul-2009 14:07 |
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Bandung Re-Visited : Tangkuban Parahu Volcanic Crater
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Located in Lembang, this place is only within 45 minutes drive from Bandung. Tangkuban Prahu is actually a volcanic mountain. The shape resembles an upturned boat, hence, the name. (Tangkuban Prahu in Sundanese means an upturned boat).
There is a legend involved in the creation of this mountain.
The story tells of "Dayang Sumbi", a beauty who lived in West Java. She cast away her son "Sangkuriang" for disobedience, and in her sadness was granted the power of eternal youth by the gods. After many years in exile, Sangkuriang decided to return to his home, long after the two had forgotten and failed to recognize each other. Sangkuriang fell in love with Dayang Sumbi and planned to marry her, only for Dayang Sumbi to recognize his birthmark just as he was about to go hunting. In order to prevent the marriage from taking place, Dayang Sumbi asked Sangkuriang to build a dam on the river Citarum and a large boat to cross the river, both before the sunrise. Sangkuriang meditated and summoned mythical ogre-like creatures -buta hejo or green giant(s)- to do his bidding. Dayang Sumbi saw that the tasks were almost completed and called on her workers to spread red silk cloths east of the city, to give the impression of impending sunrise. Sangkuriang was fooled, and upon believing that he had failed, kicked the dam and the unfinished boat, resulting in severe flooding and the creation of Tangkuban perahu from the hull of the boat
The first picture I captured as I arrived at Tangkuban Parahu at about 5pm. It is almost sunset and the mist was very thick, thus the sun image can be captured directly.
after sometime the mist was blown away and the crater is visble.
You can even see the hot smoke being blown away.
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