Dabai - Uniquely Sarawak's

Dabai resembles a black olive. In fact, we call it "olive".

It has a creamy yellow flesh. The texture is similar to that of avocado.

It is seasonal, usually around together with durians. The best dabai come from the Rejang basin of Kapit and Sibu.

The kernels of the dabai seed can also be eaten. It's nutty.

Cook the dabai by soaking it in warm water (you should be able to put your hand in it without scalding yourself) for about 20 minutes. Make sure you have enough water to cover all the dabai.

When it is cooked, the dabai should be soft and the flesh should come away from the large seed inside easily.

Toss some salt on the dabai and it is ready to be eaten.

I like my dabai with soya sauce and sugar!

My grandmother used to separate the flesh from the seeds of cooked dabai, mashed the flesh and added salt to taste. The dabai is bottled and stored in the fridge. The beautiful purple hue (the yellow flesh is stained by the skin) goes well with porridge and rice

The joy of cycling - Lundu

Driving out of Lundu town after seeing the Raflesia, the biggest flower in the world, I saw children riding on their bicycles.

It is quite a rare scene now.. It brought me back to my young days... from the fall-off-and-skin-the-knees experience to mastering the two wheels..

I enjoyed feeling the exhilarating freedom of moving on my own strength through the ups and downs of the country roads in my school days.

I loved the breezes on my face.

I loved the rain falling on my face on rainy days while the body was protected by rain coats.

I loved the miles cycling with friends.

The scene today made me feel so alive ...


I wonder if our dear Prime Minister will provide all school children on two wheels with helmets? He seems to enjoy cycling too!

Over a cuppa - Lundu coffee shop

A coffee shop at Lundu. Over a cuppa! It's all bliss!

Gunung Gading National Park

There are 24 national parks in Sarawak.

Hi, I am here -
Gunung Gading National Park -
dense primary rainforest criss-crossed by crystal clear streams and waterfalls.

The star attraction is the world largest flower - Rafflesia. This is the bud. The warden said it would bloom in one to two weeks' time! Seeing a rafflesia in full bloom? The warden said you need a certain amount of luck as the flowering period is too short.

You need to be quite fit to do the challenging jungle trails and treks!

It's open daily, including Sundays and Public Holidays!
Enquires: Sarawak Forestry Corporation Tel 082-348001
email: info at sarawakforestry dot com

Tommy works here in the park!

Mother and Son - Lundu

Lundu is a town located in the Northwest of Kuching, Sarawak. It's about one and half hour's drive (abot 90 km).

The name "Lundu" is taken from a small catfish that abounds in the Sungai Lundu which flows down from Gunung Gading.

With a new road and a bridge across Batang Kayan river, Lundu is very accessible.

What to see in Lundu?

The simplicity of life. The simplicity of people.

I snapped the "mother and child" at a coffee shop.

And of course, it is the Gunung Gading National Park, that houses the Rafflesia, the world's biggest flower.

Sandakan, on the trial of wildlife at Sipilok

Flashback - sleeping (probably with a giant scorpion under the bed), watching naughty monkeys chattering among the trees that might just venture close enough to steal your shoes, waking up to the calls of birds at the crack of the dawn in the heart of the primary rainforest, observing a female orang utan nursing its baby in the wild, the boat cruise and most memorably, the corridor of life along Kinabantangan River.

Junaidi, senior tour executive of Sepilok Tropical Wildlife Adventure

In search of the wild ... cruising along Kinabantangan River

Watch up, really looking up, a small money staring at me just a foot away on a tree branch right above my head! Such close encounter!

Agnes Keith House, Sandakan, Sabah

Agnes Keith is an American writer living in Sandakan, Sabah with her English husband between 1934 to 1952.

The house where Agnes lived was restored and turned into a museum as a tribute to her by the Department of Sabah Museum.

In Agnes' own words, the house is located on the finest hilltop in Borneo, with a magnificient view of the habour of Sandakan.

Agnes loved her beautiful house. She said people from far and near came to see it, and have their pictures taken outside the house.

The bedroom is the next place of importance. Like a ship beached by a high tide, our bed stands in the middle of our bedroom floor. All the other pieces of furniture have washed away from it to the outer edges of the room, where they will not intercept any breeze. We made our bed and we certainly like to lie in it. Six-foot-six both ways it is, made of Borneo heavy timber.
-Land below the wind

Agnes wrote about her book room,

There is a mental energy in this room, discharged and accumulated fromt he past, which seems to exilerate you when you enter it. Not only is it a good place to work in, but it is a good place to stop while the bathwater runs, or when dressing for dinner or waiting for breakfast, for there is always something unfinished to be gone on with there.
- Land Below the Wind

I believe that:
While we have more than we need on this continent, and others die for the want of it, there can be no lasting peace. When we work as hard in peacetime to make this world decent to live in, as in wartime we work to kill, the world will be decent, and the causes for which men fight will be gone."
(Three came home, 1946)

English Tea House, Sandakan, Sabah

The English Tea House and Restaurant in Sandakan is a much loved restaurant for locals and a popular tourist destination with its great food and beautiful views.

You can play a little game of Croquet in the garden. A game similar to Croquet is thought to have been played in London in the 16th Century. Possibly having French origins. In London in the mid-19th Century, games manufacturer John Jacques made the 1st modern Croquet sets.

The English Tea House and Restaurant claimed that their croquet sets are also made by John Jacques.

The basic idea of the game is for players to knock the ball through he hoops int he correct order of play, with the winner being the play that hits the centre peg first.

All players play their first hit from the start towards Hoop 1. Players then play alternately one shot at a time; however, you may have a second shot if you knock your ball through the hoop or you hit another player's ball. If you hit another player's ball, you may place your ball directly next to their ball. And the "wicked thing" is you can hit their ball out of the way and away from the hoop to make it difficult for them to reach that hoop.

"Do you want to play a vicious game?"

Visit the English Tea House in Sandakan - where they serve the best scones and tea, and you can play a vicious game!

Water Village, Sandakan, Sabah

Sandakan oozes charm and character.

The water village of Sandakan has a lot to offer to visitors.

The children made me feel so welcomed.


The wooden houses perched on stilts above sea. The plank walkways lead to the busy port, and also to homes of many.

By the sea, you can have a breakfast of fish noodles!