BAK KUT TEH 肉骨茶

We have not been to the "Bak Kut Teh" shop in Gaya Street for at least a year or so. Last Sunday, my wife suggested that we should go for a "Bak Kut Teh" dinner.

Oh my gosh....there was such a huge crowd waiting as we arrived at this Bak Kut Teh shop.

We took a chance and managed to get a table after waiting for about 10 minutes.The place was so busy with people eating even at the the five foot walk way in the street.

Normally, the order would be served in within 10 minutes. But this time we had to wait for more than 20 minutes before the waiter came around with the Bak Kut Teh dishes. 

I realized that the taste of the Bak Kut Teh was not as good as before. Perhaps, they could not cope with the increase in the demand..... I have no complaint as I paid only RM29.00 for this dinner. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !

Flowers for my wife from all of us - son, daughter and me to celebrate Valentine's day!

Valentine day has always been an important day for our family.

Eating out is already a tradition. we dined at a hotel in the city. 

 From the Salad Bar.

    Cuttle fish and lamb from the BBQ corner.

The BBQ corner.

Live band in attendance.  

Happy Valentine's day to all who celebrate this important day!

AIR ASIA SAFE TO FLY?

2 weeks ago, a Japanese friend asked me if "Air Asia safe to fly?" I told him that it was OK as Air Asia has a fairly good safety record except for the two incidents - one in Kota Kinabalu when their B737-300 skidded off the runway during landing in November 2004 and the other one was in Kuching when an Airbus 320 overshot the runway after touched down in January 2011. In both occasions, all passengers were safe.   

The B737-300 in Kota Kinabalu 

The A320 in Kuching

I warned him thought that Air Asia was "not always cheap" and could be more expensive than other airlines because of the hidden charges. The hidden charges are check-in baggage, seat selection, meals, insurance and many like the credit card processing fee and the recently added 'Convenience Fee'. There is also a check-in fee at their check-in counter.

To day, I read an article in an online newspaper reporting that Air Asia X pilots had breached the Australian safety margin. Australian air safety investigators have found that Air Asia X pilots twice flew so low into Gold Coast Airport that they breached the safety margin between ground and other plane.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau in a report, which classified the incident as “serious”, said the jets descended to a height where there was no longer separation assurance from the ground and from planes operating outside controlled airspace. But investigators said the crew were “probably not adequately equipped to manage the approach in other than autopilot managed mode”. There was low cloud and reduced visibility at the time but no reason was given for the pilots breaching the safe distance.

A330-300 of Air Asia X.

Anyway, I have forwarded the "news" from the online newspapers to my Japanese friend and leave it to him to decide to fly with Air Asia or otherwise.     

WINDOW SEATS

Perhaps, you may select an aisle seat on your next long haul flight after reading this blog. I would like to share this information which I came across in the Yahoo's health column.   

Sitting in a window seat of an aeroplane during long distance flight can increase the risk of "Deep vein thrombosis" (DVT).

Window seats are one of the risk factors for DVT travelling on long haul flights. Deep vein thromboses are blood clots which usually develop in the legs. If a clot breaks away, it can cause a potentially fatal blockage in the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism. Other risk factors highlighted include being elderly, pregnant or taking oral contraceptives.

The experts also say that so-called '"economy class syndrome" is a myth, as the risk of developing a blood clot during a long haul flight is the same for those travelling in first or business class.

According to the journal Chest, the risk of developing a blood clot on a flight is "very small" for most people, but was strongest for flights taking longer than eight to ten hours. 

Prolonged sitting, such as in a window seat of a plane, where someone is less likely to get up and move around, can increase the risk of DVT.

The guidelines recommend that all long-haul passengers should take preventative measures such as getting out of their seats and walking around, and do calf muscle stretches. In addition to this, people at higher risk of DVT should sit in an aisle seat if possible and wear below-knee graduated compression stockings.

The doctors also advised against the use of aspirin or any other anti-coagulant medication to prevent DVT for long-distance travellers.

The above information was extracted from the Health Column. 

Knowing that sitting in the window seat tend to have limited mobility, I still prefer that as I could enjoy the view during take-off, landing and even during flight when the weather is clear.

 View like this was spectacular - flight over Kansai, Japan. 

 Cruising into sunset - flight over Indonesia.

Sutera Harbour Resort with Tunku Abdul Rahman marine park in the back ground just before touching down at Kota Kinabalu International.

Will you select a window seat the next time you fly?

KAMPUNG KIULU and DURIANS

Yesterday, we spent half a day with my nephew's family in kampung Kiulu. The Kiulu river was at it's best providing a cool environment in the afternoon heat.

We were not really interested in the river but the fruits of the kampung. Rambutans were in abundance and ready for harvest. 

"Rambutan"  

It was my lucky day when I stumbled upon a durian that just fell off the tree.

A whole basket of durians were picked up for the afternoon snack.  

  Everybody was happy and ready for the feast !

 

Very creamy "kampung durian"

These exotic "kampung" durians were of the smaller size but their flesh were creamy, sweet with a bit of bitterness. I prefer them to those of the Thai or the popular Malaysian D24.

It was a good afternoon of fun and the wonderful "durians". "Thank you" to the in-laws of my nephew!   

A DAY OF ORCHIDS, FOOD, CATTLE FARM and A TOW TRUCK RIDE

On the second day of Chinese New Year, we took the road to Kundasang near Mt.Kinabalu for a break in a convoy of 4 cars. It was a day of Orchids, food, cattle farm and a "Tow truck" ride home. 

A stopover at the "Hybrid orchid" farm was worthwhile.

Tempted for a picture.

According to the owner of this place,  he has at least a hundred species of hybrid orchids.  

 Next stop was at Fairy Garden Resort for lunch.

 Fried fresh vegetables with garlic.

 Deer meat with spring onions and young gingers.  

 Stewed local shitake (mushroom) with seafood.

 Lamb in special sauce.

 Home made bean curd (tofu) with minced meat.

Fairly Garden special - Fried chicken with mango and chili sauce. 

After a delicious meal, we moved on to Desa Cattle Farm. Unfortunately, it was raining with heavy mist.

 A picture to remember.  

 We did not stay long as the place was jammed with visitors and cars.

  A coffee break before returning to the city at a roadside cafe.

It should have been a perfect outing if not for the rain. The worst thing that happened was when my old Pajero suffered a stroke (overheating) as a hose connecting the engine and the radiator burst.   

I have to "escort" the Pajero home.

My first time riding in a tow-truck , arriving home safely just after dusk - ending otherwise a good day !