Sarah Visits

Several weeks ago Sarah, a friend from NZ who is now living in Melbourne, paid us a visit. It
gave us a chance to return to some favourite eating haunts as we have decided that with visitors it is best to adopt the 'food tourism' strategy. Hence we took Sarah to Yut Kee , Raju's, and several other of our preferred eating options.

And of course, on our usual list of must-dos is the Fish Spa, of which there are many dotted around this city. Fish nibbling at one's feet and toes is surpriseingly soothing and although I was'nt present, I heard that Sarah dozed off at one point.

Unfortunately Sarah's visit was marred when her wallet was stolen whilst shopping in Mid Valley, several hours before she was due to fly out. Very disappointing.

I will be seeing Sarah again in a couple of weeks at a wedding in Mangawai, New Zealand.

Laguna Phuket International (Half) Marathon

Following the outstanding success of the Angkor Wat Half Marathon in December last year http://kiakahakl.blogspot.com/2009/12/angkor-wat-half-marathon.html, our next running destination has been decided and what beter location than the resort Mecca of Phuket, Thailand.

http://www.phuketmarathon.com/

Lina has opted for the 10.5 KM race and her preparations are progressing well with a brisk, 5km fun run in the inaugural Tom Dick & Harry's fun run on Sunday. Athletic endeavour and drinking establishments provide an unlikely yet symbiotic combination. The run was followed by a hearty fry up breakfast kindly provided by the proprietors, one of whom is a colleague of Lina's. Physiotherapy services were provided by ACE Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre, giving those who needed it, a good stretch out.

More Photos from Laos

Banana Leaf

One of my favourite eating experiences in KL is Banana Leaf rice. This originates from South India, a part of the world that the majority of Indian Malaysians ancesters hail from. The experience starts with the placing of a banana leaf in front of you. This takes the place of a plate and for someone brought up on meat and potatoes, is a wonderfully exotic start to a meal.

The first step is a couple of large dollops of rice (3 if you’re real hungry) placed in the middle followed by usually 3 separate vegetable dishes. The types will vary between establishments (there are literally dozens of these places around KL) with cucumber and yogurt the most common. You are then given the choice of curry gravies and although the flavours are usually standardised between establishments, the quality always varies. Daal gravy is non spicy in contrast to the remaining options of chicken or fish, which will always have some kick. If you want all three then that is fine to.

Our favourite Banana leaf restaurant is in Bangsar, a short drive from our condominium in Mid Valley. Why do I think it is better than all the others? One reason and one reason only. Deep fried bitter gourd. Your arteries will start to wince merely looking at this stuff, but it is delicious. In addition there is a tasty chutney as well as dried, salted chillies that are guaranteed to leave a lasting impression long after the meal has finished (if you know what I mean). Described above is merely the standard package. One can buy mutton, chicken, beef, and seafood side dishes of varying degrees of spiciness, with the fried satong highly recommended at Nirwana, Bangsar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pma_dy7bgGY

The fried bittergourd is to the left. Cucumber at the top and you can see those nasty dried chillies

Daal and chicken gravy

Behold - a thing of beauty in KL. Best to come with a very hearty appetite.

Puppies Rugby at the Royal Selengor Club

Gong Xi Fai Cai at Isaac's Kindy

This is our second Chinese New Years in Malaysia and yesterday was the traditional Chinese dress-up at Isaac's kindy in Bangsar, My Montessori. With his arm around Isaac is his best friend and fellow Rugby player, Ilias. They are very good mates and are very similar in many ways. The Chinese outfit that Isaac is wearing was the same as last year, albeit a tad tighter and it is fun comparing him with last year photos. http://kiakahakl.blogspot.com/2009/01/chinese-new-year-long-weekend.html

The CNY holiday is the biggest of the year for the Chinese community and for me is easier to access given it is secular unlike the main Muslim holiday, Hari Raya which is religious focussed. Both Lina and I are off work till Wednesday next week and KL is a very pleasant place to hang around during a long weekend as many Malaysians have left for their hometowns and things are nice and quiet.

Tonight, we have the privilage of attending the Reunion dinner of our friends Joe and Hunsa.

Miss Chan, a teacher at My Montessori

Buddhist Chant in Luang Prabang ,Laos

Laos

Laos was my final South East Asian frontier. It was the one country in this region I had wanted to visit but had not gotten to. What appealed to me prior to visiting was its isolation. This is a country of less than 6 million and its Thai and Vietnam neighbours number around 150 million combined. The isolation of Laos which appeals to tourists like me is a huge disadvantage to the Laotians in terms of following the consumer dream. There is little there that the West wants. Except a holiday to get away from it all. And that is just what we got. Very quiet. Very beautiful.

We flew into Vientiane, a city described by some as the most laid back capitol in the world. I would have to agree, although Windhoek, Namibia would challenge closely. It sits beside the Mekong River and has no must see sites but is a very welcome relief from the busyness of KL. We got our first taste of Laotian food with the compulsory sticky rice included. More on the food later.

We spent a couple of days in the capitol walking the streets, enjoying being able to walk around without threat to life and limb from cars and also the cooler temperature. We spent some time at the Settha Palace Hotel. We were not well heeled enough to stay at this fine looking establishment, however we had lunch and lounged by the pool, making an excellent imitation of guests. We visited the national museum which was brilliant for its rusticness. Most of the exhibits resembled a school project. It makes sense for a country to put its money into development of the country rather than a museum I guess. The story of Laos was told and it was a reminder that the country remains the Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR). The authorities well remember the horrific bombing that occurred here during the Vietnam war by the ‘American Imperialists’ and it is clear that the French have not been entirely forgiven for the misdeeds during their tenure either.

Luang Prabang is the jewel in the crown of Laos as far as main stream tourism goes and we headed there via a 40 minute white knuckle Air Lao flight. This is a gorgeous little part of the world which retains a mix of French colonial and local flavour. And speaking of flavours, the food! I love French food and there was no shortage of this. Our favourite was the Coconut Garden where we enjoyed some superb Lao-French fusion food. Laap is the most well known of the local dishes and can be prepared with pork, beef or, chicken. It is a spicy mix of meat and herbs and at this restaurant, nuts also accompanied. Also new to us and equally delicious was the condiment, Jaew Bong complete with its distinctive ingredient of Buffalo skin. This stuff had a kick as hard as any bovine and was perfect with sticky rice. We topped this with a couple of Lao beers and I was most satisfied.

The main centre of Luang Prabang is nestled on a narrow finger of land, flanked by the Mekong on one side and the Mae Kok on the other. It’s no more than 3 or 4 blocks wide and the main street which bisects the centre of this peninsula is full of cafes, galleries, artesian shops, and the occasional resident cooking their lunch on the wood fire. The town is surrounded by mountains just to complete the picture.

It is such a relaxing part of the world with minimal traffic (a big deal coming from KL) and the locals are very friendly. Walking is the way to truly explore this place and I kept up my fitness by lugging Isaac around and you will see in the photos, there are plenty showing him asleep on my shoulder. He didn’t appreciate the walking part quite as much as us!
So as you can tell by now, it wasn’t quite the action holiday as per our Vietnam trip. Laos is not an adventure destination, and that suited us just fine. It is an ideal destination if you live in a big city and want to relax. As long as you don’t mind the absence of a beach for your holiday: the coast is hundreds of kilometers away. In the end Laos met my expectations, and then some.

Where am I today

The hotel bar in Vientiane

Another airport

French style cafes

An essential travel item with kids - the DVD player

Fruit vendor

Riding in the tuktuk

Massive spider

Outside a temple

The Buddhist monk procession where offering are given to the monks by the locals

Chocolate fondant at L Elephant Restaurant in Luang Prabang

Creme Brulee

Dinner at Coconut Garden. The
Jaew Bong is in the foreground

Laap

Delicious French pastries

By the Mekong

It is still a communist state

Our last night. Dad is exhausted

Frangapani flowers

Sunset over the Mekong

The beautiful Settha Palace Hotel

That boy is VERY heavy

Street scene from our hotel in Vientiane

The local brew - BeerLao