The Philippines festival held in the middle of May every year is probably your only chance to see an oiled, shaved and ornamented buffalo parading down the streets. As with other festivals in the country, this too celebrates a saint that marked the country’s history – San Isidro Labrador is the patron-saint of farmers and [...]
Visitors may ask, ‘If Singapore is such a food paradise, why aren’t there more reports of obese Singaporeans in the same proportion as obese Americans?‘ That’s because Singapore is a walking city. With all the shopping and sauntering to and from public transports, offices, and residences, Singaporeans not only burn off the calories from their last meal, they also get appetites for their next.
If you ever visit Singapore, find out for yourself why this island-nation acquired the reputation of being a food paradise, with the following must-try dishes.
Fried carrot cake – This isn’t your mom’s carrot cake (well, unless your mom is Singaporean). It’s rice flour and ‘white carrot’ (radish) quick-fried with eggs, garlic, and chai poh (pickled radish). You have the option to have the ‘black’ version (sweet, black soy sauce added) or the ‘white’ version (no soy sauce).
Laksa - Thick rice noodles in a rich spicy yellow coconut gravy, served with beansprouts, cockles, prawns, and fishcake slices. Try the Laksa in Rockery, Bugis Junction, which comes with a spoonful of chili paste and chopped onion leaves. It tastes great with their iced beverages.
Kaya - Sweet coconut custard jam, best eaten as breakfast with thick toast. Try the kaya and several other kinds of jams at Toastbox, which serve it with half-boiled eggs and some thick soy sauce and pepper for taste. I enjoyed it so much while staring at the scenery along Orchard Road in the Food Republic, Wisma Atria, I dragged my friends along the next morning for the experience. They also relished it.
Nasi Lemak – traditional breakfast composed of coconut milk-flavored rice, a slice of omelette, anchovies, a bit of cucumber, and some chili paste. The whole meal is wrapped in a banana leaf or brown paper. Toastbox also has this in the menu.
Roti Prata – It is a thin, multi-layered wheat flour pancake that is repeatedly stretched and tossed like croissant before being fried on a hot gridle. Delicious and affordable, Prata is served at all hours of the day with curry gravy or sugar.
Teh Tarik – a potent tea brew that is ‘pulled’ (poured repeatedly between glass and serving dish) to create a foamy, well-aerated concoction.
Bak Kwa – Grilled sweet savoury meat slices, traditionally barbequed pork. The ones at Bee Cheng Hiang in Chinatown are the best. There’s even a guy flipping fresh pork slices over a grill to the delight of visitors.
Char Kway Teow – Stir-fried noodles tossed with cockles, fishcakes, eggs, and garlic. The most sought-after street dish yet also the most cholesterol-laden. Try this noodle dish at the food court in Suntec City.
Bak Kut Teh – an aromatic soup brewed from pork ribs, spices, pepper and garlic, served with a bowl of steamed rice and slices of red chillies in dark soy sauce. It roughly means, “Pork Rib Tea” and can be accompanied by Chinese tea to heighten its flavor.
Satay - Barbecued meat on sticks served with rice cakes, spice peanut sauce, onion and cucumber slices. The Kopi Tiam branch near Orchard Road sells these for SGD .50 per stick, but there’s a minimum of 10 sticks per order.
Rojak - A salad dish of fruits, vegetables, crispy dough fritters and fried stuffed beancurd in a tangy prawn-paste dressing. Your mouth will experience different textures and flavors every time you chew. The food vendors inside Bugis Street Market sells an excellent version of this salad.
Singapore Chilli Crab – Crabs with a rich tomato-based sauce loaded with chili garlic and spices and stir-fried to seal in the flavor. Newton Circus near Newton MRT has this and other delicious seafood meals in the menu.
Hainanese Chicken Rice - This is Singapore’s unofficial national dish; steamed or roasted chicken on top of a cub of rice cooked in chicken stock. The dish comes with chili sauce, ground ginger, and dark soy.
Fish Head Curry – A whole fish head cooked with okra, eggplant, and tomatoes in a spicy curry. Like chitlin and haggis, this is a peasant dish that makes do with undervalued meat parts. The broth may be thin and clear or dense and syrupy, and the meal is best served with steamed white rice and ice-cold calamansi (lime variant) juice.
Don’t forget to walk in-between meal destinations to get a full Singaporean workout. How else are you going to get an appetite for the next delectable course? You might want to schedule your visit to Singapore on July when the Singapore Food Festival is held yearly for even more food, events and contests.
You can find a hen or stag weekend in many venues across Europe at prices you would expect to pay for a couple of nights in a hotel.
Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah in Malaysia, has a lot of surprises in store for all its visitors. A trip to Kota Kinabalu will not be complete without taking time to visit one of its tourist destinations, the Poring Hot Springs.
You will find the Poring Hot Springs at the southern end of the Kinabalu Park. “Poring” is a Kadazandusun word for the bamboo species that is abundant within the area. This exotic place is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away of the Park’s Head Quarters which is around 2 hours driving distance from most Kota Kinabalu hotels.
The Poring Hot Springs is famous not only among tourists but also among the locals who make the trip out of town to soak away all sores and muscle aches in the hot sulfuric minerals of this wondrous spring. As explained by locals, the place became even more popular when locals started believing that the water at the Poring Hot Springs has curative powers.
You will be greeted by open air sulfur baths upon your arrival. I would have to warn you, though, that water that comes out of the faucets is extremely hot. Remember that you have to test the temperature of the water and add cold water depending on your preference. There are people who have suffered from severe burn for not being careful.
If you’re going to ask me when is the best time to take a dip in the Hot Springs then I will highly recommended that you try this right after you’ve descended either from Mt. Kinabalu or even after your short trek to the Canopy Walk.
Now this is another highlight of your trip to the Poring Hot Springs as you are in for a different kind of experience. The beginning of the trail to the Canopy Walk is around 10 minutes from the entrance of the Poring Hot Spring. You will be charged entrance fees, that is, if you are not part of a group tour.
The trek can be difficult depending on your level of fitness. You would have to walk uphill through the lush Borneo tropical rainforest while listening to the chirping birds and the buzzing insects which allows you to commune with nature. As for me, I had difficulty with the uphill trail as I was out of shape when I went there. I had to stop every few minutes to catch my breath and gulp down water. I highly suggest that you eat light snacks before the trek so that you’ll have enough energy.
It’s a different story once you reach the Canopy Walk itself! You’ll be thrilled that you mustered the strength to go through the trek when you see the maze of walkways. The Walkway, which is pretty safe even if a bit shaky, is around 157.8m long and it is 41m high. You will see amazing flora and fauna as you walk along the wooden planks which are all tied to Menggaris trees – also called the King of the Forest in Kota Kinabalu.
After you’re done with the Canopy Walk and the Poring Hot Springs, then you can also explore the Butterfly Farm. Our tour guide claimed that this is very first of its kind in Borneo. Aside from a lovely garden, you’ll also get to see a Butterfly nursery and hatchery that is being maintained for the purpose of research that lead to the preservation of endangered species. There’s even a caterpillar house here that is a favorite among children. It goes without saying that you’ll see so many fragile Butterfly species here of various colors and sizes.
Another interesting place that you can visit is the Poring Orchid Conservation Center. This center houses over a thousand of orchids including the rarest and the wildest species. If you’re a photography enthusiast, then you’ll surely be trigger happy with all the lovely orchids that you’ll be seeing here.
To make your trip more enjoyable, I’d like to share with you a packing list that you can use:
- Make sure to bring your water bottle to quench your thirst during the trek.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes (make sure that you’re not bringing a new pair).
- As you’ll be trekking to the rainforest, it is safe to always assume that it will rain. Bring your rain gear like raincoats, or even an umbrella.
- If you plan to take a dip in the hot springs, then you have to bring an extra change of clothing and towel.
- Bring some cash with you to pay for entrance fees and conservation fees.
- You might also want to bring your camera with you to document your wonderful adventure.
In total, this is going to be one great experience for any traveler who is thirsty for adventure. You can trek uphill, walk along suspended wooden planks, see colorful butterflies, marvel at interesting orchid species, and enjoy a dip in tub filled with hot spring water in the middle of the lush rainforest of Kota Kinabalu.
What more can you ask for?
Everyone knows what sushi is. Ask anyone what sushi is and you’ll probably get an answer of a description of an image of a small block of rice with fish on top. But there so many kinds of sushi aside from the generic image people have in their minds.
So what exactly is sushi? Sushi is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients. There is a wide range of ingredients from fish, seafood, vegetables and meat. The most common ingredient present in all sushi is the sushi rice. Sushi rice is made of Japanese rice that has been mixed with vinegar, sugar and salt. The essential quality of sushi rice is its stickiness. It has to be just right. Too sticky and the resulting rice would be gummy. Not sticky enough and the rice would be too dry. Nori is another item that is commonly found in sushi. Nori is dried seaweed. Quality nori is usually shiny and dark green in color. The different kinds in sushi comes from the different fillings, toppings, the condiments used and the way these ingredients are put together.
Nigiri-zushi
The most common kind of sushi. This type consists of an elongated mound of rice that is shaped by the hands, served with a slice of topping and a bit of wasabi. This type is usually served in pairs.
Makizushi
A rolled sushi, also called a maki roll. It is typically a cylindrical sushi, rolled with the aid of a bamboo mat. Makizushi is typically wrapped in nori, with the rice and other ingredients in the center. This makes for an aesthetically pleasing dish when served. A single roll is usually cut into six or eight pieces, which serves as a single order. A larger version of Makizushi is Futomaki. These are usually made with two or three fillings on the inside. The fillings are chosen for their complementary tastes or flavors. A smaller version of Makizushi is Hosomaki, which only has one filling on the inside.
Gunkan-maki
It is also called a warboat roll. A mound of sushi rice is wrapped in a high strip of nori and filled with topping. The topping is usually a fine-chopped or small ingredient such as salmon roe.
Uramaki
A different kind of Makizushi. It is a maki with one or two fillings. It is different in the sense that instead of nori wrapped on the outside, it is rice wrapped around the nori and the filling. This can be made with different fillings but is not very common in Japan.
Temaki
It is also known as a hand roll or a cone roll. Temaki is a large cone shaped nori with the sushi ingredients spilling out of the open end of the cone. It is eaten using the fingers rather than chopsticks because it is too big and awkward to be picked up with chopsticks. It is said that Temaki should be eaten at once for the best taste, since the nori would absorb moisture from the ingredients on the inside and would not be as crisp.
Inari-zushi
This is simply a block of deep-fried tofu filled with sushi rice on the inside. Some variations exist that use an omelette instead of tofu.
As with everything Japanese, there is a correct way of eating sushi. Here are some of the etiquette practiced for the next time you enjoy this tasty Japanese dish.
1. It is deemed acceptable to use either your fingers or chopsticks to eat sushi, though some varieties of sushi are hard to eat with chopsticks, such as . It goes without saying that the hands should be clean when eating sushi.
2. Sushi should be eaten in one bite if possible. Two bites is considered acceptable but never put it back on your plate once you have taken a bite out of it. Incidentally, on conveyor belt sushi restaurants, it is considered impolite to put back a plate of sushi if you change your mind about it.
3. The soy sauce is for flavoring the fish, not the rice.
4. Leave your plate clean. It is impolite to leave food on your plate.
5. Never disassemble your sushi in order to dip the topping in soy sauce. This is considered very rude to the chef and symbolizes a lack of respect for his job and experience.
6. The pickled ginger is considered a palate cleanser in between different types of sushi and should never be eaten with the sushi.
Just remember these the next time you eat sushi, especially in Japan.
Now you know the differences between the sushi you eat. Just remember not too eat too much in one sitting because even though sushi is healthy, there are still risks in eating raw food.
If there’s anything that Singapore has contributed to world culture, its the food. This island-nation, a harmonious blend of three ethnic groups and one european culture, has created a perfect storm of cuisine, where any visitor could spend every day sampling a new taste treat for a year and still encounter something deliciously new each time. In fact, back in 2006, food and beverage spending by visitors accounted for more than S$1 billion or about 12 per cent of overseas visitors’ total expenditure.
The very savvy Singapore Tourism Board has celebrated the city’s gastronomic leanings every July for 15 years with the Singapore Food Festival. This year, the Board is co-organizing with food consultancy group Peter Knipp Holdings (PKH) to bring more than 40 events to this year’s festival, including the opening activity in Lau Pa Sat (”old market” in the Hokkien dialect), A Dish for Every Week at Suntec City, The Sentosa BBQ, and a Major League eating competition on July 27, a first for Asia. What’s more, foodies can enjoy outdoor jazz, mobile musicians, demonstrations, and even a fashion show. If Singapore is internationally recognized as a food paradise, then consider the Food Festival as the annual Rapture.
The theme for this year is a nostalgic look back at Singapore’s food history. There are heritage tours which will allow visitors to experience various cultural dishes at participating ethnic districts like Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam. “Makan” classes and cooking workshops will also let chef wanna-bes prepare a host of dishes, from desserts to ethnic delicacies. The main focus of these workshops are “Old fashioned cakes”, “Claypot favorites”, and “Some Forgotten Dishes”. They will be orchestrated in Lau Pa Sat and other locations by some of Singapore’s renowned chefs and local food operators.
Debuting this year is the Singapore Food Sampler. Visiting or transiting tourists can drop by the nearest Singapore Visitors Centre to claim their redemption vouchers. Just show your passports! By presenting these vouchers to any participating restaurants, they will be served three available must-try dishes, all for free. Satay (meats on sticks), Fish Head Curry, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa (thick noodles in coconut gravy), and many more timeless dishes will be among the choices in the samplers.
Kopi Tiam, the streetside coffee brewer that excels in brewing the potent Singaporean coffee blend whether served hot or with ice, is getting in on the Festival act with the “True Singapore Taste” Kopi Tiam card – the first of its kind! At SGD 10 per card, cardholders can order up to 4 petite-sized dishes and sip on one hot brew, whether its tea or coffee. Try such evocative delights like the Grilled Seafood Beaucurd with Light Soy Sauce, Steamed Emperor Spring Chicken with Chinese Herbs and Spices as well as signature Kopi Tiam dishes like Laksa and Curry Fish Head at SGD52++ per set, inclusive of a choice of beverage – soya bean milk, barley or iced Milo.
Finally, to honor the role of food is Singapore’s culture, stamps will be introduced which will feature must-try dishes such as Satay, Roti Prata, and Bak Kwa.
So if you consider yourself an epicurean or even just a casual food lover, then the Singapore Food Festival is a must for you. And don’t worry about the weight gain: all that walking between restaurants is good exercise. While visiting Singapore, you might also want to participate in the Great Singapore Sale 2008. Singapore thinks of everything!
4th July, 2008
Latest hot hotel deals for Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome.
The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park of Kota Kinabalu is a marine park that is made up of a cluster of five idyllic islands namely: Palau Manukan, Palau Mamutik, Palau Sapi, Palau Gaya and Palau Sulug.
There are also tours that are being offered by various travel agencies. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is labelled as the Island Hopping Tour and rates range from RM 100 (US$ 31) to RM 150 (US$ 46 ). The most expensive tour would include the following: Entrance Fee, Port Fee, Boat Fee, Land Return Transfer and even a buffet BBQ lunch at the island of your choice.
If you are a little bit tight on the budget then there’s no need to fret. All these islands are only about 20 – 30 minutes speedboat ride from the city. You would have to ride a cab from your Kota Kinabalu hotel and proceed to Jesselton Point which is located downtown at Jalan Haji Saman where you can purchase speedboat tickets to the islands. The boat trips start as early as 7:30am and the last trip is at 5pm. Prices may vary as these are highly dependent on the number of islands that you would like to visit. If you decide to visit the islands on your own arrangements, then you might have to wait for other people to share the speedboat ride with you. Each go can take about 6 to 8 passengers. The same thing goes for your return trip. Visitors are highly advised, though, to make use of only licensed boats from the Kota Kinabalu Jetty Terminal.
Aside from the Jesselton Point, you can also try other jetties which are located in Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort and the other one is at Sutera Harbor Resort.
It doesn’t really matter where you’ll be coming from as you’re already assured of a fantastic time the moment you ride that speedboat.
All the wonderful islands have shallow waters, rich coral beds and white sand shorelines. The islands have exciting things to offer diving enthusiasts or even underwater photographers.
The biggest among all the five islands is Gaya (also called Gayana). Once you get there, you can see the rainforest and even see the mangroves. You’ll also get to visit the Gayana Eco Resort, the famous resort on stilts! In this resort you’ll find a nice seafood restaurant, a spa, an infinity pool that appears to be connected with the ocean, a marine research center, and a dive center. Gaya Island is also home to the Marine Ecological Research Center where they provide shelter to sick marine animals. The entrance to the center is free and you can also visit their interactive tanks and try touching a starfish.
You can also visit Palau Manukan. This island is also great for snorkelling and kayaking. I would have to say that the beach is a little bit rocky due to the dried broken corals so it is highly recommended that you wear your aqua shoes before heading to the water. While you’re at the Manukan Island, you can also visit the Marine Education Center. This is quite interesting as you’ll get to view a whale skeleton, the life cycle of turtles and other interesting display windows on various marine creatures. Another thing that you can enjoy while on this island is FOOD! There are numerous food stops to choose from. You can find small food stalls that serve hamburgers and hotdog sandwiches. There are also long buffet tables for you to try if you are not very particular about your budget.
Sapi is just as wonderful! This is another island where you can go snorkelling or see some monitor lizards and interesting birds. Just like in Manukan Island, you can also enjoy a sumptuous BBQ buffet here complete with picnic table. There’s also a hiking trail that you can check out or you can try parasailing.
If you are looking for a quiet island where you can enjoy some privacy, then Palau Sulug is for you. This island also has a lovely shoreline where you can stroll along the beach with the shallow waves caressing your feet.
The smallest island is Mamutik. Just like with the other islands, you can also go diving here and get a taste of the rich marine life in this part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. You can also camp and spend the night here but not without getting the necessary approval or permission from the Sabah Park Office.
Are you excited to try something new? Why not try Sea Walking? Sea Walking literally means to walk under the sea. It is a different kind of water sport that can be enjoyed by kids as young as 7 years old. Sea Walking allows you to experience an undersea adventure without any diving equipment. That’s right! You’ll dive in the middle of the sea with only an air-hosed helmet. The best part is you don’t even have to know how to swim because it is absolutely safe and you will be sea walking with highly trained guides. This experience usually lasts from 20 – 30 minutes and will include interaction with a wide assortment of fish species, corals, starfishes and ultra colourful marine plants.
You can enjoy Sea Walking in two islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park: Manukan Island and Sapi Island. In Manukan Island, they even have 6 monitors at the shore where your friends can watch your entire sea walking adventure. Your underwater sea walking will be recorded and you can get a copy for a fee. The rates for Sea Walking range from RM 120 (US$37) to RM 250 (US$77).
This island hopping experience will definitely not disappoint you. You see, the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park of Malaysia has got everything covered because if you don’t find what you’re looking for in one island then all you have to do is move on to the next one.
Singles Vacations Europe brings together like-minded people to share vacations, tours and adventure holidays, meet new friends, find good company, and most of all, to enjoy life.
Disneyland is called as one of the most magical places on earth. A place where you come to see your favorite childhood characters come to life. Even the Japanese have come to know and grow with these characters. Rumor even has it that the huge, bulbous eyes of anime characters were inspired by Mickey Mouse.
Welcome to Tokyo Disney Resort! It has two theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, plus eight hotels (Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo Disneysea Hotel Miracosta, Sunroute Plaza Tokyo, Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel, Hilton Tokyo Bay, Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay, Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, Tokyo Bay Hotel Tokyu). A ninth one, the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is opening this July 2008. Or, you can opt to stay at other Tokyo hotels nearby the area.
Tokyo Disneyland is styled after Disney’s classic Disneyland in California and first opened in 1983 making Tokyo Disneyland the first Disney park opened outside of the United States of America. Tokyo DisneySea is a nautical themed park that was opened in 2001. The Disney resort complex is conveniently circled by a monorail that connects the parks and hotels to the JR Maihama Station which is only 15 kilometers from the core of Tokyo.
There are seven themed areas in DisneyLand, complementing each other while retaining their uniqueness from one another. The seven areas are made up of the World Bazaar, the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands: Critter Country and Toontown. The park is noted for its huge open spaces to accommodate the massive crowds the park receives on even moderate attendance days. Tokyo Disneyland will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its grand opening this 2008.
World Bazaar recreates the atmosphere of an authentic 1900s small American town and creates a popular hub for the numerous visitors that pass through World Bazaar each and every week. Tommorowland, on the other hand, takes visitors into the future with some of the most exciting Disney rides on hand such as Space Mountain. Critter Country was built specifically to house its Splash Mountain ride. If you love scenic boat rides teeming with gentle furry animals, then this is the place for you. Toontown is a world that’s straight out of a cartoon. Being there is like being placed directly in a Disney cartoon. Meet the great cartoon stars in Toontown and even visit them in their own homes. Adventureland is a world of excitement featuring some of the classic Disneyland favorites which the parks have been famous for. With many coming straight from the story books which have entertained the previous and the next generations for decades past and for decades to come. Westernland gives a real taste of the wild western days of early America. This land has some great shows, scrumptious food and another of Disneyland’s popular ride, the Big Thunder Mountain. Fantasyland comes a land straight out of the fairy tales and into the park. With castles, fairies and flying elephants abound, it’s no wonder that Disneyland is the most magical place on Earth.
Tokyo DisneySea is the other theme park in the Tokyo Disney Resort. Opened in 2001, Tokyo DisneySea has become one of the world’s most-visited theme parks and one of the most popular Disney Parks in the world. One of the park’s symbols is the DisneySea AquaSphere, a water fountain with a large model of the earth, which is located at the entrance plaza and the gigantic volcano, Mount Prometheus, located in the center of the park. The volcano and Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland, the other park in the resort, are exactly the same height as the two in Tokyo DisneySea.
Like Tokyo Disneyland, there are also seven areas In Tokyo DisneySea. The entrance to the park is called the Mediterranean Harbor, which opens up to the six other nautically themed areas, these are American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island.
So come visit Tokyo, Japan with your family or friends for a familiar magical yet different Tokyo experience in the world of Disney. After that, why not swing by Hong Kong Disneyland as well?
