'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

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. 

Kota Belud's Annual Market - the Tamu Besar

Last weekend, a group of us went to the annual Big Market (Tamu Besar) in Kota Belud, a small town about 45 minutes' drive north of Kota Kinabalu. It's great going to the weekly Sunday market at any time - but this Big Market has an even livelier atmosphere and provides the background to the inevitable speeches, cultural performances and the selection of the young woman who represents the spirit of this event.

What caught my eye this time were the wrappings that were being used - such as folded and boiled leaves, some tied together and others fixed with toothpicks. They are all like magical bundles - what lies inside? And they feel so different from any of the wrappings we're used to dealing with. Then there's the golden glow of the batter that covers the freshly fried bananas draining over the wok. What could be more appetising!

I also enjoyed the lovely patterns made by the items on display - such as the drinks on sale with such 'interesting' colours that you even hesitate to try them! The bundles of local cigarette papers are beautifully done, as are the limes and rambutans displayed on the inevitable bit of newspaper in front of the woman selling them. The ikan bilis (or dried anchovies) are another tasty item on sale everywhere - great with cabbage!


The Kota Belud market is used to receiving a lot of visitors, so taking photos is not unusual. There are different reactions to it, of course, with some people preferring not to have their picture taken and others asking you to! The faces are etched with a life that we can hardly imagine and yet the smiles are all somehow the same! The different styles of head coverings are always a source of interest and I particularly like the traditional woven hats that are still worn a lot, although mainly by older women.

The highlight of the Tamu Besar is the display by the Bajau horsemen which is on the Sunday afternoon. The Bajau people form one of the larger groups of indigenous people in Sabah and most are Muslim. They have a tradition of keeping ponies and decorating them in a kind of mediaeval livery on special occasions. This year, to honour the 1 Malaysia theme, everyone who was riding also carried a full-sized flag. It was a wonderful sight! Children were put on the horses for the first time and little boys also tried on the traditional headdress. The horses looked incredible with even their ears covered - and many with a string of bells around their necks that sounded terrific as they moved around. As with the head coverings at the market, the men's headdresses can be done in a variety of ways, but they all look quite regal - even when the wearer gives the 'v' sign or the thumbs up in the picture!
The Tamu Besar was advertised as a two-day event so we decided to stay overnight at the Kota Belud Travelers' Lodge, which was fine. Very nice people working there. Not much happened on the first day, but that gave us time to wander around and try the many snacks that are on sale around the parade ground. The main events are held on the Sunday morning and afternoon. The speeches and cultural dances are held at the market place and then the display by the Bajau horsemen - and the buffalo races! - take place in the parade ground, a central field in the middle of town.

If you have any questions or comments, please send them to us at: jude@astsabah.com or ron@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Malacca - design, colour, history, food

Griffin and I have just made a short trip to Malacca (Melaka), in West Malaysia. It is a place with a long, interesting history that includes Malays, Chinese, Indians, Portuguese, Dutch and, inevitably (somehow) British influences.

Perhaps it is the intermixing of all these cultures that has lead to such interesting decorative elements in Melaka - starting with the handmade beaded slippers that are made for Nyonya weddings (both the bride and the groom might wear them), as well as for other special occasions. In the photo, you can just glimpse the graph paper on which the design has been drawn. It is attached to the cloth and then each bead is hand sewn over it. Very beautiful work and with lots of wonderful designs.

Then there are the tiles found outside a lot of the old houses in the centre of Melaka. The ones for walking on are, of course, plainer and more utilitarian-looking than the ones that run along the bottom of the front wall of the house in various lovely colours and patterns.

If you stand back and look up, you are likely to see some very interesting ornamentation around the windows as well. Something like Melaka rococo? Such a fantastic combination of elements from both the west and the east.

Notice the vertical bar on the open window used to move the louvres up and down to regulate light and the breeze.

Not all the older houses in Melaka are well preserved but those that are provide a feast for the eyes. The usual house front is very narrow - about 21 feet - but this is made up for with the length of the house which can be up to 200 feet! The skyline created by the roofs of the houses was reminiscent of Hanoi in Vietnam. Wonder what created this kind of building? Taxes on the width of the house perhaps?

These particular houses are along the Melaka River that runs through the centre of the old town and creates its own special atmosphere, with people loitering on the bridges and lights glimmering in the water at night.

Melaka is also justly famous for its food, including the Nyonya cakes (the Nyonya people being a Malay-Chinese mix) and the rice porridge. This is eaten for lunch, rather than breakfast, and the basic rice soup is sharpened up with the addition of lots of extras, including small salted fish, eggs, pickles, fried onion, boiled chicken - in whatever combination you like! There's a huge cuisine in Melaka that we only just touched on. You could spend ages working your way through all the delicacies on offer. There seems to be an endless variety of cakes alone!

In the collage, you can see the varied opportunities there are in Melaka for photo-taking. It's a very picturesque place and the museum there gives a very full overview of Melaka's most interesting history.

If you have any comments or questions, please get in touch with us: ron@astsabah.com and jude@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Brenda's overnight trip to Tenom

I recently spent two wonderful weeks in Sabah. During the first week, I took the Food Tour offered by Adventure Study Tours and in the second week, I did several of their day trips. These included an overnight trip to Tenom, a two and a half hour drive south-east of Kota Kinabalu. This was an opportunity to see a different part of Sabah. To get to Tenom, we needed to cross the Crocker Range, the mountains that lie north-south in the country and include Mt Kinabalu. We went over an amazing road with wonderful views back towards the sea and with hair-raising road elevation inclines of up to 19 degrees. Fortunately Jude has driven this road a number of times and can do it without overheating the car!

Once we entered the valley on the other side of the mountains, we passed lots of padi fields that were at various stages of growth, some seeming to have just been planted, while others were ready to harvest. The journey took us through villages in which we could see traditional wooden houses on stilts.

In Tenom, the hotel we stayed at was perched precariously on the side of the mountains and has outstanding views back along the valley. From my hotel room window, I was able to watch a rainstorm come along the valley to Tenom. The storm clouds were beautiful!

Besides making the trip to Tenom itself, we wanted to visit the Sabah Agriculture Park with its huge array of fruit trees and many different plants, including an amazing collection of hybrid and native orchids. We spent a number of hours on two days, with a knowledgeable local guide, walking through the park, tasting fruit, learning about almost everything we looked at and taking innumerable pictures of plants and flowers. One of the highlights of the park is the restaurant. It is so beautifully situated, it's hard to describe! Just look at the picture of the scene we were looking at as we had lunch.

We went back to Kota Kinabalu on another new road for me, going through Tambunan and passing the Rafflesia Centre but there weren't any rafflesia in bloom - unfortunately. (Rafflesia is the world's largest flower.) The road went through rainforest as we crossed back over the Crocker Range and, as could perhaps be expected, it rained all the way! As far as I was concerned, this only enhanced my 'rainforest' experience.
This was the last day of the very active two weeks I had in Sabah. There is still so much to see that a return visit is definitely needed. Next time, perhaps the rafflesia will be in bloom, maybe I'll get to the islands, and to Sandakan and ...

Brenda Morgan, Calgary, Canada

If you have any questions about Brenda's trip or Sabah, please don't hesitate to write to us at: ron@astsabah.com and jude@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to the AST Community Blog!

Helen (on the left), Ron (or Griffin, as I call him) and I are delighted to be able to design tours for people like you. I'm Jude. You can find out a bit more about us on our website - http://www.astsabah.com/.

We all love Sabah and are committed to living here and sharing some of our wonderful experiences with you.

There is so much great stuff here. The day this photo of us was taken, for example, we had just had lunch at an Indian restaurant near the waterfront in Kota Kinabalu - or KK - that is well-known for its home-style cooking. It was delicious - and I'm sorry you can't see what we ate, but it wasn't easy getting a presentable picture of all three of us!

I plan to add bits and pieces to our blog to let you know some of what I've been up to for the last few months as I have been putting our first two tours together. It's been a time of meeting very interesting people, going to lovely places and finding out where KK people really like going to eat. Food is quite a passion here! One of the lovely places I have visited is the aviary at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park - where you can see some amazing birds. The egret in this picture is quite typical of KK - they migrate here from places like China and then some seem to stay on! I can understand why.

After you've visited Sabah, we'd love you to send us your comments and photos so that they can be put on the blog as well.

If you have any questions about KK or Sabah, please ask me at: Jude@astsabah.com