Flying Rice @ Com Nieu Sai Gon

Location: 59, Ho Xuan Huong St, District 3, HCMC

Though I've been to another restaurant with the same theme, "flying rice", I think this is more authentic. We just finished our workshop where I asked my customer for direction to the restaurant. Not sure whether the taxi driver brought us to the intended restaurant or not, but still we able to see this special culinary in HCMC.

Waiter will smash the claypot and throw the rice across from one end to another end in the restaurant. Don't be surprised or shocked whenever the waiter start to smash the claypot. Once the waiter at the other end able to catch the rice, it will be served to the customer. Before it is served, the rice will be cut into quarters. The rice is topped with sesame seeds and vegetable. It is crispy as need to make the rice solid before the waiter able to throw it. It's just an ordinary rice, but special due to the process of serving the food.


Besides that, we also ordered other dishes. However, we feels that it's just an ordinary dish. We've ordered pork knuckle. Another dish should be crab stuffed with some vegetable, couldn't remember what was it actually.

One should try out at this restaurant to see yourself on how the rice is served, which is quite unique in HCMC.

Food around Ben Thanh Market

Location: Food stalls beside Ben Thanh Market at night.

We just dropped by at one of the stall available along the street. Today we try to get something different, as we have came to this stall before this. As there is limited photo available in the menu, we just ordered according to our instinct.

We ordered "turned egg roasted with salt tamarind". We thought this is just another egg with some local cooking style. When the food came, it was to our surprise. Actually this is the "balut" version of Philippine, where the egg has embryo in it served with gravy. Though the egg is tasteless, the gravy taste sweet. At first we hesitate to eat, but since Serene decided not to eat it, I've decided to finish it all rather than wasting it. Wow.... I just couldn't believe I've finish the whole thing. Speechless...... OMG!!!

Besides that, we also ordered "rice omlette with bean antiger". I've tried to order this many times, but I just couldn't order the correct dish except whenever I'm with my local friend. This time around, I just make sure to remember the name and can order it in future. It taste good for this. One can try with the sauce available.

This is BBQ pork. Sweet in taste. Simple and tasty, that's what I can describe it.

Thanh Binh Restaurant

Location: At the junction besides Ben Thanh Market. Easily spotted.

I've been here during my first business trip to HCMC, where my customer brought me to try out the noodle. I try to find again this spot after that, but I couldn't recognise it since it was quite some time after my last visit. However, still manage to get to this restaurant after few tries, and furthermore has promised Serene to try something different.

We ordered the pork stick to the sugar cane, and together with other vegetables such as cucumber, star fruits etc to make the spring roll ourselves. Typical Vietnamese food, but it taste really good. One need to smash the meat to small pieces and start to roll it. Dip the food onto the peanut sauce. This size of dish should be enough for 3-4 persons as we still ordering other stuff to eat.

We also order the shrimp spring roll (ready rolled). Another local foods which I like a lot. If look at the shrimp, it is very fresh as still reddish in color. This should be dip to another sauce, a clear color sauce. Another yummy stuff that should try out.

Finally, we ordered the shrimp and crab meat nooddle. This very much to our delight. The size just suitable for us, and not that oily.

Last but not least, we ordered our favourite juice. I've ordered the sapodilla fruit juice, which I think is famous in HCMC. Hard to find this juice at other SEA countries. I love this juice very much which I make it a must have list everytime for my HCMC trip. Another juice is strawberry juice.

Overall, this is a must try restaurant whenever in HCMC. It is very easy to find restaurant and one can try lot of local cuisine over here, not to mention the reasonable price.

Broga Hill... nice place to watch sunrise

Location: Semenyih, Selangor
Coordinates: 2°56′14″N 101°54′40″E

We organised this trip quite late or indeed it was a last minute trip. We went in 3 cars, where we met in Cheras toll at about 5.00am in the morning. Indeed, I guess this was the earliest day we woke up this year. Though a bit blur blur at first, but thinking about the photo taking session and hiking hill, we have to forgo our sweetdream.

From the Cheras toll plaza, it took us about 45 minutes to reach Broga Hill. By the time we reach the foothill, it was full of people. Hence, it was a bit hard to find parking at dark. We decided to park in the palm oil estate, where we need to pay for parking fees.

We quickly change our gear for hiking. Though it was dark, but we could see light shining through the dark. There are lot of people already start hiking up the hill before us. Some in small group and some in big group. Some has setup the stall selling stall on the way up, which really amazed me. Is this what we call economic crisis badly hit people?

When we start hiking up, we need to follow those people walking in front of us. What came into our mind was some people is considerate, and some is without their civic mind. Why? One would find out when hiking up to the hill nowadays. There is a Chinese saying, "people mountain people sea".

It took us about 40 minutes to reach the first lookout point. By the time we reached there, we hardly find any place to rest and to setup our tripod for photo shooting. We continue our journey to the second lookout point. Over here, we found a nice spot to rest. We brought some coffee all the way up, and starting to enjoying the breathtaking scenary from hilltop. When we look back at the first lookup point, wow... it really packed with people.

After enjoying the view, we start photoshooting. Since it is almost sunrise, we could see the midst at the Broga town. It was really nice to enjoy the fresh air on the hilltop while do some photoshooting. After staying on top for a while, we descent at about 8.30am. We decided to have a quick breakfast in Broga Hill before heading back to our home.

Natural Batik Village... a batik in making....

Location: Lot 4898, Batu 9 1/2, Jalan Kemaman, Kampung Chengal Lempong, 26100 Balok, Kuantan
Tel: 09-544 7335
Coordinates: N3°55.387′ E103°22.012′

Our journey continues to Kuantan, and on the way, we did stop by at this batik village. "Batik" is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique to produce. We did some research to come over here as this is one of the biggest batik store available in east coast. Furthermore, batik is famous in east coast.

Our search doesn't let us down on the visit. Though from outside it's look like another store selling the clothes, but what really capture us during the visit was the manufacturing area besides the store. Maybe it was lunch break, when we visited the manufacturing area, it was no people at that time.

We are able to visit and see some of the cloth where it was hanging there for production. We saw a white cloth designed with some pattern, guess it was drawn with wax not long ago. One can freely design their pattern on the cloth. Most of design comes with flower design.

Once the design is ready, it will goes for coloring process. There are 2 method for the coloring:
1. Hand painting color where one will fill the cloth with colors by using brush.
2. Soak the cloth with color, and only 1 color for each soak.

After that, the next process is called "Color Fixing" where the dried cloths will be soaked into sodium silicate. Finally, the cloth will be soaked with soda ash mix with pipe water to remove the wax.

Here, the wax is boiled and ready to be use for waxing on the cloths.

Over here, the color is ready for the coloring process. There are lot of colors to choose from. One can use the brush to paint the cloth after the waxing process.

This is called canting, a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout which the melted wax will seeps out.

Over here, all the finished products is hung up to dry. We took our time to see the finished product and also appreciate on the detailed workmanship done. We also came across to know that this center also provide lesson for the first timer or enthusiast to learn up the batik making process. One also can make their own master piece over here.

I would say this place is worth to visit to learn more about batik. It would be better if advance arrangement to be made in the first place. For more information, you can get from their official website: http://www.batikfactory.com.my

Short trip aka Birthday celebration

Took a short break after the hectic schedule ever since the CNY this year. The break coincide with Serene's birthday this year. Since it was really a hectic day, just a small celebration at home. Bought the colorful jelly cake as a replacement of the normal big cake. Anyway, it is with whom you celebrate, not how big the cake, isn't it?

The next day, we heading to Cherating, a small town furtherdown from Kuantan. We didn't have any high expectation as there is no really a good hotel to choose from the internet, and also the review wasn't that good. True to our expectation, the hotel that we stayed in not up to the par.

From Cherating, we did some scouting around the places and found out this small fisherman jetty which is in dilapidated condition. However, we did stop for a moment under the hot sun, and done some photo shooting.

After rounding the town, we found this beach. Not a very good beach to recommend, but just to relax for a while after the long driving journey. We didn't stop for long, as there is nothing that we can look forward around this area. We continue our journey to Kuantan later on.

Nearby Penang coast

Went to this fishing trip while we were on holiday to Penang. Weather was so nice, sea was calm and clear water that allowed me to go for this trip. Though it was so called last minute trip, as I only brought my reel and rod. Since it was go ahead, my other friend prepared the rest of the equipment and the itinerary.

Once we were on boat, we went to pick up the octopus from the sea. It was always the same spot, where the death seashell was thrown to the sea, surrounded by mud. The octopus will eventually goes inside the shell for hiding. When we pull up the shell from the sea into the boat, we were waiting for a while. Then the octopus will comes out from the shell and we will keep the octopus in the tank.

Once we throw the octopus into the tank, those octopus will spit out a thick blackish ink making the tank becomes black in color. The main coloring agent of the ink is melanin, which is the same chemical that gives humans their hair and skin color. As the boat moving, the water will be filtered and changed with the water outside from the boat, and once again making the water clear.

It was a good night. We did change for few spots during the night, and luck was on our side. And for this trip, it was one of my first few trip. Hence, I didn't manage to catch many but other fella fisherman able to get their fishes. In total, we able to get more than 20 fishes on that night alone. Once we landed, we dividing the fish equally. Hopefully I'm able to go for the next trip again on this nice island.

2nd Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon 2010

Location: Precinct 2, Putrajaya

This is the second year Malaysia hosting this event. We came here early in the morning to catch the morning session of the photo shooting session. Since it is Saturday, we decided to come early to avoid the jam. Soon, we were allowed to enter the compound for the photo shooting.

There is a bag called envelope where the pilot will lay it on the ground. We shouldn't step on the envelope as the pilot is preparing to blow the air into it.

At first, the hot air balloon is partially inflated with cold air from a gas-powered fan, before the propane burner is used for final inflation. I'm so lucky to get a view to catch this photo.

When the envelope starts to grow, there is a co-pilot helping to pull the string, which is tied to the top of the envelope. This need to be done slowly.

From here, one can see the envelope start to ascent and start to form like the shape of the balloon. At this stage, the pilot will start blowing the hot air into the balloon.

There is a burner that attached to the basket at each of the balloon. It will injects a flame into the envelope, heating the air within. The heater is fueled by propane, a liquidfied gas stored in pressure vessel.

This is how the envelope looks alike from the basket whenever the hot air balloon is ready to take off.

We are very fortunate to see all the hot air balloons ready to take off at almost the same time. Since the area is limited due located next to a lake, those balloons will one at a time. It will fly for quite a distance before landing. When landing, there will be vehicle pick up the pilot and the balloon.

For this year Fiesta Balloon, it does comes with new design such as Dark Vader and Levi's Jean.

There are also concurrent activities held at the same time such as para-motors, remote control aircraft flying display etc.

Hopefully this event will keep going on.