'The Secret Spots of Sandakan' - could only be about food!

I have been to Sandakan quite a few times and, as everyone says, the food there is delicious.  But you know what it's like - as a visitor, you feel that you're not really getting to the places that locals think are the BEST places to eat.  And 'best' here can mean taste, freshness, quality, value for money - not usually anything to do with the decor, the service, the desirability of the location...it's ALL about the food.

Bak Kut Teh - our first evening meal - fantastic!

So I finally got to visit Sandakan with some locals.  It was a great trip.  The first thing that is funny - funny-ha-ha, not funny-weird - about Sandakan is that everything happens in doubles.  As you come closer to the east coast, it all starts with the town of Dum Dum.  There's Dum Dum Besar (big) and Dum Dum Kecil (small).  And so you sit and wonder to yourself whether it's said Dumb-Dumb or Dawm Dawm.  Well, some of us wonder about things like this.  It's something to do before you start eating!

Sim Sim, the kampung air, for seafood breakfast

Our first eating stop was at a shop called:  Siang Siang and it was here we had our first taste of the kway teow goreng and mee goreng - fried noodles.  They are really good.  I've had them again since then and can say again that they are: really good.  Even my friends who had hardly any space left for more food thought they were REALLY GOOD!

We went on to visit the brother of our friend who has a shop called:  On On.  As it's an electrical shop, we thought it was better to be called On On than Off Off or even On Off!  And it didn't stop there - we ate at a place called Yum Yum and visited the 'kampong air' or water village called: Sim Sim.  Fantastic seafood!

Other treats included Portuguese egg tarts that come fresh from the oven every hour.  They are fabulous!  With coffee, of course.  And then the varieties of ABC - a really Malaysian iced snack that is basically shaved ice with lots of tasty bits added!  Makes you cool from the inside.  Perfect in this climate. 

Shaved ice (ABC), mini homemade hamburger, Portuguese egg tarts

We did make a search for UFO's or Cow Pats - you can imagine the general shape!  These have a thin, round layer of sponge on the bottom, then a toffee-flavoured filling, and a topping of soft meringue.  The old man who was famous for making UFOs in Sandakan couldn't persuade his son to join him in the business and wouldn't pass his secret recipe on to his daughter who did agree to join him - so the magic went with him to the grave!  And I have to say that I think the UFOs we get in KK are better than the many we tasted in Sandakan.

So there it is!  I was so busy eating on this trip that I didn't take nearly as many photos as I should have.  Ah well, I guess I'll just have to go back - for the photographs, of course.

If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you!  jude@astsabah.com

From KK to Sepilok

Recently I drove from KK to Sepilok with some friends who were in Sabah on holiday.  They only had a few days, so we went straight from the airport to Kundasang.  And Mt Kinabalu offered some beautiful views, both in the evening and the next morning!

On the way to the east coast, we went on a rafflesia hunt and were lucky enough to be able to see one.  Although I have seen quite a few now, it is always interesting to see the flies buzzing around the centre, as well as the texture of the leaves, the interesting nodules hanging around the inside of the lip and the large cabbage-like buds - which take 9 months to develop.

Our next stop was Sepilok and the orangutans.  As we were walking to the feeding platform, a fairly large orangutan came down from a tree and started moving quickly among us.  We were alternately told to stop and move, stop and move - not sure what the right thing to do was, so maybe both.  We saw a mother and child, I think.  They are so surprisingly gentle, frightened even of the marauding macaques.

Not to be missed in Sepilok is the Rainforest Discovery Centre.  Great information, wonderful walks, a very strong canopy walkway and a great flower garden.

I am constantly photographing orchids too - their beauty is not that easy to catch - but their colours are gorgeous.

From Sepilok, we went to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary - another 'must see' in this area.  The guides there are very informative and you can get very close to the proboscis monkeys themselves.  The males are very strong and have lovely coats - the females and young have incredibly cute, little up-turned noses!

An added attraction at Labuk Bay are the silver leaf langurs.  They are generally around - although I've been a couple of times when they seemed to be taking a break from all the tourists.  We were especially lucky to see the baby ones - who are orange in colour at first and then gradually get darker over the months.

If you're into photography at all, you'll know that you go through stages of being interested in certain things - and it's the same with me (except for Mt Kinabalu which is a passion!).  So here are some pics of heliconia.  They are fantastic because of their colour, their variety and their sculptural quality.

Sabah offers such variety.  I never tire of travelling to each different part - and taking photos. 

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.  I'd love to hear from you:  jude@astsabah.com

Chinese New Year - not smoke and mirrors

Gong Xi Fat Cai - Selamat Tahun Baru Cina - Happy Chinese New Year!  No matter how you say it, it still means colour, noise and food!

In February of this year, we were really lucky to be able to see lion dances with lots of lions.  There is a kind of magic to it.  

The young men who become lions

These young men practise long and hard to improve and extend their routines and then perform, one being the back legs and the lifter and the other being the head and the front legs.  They're just skilful young men - who turn into lions!

The lions

The pleasure for the audience comes from seeing their skill - as they dance over the high metal poles, jumping from one to the other, pretending to fall, rearing up and roaring down.  And we love recognising the character of the lion - as it shakes and turns its head, twitches its ears, flutters its eyelids, flips its tail - even scratches itself.



Noise & action; concern & appreciation



The group that comes together is a real team and you can see the drummers and cymbal players watching the lions and sometimes leading them.  You can also see the anxiety on the faces of some of the members as the lions perform particularly tricky jumps and lifts and then their sheer pleasure and appreciation as the lions show their character and leap confidently to the ground.

It's almost as much fun to watch those watching the lions as it is to watch the lions themselves.  

The legs, the heads, the cymbals & drums,
the reason, the eye, the tail,
the altar with its red packet for the lion

Overall I am left with a wonderful sense of colour and movement, noise and ritual.  I am so looking forward to seeing the lion dances again next year!
I would love to hear from you - comments, questions, responses.  Write to me on:  jude@astsabah.com

Opposites: Oman and Sabah - not so opposite!

This is the second blog about our trip out of Sabah last year to other countries and other climes!  At the end of our holiday we visited friends in Oman, many of whom have already come to stay with us here in Sabah.  Although we are familiar with the scenery in Oman, our friends there made sure that we went to places we hadn't been before and this meant spending a night in the desert.

The desert in Oman

What could be more different from the green of Sabah?  And yet, in terms of beauty - the desert was lovely.  We sat on a dune and watched the sun go down and the tiny arc of the moon come up - and then in the morning, we sat on another dune and watched the sun come up.  Peaceful experiences made more special by being with good friends.

(Clockwise from top) Images of Oman - a door, goats,
pigeons, a camel, a fishing boat, and two kids

Camels and goats are animals I associate with the Middle East and we saw plenty of them in Oman.  There is no doubt that camels' eyelashes are the lushest in the world!  One of our friends had goats and pigeons where we stayed and his children were so familiar with them that they could just grab them up as if they were picking up a ball!  A little bit of chasing, a lot of giggling and suddenly the kid was secure in the boy's arms. 
Another dramatic aspect of the scenery in Oman is the mountains.  They are like the bones of the earth, showing their folds and wrinkles and presenting themselves in purples, browns, oranges, greens.  They rise up from the land without any introduction or excuse - mystical from the distance and awe-inspiring up close.

There are villages hidden in these mountains where the people have orchards of pomegranate trees and fields of vegetables.  It all seems so amazingly difficult and relies on the sometimes centuries-old irrigation channels to water everything.
In Sabah, we have almost daily rain and the rivers are always flowing.  My eyes never tire of the greenery.  And yet both Oman and Sabah have their own beauty and their own solutions to life's problems.  And they both have wonderfully hospitable people - who will bring joy to any experience you have with them!
It has been a unique pleasure for us to share Oman with Sabahan friends and to share Sabah with Omani friends!  Like bringing opposites together and finding that they enjoy each other so much.


(Clockwise from top) In Oman, in Sabah, the flowers,
the desert,examining a sheet of rubber, in Oman

If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you.  Please write to me:  jude@astsabah.com

Linangkit Cultural Village - by Cherry and Mac

One of the highlights of our visit to Sabah was the afternoon we spent at Linangkit Cultural Village. This collection of traditional buildings has been set up by a small group of individuals keen to preserve their cultural heritage in a rapidly modernising society.

The visit starts with the removal of shoes and ceremonial washing of feet before entering the small museum by our guide and curator, an erstwhile engineering student, now full-time front man of the enterprise.

Cherry in the museum

The museum's most memorable exhibits were some shrunken heads, some huge Chinese storage jars, adopted as ritual objects by the tribespeople and a full tribal costume, complete with embroidered jacket and hooped belt which the tourist can try on.

Julita working on 'linangkit'

The distinctive tribal textile tradition is kept alive by Julita  who keeps her brightly coloured threads in a clear plastic tool box for easy identification.  

Young & old play drums & gongs

Our visit culminated in a traditional meal served in the large and airy function room, built over the river, to provide a natural cooling system. Some younger members of the group appeared in costume and played the traditional gongs, whilst we ate ‘hinata’ (raw fish) and drank the local brew or freshly prepared tea. The village also boasts a small fish farm and is planning some small-scale purpose-built tourist accommodation with additional restaurant facilities. 



View of Linangkit Cultural Village

This was written by Cherry Taylor and the photos were taken by Mac Campeanu.  You can see more of his photos on:  http://gallery.me.com/campeanu#100099&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=59

If you have any comments or questions, please just write to me at:  jude@astsabah.com.  I'd love to hear from you. 

The rest of the world - in October

During the 6 weeks spanning the end of September to the end of the first week of November, I was out of Sabah and into a whole lot of different worlds. 

It was amazing being in autumn - and it was a particularly colourful season this year in the UK, apparently.  Oh, I just love the colours and seeing a glowing red tree or a sparkling yellow tree just appear among all the green.  What a wonderful season it is!



Casa Mila Barcelona or La Pedrera and Parc Guell

And then Griffin and I went to some places in Spain for the first time. They all lived up to and beyond our expectations. Barcelona: what a stylish, vibrant city. And the gorgeous Gaudi places - fantastic! 

Granada holds the beautiful Alhambra.  It is simply marvellous and made reading the Tales of Alhambra (1831) by Washington Irving a real treat because he lived in the fort itself and wrote about the people who inhabited it, the way they lived and the stories they told.


The Alhambra

From Granada, we took a day-trip to Cordoba to see the Mezquita Mosque or Mosque-Cathedral there.  It started life as a church in 600CE and then became a mosque which was completed in 987CE with its 856 pillars!  2 centuries later, it again became a church with the central nave being added in the 16th century.  The incredible symmetry of the pillars was destroyed and the oddest congruence of religions and styles was put in place.

Mezquita Mosque or Mosque-Cathedral, Cordoba

Our trip didn't end there - but more later! If you have any comments or questions, please get in touch with me at:  jude@astsabah.com.  I'd love to hear from you!

Sandakan in July: Part 2 - Kylie Crawley

Continues Kylie's story, adapting her travelogue:


On our third day in Sandakan, we got up at 7:30am, had breakfast and were collected at 9am for our 9:30am boat ride to Turtle Island, Selingan. The ride out was pretty rough indeed but thankfully we didn't need any sea sickness bags. Upon arrival we had a bit of a rest and then went for the buffet lunch.


Turtle laying eggs

 In the evening we visited the aging display upstairs before patiently waiting for the turtles to 'land' and lay their eggs. It was quite difficult to see the turtles coming in and you weren't allowed to shine torches at them (quite rightly) so by the end of the night I didn't know if I was looking at moving turtles or trees that weren't actually going anywhere. Later in the night we were taken on a tour where we saw a green turtle who had just laid her eggs; we then saw those eggs reburied in the nursery to hatch about six weeks later and finally we saw some hatchlings released into the water. Apparently only 2% of them make it to adulthood. Those aren't great odds.


Kylie & Dave

As we had an early departure from the island we had to get up at 5:30am for a 6am breakfast. Jude collected us from the pier and drove us to Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. We saw about 50 proboscis monkeys who came in for feeding time at Platform A. The monkeys were very entertaining and also a little scary if one monkey started to do the wrong thing to another monkey in their group.



Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary



Before we entered Platform B of the sanctuary, we watched a DVD detailing how two brothers had brought up a lot of land to grow oil palm but once they saw they were inadvertently killing off the monkeys in the process they decided to set up the sanctuary. Not only are there proboscis monkeys but silver leaf langurs also walk around inside and outside. There is an otter and a number of hornbills who fly in to feed each other pieces of banana. Jonathon, one of the handlers, has obviously trained them well. The place has become something of a reserve for injured and orphaned wildlife and the tourists love it.



Buffalo working on an oil palm plantation

On the way out of the monkey sanctuary we saw a water buffalo being used in the traditional way of pulling a sledge to carry out the palm oil nuts that were growing all around us. It was a gentle reminder that even though modern farming methds are instituted, the old way of doing things still works pretty well.

We also visited the home of the American author Agnes Keith who wrote books such as Three Came Home which detailed life in the prisoner of war and civilian camps and living under the years of Japanese occupation in Borneo. The house was beautiful but I can only imagine how hot it got in the middle of summer.



At the English Tea House

 We had a drink at the English Tea House and Restaurant where we watched a couple play a game of croquet (it even looked like they knew the rules) and then Jude drove us to the airport in time for our 18:50 flight to Kuala Lumpur. It had certainly been a very informative tour as Jude has learnt a lot about the history of the area and she knew all the places to visit.

Photos in these two blogs about Kylie's trip were taken by Dave and Jude.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.  I'd love to hear from you at:  jude@astsabah.com