Bali (3-6 May 2008)

Kintaman – The Great Is Under Your Feet

Talking about enjoying meals with the picturesque panorama to go with your appetite, how about having buffet lunch above the volcano & lake and barbeque seafood dinner by the sea?
Chill in front of the Batur volcano, I dare no to show a bit of disrespect to the creation of nature. The thrill is not easy to be described. I’m such a tiny and insignificant in front of the enormous volcano. I thought I’m so great to step on it but it is the one that welcomed me with open arms. The hot soup is just hot enough to burn your excited emotion. Sate lilit (balinese minced seafood satay skewed with lemongrass) is my favourite local food here.

Jimbaran Bay – Romantic Isn’t Expensive

The sound of wave breaks on the shore gently with the candle-light barbeque seafood dinner waiting for you at Jimbaran Bay is a romantic experience. Soak your feet beneath the water and the cool will make you realize how real the heaven is close to you. Enjoy the music played by the band; it harmonizes well with the mood of the night.

Batubulan – The Legendary Dance

The Barong Dance is a must visit programme in Bali. Each visitor will receive a leaflet describing the story behind the dance upon the arrival at the entrance hall. Here, I’m going to quote the synopsis written inside the leaflet: [The Barong – Play represents an eternal fight between good and evil spirit. Barong (a mythological animal) represents a good spirit and Rangda (a mythological monster) represents an evil one.] The dance started with music over tone, performed by the orchestra, followed by 5 acts. Pay attention to the body language perform by the two female dancers who representing the servants of Rangda, especially the movement of the eyes and the fingers. The dance accomplished by the music and the movement of the eyes and the fingers can make you feel the emotions of: nervous, angry, dangerous, suspicious, etc. Before you leave the hall, don’t forget to take photos with the dancers as their costume are really unique.

Tegallang Village – Eat Away the scenic Inspiration

Well-known for its rice terrace field viewing, a plate of plain rice in front of you becomes significant. So, do you still want to waste a single rice?

Tanah Lot Temple – The Stunning On the Rock

This Balinese Hindu Temple is located above a big stone in coastal periphery, next to the Indian Ocean. I’m lucky enough because during my visit the seawater is not tide, therefore I have the fate to walk to the temple. The magnificent view made it mysterious yet respectful. A local ceremony was being held and the tourists were allowed to bath their hands and face with the holy water. After that, an orchid was placed on top of the ear and some paddy was put on the forehead of the tourist to represent your bad luck had been washed off and good luck shall be gained. The tourists will donate some money for this ritual.

Hong Kong and 'Kam Yu Lou'

Thanks for the Hong Kong entertaining industry that produced so many interesting Hong Kong movies, making my leisure time in front of the tv meaningful. Don’t you think so? Hong Kong’s dramas cover a wide range of stories, from classic to modern, from nursing to law, from firemen to air crews; you see, at least I don’t hang around at the supermarkets or mamak stalls marking my time. I know Hong Kong and my dream revealed since I was in my primary school: Ocean Park, Goldfish Market, delicious food, Hong Kong Pop Stars, Hong Kong’s beauties, elegant clothes, the trams, and horseracing, ha-ha.

The utmost advantage from watching the Hong Kong movies is not learning kungfu or makes me daydream of becoming one of the high-class people in the society but some hilarious Hong Kong slang have been picked up. For example, ‘gam yu lou’ (goldfish man) and ‘hum chü shao’ (salty pig’s hand) refers to the voyeur or a weird man who will perform sexual harassment to the (little) girls and ‘lan gét’ refers to lame jokes.

My dream comes true on April 24th, 2009. I carried my luggage, flied to the Island of Pearl, stepped on the land that I used to be familiar in the tv. The images of my idols, dim sum, Stephen Chow, etc, etc, etc, all like film, shown vividly in front of my eyes.

The best location to spot a kam yu lou is at Goldfish Market. Hmm, just kidding. I’m not sure about the origin of this term but I guess once upon a time, there was a goldfish vendor behaved brazenly towards a little girl, that’s how the hongkies are calling those types of people nowadays. Ha-ha, does it sound absurd? Well, let’s listen to the explanation by Mr. Jacky (who is him? I’m going to tell you later), “Just imagine the eyes of goldfish, they pop out right? So do the kam yu lou, they will observe the little girls with their bulging eyes too.”

At Goldfish market, you will be amazed by plentiful shops that sold not only goldfish, but also other exotic fish along with corals and sea grass. I’m wondering how the vendors run their business since there are so many competitors here. As I backed to Malaysia, I interviewed the chef at Hong Kong Restaurant (Mr. Jacky, 58, a Hong Kong businessman, now is enjoying his semi retirement with his Malaysian wife in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan) and he said that the Hong Kong style is about focus, that’s easy for the residents and the tourists to choose the best product at one place. The more the merrier, maybe.


I also had my first stinky tofu (bean curb) here and this experience is cool. When I stood next to the tofu stall, it created weird odor there, really. For me the smell was not nasty but it just made me wanted to walk away. However, I have longed it for so long, the Hong Kong actors and actresses used to show their satisfactory expressions in the movies on how delicious the tofu is. And it’s true, as long as you have the gut to bite your first mouthful of tofu, then you are going to remember its flavor for the rest of your life. I mean, it’s so delicious to go with the sources, especially the sweet source. How much does a piece of tofu costs in Malaysia? There, this ¼ piece of tofu costs me HK$6, at that moment, with the currency of HK$1=RM0.47, so it’s a bout RM3.