Floating in Bangkok - Damnoen Saduak

Rising up early in the morning, my family and I decided to spend half-day exploring the Damnoen Saduak floating market along the mighty Mae Klong River. It is the very first and largest ever floating market in Thailand which is located at Ratchaburi province, approximately 100km to the west outskirts of Bangkok.

Arriving at the pier in Samut Songkhram Town at 7:00 a.m. we hired a diesel-engine powered flat-bottom boat at 2000 Thai Baht for my whole family of six. The magnificent sightseeing trip began at about 7:30 a.m. Bon Voyage!

Countless of traditional Thai houses made of teakwood, shops as well as restaurants were lining on both banks of the canal. Due to the uncovered front in most of the houses, I could easily observe the timeless lifestyle of the native Thai people lying comfortably on the floor watching TV, or taking a nap, and the cheery housewives doing their regular house chores without any hassle. My straight gazing into their privacy was interrupted by the sudden indecent feel of being akin to a Peeping Tom. Outside the houses, some people were fishing, some toddlers were bathing while a number of women were washing their hair freely despite the presence of the many small boats paddling in the middle of the canal.

The cool breeze in the dawn was truly refreshing and the surrounding environment was amazingly tranquil and calm. The fertile soil beside the canal earth had bloomed the growing of a wide variety of tropical fruit trees such as Malacca grapes, bananas, rambutan, mangoes, papayas, wax apples (Malay name “air jambu”), guavas, and coconuts.

Here one could see lots of long-tailed boats sprawling the canal, creating a hectic atmosphere which eventually transformed into the most photogenic scenery of the floating market. The boat vendors loaded their boats with fresh orchard and agricultural produce such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, fishes and poultry for sale to the visitors. Repeating rows of stalls selling the same tacky souvenirs, homemade foods and drinks, noodles, arts and handicrafts, decorative ornaments, woven hats and knitting, toys, just to mention a few, were visible throughout the canal. The hustle and bustle of the haggling buyers and sellers endowed the vigorous lives to the floating market, painted it up with breathtaking and richly vivid images that held the tourists in spellbound.

The non-stationary boat vendors would attempt at every opportunity to hog at or steer their boats to the most strategic spot to impress the visitors with their products. “Sawatdee-kaa, guay dteaw ruea one bowl for 30 baht”, a lady boat trader approached our boat and greeted me. (“Guay dteaw ruea” means noodles on the boat in Thai language). Meanwhile another lady boat vendor tried to steal a march on her competitor by offering her noodle at a lower price, “Same noodle, only 25 baht”. The aroma from the hot steaming soup emitting from the noodle boats aroused a sense of famine clambering down my stomach.  It sounded like a splendid idea to have my meal on the boat seat. Without hesitation, I called out to her for a bowl of noodles laden with local spices and ingredients. It was indeed a buoyant experience slurping down the hot noodle with the boat wavering unsteadily on the agitating water surface stirred by the other passing by boats. 

Almost full, I had no option but to make a mental note that I would come back again to taste other Thai tantalizing favourites such as fried sea mussel, char-grilled squids, barbecued chicken, roasted fish meatballs, etc. The weather became a little blazing in the late morning. As a rule to deal with the hot sun, the boat traders sheltered themselves under the umbrellas. As for me, I ordered a can of cold Singha beer from a jockeying-by boat to quench my thirst. Chilling! I was absolutely right with my choice.

Our traffic was blocked and jam-packed by the gradual built-up of boats coming from all corners alongside the canal, being occupied by hordes of tourists from every part of the world. However, our skillful boatman managed to thaw and squeeze our boat in between the narrow passageway of two neighbouring boats. I was stunned by the boat vendors’ maneuver with the oar to continue propelling and roving over their boat through the canal with the demanding efforts to strive the balance to avoid capsize.

The boat cruise ended with a side tour to the Sugar House to discover the Thai way of making sugar from coconuts. From a distance, we could trace the pungent smell of sweet coconut. As we stepped out of our boat, a young lady led us into the Sugar House, where we were each given a complimentary cup of ice-cold coconut juice. Being transfixed by the scene of a man scooping up hot coconut with his bare fingers from the gigantic wok into tiny bite size candy mould, I admired his skill from the bottom of my heart. Before long, we were back again on the boat and turned around, heading back along the canal to our starting point where we hailed the boat service at the jetty.

A journey to the Damnoen Saduak floating market was worthwhile for foreigners like me to apprehend something different and snap bundles of great photos of what was recognized as the authentic Thai icon. Nonetheless chaotic, the floating market’s colourful and noisy environment served the Thai tourists with good fun and memorable trail to cherish in their return path.

Kopi Luwak - World's Most Expensive Coffee made of Poop!

Coffee Berries

Before I left for my trip to Bali, one of my friends told me that it is a MUST for me to try out the world's most expensive coffee which could only be found in the Indonesia island. This coffee is called Kopi Luwak and its not so glamourous name is Kopi Tahi Musang (translated to English: Civet Poop's Coffee). Yes, you read it correctly! Kopi Luwak is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus) which then passed through its digestive tract. The locals call these civet as Luwak, and thus the name of Kopi Luwak.   



Luwak



The Luwak eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach for about a day and a half, the beans are defecated in clumps, having kept their shape and still covered with some of the fleshy berry's inner layers. They are gathered, thoroughly washed, sun dried and given only a light roast so as to keep the many intertwined flavors intact. These bean yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness.

 



I couldn't find the courage to take a sip as the thought of drinking something made out of a civet's poop just kept lingering in my mind. But the strong aroma of freshly roasted beans ultimately made me succumbed to my love for coffee, and I took my first sip of the poop's coffee! Unlike the usual coffee, this doesn't taste bitter at all, and I could drink it without adding sugar into it. I bought a pack of this Kopi Luwak and it was indeed the highest price I have ever paid for a pack of coffee powder. But it is definitely worth the money!

Aromatic roasted coffee beans



World's most expensive cuppa coffee



Ubud, Bali - Hidden Secret Amidst the Rice Fields

Signs leading to my guest house

Our car stopped right in the middle of a path, surrounded by plots of rice fields. From a distance, I could see a lonely bungalow, standing majestically all by itself amidst the rice fields. The surroundings were all so serene and peaceful. As I walked along the pathway, crossing the rice fields to the bungalow, I could hear the cheerful sound of birds chirping and the soothing rhythm of a flowing stream, welcoming me to Ubud, Bali.

Breathtaking view of the rice fields

Ubud is located in the centre of the Bali Island, amongst the rice fields and steep ravines of Gianyar district. It is the heart for fine arts, craft markets, traditional music, and cultural dances. However the true Ubud is behind the façade. Her scenic rice fields, picturesque villages, natural comforts and inspiration yearn to be unveiled for discovery.

‘Welcome to our home in Ubud’, greeted Made at the entrance. Made is the caretaker of the bungalow. As I stepped into the compound of the bungalow, I could feel the atmosphere bringing back memory of my days living in a village. Walking to my room along the pebbled stone pavement embraced by the green tropical grass, I needed to cross a small bridge over the stream which then led me to an exquisite garden and a lotus pond in front of my room’s terrace, a sheer contrast to the hustle and bustle of a city.

Chickens playing in the rice field

Carved wooden door

The bungalow had 12 individual separate rooms, each stand facing into the rice fields. Each of the rooms was richly embedded with the Balinese style architecture. The first that captured my attention was the brightly colored carved wooden door which retained the traditional wooden locking mechanism with two brass rings. In Bali, doors formed a main structure of the house architecture, and apart from being merely a channel for entry and exit, it was an artistic expression of the Balinese.

Staying in the room was back to basic living. The furnishing was simple yet sufficient. It had a four-post wooden bed with a hanging mosquito net, a bamboo shelves and a ceiling fan. The terrace in front of my room allowed me to sit and nestle into the armchair while enjoying the panoramic sight of the rice fields and the evening sunset. The sun in the far horizon glowed like a fireball and painted the sky with flaming orange. As the golden sun gradually sunk into the hanging clouds between the hillsides, it shined and splattered the sky with a diversity color of hot reds, speckled pinks, yellow tints and a combination traces of blues and purples. Amazingly this was the first time ever in my life I could feel myself so near to the sun, like almost touching her! The Mother Nature revealed her concealed side of beauty, besides being the planet creatures’ dependence for warmth and survival.

As the day drew to a night, a drastic change to the environment was noticeable. As I sat in the terrace with a chilly can of Bintang beer, the weather got cooler, and the breeze of wind whizzed against my face. I let the wind gently toss and caress my hair. Unexpectedly, it began to drizzle. A sudden freezing cold merged with trickling rain droplets rendered no alternative to me except to make my way back into the comfort and warmth of my cozy room.

View of my room at night

The drizzle grew to a steady rain fall, just light enough to hit the earth and the trees to make everything seem so well orchestrated. The night had now been transformed into a philharmonic orchestra hall which was accompanied with the harmonious symphony of nature composed by the running stream, the rattling raindrops, the crickets’ singing and the frogs’ croaking. All these elements had perfectly created the most gorgeous masterpiece of lullaby that craddle me to my dreamland, Zzzz...

A mysterious night was over and another new day was dawning. The continuous shrills of the early cuckoo birds and the intermittent crowing of the roosters awakened me from my deep slumber. Rays of daybreak sunshine stealthily pierced through the thatched roofs of the room. The air inhaled became remarkably refreshing after a night of rainfall. When I opened the door, the first to greet me a brand new morning was the paddy field land which was abounded with so many natural resources. Marvelous! Nothing sounded so promising other than the rising sun as she knew everyone would have their time to shine. I began to realize that though seasons altered, everything would eventually be alright. How I wished I could have stayed longer in this tranquil place!

As I walked out of the rice fields heading to my next destination, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quotes kept lingering in my mind:

“Nature belongs to the eyes that see it; though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not …”

Wasabi Kit Kat

Wasabi Kit Kat made of green chocolate from Japan. Another choclate gift from my brother. It taste rather odd to me as I took my first bite, maybe due to the fact that I am not really a wasabi person. You will experience that tingling hot wasabi effect once you take a bite on this chocolate, but it will then turn to a soothing effect once the chocolate kicks in. So, all-in-all I have to give a big kudos to the Japanese for inventing this double-effect chocolate. Ever since I tasted this chocolate, I always wonder if we can ever have a Belacan Kit Kat from Malaysia :)

Marks & Spencer Chocolate Cornflakes Mini Bites

Got a tub of this Marks & Spencer Chocolate Cornflake Mini Bites from my brother who has took all the trouble to carry it from Hong Kong. This tub had travelled from Tsim Sha Tsui --> Mongkok --> Sham Shui Poh --> Central --> Kuala Lumpur. Once you put a piece into your mouth, it will definitely be your Love at First Bite. The extremely chocolatey coated corflakes instantly melt in your mouth, and yet they are crunchy when it is bitten. I can say the texture is just a perfect combination of soft and crunchy! I had never imagined that the usual dull and tasteless cornflake can be transformed into such an exciting and enjoyable snack! Within a day, I had finished the whole tub and I now live to regret it cause I couldn't find them in KL! I can't wait for my next trip to Hong Kong, and I will make sure I get myself a few tubs of these.