I had the noodle dream ...

I love watching Po the panda in action ... oversized, cute and most of all his love for noodles. Talking about noodles, there's this joint that serves excellent noodles. And I mean really delicious servings that will make you craving for more. This is a teaser for ... the man in Massey U. Auckland, the pictures say it all ...

(For those who are interested ... drive thru Mentakab towards Bentong along the old road for 2 km and watch out for the junction to Kg Batu Kapor on your right. Turn right and the noodle joint is 5 minutes away.)

Noodles with beef and chicken in thick spicy soup


Fried noodles with beef, chicken ... flavoured with sesame oil


Fried kue tiaw with beef and chicken

Offroading

We went offroading last weekend. The track was awesome, slippery and very challenging. My ham radio cum offroaders buddies rated it as just a `3' in terms of difficulty. Enjoy the pictures and you might think otherwise.

In deep trouble.

Here comes the baby elephant to the rescue.


Hard at work.


Pulling power.






Mission accomplished.


At the TT session on the way home, the boys were already planning for another trip. Interested anyone?

Kuantan best kept SECRET!

Definitely the best kept secret but the recipe is no secret for Malaysian at large. The rojak is fried taufoo (soya bean cakes), a variety of fritters, slices of boiled potatoes, cucumber, turnip (jicama), fried chicken (my favourite), yellow noodles (I will do without this) and of course the gravy (a well guarded trade secret).
The pièce de résistance, the cendol comes in a variety of flavours to please individual cravings. Plain cendol, cendol with glutinous rice and cendul with red beans are among the types of cendol served. There will be a crowd waiting to be served if you come to Mustafa Cendol during lunch and tea time. Be prepared to wait but the service is always good at any time of the day. The taste is even better!
Location: Drive thru Kuantan towards Teluk Cempedak, you will come across a Shell Station on your right and the the eatery is just after the station. Enjoy.

The Fiat131S Mirafiori is leaving ...

Yes, the Fiat131S is leaving soon. It was a difficult decision that had to be made sooner or later. Maintenance for the jalopy is getting more and more expensive. Parts are difficult to acquire and the worst of all, good mechanics who are willing to repair or even dare to open the bonnet are practically non-existent. Nevertheless the memories will linger ...
"Spend the last 21 years taking care of her. Love her, hate her but she is still with me. Rusty, squeaking, yet still manage a steady speed when needed."

Fishing at its best!

Saturday saw my initiation to sea fishing. I mean the open sea and not the normal surf fishing I am quite comfortable with these days. We went out about 25 nautical miles and started to jig for live baits using the usual appolo method. Live prawns were brought along and that seems to work wonderfully on every cast. Our 2 boats were captained by a couple of very experienced blokes equipped with the sonar and gps. We manage to bring back 4 haruan tasik, 4 large and countless palm size kerapu, ohhh ... a 11kg stingray, a large barramundi / white siakap, 4 bayan and countless other species. I can say that my first introduction to open sea fishing was ... fishing at its best!!!

Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Udang Galah)

A wonderful creature of the river, good to eat and pricey. It can also be a nightmare for those who seek for it but a `out of this world' feeling once you hook it. I just came back from the river and below are the pictures of the wonderful creatures. (Note: You can see `juniors' in the pics as well ... nothing that I can do because the prawns have a habit of eating the bait deep. C &R will not be a good idea.)
Pic No. 1

Pic No. 2

Twin Engined Fiat 131S?

This is for real. Is it really a twin engined Fiat 131S? Well look again at the picture. Emm ... sorry for the misleading title. Yes it is an engine but an outboard engine (Yamaha 3Hp outboard engine) to help me travel upstream and down with ease. It is portable and light enough to carry to and from the Fiat. I just cannot leave it on the boat just in case someone wants to make a few bucks out of it! Other equipment on the Fiat ... tools for her, rod and reels (heaps of it), fuel tanks (for the Yamaha), tackle box and of course a cooler box.
Requirements of a fishing mate ... an avid angler, friendly, not fussy and heaps of common sense.

Into the heart of Kenyir

I've never been to Lake Kenyir and that's the reason why I gladly participated in the trip recently. Lake Kenyir is the largest man-made lake in South East Asia. The Kenyir Dam supplies the much needed electricity for the nation.

The journey was not for the faint hearted. The lake is vast, huge and the houseboat was our only refuge.

The house boat was equipped with bare minimum essentials so to speak. There 's the kitchen, toilet, sleeping area and of course ample fishing area around the boat. And of course ASTRO to keep the inhabitants in contact with the outside world. Forget handphones because who needs handphones out here!

The wall in the background used to be the unscalable face of a mountain. Well, imagine the deepest area of the lake. Our guide told us that he once calculated the deepest to be over 700 metres!

Sanctuary in the middle of the lake.

Scenery like none other.

The place is filled with cove, marsh and other hidden spots known only to boatman, local and avid anglers. Casting is the name of the game.

The peace and tranquillity of Lake Kenyir. Never to be found elsewhere.

The tree trunks jotting out of the water can be a hazard for boats or boat house. We need not worry because these boatmen knew the lake like the palm of their hands. The lake is huge no doubt but they can see the route which others cannot. I had watched in awe how they manoeuvred and parked the huge houseboat in between the tree trunks.

Try the skill of casting and you will not forget the experience forever. I had the chance to watch and emulate these maestros in action. They can land the lure on perfectly timed and picked locations. My salute to you Mr Ujang, Mr Sahir and the `name thou shall not mention' house boat captain.

Serene surroundings a good remedy for those seeking answers to all the questions in life!

The Bewah Cave. It used to be on Mount Bewah but now accessible by boat!

The cave is an archaeological site. Some said that the findings dated back 2000 years.

Docking area for our houseboat.

Back to the jetty but I've made a promise to come again. Quoting Master Yoda ... come back to Kenyir, I must.