In the Land Below the Wind

I'm not really one for outdoor holidays, but nonetheless decided that it was about time for me to go visit the rainforests in Sabah.  I'd not been before to East Malaysia at all and was looking forward to seeing this very different aspect of Malaysia.  It was a short 5-day trip but one full of memorable experiences.  Of course, the highlight was the visit to Sandakan, including the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok and the two nights spent in our lodge on the Kinabatangan, the largest river in Sabah and in the heart of the wildlife forest reserve there.

We started off with the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok.  It is here that orphaned baby orang utans are taken, to learn the ways of orang utans and to be eventually released to the wild.  Baby orang utans need to stay with their mother for about 5-6 years, to learn how to climb, how to make nests, what are the good foods to eat, and so on.  Just like human babies, little orang utans who are separated from their mother (for whatever reason) are just helpless, unable to cope in the wild wide world around them. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to see the little ones close up as they are kept away from us humans and our germs. But we did make it to the feeding time, when the orang utans make their way to the feeding platform.  We watched as three orang utans (sadly, only three) swung gracefully, effortlessly, to the platform, to eat the fruit and interact with each other before going on their way.  The big bonus was the sight of the little baby orang utan, clutching on to its mother and looking oh so adorable.  What I did not expect was the presence of the little macaques, darting onto the platform to eat the fruit (after the orang utans had finished), and running quickly to and fro along the ropes leading to the platform.  And all this time, the orang utans simply continued doing their own thing, indifferent to the macaques' antics taking place all around them.

Sepilok is a well-kept, well-managed sanctuary.  The babies are kept in their nursery but as they grow, they are carefully moved out into the reserve, in slow easy steps.  Some go out and disappear forever, others come back regularly to feed.  Some females return with their own little babies - a sign of success indeed.  Visitors are asked if they would like to adopt an orang-utan baby (i.e. pay for its keep, they are an endangered species and definitely not allowed as pets).  More information about Sepilok, including on how to donate, at Sepilok Orang-utan Appeal UK.

After seeing the orang utans in the sanctuary, we were delighted when, the very next day, we managed to get a glimpse of a mother and her baby in the wild, on the banks of the Kinabatangan.  We were going down the river in our little boat, when suddenly our guide told us to look up in the trees.  There we saw the orang utan nest and next to it, swinging quicky away, the orang utan herself and also her baby.  It was a real privilege to see it. 

Hopefully, in the years ahead, the emphasis on sustainable development will mean that the precious rainforests will be protected and the orang-utans and all the wonderful wildlife of the region will be able to live in peace.

Lots more lovely orang-utan photos here.

Food for Good

Last Saturday, I read an article on small shops/entrepreneurs who were able to reach out to niche markets.  One was a bookshop carrying rare books.  Another was this cafe cum social enterprise, Food for Thought.  Couldn't really remember where I read it but subsequently found a similar article here. 

Since I happened to be in the Queen Street area later that day, decided to try it out. Indeed, it is a pleasant restaurant, modern and bright.  Its social mission is prominently displayed, on the placemats and the walls.  There's a display shelf in the middle of the restaurant floor, selling merchandise to promote their causes: Eradicating poverty and ignorance, inspiring kind acts and providing food for the hungry and clean water for all.  I liked their clever, snappy one-liners summarising each cause, eg "Teach them All", "Make Poverty History"
I ordered the red velvet cake - not the best I've eaten  (slightly soggy), but pretty decent.  The lemon curd cheesecake had a nice texture, but the base too seemed a little damp.  What seemed to be really popular, however, were the breakfasts - the next table seemed to be enjoying theirs, at 2.30pm!  Something to try, next time around.

The success of this little cafe shows that Singaporeans do believe in supporting social causes, including those abroad.  It also shows that corporate profitability lies not (solely) on rampant cutting of corners but can come together with doing good.  I particularly liked this quote from the BT article, describing their corporate philosophy:

"Growth in our company is led by what we find meaningful, enjoyable and inspiring rather than what is merely profitable. We do not maximise profit but we do not compromise it either."

So go and have some Food for Thought too.

How to Pet a Kitty

This weblink from The Oatmeal on "How to pet a kitty" could have been done with my darling Dinky in mind.  Dinky has gotten the plaintive look in the eye down pat and he employs it every morning when he jumps on my bed and lies with his tummy exposed for me to give it a rub. 

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/kitty_pet

Hoi An

Hoi An! The ancient port town of central Vietnam for many years before being displaced by Danang, it is a UNESCO heritage site. Our first visit was made under the guidance of a local guide, who was evidently a little disgruntled at our lack of purchases at the shops he took us too, and was reluctant to let us browse/shop around in the town. But he was knowledgeable about the town and its history, revealing to us the cosmopolitan character of this small Vietnamese port. 

The area was originally settled by people from the Riau archipelago (apparently some tools and other relics were found in burial jars), who became known as the Cham people.  Their ancient town was a short distance away - but we did not make the trip.  Many years later, Hoi An was settled, attracting traders from China, and Japan. The Japanese bridge across a small branch of the river apparently linked the Chinese and Japanese settlements in the area.

The Chinese certainly left their mark here. Coming from all over China, they built their clan association buildings (reminding me of Malacca and Singapore) which served both as temple as well as a gathering place for the community. Amongst other things, we visited the Fujian and Cantonese assembly halls, which were still very much in daily use – as could be seen from the large spirals of incense hanging from the ceiling, each bearing the name of the donor and each releasing, slowly, wisps of incense into the air (and dropping every now and then a short tube of ash onto the unwary tourists beneath). 

The town itself reminded me very much of the old towns in other parts of Southeast Asia - buildings include wooden frame houses with a little balcony in front, similar to what I saw in Laos, others like the old shophouses in Singapore/Malacca/Penang, with a small shopfront and the family living behind and/or above the shop.  We visited one old house which was said to have assimilated Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architectural styles.  The guide was pretty lackadaisical but she did point out to us the use of a Japanese style roof above the big airwell in the middle of the house....

We went off far too soon, but we decided to come back that evening (this time via the complimentary resort shuttle which we had not known about earlier) to explore the place further. And it was well we did, for Hoi Ann by night comes truly alive, when tourists and townsfolk wander through its streets comfortably, freed from the baking heat of the morning. We wandered around, stepping into whichever shop took our fancy, and were enraptured by the beautiful, jewel-toned lanterns which are such a feature of this old town.

Dinner was at one of the guidebook’s recommendations – The Cargo Club. It is relatively large establishment, with a patisserie and a bar/lounge on the ground floor and a restaurant on top. The restaurant terrace overlooks the river, and gives a good view of the brightly lit establishments across the river.  The restaurant patrons are largely tourists, which is not necessarily a recommendation but the meal was nonetheless pretty decent.  In general, however, I think that food in Hanoi is of a higher standard than this little port town.

At 9.30pm, the lights of Hoi An start going off, one by one.  We caught the shuttle back to the resort. 

Reading some guidebooks, people comment that Hoi An is now very commercialised - but in a way, the tourist trade supports the people in the area, and allows the charming old town to be preserved.   I have also seen for myself, in visiting Malacca both before and after it gained its UNESCO Heritage site status, how the additional visitorship and funding can really make a difference in revitalising old parts of the city, allowing old homes to be restored either by the existing owners or by new businesses.

More Hoi An pix here.

A Quiet Little Getaway

I was looking down at a single gerbera, floating in water, whilst my legs and back were being actively pummelled and pulled by an exponent of Thai massage. Grimacing slightly in pain, I reminded myself to relax.

I have spent the last 4 days in Fusion Maia resort on China Beach in Danang.

The resort was pretty much idyllic – a lovely beach with waves breaking on white, soft sand, mountains in the distance and an infinity pool aimed straight at the horizon. Graceful palm/coconut trees provide much-needed shade for the deck chairs and day beds scattered around. And the spa (opening comment notwithstanding) had a lovely spa pool surrounded by abundant greenery (see photo). We camped out in one of the two pavilions on either end of the pool, and in this shady nook, read and napped the mornings away. We enjoyed our two treatments per day (and worked our way through the spa menu) and chatted to the receptionist, a university student practicing her English. Our accommodation – I have really nothing to complain about. We had our private pool villa room (with its own little swimming pool and outdoor patio) but spent more time out by the spa pool (with its waterfall) or out by the beach, watching the other resort dwellers go by. Not that there were that many – we were visiting mid-week and it was obviously the lull period.

Our resort, it turned out, was fairly new, having opened the previous year. Next door, a new, large scale resort is still under construction; two doors down a glitzy casino (or should I say, integrated resort) has opened its doors, even whilst one wing of the hotel has still men working on it. I guess I know where some of the resort guests went at night (there were certainly far fewer people appearing at lunch and at dinner, than there were at breakfast). So in a way, perhaps we had paid our visit at a good time – when the resort was still the first mover on the strip, when its far larger neighbours are still putting their buildings up and getting their act together. A year or two more, and maybe the beach will not be as pristine, and the waters beyond busy with jet skiers and the like.

Indeed, a restful and welcome break from the office (although I received quite a few SMSes the first day I was there and spent every evening clearing email).  (For more idyllic photos, check here.

A Momentous General Election

Today, 7 May 2011 marks the end of a momentous General Election for Singapore.  It has been 10 days of intensive campaigning, when political parties fought the battle for the hearts and minds of Singaporeans.  One can only hope that the outcome is known, it will indeed be in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans.

On a less serious note, here is Mr Brown's podcast which  summarises some of the highlights of this election:

The High Life

I finally made it down (a few weeks ago) to the Marina Bay Sands, one of Singapore's two integrated resorts (or IRs for short).  Not, of course, to visit the casino.  I certainly am not going to waste money like that.  But, I did stand outside and peer in.  Not much of a view, and not very pleasant with the odour of stale cigarette smoke in the surrounding air, but nonetheless quite interesting.  Didn't see many people entering but I suppose it was a little early in the day (around lunch time).

I was actually at MBS for lunch at Pizzeria Mozza, one of the celebrity chef restaurants in the IR.  Pizzeria Mozza and its next door neighbour Osteria Mozza are by Nancy Silverton, in partnership with Mario Batalli and both restaurants are famous for their mozzarella, in particular the burrata mozzarella (this rather mouthwatering article tells all about burrata).  We had the burrata for our starter - the absolutely delicious mozza caprese - burrata mozzarella topped with a little pesto sauce and grilled cherry tomatoes (on the vine). The milky cheese, the tart sweetness of the tomatoes, the flavourful pesto - mmmmm...  The pizza too was tasty, and the famous crust was indeed light and elastic.  But the star of the show is indeed the burrata and I'm seriously thinking of visiting the mozzarella bar in Osteria. 

After lunch, we decided to take a trip up 55 floors and visit the MBS Skypark.  This was not without some debate.  Did we really want to pay $20 for a view?  In the end, we decided to do so and max out the time there.  Oh dear.  Did I just sound very Singaporean?  So we went up, and after walking around a bit we sat at the bar there and had a drink or two.  The view?  Well, it was certainly quite interesting to look down at the surrounding areas and to see all the way to the ends of Singapore, but I'm certainly not going to pay $20 again for the experience. 

So that was my visit to MBS.