Tenggol Island (Pulau Tenggol) in Trengganu’s
Marine Park off the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia is a well kept secret of
coral and marine treasures. Divers can expect to see sharks and stingrays as well as beautiful corals and related marine life in these azure and warm waters.
This
video by virtualmalaysia gives you an idea of what can be seen at the corals of
Pulau Tenggol.
The Plain of Jars in the
mountains of Xieng Khouang province in Laos is an intriguing place to visit. There are several sites to visit with the
most common being Ban Ang, near Phonsavan, the capital of Xieng Khouang province. The jars are made of stone and can be up to 6
feet high. These megalithic structures
are a Loation treasure and archeologists hypothesise that these are funeral urns
and are related to similar structures in India and Vietnam.
Be aware that
unexploded munitions from the intense bombing by the USAF during the Vietnam
war are still around. The government and
the UN and other NGOs are working to clear the plains of these explosives. So bear that in mind and observe the warnings
as you walk around.
This video by positiveworldtravel gives a glimpse of what the Plain of Jars look like.
Luang Prabang is the
ancient royal capital of Laos. It sits
at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong rivers, where the Khan flows into
mighty Mekong. This city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Luang Prabang is
sleepy yet majestic with its ancient past.
The royal palace is still intact, and is now a museum, the Haw Kham Royal Palace Museum. There are many
Buddhists temples and daily at dawn, hundreds of monks ritually walk through
the city to collect alms with their begging bowls. Wat Xieng Thong is one of the more prominent
temples and a must see for tourists.
This video by
Laotian23 gives a pretty good overview of the things to do and see in Luang
Prabang. The audio is a bit crackly, but
the words are legible.
CNN voted Assam Laksa as the top number 7 of the World's 50 most delicious foods. Wow. This noodle with fish broth is really an excellent try on the senses. It has an aroma, texture and taste to behold! As CNN says:
Poached, flaked mackerel, tamarind, chili, mint, lemongrass, onion, pineapple … one of Malaysia’s most popular dishes is an addictive spicy-sour fish broth with noodles (especially great when fused with ginger), that’ll have your nose running before the spoon even hits your lips.
This dish is native to Penang. For a detailed walk through on the recipe, go by rasa malaysia at this link for more pictures and information Assam Laksa recipe.
This video by LooseAppetiteMovement shows an example of a serving of assam laksa by one of the many assam laksa stalls in Penang. Bon appetite!
Updated 10th Sep 2011: CNN did a new poll on 7th Sep 2011, and that changed the rankings of this 21st July 2011 survey. Assam Laksa is now at number 26.
The Europeans came to Asia looking for riches from spices and trade. The British created free ports such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Penang to get a share of the money of the Chinese traders. The first of these free ports was Penang, established in 1786.
Armenians, Danes, Germans, Jews, British, Punjabis, Tamils, Malayalees, Bengalis, Arabs, Straits Chinese, Chinese, Siamese, Burmese, Achehnese, Javanese and Malays flocked to this beautiful island and were richly rewarded for their toils and enterprise.
The umbrella of the British Empire ensured that property was protected by law and the thriving community build institutions and shared their food and cultures. We can see the cemetaries, houses of worship, clan houses, beautiful parks and beaches and taste the mouth watering mix of food and drink that uniquely defines Penang. This unique melting pot has resulted in the capital city, Georgetown, to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, a joint listing with its sister heritage city, Malacca. It should be noted that Penang's special home grown dish 'Assam Laksa' made it to the top 10 (at number 7) of CNN's World's 50 most delicious food.
This video by Alfred and Jasmin Grech from their holiday in Penang sums it all. Its a colorful montage of the various spots to see and things to do in this cosmopolitan creation of the British Empire.
Swarnabhumi is a land filled with great food. From simple boiled rice with dried fish with some chilly paste for taste, to rice soaked in coconut milk, a variety of vegetarian dishes to a spread of seafood and meat curries.
Below is a quick glance (by qqstar8) of Nasi Lemak, the typical breakfast food in Malaysia. A traditional creation of the Malays, this dish is now a national dish, relished by all and a must have at all hotels in Malaysia.
As you have seen, this dish is very simple, with the trick that the rice must be rich in coconut milk and fragrant from pandan leaves. The 'sambal' i.e., the chilly paste rich in chilly, onions and other secret condiments of the cook. You can find more from this well written article on the secret to a great Nasi Lemak.
Swarnabhumi is the ancient name for the land beyond India to its east. It conjures up images of mist shrouded lands with golden temples set in dense jungles and surrounded by rich paddy fields. Its a Sanskrit term that is the same as the Greek term Golden Chersonese which means golden peninsula. Essentially it refers to the modern day Myanmar, Thailand and Malaya. Wikipedia's Suvarnabhumi has the whole background information on this and be warned, its quite a deep read.
Nusantara is an Javanese word for island (nusa) and others (antara), generally meaning an archipelago. This describes well the Indonesian and Phillippine archipelagos. Nusantara also means the Malay Realm, a nebulous cultural and linguistic identity common to the natives of these islands of South East Asia.
Thus South East Asia is of 2 main parts, Swarnabhumi and Nusantara. Hence the name for this blog.
I love this place. The people here are an eclectic mix of races, religions and cultures. The basic ingredient is ancient Hinduism and Buddhism, with ancient Indian, Chinese, Persian and Arabic genetic intermingling resulting in regional flavors of the most exotic kind. With the arrival of Islam, Christianity and Europeans, the ancient traditions have adapted and the resulting mix results in an even more dazzling mix of diversity that appears to be different but yet can be discerned to be rooted to a common strand. Thus the food, clothes, scents, buildings and people are a pleasure to behold.
You will find this a heady mix, even as you venture to Yunnan, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Bali, Sulawesi and some speckles of it lingering in Taiwan, Timor and Papua. If you have been to Fiji and Bora Bora, you may even recognize some underlying genetic and cultural similarities.
This blog is help you in the planning of your tour to South East Asia. Its essentially a snippet and a compilation of things to do and see, food to eat and opportunities to help you optimize your tour.
I hope you have will have a good time reading my posts. I plan to post daily, so sign up or do drop by get updates. And I hope these posts will add real value in the planning of your next vacation or trip.
This video by abhichartt gives an overview of Swarnabhumi Nusantara aka ASEAN.
