| Visit Malaysia 2007 |
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| Written by AainaA-Ridtz A.R | |
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“During Gawai , cousins often forget each other,” he said after telling me, about how things are in Sarawak, his birthplace. “..The Ginger Tuak is considered the best of Tuak prepared sometimes twenty years earlier” he added, saying that the Ginger Tuak is usually drunk during nuptial engagements.  Terry went to explain that during Gawai , through much festivity and drinking, the familiar scene can be wistful. It was the first time that I met an Iban, and a Kadazan. Terry Katut works as a Conservationist on Pulau Singa Besar in Langkawi. He has been working on the island for more than five years, talking to animals, and learning more about them, and their surroundings. There are more then ninety species of birds alone, on the Island, and Langkawi, the eagle species is one of them. He and his wife Lynette are both researchers, and they with other researchers from UNESCO, manage Pulau Singa Besar. During the school holidays, they receive children and college students from all over the world, interested in learning more about the wildlife, in Malaysia.After having chauffeured us around old Kuah {the old town}, we stopped by for lunch. Unfortunately, it was Friday, and most of the eateries, and restaurants were closed. Thank gawd; there was L’Osteria on Jalan Pantai Tengah. An Italian restaurant serving modest dishes, at a price I was pleasantly surprised. Serving antipasti, fresh pasta, great salads, and a range of gelati and desserts, I soon became comfortable in hot humid Langkawi. It was ninety two degrees Fahrenheit. I was almost baked… like a crab, profusely perspiring! When my order came, I almost forgot to take a snapshot of the delightful meal. All I could think was to whet my appetite. We had dinner the night before at Domino Restaurant in Kuah. It is an atypical German bistro managed by a German, and his Malaysian partners. My father enjoyed the place and his meal, though I had much to rant about the spaghetti. Never eat Italian in a German restaurant. L'Osteria's shrimp salad was prepared justly. The sweetness of the prawns is best tasted rather than described here and coupled with a zesty mojito, I was raring to indulge - forget the diet already, I’m here to pamper myself! The Inighri Salad served with capers, and lolla rossa is light enough for someone who may prefer a tasty meal on a terribly hot day. After having spent a couple of hours in the very airy lounge, with Frank Sinatra crooning “That’s Amore”, and some of my old-time favourites, Terry dropped us at our little hotel in old Kuah, the City Bayview. I had to rush up to the suite. Even after two hours of being nude, I was still perspiring profusely. I overheard a local telling a foreign tourist, as I was rushing up, that the best time to visit Langkawi would have been two months earlier. The local tourist information centre should have that plastered all over their website. It was my first visit to Langkawi, though I have been informed by many that it would have been a shame had I not stopped by the Island, since I am living here. After having lived in Malaysia for more than twenty years, I still cannot accommodate to the weather. To me, it is too humid and too hot - it would best be suited for tourists, foreign expatriates and people who adore heat. At best, the toiling in the sun always brings me an image of heaven amidst hell. I am a spoilt brat. My system was designed for temperate climate - not too hot, not too cold. So Casablanca, Alhambra or even Samarqand would suit me perfectly! Muhammad speaks a little Italian apart from excellent Malay, and good English. He used to work in a marble factory, as a supervisor, and now drives his own taxi on the island. After having bought tons of souvenirs for friends, and family, he brought us around each corner of the island. I learnt a lot from this gentleman, who is married with three or five children, I can’t for Faust’s sake remember anymore. I also learnt that peasants living on Langkawi favour Ulam Bronok, which is made up of sliced shallots, garlic, onions, lime leaves, algae and some living crustacean from the Island. It is not found elsewhere, and as much as I wanted to taste it, unfortunately, it can only be found on one of the Islands sprawled adjacent to Langkawi. The concoction is believed to make one both strong, healthy and less-muddled headed. Relevants
Article first published 12th March 2007, AainaA Insight! Magazine
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