Exploring Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu is the capital city of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Better known as KK by the locals, the city has been my current place of residence for the past two years. It is a major destination and a popular gateway for travellers visiting Sabah and Borneo. The World Heritage Listed Kinabalu Park, home to the mountain that gave the city its name, is located about 90 kilometres to the east of Kota Kinabalu. To its west, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is a marine park that is made up of 5 islands and it is less than 20 minutes by speed boat ride from the city’s pier.

Kota Kinabalu does have a lot more to boast about than just being the jump-off point to the nature parks that surround the city. As the city centre is fairly compact and can easily be explored by foot, I would suggest that travellers spend a couple of days in the city to explore some of the attractions and places of interest.

Snapshot: Singapore coffee (and other drinks)

Looking for a cup of coffee in Singapore? Head for one of the Lion City’s kopitiams (i.e. local coffee shops) to enjoy a cup of a dark and full bodied brew. The kopitiams are dotted all over the island and they can be found everywhere, in the tourist belts as well as in the heartlands.

Note: Kopitiam is a Singlish (Singapore Colloquial English) word that is an amalgamation of two words: “kopi” in Malay means coffee and “tiam” in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect, means shop. Hence, “kopitiam” literally means coffee shop. It is also interesting to note that while “tiam” is taken from the Hokkien dialect, it was the Hainanese that took the kopitiam culture to another level in Singapore.

A Tasmanian road trip (part 2)

Tasmania is a beautiful place to spend your holiday. It has a wonderful and relaxed island lifestyle (something missing in the island of Singapore), paired with wonderful wine and food (more on those later), as well as a haunting history evoked by spectacular convict-era ruins. Despite spending only a short amount of time on the island, I have come to appreciate Tasmania in many ways and is already one of its biggest fan.

Snapshot: Penang assam laksa

For me, no trip to Penang is complete without a bowl of the quintessential Penangite favourite food: the assam laksa. The laksa is a popular Peranakan cuisine, and like the Peranakan culture, is concocted from elements of the Chinese and Malay cuisine. There several varieties of laksa in Malaysia and Singapore and the assam laksa is a well-known speciality of the island’s Straits Chinese.

Doing the prosperity toss in Singapore

If you are in Singapore during the Chinese New Year, you would most likely encounter (or may even be invited to participate in) a unique cultural activity celebrating the festive season. Typically before a full course Chinese meal, families and friends would gather around the table to hoist and toss up a plate of specially prepared food in the air, followed by shouts of various auspicious wishes. This is the tradition of the quintessential Singaporean dish, the Yu Sheng (also known as ‘Lo Hei‘).