Escapy - May 2016 - Digital Issue

8/16/2019 Escapy - May 2016 - Digital Issue

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N at u r e & Ad v e nt u r e

White Water RaftingTaking On The Rapids Of Sungai Kampar

Caving Adventures

Kandu Cave, PerakPhoto FunTaking Fun Photos At A Trick House

Escapy Escape Into A World OfTravel & Adventure

Malaysia; A Fishing DestinationWhy Anglers Should Consider Fishing In Malaysia

Cititel Express IpohBasking In The History Of Ipoh

Eating By The LayersKai’s Plato, A Unique Dining Experience

Yummy Giant River Prawnsf You Like Prawns & you Like Them Spicy...

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Dear riends,

Welcome to another issue o Escapy, your ree travel

magazine, or rather “pockezine.” ravelling is not justun. It also expands the mind as we learn new things.

Planet Earth is filled with adventures and I am happyo be able to live a lie o adventure.

n this issue we explore Royal Belum, the royal state park o Perak, one o theoldest rainorest in the world that is home to a good variety o flora and auna.

We then do a bit o caving and white water rafing in Gopeng, Perak. Teseadrenaline pumping activities certainly make me eel younger. Perhaps thereinies the ountain o youth.

Other than travelling, I love to eat too. In this issue we tried out two new plac-es. Without being a spoiler, let’s just say that they involve prawns and layers.

o know more, check out the articles inside.

Do enjoy this issue. I wish you more adventures and more travel.

Cheers,

Phil Foo

Editor In Chie



Stone-MasheFor All Your Office Needs

Stone-Mashe Sdn. Bhd.L-1-2, Pusat Perdagangan Kuchai,No. 2, Jalan 1/127,Off Jalan Kuchai Lama,

58200 Kuala Lumpur.Contact: 016 202 2635 Email: [email protected]

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Welcome To

The Asian Publisher The Free Mobile Magazine People

Do Checkout Our Other Titles

More At:

www.theasianpublisher.com



Malaysia, YourFishing Destination

Page: 6

Nature ParadiseRoyal Belum

Page: 22

Whitewater Adventures

Page: 52

Kandu Cave

Caving Adventures

Page: 70

Funtasy

House Of Trick Art

Page: 94

Star Wars Month

At LEGOLAND

MalaysiaPage: 106

My Own Creation

(MOC) Star Wars

LEGO ContestPage: 120

Belum Rainforest

Resort

Page: 151

Cititel Express

Hotel Ipoh

Page: 171

A New DiningExperience - Kai’s

PlatoPage: 182

Asam Pedas (SpicyTamarind) River

PrawnsPage: 206

How Not To LoseYour Glasses On

Boat TripsPage: 212

Contents Click To Go Directly To Article

To return to this page from the articles, click on this tab

located at end page of all articles. Contents Page

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Main Feature Philemon Foo

Malaysia Your FishingDestination

M alaysia has beautiful beaches, lovely islandparadises, good shopping places, wild natural jun-gles, etc. Visiting these places are what many visi-tors to this beautiful country do. One other activity

that is not part of that norm but is slowly picking upin Malaysia is fishing. Malaysia is a good fishingdestination.



There are a few great lakes in Malaysia. Some ofthese great lakes such Temenggor Lake (RoyalBelum and Temenggor), Kenyir Lake, etc. attractlots of anglers both hardcore as well as weekend

warriors, or the “once in a blue moon” anglers.

Fishing The Great Lakes

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Fishing these lakes are both challenging and re-warding. Fishing is not easy but one could battlemonsters depending on one’s skills and luck. Thereare the brown snakeheads, hard fighting giant

snakeheads, giant featherbacks, arowanas, fierceHampala barbs, various types of catfish species,and more lurking in these waters.

Of Predators & Monsters



The jungles of Malaysia are dense and is home toa lot of wild life including tigers, elephants, boars,bears, deer, snakes, birds, etc. The jungle riversare habitats for powerful fishes such as the illu-sive red mahseer also known as the red torpedo,

green or silver mahseers that are torpedoes intheir own right, hampala barbs, the hard fightingmonkey eating Wallago attu, etc.

Fishing The Jungle Rivers

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Fishing these rivers will require that you spend afew days in the jungle. There will be jungle trekking,boating, canoeing, camping, and at some places,four wheel driving. One has to be reasonably fit to

very fit to partake in these adventures; dependingon the area chosen.



The sailfish capital of Asia is situated on the eastcoast of Peninsular Malaysia in a place calledRompin. They congregate there because of theabundance of baitfish. These majestic speedstersof the sea can often be seen roaming about flash-

ing their dorsal fins also known as sails, on thewater’s surface.

Sea Fishing

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Every year the sailfishes of Rompin attract hun-dreds of anglers from many countries to this littlecoastal town for a workout on the seas. Apart fromsailfish, there are black marlins in the area but theyare seldom caught.

We recommend catch and release for all billfishcaught.

Big Game Perhaps



The seas surrounding Malaysia are also hometo mackerels, wahoo, yellow fin tuna, variousspecies of trevallies, dorado, cobia, various spe-cies of groupers including giant groupers, vari-ous types of snappers, barramundi, barracudas,

various threadfin species, etc. These fighters arefound in many parts of the country’s coastal wa-ters at both East and West Malaysia.

Other Saltwater Warriors

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A huge cobia caught on jig.



A huge grouper caught on jig.

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Large Predators

There are various types of sharks including whale

sharks, as well as rays, whales, dolphins, etc. thatroam these waters but are not targeted sport fish-es. When it comes to sharks, there are quite a fewspecies from dangerous ones such as bull sharksto the less dangerous ones like the lizard sharksin these waters, but to date there have been only

three attacks since 1968 and non were fatal. Werecommend that all sharks caught be released.



For the less adventurous or perhaps for thosewho only have a few hours to spare, a visit tothe commercial fishing ponds also known as payponds can be fun. There are plenty of them aroundand they can be found in almost every part of the

country.

Commercial Fishing Ponds

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Not As Easy As It Sounds

Most of these ponds are regularly stocked. Someare even stocked on a daily basis. That said, fish-ing these ponds can prove to be a challenge. Fish-ing skills come into play. Local knowledge is a big

help. Luck plays a part. But every pond has a se-cret that are guarded by those who frequent them.



Some of the famous commercial fishing ponds in-clude the Natural Exotic Fishing Pond in RawangSelangor; a place I test out fishing tackle, Be-dong Fishing Pond (Kedah, north of the Malay-sian Peninsular), Damai Fishing Village(Johor,

south of the Malaysian Peninsular), Fish Valley(Selangor), Jurassic SW Pond (Sepang, Selan-gor), Hulu Langat Fishing Pond (Selangor), etc.

Some Famous Ones

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Fishing Guides

Fishing guide services are available in Malaysiafor all sorts of fishing therefore one does not haveto worry. Even if you’ve not planned for a fishingtrip in Malaysia and did not bring any fishing tacklewith you but would like to do some fishing (ad hoc),this can still be arranged. Most fishing guides pro-

vide fishing tackle. Some pay ponds provide themtoo on rental basis.

*Fishing tackle = fishing equipment



If you are an angler looking for a place to do somefishing, do consider Malaysia. Fishing in Malaysiacan be good. However, like fishing in any coun-try, it is best to check in advance what the fishingseasons are.

For more info do send an email to:[email protected]

Summary

Contents Page 21



N a t u r e P a r a d i s e

R oyal Belum rainforest (state park) is one of the old-est rainforests in the world. It is believed to be over 130million years old making it older than even the Amazon. About 316 bird species have been recorded in Belum.

These include ten species of hornbills, eagles, hawks,bulbuls, parrots, barbets, kingshers, etc.

Travel Guide



Large mammals nd Belum to be a sanctuary. Large

animals such as the gaur (Seladang) also calledthe Indian bison, Sumatran Rhinoceros, the Asianelephants, and the Malayan tiger call Belum home.

Of course there are smaller mammals too such aswildboars, various deer species, sun bears, tapirs,gibbons, langurs, etc.

A Sanctuary

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T e me n ggo r

L a k e

Temenggor Lake is the second largest lake in Ma-laysia (largest being Kenyir Lake). Its waters cov-er a huge area from deep within the Royal Belumstate park all the way to the Temenggor Dam, South

Belum as it is called. This great lake was createdback in the 1970s with the creation of the Temeng-gor Dam.



The creation of the lake left logging machineries, anentire village called Kampong Temenggor (Temeng-gor Village) of which its residence were airlifted outto a new government built village, aborigines (orangasli) ancestral grounds, the training grounds of theanti-Japanese Resistance Force 136 called Padang

Cermin (Field of Mirrors), etc. underwater and re-mains there till this day.

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Temenggor is home to some 23 species of sh such

as the illusive mahseer, river carps, brown snake-heads, giant snakeheads, hampala barbs, various

catsh species, etc. It is also home to at least 5 spe-cies of turtles as well as reptiles such as snakes,frogs, lizards, etc.

W a ter Habi ta t



Belum is rich with a diversity of trees and plants. Ithas some 3000 species of owering plants. It has

one of the world largest owers, the Rafesia. Not

just one species but three of them being RafesiaKerrii, Rafesia Cantleyi and Rafesia Azlanii.

*Picture Courtesy of Belum Rainforest Resort.

Rich Flora

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Belum has many types of trees such as the giantMedang trees, the famous elixir of male strength;Tongkat Ali tree, etc. as well as a good variety of

fruiting trees such as durians, mangoes, jackfruits,etc. Belum is also home to a prehistoric tree; theCycas tree of which dates back to the age of dino-saurs.



Yes, there are human inhabitants that call RoyalBelum home. They are the indigenous aboriginesalso called orang asli, of the Jahai tribe of which

is the main sub-ethnic group of the Negrito, andthe Temiar tribe of which forms the main group ofSenoi.

Aborigines OfRoyal Belum

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The Jahai tribe live in three villages (Sungai Tiang,Sg Kejar, and Aman Damai Village) with a popula-tion of about 800. The Temiar tribe call Pos Chiong

in Sara River (Sungai Sara) and other villages inand around Temenggor, home.



An orang asli’s home made of bamboo and leaves.

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W ha t’s Ther e To Do?

There are quite a few activities that one can do inRoyal Belum depending on one’s spirit of adven-ture. Being a rainforest with a huge lake one can go

jungle trekking, camping, shing, boating, canoeing,etc.



What better way to take in the beauty of Mother Na-ture than to walk in her midst? There are a few jun-gle trails in Royal Belum. These trails are not very

tough but a guide is recommended. These trails leadto waterfalls, camping grounds, salt licks (with ani-mal viewing huts), villages (indigenous people), etc.

Jungle Trekking

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Trails like Ruok River (Sungai Ruok), Kejar River(Sungai Kejar), Kooi River, Sungai Enam falls, etc.trails are quite decent of which most generally t

persons can quite easily conquer them. There will

be some climbing but still quite forgiving. Of courseit is best to take one’s time and not rush. It certainlyis worth the effort. Imagine resting under a cool wa-terfall at the end of the trail.



Note too that there are treks that go deep into therainforest and these treks are dangerous. There area lot of wild animals including big predators, thereare also poachers, rangers, and army commandos

(border patrol) that patrol the area as it borders Thai-land. It is best to go with the usual treks and go witha guide.

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Camping

There are camp sites in Royal Belum that one cango to. Some of them provide basic comforts such asclean water, toilets, etc. Some of the available campsites are the Sungai Kejar (Kejar River) base camp,Sungai Enam (Enam River) base camp, or one can

opt to camp out at Sg. Tiang (Tiang River). SungaiTiang also has chalets you can rent should you de-cide not to sleep in a tent.



Nature lovers can go on an animal watching adven-ture be it birds, deer, elephants, etc. Trekking to oneof the few salt licks and sitting quietly in one of the

observation huts or towers can be quite rewarding.Sometimes we see them while we are on the boatas well. Keep an eye out and your camera ready.

Animal Watching

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Fishing

Being a state park, Royal Belum is still one of thebetter shing holes in Peninsular Malaysia as one

needs a permit to enter. Fishes that swim about themain areas of the lake are well trained and thusshing has become more challenging. Being a hugelake there are areas of the lake that are relativelysave from anglers and poachers.



Angling guide services are available but bookingmust be done in advanced to avoid disappointment.The main targeted species are the hard ghting to-

man (giant snakeheads), sebaraus (Hampala barb),mahseers, etc.

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You will have to bring along your own shing equip-ment or what we anglers fondly call tackle. Thesedays medium action tackle will be good enough formost of the shing here. Surface poppers, walkers,

and divers for snakehead. Spoons and deep divers

for the Hampala barb, and other species. Do bringalong a lure retriever as there are a lot of snags thatare hidden underwater.



It is nice to pay a visit to the orang asli (aborogines)and take a glimpse of how they live. They still holdon to their traditional ways of living with additionalcomforts such as clothing, and solar panels. Shouldyou decide to visit anyone of these villages do bring

along presents such as clothing, food stuffs, etc. asgifts.

Visit The OrangAsli (Aborigines)

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Do note that most of the orang aslis (aborigines) areshy. It is best to approach them slowly, asking per-mission (handing them your gift at the same time) totalk to them or to have their picture taken. There aresimple rules to adhere by. If unsure, do check withyour guide.



At these villages you can try a hand in some of thetraditional activities, one of which is dart blowing us-ing a blowpipe where you get to blow a dart with theaim of hitting the bulls eye. you can also purchase jungle herbs, roots, handicrafts, etc. from them.

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Pho togr aphy

The Royal Belum state park is a haven for photogra-phers. One can opt to go macro and shoot the tiniestof insects, go zooming in on wildlife with one’s tele-photo zoom lens, go wide angle taking in the land-

scape, or simply just go creative and shoot thingsthat make none photogs wonder what’s going onwith you.



Note though that if you’re jungle trekking, carryingtoo many lenses and other stuffs in your camerabeg will drain you of your energy. Pick one or twolenses for the trek. It is best to go light and if youare up for it, do bring along a tripod and those ND(Neutral Density) lters for some fun with nature.

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W ha t Else Can One Do?

If none of the above tickles your fancy, perhapsspending time at a spa is more your thing. Your op-tion will be to book a room at the Belum RainforestResort, the most upmarket resort that money canbuy here in Belum (or rather Banding), and spendyour time at the Puteri Dewi Spa relaxing in an ur-

ban Balinese setting plus a therapeutic massage.

*Picture courtesy of Belum Rainforest Resort



After that you can opt to relax by the pool with agood book in hand. When the words start to runabout the page, take your eyes off and set your gazeonto Temenggor Lake, allowing your mind to just goblank. Finish off the evening with a dip in the poolbefore returning back to your lovely room .

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Other than the usual, these here are some of thethings that I highly recommend that you bring shouldyou decide to visit Royal Belum.

Rubber shoes

Mosquito repellent

Leech socks (should you want to prevent leech bites)

Waterproof bag

Cap or hat

Things To Br ing



Comfortable trekking clothes

Water bottle

Light food

Camera

First aid kit

Needed medication

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By Car Belum-Temengor rainforest is situated midway be-tween the east and west coasts of Malaysia, with thenearest town being Gerik in Perak and Jeli in Kel-antan. Driving to Pulau Banding from Kuala Lumpurtakes about ve hours via the North - South Express-way. Head towards Ipoh and exit at Kuala Kang-sar. Head towards Gerik and from there straight toBanding Island, the doorway to Belum.

By BusThere are a number of buses from Hentian Duta(Duta Bus Terminal) in Kuala Lumpur that can takeyou to Pulau Banding. For information on schedulesand pricing, visit Hentian Duta at Persiaran Duta,

50480 Kuala Lumpur, or call 03-6203 3150

Source: Belum Rainforest Resort

Ge t ting Ther e



Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia,

Perak Ofce

No. 7 & 9, Jalan Medan Istana 3

Bandar Ipoh Raya

30000 Ipoh

Perak Darul RidzuanTel: 05 255 0413 / 05 255 0414 Fax: 05 253 6027

For Mor e Infor ma tion

Contents Page 51



W h i t e w a t e r A d v e n t u r e s

W hen one mentions whitewater adventures,countries like New Zealand and the United States of America come to mind. Not many know that white-water adventures can be had in Malaysia. Yes,

whitewater rafting, whitewater kayaking, and white-water riverboarding can all be done in Malaysia.

Escapy Travel Guide



Amongst the many rivers in Malaysia, the KamparRiver in Gopeng, Perak; is one of the rivers that of-fers up such waters with class 1 to class 3 rapidsthat can go up to class 4 during the rainy seasons.With such waters, companies like Nomad Adven-

ture offers fun and safe white water rafting experi-ence down the Kampar River with distances rang-ing between 5km and 7km.

W h i t e W a t er F u n

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The more important thing to focus on is safety assuch adventures do come with certain amounts ofdanger. Before every whitewater expedition partici-

pants will go through a thorough safety brieng. Thequalied instructors will ensure that participants are

ready before taking them to the river.

Saf e ty Firs t



Personal Experience

I have long put aside doing such activities and com-ing to Gopeng and riding these rapids brought backthe adrenaline rush and sense of adventure that I

thought I’ve lost. We assembled at Nomad Adven-ture’s Earth Camp where we had lunch and preparedourselves for the adventure.

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The safety brieng was given by one of the highly

qualied instructors along with demonstrations of

techniques and keeping safe in an emergency. Af-ter all we must work as a team to ensure that no

untoward incidents happen.



After the brieng we took a short drive to the river

(Kampar River) where a short water test was doneto ensure that we are ready for the expedition as wellas to see each participant’s capabilities of making it

to the bank should anyone fall into the river duringthe expedition. All of us made it and the instructorswere satised and we were given the green light.

On T o the River

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We were then broken into teams of three plus one in-structor (some had four plus one instructor to a raft). All of us must listen to the instructor’s instructions at alltimes and do accordingly. Satised, our raft was given

the go ahead and we set out on a white water raftingadventure.



Ready to take on the rapids.

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T akin g On T he River

We started down the river with just a stroke or two of ourpaddles and the river carried us along until we reachour rst rapid. We were given instructions to paddle

forward and then backwards to set the raft in positionto go down the the rapids between some rocks. We got

stuck and the instructor shouted jump jump, and we jumped until we sort of bounced the raft off the rocksbit by bit until we were moving again down the rapids.



I was enjoying the adrenaline rush as we paddleda few strokes later onto the next set of rapids. Thistime our instructor shouted “boom boom” whichmeant that we all had to leap into the raft and sittight as we had to negotiate some rough rapids witha high chance of falling overboard.

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I cannot remember how many rapids we had to navi-gate but every rapid posses its own set of characteris-tics and challenges. Later while chatting with our guideI learnt that the 7km journey took us through 9 big rap-ids (total 14 rapids) that got us totally drenched, and

high on adrenaline. No one fell off our raft although Ialmost did a couple of times, thanks to our professionaland good guide.



This expedition is a mixture of peace and excitementas there are stretches of the river where the ow is slow

and peaceful. We just sort of sat back and allowed theriver to carry us through while we enjoyed nature. Thenthat stretch of peacefulness ends as we arrive at a set

of rapids. All hell breaks loose as we do our best tomanage the said set of rapids. This goes on for abouttwo glorious hours.

Peace And

Exci temen t

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Unfortunately all fun rides will have to end. We werethe rst to arrive and jumping out of the raft into the

cooling river mark’s the end of our ride and adventure.

After the arrival of all the other teams in our group wereturned to Nomad Adventure’s Earth Camp for snacksand to change into dry clothes.

T he End Of Our Ride



Clothes To Wear T-shirt

Shorts or tights

Rubber shoes

Things To BringChange of clothes

Towel

Toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc.)

Dry shoes or sandals

Strap (that can be tightened) for your glasses should

you wear glassesGood quality dry bag (small) with a carabiner

Waterproof sports camera

Bottle of water

Sunscreen / suntan lotion

Plastic bag for wet clothes

Personal medication

T hin gs T o Brin g

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Addi tional No tes

The average whitewater rafting journey offered at No-mad Adventure is 7km long with rapids ranging fromgrade 2 to 3+ rapids that could turn to grade 4 rapids

during the rainy season. There are about 22 rapids in-cluding the longer courses.



Participants should not be aquaphobic (fear of water)and should have basic swimming capabilities. Folkswith certain medical conditions would not be allowed to

do this activity due to the risk involved. It would be bestto check in advanced with Nomad Adventure or anyoperator of such activities before going for such trips.

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Nomad Adventure

525 Jalan 17/13,

46400 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor, Malaysia

Tel. +6(03)79585152 /3151

[email protected]

Con tac t De tails


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K a n d u C a v e C a v i n g A d v e n t u r e

C aves are basically huge cavities in hills andmountains that have been a fascination to many an

adventurous person. Caves have provided shelter tohumans and animals, a hiding place, a refuge, andeven a home.

Travel Guide Escapy



Bi ts O f His tor y

Perak has a few caves and two of them offer cavingexpeditions and fun for the adventurous at heart. One

of them is the Kandu Cave or Gua Kandu. Gua meanscave in the Malay Language.

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Ca ving Ad ven ture

Kandu Cave played host to the communist soldiersduring the war against the Japanese occupiers where

it became their ofce and quarters. Cavities in the Kan-du Cave system provided them with sleeping quarters,meeting rooms, and security.



These days it plays host to adventure seekers and cor-porations that sent their staffs for team building experi-ences. It certainly is not a place for the claustrophobicand one has got to be reasonably t to take on Kandu

Cave.

There are a few companies who offer caving expedi-tions here at Kandu Cave. Amongst them is Nomad Adventure. We went with Nomad adventure.

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Sa fe t y Firs t

Safety is paramount in any adventurous activities andbeing reasonably t is one important factor. Safety or

protective gear is also a must and thus we were giv-en helmets and a torchlight. Cameras can be broughtalong but one is recommended to keep it in a backpackor a pouch.



Both hands are needed as one will have to crawl andclimb about in the cave. Thus holding on to a camerawill prove to be an inconvenience. Another importantthing to bring is and bottle of water as one will get thirstyduring the adventure.

Safety Brieng by one of our instructors.

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Darkness Inside

There are no lights installed in Kandu Cave and it isreally dark inside. One will not be able to see one’shands even if they are placed inches from one’s face.I kid you not. The need of a torchlight cannot be em-phasised more especially one that is placed on one’shelmet.



Kandu Cave is dry and as we walked in the cave, theusual stomping of our feet on the ground as we walkkicks up the dust. Thus my recommendation to those

with respiratory issues such as asthma and still wantto give caving a go is to come prepared with facemask,needed medications, etc.

Dus t y And Dr y

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Na viga ting The Ca ve

One can easily get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels andthus going with a guide is essential. Some of these tun-nels are really narrow with opening just big enough toallow one person through. Those who are claustropho-bic do take note.



The air feels thinner in the cave. That with the extremedarkness can cause one to be disoriented. It is impor-tant to stick to the group. Those who are in front of thegroup must always look back to ensure that the groupis together. Anyway, there is no need to rush in the

caves. We took our time as we made our way throughthe tunnels. We even stopped to relax and recuperate.

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A Good Workou t

A cave is not all at terrain. There will be some climb-ing and there will be some rappelling to do of which isloads of fun. Most of the climbing and rappelling areeasy but fear may play in one’s mind as it is dark and

judging depth may be difcult to some. Paying atten-tion and following the guides is certainly a must. Theguides are a great help giving encouragement to thosewho feel like giving up.



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Mother Nature is one great architect even inside caves.The stalagmites and stalactites become natural struc-tures of art making Kandu Cave one big art gallery.Here I learnt something. When stalagmites and sta-

lactites join and become one, they are called columns.When they become huge to a certain size, they arecalled curtains.

Wonders In The Ca ve



These natural work of arts make good subjects for pho-tography. Taken at different angles, the same column,curtain, stalagmites, and or stalactites may appear to

look different. Some imagination helps too.Do you see that face up there?

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Closer to the end of the adventure there is a huge cav-ity that one will have to cross before exiting the cave.

There are two ways to go about it. One way is to rappeldown a huge steep section of the cave. It is a fun taskbut requires a lot more energy.

Final Fun



85



The other way is to zip line (also known as ying fox)

to the other side of the cavity, travelling a distance of

about 300 metres (just an estimate) to where the exitis. This is extremely fun and our group decided to y

(or rather, zip line).



To exit Kandu Cave one will have to rappel down theside of the cave with a height of a four storey building(thereabout). Rappelling down the almost horizontal

side of the cave is both exciting and fun. There is anelement of danger but it is relatively safe as long asone follows the instructions of the guides.

The Exi t

87



Before your trip do talk to the activity provider if it isokay for you to participate in this activity especially ifyou have certain health conditions that may put youin danger. It is important to know what to expect and Iurge you to ask as many questions as you may have toensure that you are ready for the activity.

Things To Do



Being a cave used during the war there are writings onthe wall written by soldiers of the communist army thatwere ghting the Japanese occupiers at that time. It is

best not to touch them as touching them may causethem to fade and one day disappear and that would bea waste to see history destroyed. Also do not add to it.

Things No t To Do

89



One other thing to refrain from doing is to touch thestalagmites and stalactites as the chemicals from ourskin may react with them causing certain damage.



Drinking water

Small backpack or pouch

Facemask

Sports shoes with rubber soleHeadlamps (if you have one)

Needed medication

Towel

Change of clothes

Camera

Contact DetailsNomad Adventure

525 Jalan 17/13,

46400 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor, Malaysia

Tel. +6(03)79585152 /3151

[email protected]

Things to Bring

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F u n t a s y H o u s e O f T r i c k A r t

T here seems to be a new fun sort of photo takingtrend in town where paintings or rather murals and

people come together making funny and cool 3Dphotos. One such place is the Funtasy House Trick Art in Ipoh.

Travel Guide Escapy



Fancy ying about on a broom or showing off to friends

your ability at wizardry? Or perhaps something lessighty like tight rope walking from one building to an-other. I particularly like the kampung (village) house

area where one can exercise one’s creativity and gocamera crazy. The shots can be really creatively crazydepending on how crazy one wants to be.

95



The Funtasy House Trick Art is a fun place to beespecially for those who enjoy shooting photos. Myrecommendation is to take your time... really takeyour time with each shot. Don’t rush if you do nothave to and make every shot count since you will

have to pay good money for the experience.

F u n W i t h A C a m e r a



One of my favourite areas, KampungHouse.

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In reality, this takes a lot of guts.



We tried to help but to no avail.

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Supernatural dining experience.



Undersea garden.

101



Trapped in a bubble.



In a different world things like thishappens.

103



Tortured during the medieval times....



Address

16, Jalan Market, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.

Telephone: (60)5-255 0007Email: [email protected]

OPERATING HOURS

Weekdays : 9am – 6pmWeekends & Public Holidays : 9am – 8pm

Entrance Fees

MYR19.00

• Adults without MyCard

MYR15.00

• Adults with MyCard

MYR10.00

• Kids (4 years old & above)

• Students (with Student ID)

• Senior Citizens (above 60 years old)

Free Admission

• Disabled (with OKU Card)

• Infants (below 4 years old)

Contents Page 105



S t a r W a r s M o n t h

A t L E G O L A N D M a l a y s i a

S tar Wars fans take note. The month of May isStar Wars month at LEGOLAND Malaysia. A StarWars character appearance and parade was heldwith members of Star Wars fan clubs from around

Asia called 501st Legions, Garrisons, and out-post; coming together to put on one heck of a showaround the entire theme park.

EscapyHAPPENINGS



Darth Vader and his troops seen wandering aboutat LEGOLAND Malaysia.

107



We attended the Star Wars parade where charactersfrom the Star Wars movie franchise came to live.Perhaps for the rst time in the history of Star Wars,

both the Galactic Empire and The Rebel Alliancecame together working hand in hand to entertain

fans of Star Wars and visitors to Legoland withoutshooting at one and other.

Putting Battle Aside



Note though that rabbits generally do not like to bepicked up and they can get quite aggressive to freethemselves especially when they feel threatenedor when handled in the wrong way, of which could

harm both the person who picked up the rabbit andthe rabbit itself.

All participating Star Wars Club members wore cos-tumes that look exactly like those used in the mov-ies. Mr Evan Loh, the Public Relations Ofcer to the

501st Malaysia Outpost said during the press con-

ference that every member’s costume must meetcertain standards of which is an almost identicalcostume to the one’s in the movie.

109



The Emperor (Sheev Palpatine) and Darth Vader,the farther of the dark side lead the march with thetroops from the Empire, followed by the Rebel Al-liance, while loud speakers that have been placedaround the park blast the famous Star Wars themesong. The impact it created was simply amazing.



Stormtroopers marching towards the LEGOLANDMalaysia theme park.

111



They paraded from the LEGOLAND Resort to theLEGOLAND Malaysia theme park’s indoor StarWars exhibits where over 2,000 Star Wars LEGOModels from various locations around the world in-cluding Malaysia, Germany, and Czech Republicwas built. The exhibit showcases scenes from eachStar Wars movie.



TIE Fighter pilots marching towards the LEGO-LAND Malaysia theme park.

113



Darth Revan looking menacing amongst the crowdof Star Wars fans.



After the parade, the characters broke out intogroups and spent the day walking around the park

posing and taking photos with visitors. They were af-ter all the main attraction and the stars of the event.

115



LEGOLAND Malaysia brought in father and sonMaster Builder team; Daniel Steininger and Chris-topher Steininger to build the largest LEGO Millen-nium Falcon in the world using over 200,000 bricks.Visitors to the park will get to build one too but of a

much smaller size and only during the weekend forthe entire month of May.

The Largest Millennium Falcon



A LEGO TIE Fighter model on display at the LEGO-LAND Malaysia theme Park.

117



Jawas hanging out with the Stormtroopers outsidethe LEGOLAND Resort.



This limited edition LEGO block can be your’s.Complete the Star Wars trail to get this; only in May

2016.

Contents Page 119



M y O w n C r e a t i o n S t a r W a r s L E G O C o n t e s t

I n conjunction with the Star Wars Month, Star WarsLEGO fans from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, HongKong, etc. gathered here at LEGOLAND Malaysia tocompete in a contest to build the most unique andcreative Star Wars LEGO creation. The contest wasbroken into three categories being kids (7-15 yearsold), Open (above 15), and Family (parent and childteam).

EscapyHAPPENINGS



Winners

Category: Open

1st Place: Wong Wing Yew - The Force Is StrongWith This One.

121



2nd Place: Yeo Wei Shoong - Kampung Star Wars(Star Wars Village)



3rd Place: Ling Wei Ko - Geonosis Droid Factory

123



4th Place: Bruce Lee Chiau Han - Star Wars Rac-ing



5th Place: Gan Soo Aik - Redesign Air Speeder

125



Winners of the Adult Category and their przes fromLEGO Malaysia.



Winners

Category: Family

1st Place: Wong Tze Hin and Thomas Wong – I AmR2D2

127



2nd Place: Yong Meng Kwong –Star Wars Carousel



3rd Place: Eric Ong Ling Siang and Ong Siong Kuan –Hoth Remnant

129



4th Place: Siti Arfah and Noreez Azmirah –StarWars Café



5th Place: Ng Yiwen and Ng Seng Guan –StolenData Hunt

131



1st Place: Tan Xi Honn –Ewok Extreme Park

Winners

Category: Kids



1st Place: Wong Tze Hin and Thomas Wong – I AmR2D2

2nd Place: Cassius Lai –Edge of DeathStar

133



3rd Place: Candace Chow –The Forcecar Awakens



4th Place: Carmen Cheah –Battle Front Ride atLEGOLAND

135



5th Place: Tan Chen Ping –Battle of the Xs



Winners

Category: Hong Kong

Adrian –Star Wars Ep. 8 Scene 1–Kids CategoryWinner

137



Chau Hin Ly Sander -First Order Base B –OpenCategory



Cheung Shing Kit and Cheung Chiu Kai–FamilyCategory

139



Winners

Category: Taiwan

Chi Hsin Wei –You don’t know the power of the DarkSide – Open Category



Chi Hsin Wei and Chi An Yu –Republic Friendship – Family Category

141



Lee Nuo–R2D2 Symphony interstellar dreams –Kids Category



Evanina –Star Wars Elves –Kids Category

Winners

Category: Indonesia

143



Dianawaty –Death Star Section – Open Category



Evanina –Star Wars Chess– Family Category

145



Rebel Legion Malaysian Outpost, 501st SingaporeGarrison, Cathar Outpost - Rebel Legion Singapore,501st Legion Indonesia Outpost, 501st Thailand,Rebel Legion Thailand Utapau Outpost, PhilippineGarrison, The 501st Legion - Macau Outpost, TheRebel Legion Hong Kong Base, 501st Taiwan For-

mosa Outpost, The Rebel Legion Taiwan Outpost,501st Japanese Garrison , Redback Garrison -501st Legion, 501st Legion Brunei Outpost.

Participating Clubs



Mr Evan Loh, the Public Relations Ofcer to the

501st Malaysia Outpost.

147



Star Wars Cafe. The place to hangout.



Playing chess with the dark side.

149


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/escapy-may-2016-digital-issue 150/216Contents Page



Philemon Foo

B e l u m R a i n f o r e s t R e s o r

Where to Stay

151



T he Belum Rainforest Resort is located in PulauBanding at Lake Temenggor also known as SouthBelum. Belum is a fantastic place for nature lovers

and anglers with a lot of wildlife, fantastic ora andfauna, and a challenging shing experience.

A Nature Retreat



The resort is cosy and nice although it looks a bit datedwhich isn’t always a bad thing. In this case it made theresort look nice and rustic. Imagine your favourite pair

of old jeans that you have worn for years. It may lookworn out but it feels comfortable. With cowboy bootsthey probably look great.

The Resort

153



Water features around the resort gave the place anice visual appeal but what I like best was that insome of these water features are shes like sebarau

(Hampala barb), etc. of which are good looking sh-

es.

Water Features



The room we stayed in (Deluxe) looked dated but feltcosy just like the rest of the resort. Beds were comfort-able, and the air-conditioning works really well. I love

the cold and my wish is for winter in Malaysia. If therewere to be a “Like” button here, I would have clicked it.

Rooms

155



One can also experience something different. Insteadof booking a room, one can book a houseboat. This isideal for families or groups, especially those that enjoy

the sport of shing. The houseboat will go to differentareas of the lake where one can do some jungle trek-king, go to the waterfalls, do some shing, etc.

Houseboat Experience



There are new suites with a very modern look, and aclassy touch of luxury. These suites that over look partof the great lake comes with special themes including

outdoor showers, village styled suites, and one superluxurious suite reserved for those with very deep pock-ets.

New Suites

157



Super luxurous suite for VVIPs.



Glass walls that gives a full view of the jungle and thelake.

159



One of the rooms of the suite.



A luxurious bedroom with a balcony that overlooks the jungle and the lake.

161



These suites come with modern facilities includingmodern design baths, comfortable beds, cosy balco-nies, etc. One certainly can experience a life of luxu-

ry staying in one of these suites as one gaze out intoTemenggor Lake.



The Belum Rainforest Resort has a nice swimming poolthat sits on one of the decks that overlooks the lake.There are also viewing decks where one can sit back

and just stare out into oblivion or take out one’s cam-era and take pictures of the lake.

Facilities And Activities

163



The resort provides guided tours into Royal Belum aswell as areas around Temenggor Lake. One can go on jungle adventures visiting waterfalls, aborigines villag-

es, jungle treks that takes you through a nature won-derland.

Jungle Activities



After a day out in the forest, some relaxation time at thePuteri Dewi Spa will rejuvenate one’s body and helpone relax. The Puteri Dewi Spa is an urban Balinesethemed spa that offers relaxing baths, Balinese mas-sages, and other special treatments that will pamperone’s body and rejuvenate one’s soul.

Note: Pic. courtesy of Belum Rainforest Resort.

Puteri Dewi Spa

165



The restaurant offers decent local and western buffet. Iparticularly like the nasi lemak a local dish served withspicy sweet and salty chilli with anchovies, eggs, and

cucumber slices. The spicy sweet and salty chilli pastewith anchovies (sambal in the Malay language) is re-ally yummy. The rest of the food is decent.

Food Wise



Lovely breakfast to start the day with. Western and Asian treats for all.

167



Outdoor dining for those who prefer to dine with aview.



From Kuala Lumpur, take the North-South Highwayand head north towards Ipoh. Take the Kuala Kangsarexit and head towards Gerik, bypassing the town ofLenggong. This highway will take you straight to PulauBanding. The journey will take about 5 hours

GPS Coordinates: N 5 32.595 E 101 20.454

(Source: http://www.belumresort.com/)

Getting There: By Car

169



There are a number of buses from Hentian Duta inKuala Lumpur that can take you to Pulau Banding.For information on schedules and pricing, visit Hen-tian Duta at Persiaran Duta, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, orcall 03-6203 3150

(Source: http://www.belumresort.com/)

For More Information:Belum Rainforest Resort

Pulau Banding

33200 Gerik

Perak Darul Ridzuan

Malaysia

Telephone : +6 05 791 6800

Fax : +6 05 791 7600

Email : [email protected]

Getting There: By Bus

Contents Page



Philemon FooC i t i t e l E x r e s s H o t e l I p o h

Where to Stay

171



I poh has lots of hotels to choose from and the Citi-tel Express Hotel, a modern hotel in the heart of his-torical Ipoh is one of them. Cititel Express Hotel Ipoh

offers comfortable beds, free channel surng for TVaddicts, free shuttle services to certain places, and agood selection of room types.

Lots To Of f er



Cititel Express Ipoh is surrounded by historical build-ings and is a short walk to some of the more importanthistorical landmarks such as the Ipoh Train Station,

City Hall Building, etc. If walking isn’t your thing, Citi-tel Express Ipoh offers free shuttle services to popularfood places, shopping areas, and popular tourist desti-nations.

Bask ing In History

173



One of Cititel Express Hotel’s commitment is to offersmart, clean, and simple rooms and that is exactly whatwe got when we checked in. Wi-Fi is provided free. Thesmart TV offers free TV surng with lots of channels to

choose from. The rooms are clean and comfortable.Design wise they are relatively simple. My only qualmsis the lack of plug points nearer the bed.

Smart, Clean, And Simple



Cititel Express Hotel Ipoh offers 210 rooms broken intoStandard, Superior, and Deluxe categories. The con-gurations available are Twin sharing, Queen, Triple

sharing, and Quad or a room for four. This means that

they have rooms for single travellers, business travel-lers, as well as families.

Rooms

175



Modern room with modern amenities. Some have more.



View of the room from another angle.

177



Things To Do

The hotel itself has nothing much to offer in terms ofrecreation but around the hotel is where the attractions

are. We decided to go on the Ipoh Heritage Trail withcamera in hand. We went about shooting the colonialbuilding such as the Ipoh Railway Station, the townhall, etc.



Other available attractions include Memory Lane, Kin-ta Rive Walk, Ipoh’s Mural Arts Lane, Perak Mosque

Trail, Little India, etc. One could also opt to spend aday at the Lost World Of Tambun, one of the familyamusement parks in Ipoh. Soon there will be the Movie Animation Park Studios to visit too.

179



Yes, rooms here are affordable and certainly good val-ue for money. If you’re visiting Malaysia and decide onvisiting Ipoh, the Cititel Express Hotel Ipoh is certainly

one of the hotels to consider. One thing I recommendis to bring along an extension type gang adapter foryour electronic devices.

Worth The Money?



CITITEL EXPRESS IPOH

2, Jalan S. P. Seenivasagam,

30000 Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan

Tel: 05 208 2888

Enquiries : [email protected]

Facebook : www.facebook.com/CititelExpressIpoh/

Website:

http://www.cititelexpress.com/ipoh/default.html

Additional Inf ormation

Contents Page 181



A N e w D i n i n g E x p e r i e n c e

H ave you dined layer by layer? Kai’s Plato offersdining by the layer. This means that various differ-ent types of food are stacked up in different com-partments one over the other. These foods are thensteamed. We then eat them compartment by com-partment.

For Foodies Escapy



I love things unique and when a friend recommend-ed and talked about Kai’s Plato, I had to pay them avisit. Not long later a plan was hatched to celebrate

her (friend who recommended) birthday at Kai’s Plato.I highly recommend going there for a birthday dinner.

183



Doing some research I found that this unique din-ing concept originated in Bongcheon-dong, Seoul,Korea by a small seafood joint where nine layers

of steamers were stacked up. This was reported bya Korean TV channel (KBS TV) and soon it spreadacross Asia.

The Concept



This concept was brought over here (Malaysia) byKai’s Plato in February 2015. They started off withmore than 11 types of scrumptious fresh seafoodsourced locally and internationally; from Korea,Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. InMalaysia Kai’s Plato pride themselves as having themost tiers.

185



Here at Kai’s Plato, they serve ve tiers. The rst tier

being oysters, baby abalones (I think), sea snails,decorated with broccoli, placed on a bed of whitecabbage. As the steamer cooks these lovely de-lights, the juices dripped into the second tier.

Natural S weetness



Tasty, juicy goodness from the sea.

187



Tier two is another group of delicious yummiesmade up of hard shell clams, bamboo clams (alsocalled razor clams), prawns, squid, and a local deli-cacy called otak-otak of which is a delicious chillicake lled with sh meat, chilli, and various herbs

and spices. The juices from this tiers drips into tier 3.

Tier 2



Super delicious morsels of sweetness.

189



Tier 3 is lled with juicy mussels covered with a

layer of melted cheese, sitting on top of sweet andsucculent scallops. Just imagine the sweetness ofall these wonderful shell creatures dripping into thenext tier.

Tier 3



Cheesy goodness.

191



Cheesy mussels; a fusion of land and sea.



Now we come to the tier where the hard shelledcreatures of the sea are cooked. Here we get sweetslipper lobsters and a huge crab with its roes in tack. Any seafood lover knows just how sweet the juicesof these crustaceans are. These sweet juices drip

into the nal tier, tier 5.

Tier 4

193



Slipper lobsters and a huge crab. More sweetness.



Cutting the slipper lobsters to get to the meat.

195



Imagine this. All of the sweet juices from tier one allthe way to tier 4 now sitting in tier 5. Are you drool-ing yet? I am drooling just by typing this article asthe memory is still fresh in my mind. Tier 5 cameoriginally in the form of a soup with sand crabs,boiled for 7 to 8 hours; and now with the addedsweetness from all the tiers in it.

Tier 5



Super sweet and tasty soup.

197



We were given angel hair pasta to go with the soup.We tasted the soup rst without the pasta and it is

super delicious. Having it with the pasta didn’t do it justice and thus it was decided that we should justenjoy the soup as it is.



Should you decide to pay Kai’s Plato a visit, do notethat their dining concept is “Hands and Table.” Thismeans that you eat with your hands placing the foodon the table as this allows you to not only taste thefood but to feel them as well, creating a more inti-

mate dining for the food and you.

K ai ’s Concept

199



The table will be covered in thick waterproof paperthat also acts as a huge plate for food to be placedon. Diners are given tongs to pick up the food fromas the food in the steamer is hot. Toothpicks are pro-

vided to help remove meat from the shells.



With hands focusing on the food, one’s mobile de-vices remains untouched throughout the dinner. Thisis another reason why Kai’s Plato urges you to eatwithout a spoon, fork, and knife. Interaction on thetable is important too and is something that is lack-

ing these days.

201



Sailor Platter (for 2 persons): RM138++(USD$36.00)

Captain Platter (for 4 persons): RM260++(USD$66.50)

Kai’s Jumbo Platter (for 6 persons): RM390++(USD$100.00)

‘All prices are subject to 10% Service Charge and6% GST

Dollars & Cents



Shells and Sharpies are given for one to utilize one’sartistic talent. Our kids had a blast of a time puttingtheir imagination to shells. The walls of Kai’s Plato are

decorated with shells drawn by their diners. Shells arereused as pieces of art after they are cooked.

Acti vities For The Artistic

203



Address:

A-1F-3, Garden Ofce @ Encorp Strand,

No. 12, Jalan PJU 5/1,

Kota Damansara,

47810 Petaling Jaya,Selangor.

For reservation, please call or facebook messageus:

03-61436278 or 017-2832883

Operation Hours:

12noon - 03:00pm & 06:00pm - 12:00am (Closed on

Mondays).

*Last call for lunch at 02:15pm and dinner at10:15pm but bar is still open for drinks until12:00am.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaisPlato

Additional In formation



Large claw with lots of sweet meat.

Contents Page 205



I f you love prawns and have decided to visit Malay-sia and happen to visit Fraser’s Hill or areas aroundKuala Kubu Bharu, pay a visit to the Kuala KubuBharu or KKB Square. There is a stall there that isfamous for its juicy and huge spicy chilli tamarind(asam pedas) sauce river prawns.

For Foodies

A s a m P e d a s ( S p i c y T a m a r i n d ) R i v e r P r a w n s

Escapy



Simpl y Delicious

The prawns used are the giant river prawns also calledthe blue pincer prawns that are found in many of the riv-ers in Malaysia. They are available naturally or farmed.

The ones cooked here are big and I believe that theyare of the farmed variety. Anyhow, they are yummy.

207



These sumptuous prawns are boiled in the spicy,sweet and sour, chilli, soupy gravy that is so yummyit may blow your brains and make you cry. I meantthat literally especially for those who cannot handlechilli well, like me. If you cannot handle chilli well,worry not. Jugs of cold water or fruit cordials areavailable to quench the re.

Cooking St yle



The meat of these prawns are sweet and juicy. Thisnatural sweetness sweetens the soupy gravy addingmore avour to the already avourful mix of a heavenly

dish. The meat is taut although not as taut as those

that are not farmed. All said, the asam pedas (spicytamarind) river prawns dish is delicious.

Shells O f f

209



I would happily just eat the prawn dish with rice butshould you want more, you can try their sh (sting

ray, scad, etc.) cooked in the same lovely gravy.They may not be the highlight of the place but theyare tasty too.

Other Yummies



Should you nd yourself heading to the historical town

of Kuala Kubu Bharu, or up to Fraser’s Hill; do stopat the KKB Square and ll your tummy with this de-lightfully sumptuous spicy sweet and sour chilly tama-

rind river prawn dish or as the locals call. “asam pedasudang gala.”

Do Visit

Contents Page 211



I f you’ve experienced placing your sunglasses onyour cap only to have it y right off together with

your cap into the water while you were on boat trip;this is for you. Most glasses and sunglasses do notoat. If they oated you wouldn’t have lost them. I’ve

lost a few too over the years.

H o w N o t T o L o s e Y o u r

G l a s s e s O n B o a t T r i p s

Escapy Travel Tips



Floating Straps

These days you can buy oating straps that will oat

on water. But if you want to wave some money you canmake your own with this simple hack. All you need is a

aquarium tube (used to blow bubbles in aquariums) ofabout 2 feet, and a EVA handle (about 4 inches) that isused on bicycle handles, shing rods, etc.

213



First connect one part of the aquarium tube to oneof the temple tips of your glasses. Next insert theaquarium tube through the EVA handle. Finally con-nect the other part of the aquarium tube to the othertemple tip of your glasses.

Putting Them Together



EVA oats and will keep your sunglasses or glasses

from sinking to the bottom of the lake or sea. With thishack you will never lose your sunglasses or glassesagain.

Never Lose Your Glasses Again

Contents Page 215



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