Mmm.... Food

Ah the food in Malaysia...where do we even start?  With the help of our friend Yan (and her lovely parents) we were able to try a ridiculous number of local dishes and began to feel a bit like professional competitive eaters. The job is easy when the food tastes this good!

Here is an overview of our time spent in KL and Malacca:

We arrived in the city and were met by Yan and some amazing streetside burgers.  

Burger Bananza. Easily in the Top 3 Burgers ever.
Take a delicious patty,add cheese on top, WRAP it in a fried egg,
add special sauce and sliced apple. They also do a goat patty as well
 as a "special" one where they combine all the meats. Mmmmmmm

On our first full day in the city, we had a breakfast of roti canai and dal, followed by some maggi goreng before visiting the Batu caves.  You climb up over 250 stairs to reach a hindu temple within the limestone caves.  It is a bit like an obstacle course climbing these stairs as they are guarded by monkeys who are anxious to steal any food, drink or flowers you may have brought along with you. 

Maggi Goreng: deliciously fried instant noodles

 

After the caves we met up with a couple of other travelers to visit the Pewter factory together.

2010 LPGA Champion. 

Largest pewter beer mug in the world

Naturally, it was time to eat again after our visit to the Pewter factory.  Our lunch consisted of seafood noodles in a white wine sauce, followed by noodles cooked in Hennessy.

Our dessert was one of my favorite things we have tried in Malaysia: Ais kacang or ABC. Shaved ice topped with sweet corn, red beans, grass jelly, peanuts, syrups, and condensed milk.  Heaven on a hot day!

Of course there are at least three meals to every day, and that night we went for steamboat (hot pot) with Yan's family.  We ate all sorts of amazing fish, shellfish, vegetables, and dumplings - sending us into a sort of food coma by the end of the meal.

The next day we had a brunch of chicken and pork rice, fried noodles, and spicy noodle soup before walking around the city center.

Two types of pork (Roasted and BBQ) and one type of chicken. 

National Monument

We hit the night market for some fresh fruits and tasty treats before dinner. We tried delicious pancakes and  some exotic fruit like sour mango and rose apple.

These are the best pancakes in the world. If you see them, attack.

Stingray. Surprisingly delicious. 

On our third day in the city we visited the twin towers for some obligatory tourist photo ops.  The towers also looked beautiful at night lit up.

In the evening, we took a drive to Kuala Selangor for a delicious seafood dinner.  We waited in the area until dark to take a boat ride to see thousands of fireflies lighting up the surrounding trees.

Best seafood meal ever. Photo evidence.

We decided to head to Malacca overnight to try out some of their local delicacies. Before we left though, we had a breakfast feast in the market with Yan and her mom.

More of those pancakes !!!

Eggplant and pig skin in a curry sauce.

Stuffed tofu. 

Very delicious spring roll. 

KL Laksa at the market.

As we left KL, Yan gave us a detailed list of dishes we were to try in Malacca. The list was long and seeing as we only had one night in the city, we had to get started right away. We began our food marathon with Malacca's famous chicken rice balls.

Chicken rice balls at Hoe Kee Restaurant.

Onde Onde. Small flour balls filled with palm sugar and
rolled in grated coconut.

Curry Makko. Very tasty chicken curry.

Skewers cooked in a tasty peanut sauce. 

Malacca version of Laksa

So many choices. 

The list - Mission Accomplished. 

When we arrived back to KL for our last night in Malaysia we had one more item to try: Durian.  It is described as "gag-inducing to some, and manna from heaven to others".  

Durian.

Uncertain about the durian. It eventually grew on us.
But never buy durian ice cream.

If you want to eat the food here. You have to
train like a champion.

Malaysia

If we had to pick a focus for our time spent in Malaysia, then the undeniable answer would be food.  Simple as that.  The food here is amazing and we came with big appetites.

"Best Indian meal of my life" - Adam Pawlak 05/03/12 

Our first stop in Malaysia was Penang, or more specifically Georgetown. Penang is renowned in Malaysia for its delicious food, and I knew from the first day we arrived that we were going to be very happy here.  I think much of this is owed to the unique blend of cultures found in Malaysia: mainly being Malay, Chinese, and Indian.  You are spoiled for choice, and anything you do choose is sure to please.  You could gorge yourself on some incredible Indian curries for lunch, and then chow down on some Chinese noodles at a street market for dinner.  And while you are sitting in that street market, you may look around and find a woman in a headscarf to your right, a woman in a sari to your left, and another woman in a simple tanktop and shorts sitting directly in front of you.

 

I suppose I should also mention something of the sights on this island as well...and they are worth mentioning.  When we weren't enjoying a nice meal, we were exploring the winding streets of Chinatown, little India, and the beautiful colonial area of Georgetown.  There was such an interesting feel to the place.  We especially enjoyed finding a street containing a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, and a mosque all within a few blocks of each other.

A rhinoceros beetle.  

After a few days in Georgetown, we made our way across the peninsula and hopped on a ferry to the Perhentian Islands.  We stayed on Kecil (aka the small) island and I think this would probably be our favorite island visited so far.  More laid back than its Thai neighbours, and with water so clear you can see the colourful fish and coral below without even stepping off the dock.  Oh yeah, and the food was amazing too. Three dollars for twelve sticks of satay? Yes please!

 

 

 

 

We headed back inland after a few nights on the beach to the Cameron Highlands.  We welcomed the respite from the heat in the higher altitude, and spent our time in the area eating Tandoori chicken.  In between our chicken and requisite relaxation time, we also managed to visit tea plantations, strawberry farms, and butterfly sanctuaries.  

 

 

 

We are now in Kuala Lumpur with our resident guide and foodie - one fabulous Miss Yan Liew.  You can expect another post to follow shortly recounting some of the amazing meals we are enjoying in the capital.

Dear Gary,

You'll never guess where we've been. Go ahead, take a guess.... Nope. Not even close.

If you had a bucket list, it would likely be in the top 2.

That's right. The Rose Centre.

Jealous. I thought so.  

The best company anyone can ask for. 

As they say, the only ship worth a dam, is friendship. 

These flowers are captivating.

A peach rose symbolizes togetherness or the closing of a deal.
Fragrant. 

Amazing. 

Wish you were here. 

Best wishes. 

Adam

PS. Paula writes all of our posts. As you can tell from the much better writing. I have written this one. 

Island Hopping

Perhaps it's cliche to read Alex Garland's The Beach while island hopping through Thailand, but I just couldn't resist the backpacker classic. When I found it at a book exchange in Ko Phangan I snatched it up and found myself with an overwhelming urge to find an idyllic secluded beach of our own.

We began our island hopping in Ko Samui where we stayed on Chaweng beach. Busy as it was, it was still beautiful. There was also a great night market where we probably had the best pad thai of our lives.

After a few nights on Chaweng, we headed to Hat Rin - home of the infamous full moon party on Ko Phangan. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) we were not there for the full moon. We ended up getting some great accommodation for a third of the price and still enjoyed the surprisingly beautiful sunrise beach. We also rented motorbikes and experienced the "road of tears" - a pee your pants good time.

Coke has really saturated the market here...

Next we headed to Krabi for a night before catching a ferry to beautiful Ko Phi Phi. As touristy it is, it is still amazing and we managed to find a quieter place to stay in the main town. We did a day boat trip around the island to various beaches and snorkeling spots before stopping at Phi Phi Ley's Maya beach - the film location for The Beach (the book was actually set on the gulf coast near Ko Samui and Phangan). The irony did not escape us that the beach's claim to fame was its depiction as a secluded spot where a lucky few could escape the "banana pancake trail", and yet the beach is now crawling with tourists (us included)! For good reason though, this beach is every bit as perfect in person as it looked on the big screen.

By the time we reached Ko Lanta, we were really looking forward to escaping the crowds and finding that secluded beach of ours. Lucky for us, this was surprisingly easy to do. We rented a motorbike and rode around the island until we found a nice long beach with only a few other sun-worshippers around. Paradise found.

Myanmar: The Golden Land

I didn't know what to expect when we decided to visit Myanmar. You hear about the oppressive government and the violence, but what you don't hear about is the beauty of the country, the interesting culture and customs, and the incredible friendliness and strength of the people. We started our travels in Yangon where we wandered the streets to see markets, golden pagodas, and inner city lakes. Almost everywhere we went people smiled and waved, and were always willing to lend a helping hand. Some people would approach us to ask where we were from and just as you are steadying yourself for a sales pitch they would wish you a nice day and be off.

After Yangon, we took an overnight bus to Mandalay where we spent most of our time evading government fees for tourist sites with an expert guide. We managed to tour three ancient cities and a nearby town without paying these fees. Normally I would say that's not something to be proud of, but this is Myanmar. Some organizations advise against travel to the country so you don't show support or provide any funding to the government. As a compromise we decided to avoid any fees we could, while hiring local guides and putting our money to good use. The fun we had sneaking around was a nice bonus too.

One night in Mandalay we went to see the famous Mustache Brothers. These comedian brothers (and their extended family) have been entertaining people for years but as their show is politically centered, they have paid dearly for some of their jokes. The eldest brother Par Par Lay has been imprisoned on three separate occasions - the first because he told a joke comparing government workers to thieves. One particular joke that stands out from the show was in regards to Lu Maw's toothache. He went across the border to Thailand to see a dentist and the dentist asked him "What? They don't have dentists in Burma?" to which Lu Maw replied "Of course, but in Burma we cannot open our mouths!"

Our next stop was Bagan to see some of the city's temples and pagodas by horse cart. In a 42 sq km area there are over 2000 temples. It is an unbelievable place and definitely worth a visit.

After Bagan, we headed to Inle lake. This was another beautiful spot and we spent our time biking and boating around the lake towns - even hitting up a Myanmar winery (guess we have been missing Argentina). Back at our hotel we met an 84 year old American woman traveling on her own for six weeks or so. Despite her description of the Myanmar government as "really crummy", it was her third visit to the country. We can only hope that we will be able to do the same when we are in our 80's! 

Other highlights from the lake include watching the one-legged rowing, meeting some long necked ladies, and visiting the jumping cat monastery where seemingly indifferent cats have been taught to jump through hoops for treats - quite hilarious to watch. We also accidentally stumbled upon a wedding reception where we were welcomed in for pictures and lots of food. I still cannot believe how nice these people are! 

Although we would like to keep this gem of a country for ourselves, the cat is slowly creeping out of the bag (and getting ready to jump through hoops for tourists). We suggest that you consider a trip to Myanmar sooner rather than later.

A note on transport: I never thought I would be able to finish this sentence: the buses in Bolivia are better than (insert country here, probably imaginary). Unfortunately for Myanmar, I now know how to fill in that blank...flights might be your better bet here!

Back on the Road

Hello everyone!

We are now into the second portion of our world tour and enjoying the change of pace and the delicious food in Asia. Our first stop was Hong Kong and we stayed in the neon-lit, busy neighborhood of Mong Kok. We were soon met by a friend, Andy, from our commerce days who became our local tour guide for Hong Kong island. Navigating us through malls, parks, and seemingly hidden walkways, he took us to some amazing places and viewpoints. We were interested to find that there are a number of "free public spaces" scattered around the city in excellent locations that appear to be part of restaurants and lounges but are in fact places where you can bring your own food and drinks and hang out for as long as you would like.

While we were in Hong Kong, we also visited the Peak, the Avenue of Stars (for an awesome nightly light show the city puts on), and the Big Buddha.  Unfortunately, the day that we decided to make a trip to the Buddha was extremely foggy and any detailing on the large statue was largely left to our imaginations.

After a few days in Hong Kong, we took the ferry to Asia's version of Vegas: Macau.  We spent a couple nights exploring the casinos, eating some delicious food, and hitting those 5 cent slot machines hard.  The city itself was very interesting to see too as it was a Portugese colony and the city blends old colonial architecture with bright neon signs.

If anyone was wondering who was the better gambler, the stats speak for themselves.
Adam: negative $2 Hong Kong dollars      
Paula:  negative $50 Hong Kong Dollars

We are now in Bangkok for a few more days (hopefully) awaiting our visa to Myanmar.  We've been enjoying eating Thai street food everyday, and our stomachs haven't minded it either...yet!  I also had my first Thai massage today which was interesting (perhaps at times painful) but felt great after the long flights and getting back into carrying that backpack around.