The Pink Pageant (Lake Nakuru, Kenya)

With a rich supply of blue-green algae, the UNESCO-listed travel wonder of Lake Nakuru plays host to immense quantities of flamingos, one of the greatest bird pageants on the planet. From afar at vista points such as Baboon Cliffs, the vast flamingo numbers give the rich saline soda lake an appearance of candy pink stripes.

With the flamingos typically in the shallow shores of the lake, nothing beats sitting quietly near the edge (Pelican Point seems best - see map) and watching them methodically go about their business. Mainly feeding, they also spend time parading on their skinny angular legs, the pink straw-like legs reflecting in the deep blues of the lake. The fading afternoon light leaves a silhouetting effect against the background hills.

In places, baboons and hyenas pace the shores in hope of a meal but the briny alkaline water provides a natural protection for these mesmerising birds and frustration for these opportunist carnivores.

The flamingos feed busily but nervously, their heads bobbing up and down continuously. If one flamingo spooks a little and seeks the sanctity of the sky, suddenly whole flocks take flight with an ungainly savage flapping of their wings. Despite their take-off, they fly gracefully, their long necks craning forward supporting their strange beak. Unusually, they eat with their beak upside-down, using it to filter the lake silt from the small shrimps and algae that they eat and which gives them their vivid pink coloring (apparently caused by the same chemical that makes carrots orange). I wonder if that gives them good eyesight?

The lake is protected as a national park complete with the usual cross-section of African wildlife including giraffe, zebras, lions, antelope and leopards. The park is actively assisting in the breeding and protection of the highly endangered white rhinoceros. It is encouraging to see these elegant animals waddling along with their broad mouths hoovering up the grass, rarely lifting their head from the joyous chore of eating.

The wildlife of the extraordinary Rift Valley is one of Africa's most compelling experiences (I rate it as second in my African top ten). Whether at dawn or dusk, being in the live audience to nature's greatest wildlife show leaves lifetime memories.

The travel wonder of Lake Nakuru makes a wonderful couple of days only 100 miles from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Beyond the wonderful flamingo pageant, the likelihood of seeing the rhinos on the wide open plains makes it a wildlife experience to savor.

The Aquamarine Necklace (Plitvice Lakes, Croatia)

In central Croatia lies the UNESCO World-heritage listed travel wonder of Plitvice Lakes. This necklace of 16 lakes, in an artist’s palette of colors from emerald green, through azures and turquoises to deep sapphire blue, are separated by walls of algae, moss, roots and stone. The water flows between the lakes in a series of tumbling waterfalls and gushing streams, constantly refreshing and filling the neighboring lake.

The geological story is remarkable and fascinating. The water in the lakes is rich in calcium carbonate leeched from the dolomite and limestone valleys in the area.





This mineral enriches the water giving the lakes their vivid shades of blue and green. Calcium carbonate has an unusual chemical property which means it releases from water only when the water is running, tangling and embedding itself in the plants and mosses between the lakes, hardening and turning itself into a porous rock called travertine. These hardened stone walls effectively act as barriers between the lakes acting like dam walls.

Much as limestone caves slowly evolve over the centuries and millennia, Plitvice Lakes continue to change as the travertine walls, plant life and water form and erode, continually and subtly changing the landscape of this majestic area.

Surrounding the lakes are rich forests of beech, firs and pine trees, creating elegant patterns and reflections in the crystal waters.Wooden boardwalks and natural paths surround many of the lakes. Electric buses ferry visitors to the far end of the lakes and an electric boat plies the waters of the largest lake which connects the so-called Upper Lakes with the four Lower Lakes. Strolling around and between these lakes on the undulating paths is comfortable and relaxing, the walk being spiced with the soothing sounds of running streams and the twittering of birds and the vision of colorful flowers and thousands of small fish.

One useful tip suggested to me by the helpful national park staff was to walk up-hill so that the best views of this enticing water garden always lay in front of you. The vast majority of people take the easier downhill approach.

Near the lower lakes and a favorite vantage point for group photographs is Croatia’s largest waterfall at around 80 metres (90 yards), though other waterfalls were more striking for their setting. Ironically this largest waterfall is fed from an external river and not from the runoff of another lake.

Plitvice Lakes make for a wonderful day-long escape to nature. Watch in awe at one of nature’s great travel wonders as water magically turns to stone.

Pulau Redang

One of the largest and the most beautiful of the east-coast islands, Pulau Redang has, inevitably, been targeted by big developers, and there are few options for the independent traveler; nearly all visitors come on all-inclusive package deals.

reef is teeming with fish, turtles, live corals and other spineless creatures

Pulau Redang is one of nine islands that form a protected marine park, and it offers excellent diving and snorkeling. Of most interest to travelers are the beautiful bays on the eastern side of the island, including Teluk Dalam, Teluk Kalong and Pasir Panjang. Most resorts are located around the sandy beaches at Teluk Kalong and Pasir Panjang. Berjaya Beach Resort is located at Teluk Dalam, a bay that is so sheltered that it is hardly affected by the northeast monsoon.

Photo from: AsiaExplorers.com

Pulau Redang: Pasir Panjang beach

There is so much to do on and around Pulau Redang, one can return year after year and still find new places to explore. The reef is teeming with fish, turtles, live corals and other spineless creatures. There’s snorkeling, diving, windsurfing and kayaking available at most resorts. Berjaya Resort offers a golf course in an idyllic setting if you are on a Malaysia golf vacation.

Pulau Redang Diving: Sea turtle

The Redang Archipelago is truly a gift sent from the heavens. The water surrounding these islands is teeming with marine life. About 500 species of living, breathing soft and hard corals create a wondrous seascape just below the white caps. And in turn these reef-building variety of corals shelter a host of inhabitants – a myriad species of bivalves and fishes. It forms part of Indo-Pacific Ocean’s breeding ground and nursery for many species of fish and other marine life. Sponges, algae and plankton provide a rich soup of nutrient for the thriving community. Green and hawksbill turtles drag themselves onto the white, sandy beaches to deposit their fertilised eggs into deep holes excavated under cover of night. Flying foxes, pythons, birds, mousedeers, monkeys and iguanas take refuge under the canopy of the forest. And in the late evenings when all human activities have quieten down, listen closely for you will here the heartbeat of the land, the whispers of the wind and the secrets of life – at Redang

Hometown Food is Where the Heart Is

Whenever someone asks me where I came from, and after my answer that it is Taiping, the next question definitely would be “what is good to eat in Taiping?” I am always stumped by this question, as to be honest, everything is good to eat here, but nothing is really so great to it that would make people travel from far and wide just to eat it. Other places are normally coined with a food, like Penang char kuey teow or assam laksa, Ipoh dim sum or nga choy kai, Malacca chicken rice balls, Anson chee cheong fun and, you get the picture. So normally I would just answer nonchalantly “oh, everything in Taiping is good to eat”, now you know not to trust a person speaking of its hometown food, after all it is an ego thing.

To be honest though, I do find a lot of food in Taiping really good to me, and I miss them a lot and compare them to KL food constantly, after all I grew up with these foods. What I can boldly say is, most of all the food here is of certain quality, ingredients are fresh, food are diligently made with care and some with traditional recipes which were passed from generations to generations. As I have mentioned, to be able to survive selling food here, you must have a certain degree of goodness. I never cease to be amazed by how food revolves around the life of Taiping-ites, it is common to discuss what the next meal is while having the current meal, or the subsequent ones even. The normal hot topic of gossips are mostly like which new stall had been opened and whether the food is worth a try, which food had hike up the price and lessen the ingredients, which shop has changed cook from father to son or to somebody and how is the current state now, which food are no longer what it used to be and so on. The viral word of mouth marketing in Taiping is so strong to the point that it is almost deadly. It is either make it or break it here for food business. If the people favours your food, you may well expect a huge crowd making beeline to taste your food, and hear people uttering the famous quote of “you better get there by this time, as they would sold out by that time and you would not want to miss it!” With that, you can safely know that the food is quite good enough and your food business is here to stay in Taiping.

In exception to the opening statement is one dish though, which is the kai si min (chicken slice noodle soup) which does have a kind of hook on people, like an addiction, especially to those who grew up or spent a significant amount of time in Taiping and left, this is one dish they always must eat whenever they return! It may not be something that would capture a visitor’s heart immediately; it will definitely grow on you if you savour it enough to admire its hearty simple taste that warms the heart. I have a cousin who had once spent a month here in Taiping, had my mum buy this kai si min for him every night for supper and till now, whenever he comes to visit Taiping, it is one dish he would head out to for a dose of. Similarly, I have various friends and relatives, who had left Taiping, would come back with anticipation of this dish and I myself am no exception to this crazy addiction.

Kai Si Min
Photo by Rokh

Normally when a non-Taiping person answers to the question of ‘what is good in Taiping’, it would be most likely with another question, “isn’t it popiah?”. I have never considered popiah, a soft thin crepe made from wheat flour that wraps around variety of fillings, often accompanied by a sweet sauce (a blend of soy sauce, bean sauce and hoisin/shrimp sauce and optionally a hot sauce), as anything special in Taiping. Curiosity got the better of me though and I went into a frenzy of asking many Taiping people that I know, young and old alike, whether was popiah famous in Taiping, where is the best to get one and so on, and I came to conclusion that popiah used to be really good in Taiping, the best stall was now closed down, and mostly it is just a reminiscence of the year bygones. Few times I tried ordering popiah at various stalls in Taiping, and to be honest, it fell short of my expectations, KL ones are way better (a rare case indeed).

There is one unique dish in Taiping that you can’t seem to find elsewhere, variations probably, but definitely not the same one, which is the chee cheong fun (large flat rice noodles rolled up and then served in various sauces). The chee cheong fun in Taiping is doused liberally with tim cheong (sweet red sauce) and sprinkled with sesame and fried onions. The taste is unique, with the sweet sauce pairing real well with the amazingly soft and silky cheong fun which will have one dreaming of it on many mornings. I remembered I used to even wake up early (very unusual for a teen) and then go for this as breakfast before attending tuition nearby with a fellow friend who is also an addict. It was such nostalgia, I remembered vividly ordering the chee cheong fun small with hong tao sui (sweet red bean soup) that just somehow sums up a perfect breakfast.

Another decidedly famous food from Taiping is the heong peng. Not to be mistaken as the mini heong peng from Penang, as this one large, with a tough yet crunchy layer of pastries enfolding just-right-earthy-sweetness-savoury malt and shallots inside of it. Taiping’s heong peng had always been famous for being really fresh, superbly flaky layers (do not attempt to eat this without anything to catch the falling crusts), and chewy yet not sticky sweet filling that just about brings the entire pastry together flawlessly.

There you go, after saying that there is nothing really to-die for in Taiping, I proceed to let you know there are some things definitely worth to-try for. If you are ever in Taiping, do not miss out those that I mentioned, in exception to popiah, and also to add is the Nonya Kuih-muih that I had featured earlier, as they would make your trip there worth a lot more times, gastronomically of course. One may leave you dreaming of it long after you had gone, another may have you tried something decidedly new and unique where you may not find anywhere else and the others may bring you the best of what Malaysian Chinese desserts and pastries can be! So what are you waiting for? Make an excuse now to make the trip to this tiny little town up north in Malaysia that has such big things to offer, or make it a point to stop by if you are passing by on the way up to Penang or on the way down to KL, and leave after that with a huge smile and a huge belly to boot!

The Reed Islands (Lake Titicaca, Peru)

Straddling Peru and Bolivia, the travel wonder of Lake Titicaca (with an area of over 8,000 square kilometres or 3,000 square miles) lies at a oxygen-deprived 3,800 metres above sea-level (12,500 feet) making any activity for a visitor beyond a slow stroll quite a feat of endurance. For hundreds of years, the Uros people have lived peacefully on a handful of small islands made solely of reeds dotted within this huge lake.

Nearly everyone, locals and visitors alike, seem to chew heartily on coca leaves, supposedly to combat the effect of altitude sickness. Though there is scant medical evidence, this South American equivalent of tiger balm also holds claims to combat the cold, fatigue and various other ailments.

Living on a reed island brings some interesting new chores and challenges. Everyone seems to be fairly active either working reeds or preparing food. The leathery skin on the hands of the island women shows the years spent crushing grains with large smooth rocks.

As the reeds slowly rot away in the lake’s waters, there is an endless cycle of collecting, drying and spreading the reeds to build up the island. Fortunately the lightweight reed huts can be easily picked up and moved, a new reed floor being laid every few days.

Exotic, viking-like long boats with giant dragon head fronts are also constructed from reeds and are used for transportation between the neighboring islands. Small stick and reed pens on the edge of the islands house fish which forms the staple diet of the Uros.

The Uros unashamedly encourage visitors, charging them for rides on their boats, to climb their watchtower (you guessed it, made of reeds), for souvenirs such as their colorful clothing and model reed boats and for snapping photos. This money assists them in buying other goods from the mainland.

The whole experience may feel somewhat voyeuristic but a few hours on the island provides a fascinating insight into this unique travel wonder, a chance to view a lifestyle so completely different from our own.

Footnote

Also worth a visit (and an overnight stay with a local family) is Amantani or Taquile Islands which have sustained subsistence farming families for generations. You may even get a chance to enjoy the Peruvian delicacy of cuy (guinea pig) which naturally enough tastes like chicken!!

Indian Food Guide

The Indian food in Malaysia are often of hot and spicy flavors, the Indians’ staple diet usually consists of either rice or bread (charpatti, parrata, puri). They eat this with various curries. As in accordance with their Hindu beliefs, they do not eat beef. Usually Indian food is sold at the various local stalls and often ordered with a glass of teh tarik. Teh Tarik literally means “pulled tea”. The tea is thick and frothy. The preparation involves passing the tea and milk from one big metal mug to the other with a “pour and pull” action.

These Indian food are the MUST try:

1. Roti Canai (widely known as Roti Prata in Malaysia)
Indian Pastry Pancake – this is a very special layered pan cake made with flour and water. The fresh dough is kneaded and tossed in the air then folded into layers and cooked on a very hot iron plate. A side of curry is served for dipping the flaky pancake, usually a Malaysian Chicken Curry. The Roti Canai is the most commonly seen Indian food in Malaysia.

2. Nasi Briyani
This is a very traditional Indian food where the rice is cooked in goat butter and spices, Nasi biryani refers to the rice only cooked without the meat, and is a choice of to eat with your selection of curries and side dishes. The dish is assembled by layering the flavorful rice with tender pieces of spiced-cooked lamb, mutton or chicken, with a garnishing of slivered almonds and raisins.

3. Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken can be found in all Mamaks (local Indian restaurants). Mildly-spiced spring chicken quarters are baked to tender succulence in a tandoor – a traditional Indian clay oven. A spicy mint sauce is usually served on the side with plain or garlic Naan bread. The finger licking delicious indian food!

4. Indian Rojak
My favourite Indian food – In Malaysia, Indian rojak contains fried dough fritters, boiled potatoes, prawn fritters, hard boiled eggs, bean sprouts and cucumber mixed with a thick, spicy peanut sauce.

Living on Stilts (Ganvié, Benin)

Precariously balanced in tiny wooden canoes called pirogues, we poled and paddled a few kilometres around the stilt villages of the tiny West African nation of Benin. These unusual travel wonders were created over three hundred years ago when the local tribes moved into the shallow Lake Nakoue to avoid capture and enslavement by the dominant Dahomey people whose spiritual beliefs forbade them from venturing into the lake.

As we approach, the awkward wooden and bamboo huts perch on posts only a couple of yards above the lake surface, their thatched roofs sitting atop like unkempt hair.

Most of the men are fisherman. Fishing is a combination of traditional throw-nets along with a carefully managed system of fencing off parts of the lake with local reeds. The fences are moved and the areas reduced to corral the fish into small areas to provide an easy and ready source of food. The extra fish is taken to market and traded for other necessities.

These water pens are like fields of a farmyard, taking large expanses of the lake leaving narrow roads or channels for navigation around the lake. It is quite an operation without the need for bullocks, ploughs and planting.

Meanwhile the women go about their every day life as if they were on living on land, tending to their family’s laundry, meals, childcare and the typical daily chores of home life. Often hidden under oversized hats, the women trade fish, fruit and vegetables with other villagers treating their pirogue as a veritable floating market. Few houses are connected with walkways so any business away from their hut requires paddling to another wooden building.

By far the most popular of these stilt villages is Ganvié which to my mind is far too touristy to be enjoyable, or even comfortable. There is an ugly tourist shop and café while the children clamber around yelling “yovo, yovo” (which loosely translates as "stranger" or “white man” in a friendly way) and demanding “cadeaux, cadeaux” (gifts). Some try to sell primarily tourist tat at inflated prices, though some of the local colorful patchwork is impressive. Others pose for photos (handstands in the pirogue is a popular trick though you have to admire their balance given that sitting in a pirogue is enough of a feat) and ask for money in return. That being said, the funds they collect from visitors have built Ganvié up and undoubtedly improved the health and well-being of the villagers.

A number of other far less visited villages also populate the lake and have not yet acclimatized to the wealth of visiting tourists. These small settlements were far more pleasant to spend time in, with the villagers going about their every day business, provided you can keep your travel and photography habits respectful and quiet (many of the women do not like to be photographed).

Ganvié is sometimes described as the Venice of Africa which gives a very false impression. However, it is an interesting insight into an unusual life bred from personal safety several centuries ago. Don’t get your expectations too high for a truly cultural experience but enjoy Benin’s stilt villages as an African travel wonder.