Caroline Poh

Our New Kitchen

2014-01-17T10:40:00.001+10:30

There is always a favourite place in every home. For me, the favourite place in my home is the kitchen. It is undeniable that the kitchen is the heart of my home. The kitchen is the place where I prepare meals and refreshments to entertain my friends and family members. It is also a place for comfort, friendship and encouraging others. It is astonishing to know how a simple meal, snack or drink can do wonders.

When there was a pipe leakage problem at our kitchen in our rented unit in Riverland, South Australia, it took several visits from the plumber to finally discover the cause of the problem. When they finally found the cause of the severe leakage from our kitchen pipes, our beloved kitchen cabinets had been ruined and gone mouldy. As the piping had an internal leak behind the kitchen wall, the plumber unfortunately had to knock down part of the kitchen wall to change the entire piping system. Because of the leak behind the wall and the ruined kitchen cabinets, our landlord decided to fix a new kitchen for us.

I was thrilled when we found out that we were going to have a new kitchen. Although I loved the old kitchen because of its ample cupboard space, it would be very exciting to cook in a new kitchen for a change.

As my husband and I were planning a trip back to Malaysia around the same time when our kitchen cabinets were ruined, we suggested to the property manager to get the cabinets fixed while we were away on holiday.

When we came back from our trip, we opened the door to our unit and lo and behind…there it was – our new modern kitchen! I completely loved it!

Below are some photos I have taken of our old and new kitchen. See the transformation?

Our old kitchen

Part of the kitchen wall was ripped out to fix the water leakage

Our new modern kitchen

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

A Very Aussie Christmas

2014-01-10T11:11:00.000+10:30

Christmas for me is usually a time for sharing and giving especially with family members. Unfortunately, since my husband and I moved to South Australia a few years ago, we did not have any family to share our Christmas celebrations with. Whenever Christmas approaches, we would often start to miss our family back in Malaysia and would wonder what they are doing during this festive season.

Although we do miss our family back home during Christmas time, we have to be thankful because since we arrived in South Australia, we never celebrated Christmas alone.

I was amazed by the amount of hospitality shown by our local Aussie friends who always made sure we had somewhere to go to during Christmas. When Christmas is near, we would always get invitations to our Aussie friends’ family reunion dinners/lunches so that we do not feel left out during this important occasion.

Spending Christmas reunion dinners/lunches with local Australians are a good experience because it helps us to understand more about the local food and culture.

A typical Australian reunion dinner/lunch will usually comprise of cold meats such as hams or roast turkey slices, dips and crackers, mixed nuts and nibbles as well as a large range of cold salads. As it is summer time in Australia in December, it is pretty obvious that most Aussie families would prefer to have cold meals for their reunions. However, there are no fast and fixed rules when it comes to dessert preferences. A traditional dessert would usually be a deliciously rich Christmas pudding served with a dollop of custard. However, not everybody would stick to having Christmas puddings for Christmas.

Here are photos of some of the food we ate during our Christmas reunion dinners/lunches with our Aussie friends in 2013:

Lovely Christmas decorations at the dining table

A typical Australian Christmas reunion meal

A slice of traditional Christmas pudding and ice-cream

What was your Christmas celebration like in 2013? Was it an enjoyable experience? I hope it was.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Barmera Main Street Comes to Life at Christmas Pageant 2013

2013-12-30T17:01:00.000+10:30

The usually quiet Barmera Main Street suddenly came to life during the Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 held on 13 December 2013 at Barmera, Riverland, South Australia.

The lively event attracted many visitors from around the Riverland region and also from elsewhere to spectate the array of fun-filled activities that were specially organised to bring out a high-spirited Christmas mode amongst them.

At the start of the pageant, vintage car enthusiasts were enthralled as owners of stylish-looking vintage cars drove along the Barmera Main Street to showcase their prized possessions.

The vintage car procession was followed by a beautiful float parade. During the parade, members from the local community, churches, schools, clubs, associations and businesses proudly paraded their floats as they moved merrily along the streets of Barmera town. Children gathered around them to receive a generous share of lollies from the float parade participants to fulfill their Christmas wishes.

The adults and senior citizens were not left out. Some went home happily with some free pot plants to complete their gardens. Some had a good time catching up with their family and friends while grabbing a quick bite from some of the street stalls.

The pinnacle of the event was its magical kaleidoscope of fireworks. Visitors were captivated while watching the spectacular fireworks displays which were displayed overlooking beautiful Lake Bonney. To enhance the magical moment, the animated fireworks were displayed together with melodious songs to accompany them.

I was particularly impressed by this year’s float parade and unique firework displays. I especially loved watching the firework displays this year as it had a unique twist to it when the fireworks suddenly turned into a shape of a waterfall halfway during the show.

Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 Vintage Car Show

Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 Float Parade

Santa Claus and his new pet dog at the pageant

The mesmerising fireworks displays managed to conclude my night with complete bliss. It was truly a memorable experience attending such an enjoyable event like this.

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all those who have helped to make the Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 a success. Good job to all of you! You made my day.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Life in the Riverland, South Australia

2013-12-16T15:49:00.000+10:30

When our friends from Adelaide first found out that we were relocating to the Riverland, South Australia, their immediate response were, “Riverland? Where is that?”

We would then have to patiently explain to them that the Riverland is a region in country South Australia and that it is a place well-known for its charming wineries and abundance of fresh fruits. In fact, Riverland is also known as South Australia’s fruit bowl. Once you’ve eaten Riverland fruits, you won’t want to eat fruits from elsewhere. They are absolutely delicious!

I would have to admit that my first journey to the Riverland was a rather daunting experience. When we first considered moving to the Riverland, my husband and I took a bus from Adelaide to the Riverland to have a look at the place.

Being a fairly new migrant at that time, I feared moving to the country town because I have heard so many stories from our local friends in Adelaide about the horrors of living in a country town in rural South Australia.

The stories I heard varied – from having hardly any neighbours, just one or two shops in the entire town to living in the outback (ie. desertland) with no grass and trees in sight. They even told us that we will not have any friends in the country town and that we will be very lonely once we get there.

While sitting in the bus on my way to the Riverland, we passed by a lot of dry and opened empty land with hardly any trees around. There were also hardly any cars on the road at that time. At that instance, I thought that maybe what my Adelaide friends had told me about the country town were all true. Fear crept into my mind.

However, when I arrived at the Riverland, everything changed. I found the Riverland a very pleasant place to be with good weather conditions, friendly people and plenty of green pastures and fruit trees. The towns located in the Riverland region have really serene views as they are mostly set upon the magnificent Murray River.

After living in the Riverland, South Australia for almost two years, I can confidently say that there are plenty of things to do in the Riverland and that Riverland is not a bad place to live in after all. Our friends from the Riverland introduced us to so many local favourite activities like fishing, boating, barbecuing by the riverside, jet skiing and having huge bonfires at the end of their farming harvest. My husband and I experienced walking through beautiful vineyards, fruit orchards, wild bird sanctuaries and managed to dine the local country cuisine prepared at bonfire events. We also had the opportunity to mingle with farmers and harvesters, and learnt about what country life is really all about.

If I had not moved to the Riverland, I would not have experienced all these enriching things. Living in a country town can be fun if you learn to tap into the beauty of it. The tranquillity of unspoilt mother nature, laid-back lifestyle and the healthy lifestyle of eating fresh fruits and vegetables are the things that the city folks have really been missing when it comes to living in the country town. I learnt through my experience in the Riverland that there is more to life than shopping malls, huge carnival events, restaurants and movie tickets. I also learnt how to appreciate the hard work that farmers and harvesters have to endure just to produce the fruits and vegetables that we see readily available at our local grocers and supermarkets.

As we are planning to move out of the Riverland next year to pursue our careers to the next level, my head feels heavy to leave this lovely region. There has been so many things that I learnt from our friends here and memories for us to keep. I will never forget the delicious taste of the fresh fruits straight off the fruit trees, wonderful adventures we experienced through participating in favourite local outdoor activities and valuable friendships we have gained along the way. I will always remember the Riverland, South Australia wherever I go.

Here are some of the activities we did in the Riverland:

Barbecuing along Murray River, Riverland, South Australia

Jet skiing at Lake Bonney, Barmera, South Australia

Fishing at Kingston on Murray, Riverland, South Australia

Riverland is a really nice place to visit and unwind. I would encourage you to visit the Riverland, South Australia to discover the beauty that this region has to offer. Your trip will not be wasted!

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Alba Café, Berri, Riverland, South Australia

2013-12-07T10:38:00.000+10:30

Friends are precious gifts because they are the ones who will lift you up and motivate you whenever you need that extra boost of hope and energy.

One fine day after our usual church service, our friends from Malaysia took us out for lunch at a swish looking café in Berri, Riverland, South Australia to cheer us up.

The café was situated just beside the Berri Visitor Information Centre and it was overlooking the splendours of the beautiful Murray River.

We ordered two main course dishes for lunch – the Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich and the Big Breakfast.

Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich

Big Breakfast

We were very pleased with the Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, but didn’t quite like the taste of the Big Breakfast. The Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich tasted really good. It had the right amount of seasoning and the sandwich bread was toasted to perfection. However, we found that the Big Breakfast wasn’t really special because the dish could have been easily prepared at home and it didn’t have that ‘oomph’ factor.

Apart from that, we do recommend you to go to Alba Café as the prices there are pretty reasonable and you can take the opportunity to unwind while eating there because of its beautiful setting and tranquil surroundings.

Here is the address of Alba Café:

340 Riverview Drive
Berri, South Australia 5343

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

A Bustling Country Town in South Australia

2013-12-06T15:43:00.001+10:30

Who would have guessed that a small country town could turn into a bustling town like this?

This is Gawler, South Australia!

Gawler town in South Australia

Gawler is the first country town in South Australia. The town is situated 44 km north of the Adelaide CBD and close to Barossa Valley, a major wine producing and tourist attraction area in South Australia. Its prominent location between the two major locations in South Australia has contributed greatly towards its development over the recent years.

My husband and I would usually drive past Gawler whenever we are on our way to Adelaide but during a recent trip to Adelaide, we decided to stop by Gawler instead.

I must say that I was very surprised that Gawler did not resemble a normal South Australian country town at all. Instead, the town looks just like any other suburb in Adelaide. In fact, it looked like a pretty upmarket Adelaide suburb like Norwood!

During our time in Gawler, we walked past the streets and discovered so many shops that consisted of retail outlets and restaurants. There are also several small shopping centres in Gawler.

I managed to do a quick search on the internet to find out the main attractions of Gawler before our brief stopover. The main attractions of Gawler are the Gawler Town Hall, Gawler Clock Tower and Gawler Railway Station. We managed to visit these main attractions during our visit.

Here are some of the photos we have taken during our trip to Gawler:

Gawler Town Hall in South Australia

Gawler Clock Tower in South Australia

Gawler Railway Station in South Australia

An old train exhibit at Gawler Railway Station in South Australia

The railway tracks at Gawler Railway Station in South Australia

Gawler, South Australia has grown tremendously over the years and has become like any other suburb in Adelaide. It is connected directly to Adelaide by train and people can get easy access from Gawler to Adelaide by car too. It is a bustling country town that is like no other. Gawler is quite a nice place to visit. However, if it’s a country town you are after, Gawler will probably not be your ideal place to visit.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Hahndorf the German Village

2013-12-02T16:33:00.000+10:30

Are you planning a trip to Adelaide and want to visit a nearby country town but do not want to hire a car to drive there? Then head straight to Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills!

In fact, going to Hahndorf has never been easier if you plan to get there by bus. Just check out the Adelaide Metro bus website at http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/864 to find out which bus stops at nearer your hotel, hop on it and it will take you straight to Hahndorf. The bus that goes to Hahndorf stops at several locations in Adelaide CBD. However, make sure to get a bus schedule when you are on the bus so that you will know when the last bus leaves Hahndorf. That is of course not much of a concern as most of the shops in Hahndorf closes at 5pm. So you will not need to be there till late anyway.

Being in Hahndorf can be a magical moment if you know when to visit the village. If you dislike strolling along a crowded touristy-looking town, then visiting Hahndorf during the summer months, weekends and public holidays are an absolute no-no. Over the past few years, the village has grown its popularity and various eatery and retail shops have been sprawling across the village’s main streets. Hence, if you visit this place during the peak seasons, you would barely be able to absorb the tranquil ambience of a village.

On the other hand, if you visit Hahndorf during the colder seasons and on weekdays, you will be enthralled with its unique German setting, piquant streets and lovely architecture that are drop dead gorgeous. Strolling along the streets of Hahndorf during these times will make you feel as if you were walking along a tranquil village in Europe.

The main attractions of Hahndorf besides its European looking setting are the various eating outlets along its main street. In order to fully appreciate its German history, I would encourage you to try out the German cuisine sold at the village. Although do be aware as the German bratwurst (sausage) and German salted pork chops may be a little too salty for the normal pallet. The trick is to eat these meats with lots of salads and bread.

Besides main course meals, the Germans are well known for their cakes and desserts. I would highly recommend you to try the German Bee Sting Cake, Black Forest cake and German Chocolate Gateaux. The best place to eat these desserts is at ‘The German Cake Shop’, a restaurant situation along one of the side streets of Hahndorf.

If you are a keen tourist and like to collect souvenirs, do not fret as you will not run out of tourist shops in Hahndorf. Although do take into consideration that this is a tourist location so souvenirs sold here are relatively more expensive than those sold in Adelaide.

Below are some photos that I have taken during my numerous visits to Hahndorf while I was living in Adelaide:

The road leading towards Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The significant German Bee Sting cake

A unique Black Forest cake

A delicious German Chocolate Gateaux cake

German salted pork chops with sauerkraut, sourdough bread and chips

German bratwurst (sausage) with potato salad and sourdough bread

The quiet streets of Hahndorf town during winter

Hahndorf is a lovely German village set upon the peaceful surrounding of Adelaide Hills. You can get easy access to the place through public transport if you do not want to hire a car to get there. You can visit the place several times and never leave the place disappointed. I have been to Hahndorf for so many times and I never get sick of the place.

Hope this post helps.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Malaysian Style Chilli Crabs

2013-12-02T12:15:00.002+10:30

This is my first time cooking crabs!

Yup, I finally found the courage to cook crabs after a few years of gathering courage to do so.

I love eating crabs and have always wanted to cook crabs myself, but I was afraid that cleaning the raw crabs would be a very difficult task to do. That was why I had put off the idea of cooking crabs for so many years.

Last week, I finally plucked up the courage and told myself that it is now or never to cook crabs or I’ll never do it. So off I went to order some crabs for dinner.

I was not able to get any of my friends to teach me how to clean the raw crabs, but thanks to You Tube, nothing is impossible! After watching a few You Tube videos on how to clean raw crabs, I finally learnt how to clean the raw crabs. Cleaning the raw crabs are surprisingly easier that what I thought it would be! All you need to do is cut the crabs into portions and clean off the gills and other unwanted bits off the crabs.

Finding the recipe for cooking the crabs was very easy too. I got this recipe from one of my favourite food blogs called www.rasamalaysia.com. I followed the recipe with some minor modifications and found that the sauce was too watery, so I added more cornstarch/corn flour to it. The recipe was good and the end result was absolutely divine.

Here’s the recipe with some of my modifications:

Malaysian Style Chilli Crabs

Malaysian Style Chilli Crabs

Ingredients:

4 raw blue swimmer crabs
3 tbsp oil 3 garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, sliced
3 tbsp cornstarch/corn flour (mixed with some water)
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste

Sour and Spicy Sauce

5 tbsp tomato sauce
5 tbsp Lingham’s Chilli Sauce
1 heap tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Chinese Rice Wine
½ tsp white vinegar
1 cup water

Method:

Refer to You Tube videos to learn how to clean the raw crabs.

Mix the ingredients for the Sour and Spicy Sauce in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat up wok with oil until hot. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry until slightly browned. Add the crabs and fry for about 10 seconds. Add the Sour and Spicy Sauce and stir the sauce together with the crabs. Cover the wok lid and boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the crab is cooked.

Uncover the wok and add in the cornstarch/corn flour mixture into the sauce. Stir until sauce thickens. Add beaten egg and swirl it around the sauce. Cook for about 30 more seconds and add salt, sugar and more cornstarch mixture if needed.

Serve with rice, steamed buns or fried Chinese buns.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

The Best Chinese Roast Duck and Roast Pork in Adelaide

2013-10-25T14:30:00.000+10:30

My visit to Adelaide is incomplete without a visit to my favourite Chinese roast duck and roast pork restaurant. To me, Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant serves the best Chinese roast duck and roast pork in Adelaide.

The restaurant is situated in Chinatown, near the Adelaide Central Market. You can easily recognise the restaurant by looking out for the roast pork and roast ducks hanging outside the shop’s side window. The restaurant’s interior is not very posh. Hence, the prices of the meals there are very reasonable. My husband and I can get a meal for roughly $10 which can be shared between the two of us because of its large portions. Imagine having a complete Chinese meal of meat, vegetables and rice for two people at around $10…That’s only $5 per person!

When you order the Chinese roast duck and roast pork in Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant, you can choose to have your roast duck and roast pork served with rice. You can also choose to takeaway the roast duck and roast pork and cook your own rice at home.

My husband and I will usually order the two combination meat (roast duck and roast pork) or the (roast pork and BBQ pork) since my husband loves their BBQ pork. If we are doing our grocery shopping in Chinatown and have no time to get home to cook the rice, we would order the combination meat and rice. If we are not in a hurry to eat straight away, we would normally takeaway the meat and cook the rice ourselves. By cooking the rice ourselves, we get to save money on our food expenses.

We introduced many of our friends and family members to the roast duck and roast pork at Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant. They were all very happy with the roast duck and roast pork that were served there.

Besides the roast duck and roast pork, Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant also serves other delicious ala-carte meals such as sweet and sour pork with rice; roast pork and beancurd in bean sauce with rice; battered fish and sweet corn sauce with rice; and salt and pepper whitebait with rice. Most of the dishes we ate there were really delicious.

No matter how many roast ducks and roast pork I ate at various restaurants in Adelaide, to me, Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant still serves the best Chinese roast duck and roast pork in Adelaide. Try it and you’ll love it!

The roast duck I ate at Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant, Adelaide

If you are interested to dine at Hong Fat BBQ Restaurant, below are the contact details:

3/75 Grote St Adelaide SA 5000
(08) 8410 0908

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Rundle Spices, Adelaide, South Australia

2013-10-15T16:56:00.004+10:30

Whenever I am in Adelaide, South Australia, I always look forward to dining at Rundle Spices. Rundle Spices is Chinese/Malaysian/Thai influenced restaurant serving a wide variety of dishes from finger food to main course meals.

The restaurant is situated at Rundle Street, just minutes away from Adelaide’s famous Rundle Mall shopping centre. The restaurant is opened for lunch and for dinner. If you want to get better value for your money, I would recommend you to go there during lunch time as they would have set lunch menus on offer at a fraction of the price as compared to if you were to dine there for dinner.

Although there are many dishes to choose from at Rundle Spices, Adelaide, my husband and I would always order their Thai fried rice and fried spring rolls as those dishes give us the best value for our money. As the Thai fried rice comes in a huge serving portion, we are able to share one plate of fried rice and just order a plate of fried spring rolls for our side dish.

We have been to Rundle Spices, Adelaide, South Australia many times and we were never disappointed. Their food tastes very authentic, their waitresses are very polite and helpful; and they always give us very fast service. The interior of the restaurant is also very pleasant and the chairs there are really comfortable.

Thai Fried Rice

Fried Spring Rolls

I highly recommend you to dine at Rundle Spices, Adelaide, South Australia simply because it is a really nice restaurant with great tasting food and wide variety of dishes to choose from. Try it and you’ll be back for more food from Rundle Spices!

Here is the address of Rundle Spices:

278A Rundle St Adelaide SA 5000
(08) 8232 9288

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Houseboats in Riverland,South Australia

2013-10-15T13:48:00.003+10:30

Have you ever been on a houseboat?

When my husband and I first moved to the Riverland, South Australia, we were brought by a friend to see the houseboats at Kingston on Murray, Riverland, South Australia. According to her, houseboats in Riverland, South Australia are one of the attractions of the Riverland. That was the first time I had ever seen houseboats.

During our trip to see the houseboats at Kingston on Murray, I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the houseboats because I was so fascinated by their unique structures and superior exterior. Back then, my husband and I were not able to view the interior of the houseboats because we were told that we had to hire a houseboat to be able to do so. Since that day, I always had a deep curiosity on what it would feel like living on a houseboat.

After a few months living in the Riverland, our friend from church invited us to her house for lunch one day. Her house was situated in Lyrup, Riverland, South Australia. It was quite a long drive (about 20 minutes) from our place at Barmera, Riverland, South Australia.

Her house was situated amidst bushlands near the Lyrup Forest. When we pulled over the car at her house compound, we got out of the car wondering where her house was. All we could see were some wild bushes and nice pot plants around her compound. Our friend happily greeted us upon our arrival and showed us to her house. When she showed us to her place, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she actually lives on a houseboat! I was so excited.

The interior of her houseboat looked like a normal two bedroom unit. It was fully equipped with a small wood fire heater, an air conditioner, a fairly big flat screen television, a modern kitchen and a deck at the back of her houseboat.

During our visit, we enjoyed our lunch at the deck overlooking the magnificent Murray River. While having our lunch, our friend shared with us about her experience living on a houseboat. According to her, she gets her electricity supply from her solar power system, collects rain water for her water supply and uses the generator if she does not get enough electricity supply from her solar power system. As she is unable to have a landline, uses the mobile broadband for her internet and she subscribes to a mobile telephone provider. She also has to pay special rates to the government to park her houseboat by the river as it is of public property.

On a separate occasion, when my sister came down to the Riverland for holiday, our friend invited my sister, my husband and I for dinner at her houseboat. This time, she took us along a cruise on her boat along the Murray River.

It was a very relaxing outing as we enjoyed looking at the tranquil water and natural surroundings. Seeing the sunset, watching the wild birds and ducks go by was very therapeutic for me. Combined with the light and easy music, lovely Aussie barbecue dinner prepared by our friend and beautiful ambience, I was able to relax and unwind easily during the river cruise. I would have to say that the river cruise was a really amazing and memorable experience for me.

Houseboats at Kingston on Murray, Riverland, South Australia

From left: Me, my sister, our friend and my husband outside our friend's houseboat

The spectacular view from our friend’s houseboat during our river cruise

With my wonderful experience at the houseboat, I would highly recommend anyone to view the houseboats in Riverland, South Australia. You can hire a houseboat for your next holiday vacation at Riverland, South Australia. It costs quite a lot but it is worth the experience if you have the money. If not, you can just take a picture outside the houseboats, like what I did when I went to Kingston on Murray, Riverland, South Australia.

Whatever the case, you will surely enjoy viewing the houseboats in Riverland, South Australia.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

The Best Hot Chips in Riverland, South Australia

2013-10-02T16:12:00.002+09:30

I seriously have not heard of anyone who does not go crazy over good hot chips.

We can eat hot chips with so many different sauces and seasonings. You can have them with plain salt, chicken salt, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, rich brown gravy or black pepper sauce. My husband and I absolutely love eating hot chips. We like our hot chips to be served with chicken salt and a generous dollop of sweet or hot chilli sauce.

When our favourite local deli closed down one day, my husband and I were very upset. It is very easy to buy hot chips anywhere in Australia, but it is very hard to find the best hot chips in Riverland, South Australia. Some hot chips we bought elsewhere were just lacking in the right amount of seasoning and crunch. Some were even too soggy for us to savour. The local deli that closed down had been the best hot chips that we have ever tasted in Riverland, South Australia.

After hearing news that the deli was closing down, we shared with our friends from another town about our disappointment that we would not be able to buy good hot chips anymore. Our friends suggested that we try getting the hot chips from the Caltex petrol kiosk in Berri, Riverland, South Australia. Berri is a small town situated about 15 minutes drive away from where we live.

We initially had difficulty finding the place as it is in quite a secluded area at the outskirts of Berri town. However, after getting directions from a friend who goes there to get her hot chips, my husband and I finally found the place.

When we ordered our hot chips, we were asked whether we wanted a small, medium or large packet of chips. There were sample packets at the counter to show us roughly how big the packets were. We decided to get the medium packet because we felt that it was the right amount of chips for both of us to snack on for tea time.

We waited for quite long time for the chips. When we finally got our chips, we were surprised when the staff handed to us a huge packet of chips instead of the medium packet of chips that we initially thought we were going to get. That ‘medium’ packet that we ordered had enough chips to last us for a snack, a dinner and a supper!

The best hot chips in Riverland, South Australia

The chips were absolutely fantastic…with the right amount of crunch and chicken salt. I guess I just found my favourite hot chip shop in Riverland, South Australia. I shall crown these hot chips as the best hot chips in Riverland, South Australia…until I find another shop that sells better hot chips than this one.

Got your favourite hot chips experience?

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Our visit to the Mallee Fowl Restaurant in Riverland, South Australia

2013-09-30T11:26:00.001+09:30

Ever since my husband and I relocated to Barmera, Riverland in South Australia, our new-found friends spoke very fondly about the Mallee Fowl Restaurant in Riverland, South Australia to us. According to them, the food served at the Mallee Fowl Restaurant is exceptionally good and it brings out the true essence of authentic Australian cuisine.

Although we had always wanted to dine at the Mallee Fowl Restaurant since we moved to Riverland, we held back from going there because the food there was above our budget.

When my sister came down to visit us in Riverland, South Australia, my husband and I finally had the opportunity to dine there as my sister offered to treat us for dinner at the restaurant as she did not want to miss out on the opportunity to dine at one of Riverland’s most iconic restaurants.

We had a very pleasant experience dining at the Mallee Fowl Restaurant. Firstly, the restaurant is set upon a beautiful garden surrounding that reflected a unique Australiana theme. The interior of the restaurant represented an old fashioned Australian pub. I was fascinated with the antique ornaments that were displayed at the restaurant and sturdy wooden tables, chairs and bar top that played a part in creating that Australian pub effect.

The food served at the restaurant was absolutely fantastic. In my opinion, the food tasted like home cooked food with a bit of a gourmet twist.

We had the Mallee Jackaroo, which is pork medallions with quince and pear sauce and crispy prosciutto and the Jolly Jumper, which is a dry marinated kangaroo fillet with mushroom and port wine sauce for our main meals. We also ordered a Greek-styled chargrilled quail for our entrée. All three dishes came with a salad each.

As we wanted to try as many dishes as possible, my sister, husband and I decided to share all the three dishes we ordered so we can taste a bit of each dish.

Our favourite dish among the three dishes was the kangaroo fillet dish.We especially adored the port wine sauce served with the kangaroo. It tasted really unique and scrumptious.

Cucumber, carrot, lettuce and sprouts salad

Carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and corn salad

The Mallee Jackaroo - pork medallions with quince and pear sauce and crispy prosciutto

Greek-styled chargrilled quail

The Jolly Jumper - a dry marinated kangaroo fillet with mushroom and port wine sauce

If I was given the opportunity to dine at the Mallee Fowl Restaurant again, I would definitely go there again. I would highly recommend it to anyone wishing to try gourmet home cooked Australian cuisine at its best.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Minion Happy Meal

2013-09-24T14:58:00.001+09:30

What makes customers turn into a frenzy in Malaysia? Minion Happy Meal sets!

Not too long ago, my sister contacted me through Facebook and requested me to help her to get the Minion toys that came with the McDonald’s Minion Happy Meal sold worldwide. According to her, the Minion Happy Meal was a complete hit in Malaysia and that people waited for hours just to get those Happy Meals. She told me that she had tried to get the Minion Happy Meal several times but failed miserably as she was told that the Happy Meals were sold out when she finally reached the counter.

The Minions are the main characters for a movie called Despicable Me 2 that was screening in cinemas across the world.

When I went to McDonald’s in Renmark, South Australia to help my sister to get the Minion toys, I was expecting a long queue to get the Happy Meals – like in Malaysia. But to my surprise, there wasn’t even a long queue there. What’s more – we could even choose which Minion toys we wanted as they had plenty of them left.

After buying our Minion Happy Meals, my husband and I received several stares from other customers as we sat down. They must have been wondering why two adults would want to buy Happy Meal sets that were meant for children.

It’s just so amazing how a similar marketing strategy can get such an overwhelming response from customers from a particular country while customers from another country do not react to it at all.

The Minion Happy Meals were of good value. Each Happy Meal only cost about $4.00 – so that’s a total of $8 for a complete lunch set of burger, fries and softdrink for two people – and not forgetting the prominent and prized Minion toys. We got two different Minion toys out of the two Happy Meals we got. I guess that would keep my sister happy for awhile…probably until she craves for another Happy Meal toy. I hope she will like her new toys!

Our Minion Happy Meal sets

The laid back customers at Renmark, South Australia McDonald’s…live goes on as usual.

Customers banging down the doors of a McDonald's outlet in Penang, Malaysia
(photo taken by China Press)

Customers waiting outside McDonald’s in Penang, Malaysia
(photo taken by China Press)

So the question is - what made the whole nation of Malaysia go crazy over those Minion Happy Meals? Seriously, I’m still trying to figure that out! So amusing...

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Cheesecake Brownies

2013-09-20T16:33:00.001+09:30

With the colder winter nights coming to an end, our church pastors decided to organise a bonfire party before the weather got warm.

The barbecued meat, sausages and bread were provided by the church. So all we needed to do was to bring either a salad or dessert to share with the rest of the crowd. As I do not know what type of salads the locals would like to eat, I decided to make a dessert for the bonfire party.

I initially wanted to make some Rocky Road but the ingredients were too expensive. So I decided to bake some brownies instead. While chocolate brownies are a classic hit amongst many, I wanted to make something different because I was afraid that somebody else would also be bringing chocolate brownies to the party.

I spent a few days searching online for brownie recipes and stumbled upon this interesting Cheesecake Brownie recipe featured in www.taste.com.au. The recipe required sour cream but I did not know what to do with the sour cream leftovers if I bought a bottle of sour cream, so I decided to use thickened cream with a bit of lemon juice for the brownie.

The Cheesecake Brownies turned out really delicious but it was very rich and filling. So everyone only ate a piece each. When I make this brownie again, I will cut them up in smaller pieces so that it’s not so filling.

Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:

Melted butter, to grease
150g butter, chopped
300g dark cooking chocolate, coarsely broken
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 ½ cups plain flour
¼ cup thickened cream, at room temperature
1 packet (250g) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Lightly grease a square or round cake pan with melted butter. Line the base and the sides of the cake pan with greaseproof paper.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Mix the butter and the chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove it from heat and set aside for about 5 minutes.

Whisk two eggs in a small bowl. Combine the whisked eggs with 2/3 cup of the sugar. Put the eggs and sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Add in the flour, cream (mixed with lemon juice) and stir until well combined.

Beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar with an electric beater in a separate bowl until smooth. Add the remaining egg to the mixture and beat until well combined.

Carefully spoon the chocolate and cream cheese mixtures alternately onto the cake pan. Use a knife to make swirls and create a marble effect.

Bake for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Cool the cake in the pan for 1 hour before cutting into small squares.

Hope you enjoy trying this Cheesecake Brownies recipe. Happy baking!

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide, South Australia

2013-09-20T12:16:00.002+09:30

Living in Adelaide and planning to have a short one day weekend getaway? Why not visit the Mount Lofty Ranges.

The Mount Lofty Ranges are mountains located at the east of Adelaide, South Australia. It is just a 30 minutes drive from Adelaide.

Here are the attractions of Mount Lofty Ranges:-

Mount Lofty Summit

The Mount Lofty Summit is the perfect place for you unwind while enjoying the breathtaking views across Adelaide’s city skyline to the coast. Pay a little extra and you get to use the binoculars at the summit to get a better view or just bring your own binoculars. If you are hungry, you can always get a bite at the fully licensed Summit Restaurant and Café.

The Mount Lofty Summit

(photo taken from: www.southaustralia.com)

Top view of the Mount Lofty Summit

(photo taken from: www.southaustralia.com)

Mount Lofty House

The Mount Lofty House is an iconic country manor house that was built 160 years ago. It has now been converted into a boutique luxury accommodation and fine dining place. Even if you do not wish to stay or dine there, it is worth a visit. The house is excellently restored while maintaining its unique architecture and former glory. A visit to the house is truly a good way to help you get a glimpse of what life was like for the elite group back in the olden days. The house is also surrounded by beautiful gardens, landscape and spectacular views.

The entrance of the Mount Lofty House

The side view of the Mount Lofty House

Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens

If you like the outdoors and mother nature, then Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens is the place to be. The garden is home to a stunning mass display of magnolias, rhododendrons, camellias and roses. The best time to visit the garden is during the spring and autumn seasons because this is the time when the magnificent flowers are blooming.

If you love walking, explore the garden through its walking trails. If not, just sit down and relax while having a picnic by the lakeside with your family and friends.

Walking trails of Mount Lofty Botanic Garden

(photo taken from: www.southaustralia.com)

Mount Lofty Ranges is a really good option for a one day weekend getaway, especially if you live in Adelaide, South Australia. Its panoramic views, fresh air and unspoilt mother nature makes the place perfect for anyone wishing to take a short break from their everyday lives.

I hope this post helps.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Brown Sugar Smokies

2013-09-20T11:01:00.000+09:30

When I was asked to contribute a dish for our church potluck/pot bless event, I was clueless as to what dish I should cook for the party. It is very hard to prepare a dish for a party full of people from different cultures and nationalities. The dish has to be universally acceptable so that everybody can enjoy it. It cannot be spicy, contain any seafood or peanuts (in case anybody is allergic to those ingredients) and I must not serve any raw seafood/meat/eggs because it is not accepted in many cultures.

Keeping all this in mind, I decided to do an internet search on popular party snacks or finger food. While browsing the internet, I remembered that I have a finger food recipe from Allrecipes.com that I had stacked away in my recipe folder for many years. I never got to cook that dish because it was a party snack and I did not have any suitable occasion to cook it until then. I looked through the recipe and discovered that it had two familiar ingredients that everybody will eat – sausages and bacon!

After some modifications, I came up with my own version of Brown Sugar Smokies. As they do not sell smokie sausages at the place where I live, I substituted them with cocktail sausages and it turned out perfectly well.

The results – a deliciously addictive sweet and salty party snack that appealed to adults and children. Yes, it was a hit at the party and there was nothing left after the party!

Try it…you won’t regret it.

Brown Sugar Smokies

Ingredients:

Bacon (enough to wrap the sausages)
Cocktail sausages
Brown sugar

Method:

Cut bacon into thirds. Coat both sides of the bacon with brown sugar.

Wrap the bacon around the sausages. Use a toothpick to attach the bacon to the sausages. Coat the bacon and sausages again with brown sugar.

Leave them to marinade for at least an hour. For better results, marinade them overnight.

Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees C or 350 degrees F.

Place the sausages and bacon on a wired tray. Place the wired tray onto a baking tray to collect the oil drippings when baking. This keeps the sausages and bacon from getting soggy.

Place the tray in the oven. Turn over the sausages and bacon to the other side after they have been in the oven for about 15 minutes or when the sugar starts to caramelise and the bacon turns crisp.

The sausages and bacon are ready once both sides are brown and crisp. Do not overcook them.

Loxton Historical Village, Riverland, South Australia

2013-09-16T15:38:00.001+09:30

Imagine strolling down a village feeling as though you had just stepped into the bygone era. That was exactly how I felt when I visited to the Loxton Historical Village in Riverland, South Australia.

Words cannot describe just how fascinated I was about the village. I felt that it was much better than any ordinary museum, simply because everything felt so ‘real’. I was fortunate enough to visit the historical village during one of their ‘Village Alive Days’ whereby the village comes ‘alive’ with working exhibits and staff were dressed in period costumes.

The Loxton Historical Village main street

With just a short walk along the village main street, I managed to immediately capture the essence of life during the olden days with the village’s century old shops and rural-styled sandy pathways.

My friends, husband and I decided to stop by a charming looking village bakery to buy our lunch. The bakery was neatly fashioned with restored antique display cabinets and simple menu signage. The only thing that felt modern was the pie warmers and cash register. We were greeted by lovely ladies dressed in period costumes and decided to buy some Aussie meat pies.

The ladies at the old fashioned bakery

After a satisfying lunch, we proceeded with exploring more of the historical buildings and exhibits. There were so many exhibits available at the village. What caught my attention the most was the century old house and church. It was surprising for me to see such a small church that existed during the olden days. I guessed that the population of the village during those days must have been very small by looking at the size of the church congregation.

Other interesting exhibits were the working blacksmith demonstration, old school, hospital and dental surgery and old trains. When I visited the old school, I learnt that many could not afford to educate their children during the olden days. This made me realise just how fortunate I was to receive a formal education.

The interior of a century old house

A century old church - Pioneer Memorial Chapel

The interior of the century old church

As we visited the village nearing the Australian Election, there was an entertaining speech given by the ‘Mayor’ of the village to give us an idea of how politicians of the bygone era used to speak to the public.

The Mayor giving a speech

My visit to the Loxton Historical Village was a truly memorable experience and I would highly recommend anyone to visit the village, especially history lovers.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

My top 5 favourite food in Australia

2013-09-05T12:49:00.003+09:30

After a few years living in Australia, I managed to try a lot of Australian food, thanks to my fellow Aussie friends who kept on introducing new food to me and my husband. Although I still do miss eating Malaysian food occasionally, I have learnt to appreciate the delicious food that Australia has to offer.

Here are my top five favourite food in Australia:

Beer Battered Fish and Chips

It’s like your normal fish and chips but the batter is more light and fluffy as they use beer to make their fish batter.

Beer battered Fish and Chips

Aussie Roast Pork/Beef and Vegetables

This is a popular dish introduced by Australian early English settlers. It is also known as the Sunday Roast, as the English often eat this dish for lunch on a Sunday during those days. The Sunday Roast can be either made by roasting pork or beef at a low temperature for hours so that the meat turns out really tender. The roast pork or beef is served with brown gravy made from pan drippings and roasted vegetables. My favourite element of this dish is the roast pork crackling, which is the crackled pork skin.

Aussie Roast Pork and Vegetables

Aussie the Lot Burger

Unique to Australia, this burger is always bursting with flavour as it has a good combination of ingredients. In this burger, you will find a fried egg and bacon, handmade beef burger patty, caramelised onions, lettuce, cheese, canned sliced beetroot and also tomatoes. This burger is usually served with tomato and barbecue sauce.

Aussie the Lot Burger

Salt & Pepper Squid

This squid dish is very popular and is commonly served at Australian fish and chip shops, Chinese takeaway shops and classy restaurant. This dish has a bit of Chinese influence to it. It is really tasty.

Salt and pepper squid

Steak & Mushroom Pie

Steak and mushroom pie is commonly sold at bakeries, delis, cafes and Italian coffee shops all across Australia. The pie is made by simmering beef chuck steak with onions, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, beef stock and mushrooms to produce that rich and tasty pie filling. Steak and mushroom pie is often eaten with a dollop of tomato sauce or just eaten plain. You can buy this pie for about $3.50-$4.50. It is a budget meal and a perfect choice for those wanting to get a quick bite on the go.

Steak and Mushroom Pie

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed reading more about my top five favourite food in Australia.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Famous Tourist Attractions in Penang Island, Malaysia

2013-09-04T11:15:00.003+09:30

Penang Island, Malaysia has always had a special place in my heart. As a child, I spend a lot of my time in Penang as my grandparents used to live there. Having strong family roots at the island, I always looked forward to my regular weekend trips to this beautiful island especially to eat lots of delicious food.

My fond memory of this island is picking sea shells by the beach situated just behind a prestigious 5 star hotel with my sister and mother. We also made it a point to visit the local ‘kuih’ stall at Penang Plaza and always bought the specially blended yoghurt drink at the yoghurt vending machine at the plaza.

Although we always made regular trips to Penang, we never did any touristy stuff while we were there as we always went to the local hotspots with my Auntie who used to live there. One fine day, my sister, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to go there, this time as tourists.

These are the places we visited:-

Penang Hill

We were privileged to sit the old train going up to Penang Hill before it was demolished. The train ride was fabulous, with us being able to get ourselves so close to nature as we travel alongside the tropical forest towards our destination. Once we reached the top of the hill, we enjoyed the refreshing cool air and tranquillity that Penang Hill has to offer. We decided to chill out in style at the hill by savouring some delicious English scones and fruit cake at a classy English restaurant called David Brown’s Restaurant.

The old train to Penang Hill

English scones and fruitcake

Fort Cornwallis

We also decided to indulge in a bit of history by visiting Fort Cornwallis. Fort Cornwallis is an interesting historical landmark in Georgetown, Penang. The fort was built over a century ago and it includes a chapel, prison cells, ammunitions storage area, a harbour light house and several old bronze cannons.

Bronze cannons at Fort Cornwallis

Tambun Biscuit Factory

As we love hunting for good food, we took the opportunity to buy some Tambun biscuits straight from the Him Heang biscuit factory at Burma Road, Penang. Tambun biscuit is a famous traditional Chinese biscuit in Penang. Although there are many places where you can buy Tambun biscuits in Penang, it is worth a drive to get your biscuits from Him Heang as their biscuits are exceptionally good. When you buy it straight from the factory, the Tambun biscuits are even more aromatic, fresh and delicious.

Food

If you have ever wondered why people often tell you that Penang food is good, stop wondering and try them for yourself! I guarantee you that you will find Penang food really, really good! If you like to eat Malaysian food, I would recommend you to try their Penang Nyonya food. If you like Western food, why not try some of the Western food made by the Penangites (Penang locals) and discover their fusion twist to everyday Western food.

During our trip to Penang, we ate ‘Loh Mee’. Loh Mee or Lor Mee is a Chinese egg noodle dish served with thick starchy gravy. The noodles are served with fish cakes, boiled eggs and pork. We went to an old coffee shop at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling called Hai Beng Coffee Shop. The ‘Loh Mee’ there is absolutely delicious!

The traditional shops in Penang

Loh Mee or Lor Mee

Hai Beng Coffee Shop at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

That pretty much summarises my trip to Penang Island, Malaysia. Hope you enjoy what I have just shared with you.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Stir fried Chinese Cockles

2013-08-29T16:48:00.000+09:30

After a few years of not eating cockles (also known as clams or pipis), I finally had the opportunity to cook some stir fried Chinese cockles last night. It is very hard for me find fresh cockles for sale in South Australia. Residing in a country town in regional South Australia has made it even harder for me to find these beauties. During my recent trip to Adelaide, I managed to find some fresh cockles for sale at a pretty reasonable price. Immediately, I decided to satisfy my craving and buy some cockles to make some stir fried Chinese cockles.

This stir fried Chinese cockles recipe is modified based on a recipe I found at http://madamkwong.com. I did not measure the ingredients as I made the dish based on my instincts and adjusted the taste while cooking.

Stir Fried Chinese Cockles

Ingredients:

Approx 500g cockles/clams/pipis
3 canned pineapple rings (cut into cubes)
1 tbsp fermented soy beans, crushed
3 pips of chopped garlic
1-2 tbsp plum sauce
Dash of sweet/hot chilli sauce
1-3 sliced dynamite chillies/thai chillies
Some water and diluted cornstarch for the sauce
Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Heat frying pan with some oil. Add in the sliced chillies and chopped garlic. Fry until garlic is slightly golden in colour. Add the plum sauce and chilli sauce. Then add in the canned pineapple. Put some water in the pan. Season sauce with salt and sugar. Then thicken slightly with diluted cornstarch (a mixture of cornstarch and some water). Lastly, throw in the cockles/clams/pipis. Adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding more water, diluted cornstarch, chilli sauce, salt or sugar.

Cook until the cockles/clams/pipis shells are opened. This means they are cooked. Do not overcook as cockles/clams/pipis get cooked very quickly.

There you have – Stir Fried Chinese Cockles.

Australian Day Celebration

2013-08-29T16:26:00.002+09:30

After living in Australia for a few years, my husband and I finally decided to attend an Australian Day Celebration held on 26 January 2013 at Lake Bonney, Barmera, Riverland, SA.

The event started very early in the morning – about 6.30am. Being a heavy sleeper, it was quite difficult for me to wake up so early in the morning to get ready. Nevertheless, with clear determination, I managed to get to the event on time.

While I got ready for the event, I was doubtful of whether there was going to be a huge turnout of people at the celebration. But my doubts proved me wrong when I reached Lake Bonney, Barmera where the event was held. I was surprised to see so many elderly people, dogs and some children surrounding the event grounds. This showed their great level of patriotism and love for the country.

It was a beautiful and sunny morning that day and everyone, including the dogs and children were enjoying themselves. The morning started with a Celebration Walk followed by free breakfast for all.

The breakfast was scrumptious. The breakfast menu was bacon and egg sandwich, hot pancakes and coffee. I ate a bit of everything.

Volunteers frying the eggs for breakfast

Bacon and egg sandwich

Hot pancakes with honey

After breakfast, there was a speech by the Mayor of Berri Barmera Council, Peter Robert Hunt.

The entire Australian Day Celebration was held overlooking beautiful Lake Bonney, Barmera. The view of the location was picture perfect.

It was a pity I could not stay longer for the Australian Day Celebration session as I had to get back to work that morning.

Caroline Poh

The Best Ice-Cream I Have Ever Tasted! – Marvelous Cream

2013-08-23T16:16:00.000+09:30

Although my gourmet adventure during my most recent trip to Singapore was rather shortlived as I was constantly craving for Malaysian food all time, there was one thing that I ate in Singapore that I will always remember– the wonderful ice-cream I ate at Marvelous Cream!

The food in Singapore is basically the same as the food in Malaysia but Singapore food taste a tad different from Malaysian food. I guess with my Malaysian upbringing, my taste buds are more accustomed to the local Malaysian food taste.

I discovered Marvelous Cream ice-cream by accident when I went to a food court at a shopping centre for lunch. The queue to the Marvelous Cream ice-cream stall was so long that I couldn’t help but join the queue. That was it! After just a bite of Marvelous Cream ice-cream, I was totally blown away by its impressive unique flavours. At Marvelous Cream, you actually get to choose the type fillings you want to put in your ice-cream and watch the waiter mix the ice-cream with your chosen fillings on a cold stone in front of you.

Marvelous Cream was established in 2005 in Osaka, Japan and it offers great tasting premium ice-cream to its customers with over 40 toppings to choose from. It is a franchise and it has set its outlets in different parts of the world.

A firm believer that good food should always be promoted, that’s why I am writing all about this ice-cream. I do hope that Marvelous Cream will make its way to Malaysia because I am longing to have another 'bite' when I’m back in Malaysia.

Marvelous Creme anybody? =)

Marvelous Cream ice-cream

Outside Marvelous Cream

My Exotic Experience at the Orang Asli (Malaysian Aboriginal) Village in Pahang, Malaysia

2013-05-22T11:25:00.000+09:30

Having experience living in a city (Kuala Lumpur) for around seven years, I began to take for granted the things we have in the city. In the city, we often have everything at our convenience such as easy access to shops and malls, public transport and household equipments that make our lives a lot easier. I never understood what the church pastor told us about going to places where such facilities are hard to be found to come back feeling more grateful of what we have. I have to admit that I was afraid at first to visit the Orang Asli (Malaysian Aboriginal) village in Pahang, but after my first visit there, I discovered that I actually enjoy experiencing the different lifestyle there.

The lifestyle at the Orang Asli village is very different from the lifestyle in the city. The people there have no washing machine, fancy kitchen gadgets or restaurants. They live a very simple life.

Most of the Orang Asli people earn their income through farming and rubber tapping. They work hard and wake up very early in the morning to make a living but only receive a meagre salary for that. Though they earn very little money, I found that they were still happy. This is very unlike the city folks who always complain about their salaries and often chase after more money.

During the church excursion, we managed to bring food, clothes and household equipments for the Orang Asli people. While distributing the donated goods, I could notice their happy faces while receiving things that would otherwise be thrown away by the city people.

Our church excursion team was blessed to be invited for an Orang Asli wedding banquet while we were there. It was a chance of a lifetime. The wedding feast was held at one of the village bamboo houses. The banquet spread was very exotic and unfamiliar to us. However, being an adventurous person, I did not have any problem eating the food served at the wedding. But what was really mind boggling was stomaching down an Aboriginal delicacy prepared specially for weddings - monkey meat and brain. Though surrounded by fear, everyone from the church excursion team ate some of the monkey meat and brain to show appreciation to the wedding host on what he/she has prepared for us. My favourite of all the food served at the wedding was the turmeric flavoured sticky rice (glutinous rice).

Overall, my trip to the Orang Asli village was very enriching. I highly encourage others to visit the Orang Asli village if given the chance to do so at least once in their lifetime.

The police checking point before entering the Orang Asli (Malaysian Aboriginal) village

A herd of cows grazing at the grass at the Orang Asli (Malaysian Aboriginal) village

The wedding venue at the Orang Asli (Malaysian Aboriginal) village

The food we ate during the wedding banquet. It was a feast indeed.

The Orang Asli (Malaysian Aboriginal) village.

My honeymoon at Krabi, Thailand

2013-02-11T11:30:00.000+10:30

There are some holidays that we often forget about. But there are some holidays that we never forget. I would have to say that my honeymoon at Krabi, Thailand was a trip I would probably never forget.

One thing you will need to know about Krabi. It is that when people say they went to Krabi for a holiday, they usually do not mean that they had spent their time at Krabi town for a holiday. They usually mean that they had spent most of their time at some surrounding islands around Krabi or at Aonang, a coastal province of Krabi. There are many tourist destinations around Krabi. However, I made a research over the internet and decided to spend my time at Aonang mainly because it had much more affordable accommodation compared to the ones at the other neighbouring tourist destinations.

Aonang is about 40 minutes away from Krabi International Airport. There is a tourist bus that you can take from the Krabi airport to send you directly outside your hotel at Aonang. Taking the tourist bus will only cost you a fraction of the price as compared to taking a taxi to Aonang. The accommodation at Aonang is very reasonably priced. My husband and I stayed at Aonang Goodwill Hotel. The hotel is situated right at the heart of Aonang town which was good for us as we saved a lot of money on transport as everything is at walking distance from the hotel. We only paid $50 per night for the hotel as I managed to get it at a discounted price from www.agoda.com. The only setback is that if you book a room from that website, you will not get a refund if you decide to change your travel date.

Aonang is a really nice place. It’s filled with street stalls, clothes boutiques, souvenir shops, restaurants and pubs. There is also a clinic and a pharmacy there just in case you get sick or hurt yourself. You’ll never get bored at Aonang as there are plenty of activities to do there.

As a Malaysian, it was only natural for me to go food hunting in Krabi. Those who say that the Thai food sold in Thailand is not delicious must be kidding. I still remembered a friend of mine telling me that the Thai food she ate in Thailand was not as nice as the ones sold in Malaysia right after her holiday at Bangkok. After my trip to Thailand, I felt that was totally untrue because I found the Thai food sold in Thailand so delicious. During my time at Krabi, I tried eating as much local food as I can. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough meal slots to eat them all. I loved especially the Thai tom yum soup, fish cakes and fried spring rolls. I also enjoyed the sticky rice and mango dessert there.

During our honeymoon, my husband and I went for an elephant trekking trip as well as a visit to a catfish farm. We also went on a speedboat to do our island hopping trip. The elephant ride made my husband and I really dizzy but it was still quite fun. The island hopping tour was a really good experience for us. I just cannot describe how beautiful the islands were and how the crystal clear water sets the islands apart from other islands and beaches that I have visited.

My husband and I during the elephant trekking

The spectacular view we enjoyed during the island hopping trip

One thing I learnt through experience – when you want to experience activities that are only done by the locals, always talk to the locals and ask them. We spoke to a local who worked for a breakfast coffee shop right across our hotel and found out that there was a local market that the locals love to visit during the week.

The journey to the market was tiring because it was a long walk. But when we reached there, we instantly knew the trip was rewarding. That’s because at the market, we got to buy some cheap local food. I bought a sticky rice and mango dessert for only RM1 (about $0.30!). That’s not all...on the way to the market, we discovered a really good eating stall that sells food catered to the locals at the locals’ price which was much cheaper as compared to eating at the stalls situated at Aonang town. This place is called ‘Sareefah Food & Beverage’. They sell ala-carte dishes as well as specially cooked Thai dishes. We ended up eating most of our meals at this place because the food tasted so good and we could get all the seafood we wanted at such a good price (at a non-tourist price).


Our favourite eating place in Aonang. It's called Sareefah Food & Beverage

The Aonang local market. Most of the people there are locals

Just before our holiday ended, we decided to take a trip to Krabi town. We booked a return bus trip from Aonang because it turned out cheaper than taking a taxi there. We got to Krabi town by bus. However, when we wanted to return back to Aonang, we waited and waited for the bus but it never showed up. So in the end we spent more money because we had to take a taxi back instead. Krabi town is just a normal town with some cheap food and shops selling clothes, textiles and souvenirs. I still prefer Aonang to Krabi town though as the place is more interesting to me.

Krabi is a tourist destination that I would recommend to anyone if they want a relaxing holiday. The people there are really friendly and the place is just so peaceful. I would encourage you to go to this beautiful place if you are given the opportunity.

I hope you enjoyed my illustrations on Krabi.