Malaysia truly Asia: For the Best Time of Your Life

** This post comes with a design disclaimer. Blogspot seems to have a mind of her own, and while I couldn't get the photos and text to flow just right, I've decided just to post this since it is long overdue!!

Mt. Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in SE Asia. Why did we ever choose to climb this beast?

I have no idea how Pat and I decided on Malaysia for our first big Asia vacation. Could it have been all of the local TV ads (Malaysia truly Asia!)? But once we started researching, we learned that Malaysia has some pretty cool stuff to offer.

Only 2.5 hours away from HK, Malaysia has two regions: Malaysian Borneo and Peninsula Malaysia. We flew into Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, home to South East Asia’s tallest mountain, Mount Kinabalu. Now it would be a stretch to say Pat and I are in peak physical condition, but nonetheless, we decided we couldn’t go to Malaysia and not climb to the top! From there, our trip took shape and we set out for a few days of adventure and a few days of r&r.   Here are some highlights!

White Water Rafting

Our old school train ride.

Day 1 we woke up at 5am to go white water rafting on the Padas River. We took a 2-hour bus to a train station, where we then boarded an old diesel train for a 2-hour ride through the backwoods. The train ride itself was quite an experience. It was sort of like the train in Slumdog Millionaire. No joke. People were carrying live chickens.  We then spent a few hours rafting on class 3-4 rapids, taking in some of the gorgeous scenery in Malaysia.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu  DAY 1:

Day 2 of our trip we were up at 6am to head to Mount Kinabalu. At 4,095m/13,435 feet, she’s Southeast Asia’s tallest mountain and one of the most popular climbs because there are no technical skills needed for this climb. In fact, you see people of all ages on the mountain – including kids and elderly go-getters! (The oldest person to summit the mountain was 98 years old and Japanese tourists around 89 or 90 regularly climb the mountain. What?)


We met our guide, Jimmy, at 9am and set off on our hike, which is divided into a 2-day climb. We each had a small backpack with overnight clothes, a few warm layers, rain gear, a headlamp, and lots of water and power bars. The first few minutes of the hike were downhill. Don't be fooled! The rest of the way was 8.7km uphill. The trail is literally some sort of "step" all the way up hill, rocks, tree roots, wooden steps. But, our guide kept encouraging us to go slow and take breaks. There are 7 shelters built along the trail and your guide makes you stop at each to take a quick break.

2 medicinal tigers: beer and balm

A few hours later we were at our camp, Laban Rata, for the night.  Laban Rata is situated at about 6km and 3,273m) up the mountain and is perched well above the clouds and city far below. It only takes 100 or so guests per night and the only way to get there is by hiking! This place is like a ski lodge – everyone’s sitting around the main room in their hiking gear and hats and gloves (yes, it gets cold!!) and exhausted and sore. Pat and I played a few games of black jack for peanut m&ms and then enjoyed the early bird dinner special at around 5pm, when they cooked up a giant buffet feast. At around 7:30pm we called it a night, retreating to our bunk beds in a group dorm room, which we shared with a few Japanese and Chinese hikers.

Sunset from Laban Rata

Climbing Mount Kinabalu DAY 2: 

At 2am everyone in Laban Rata was awake again and prepping for the morning ahead – a climb to the summit…in the dark!  With 2.72km left to climb, we set out bundled in thermals, led only by our headlamps and the stars above. After about an hour, we were high above tree level and the ground below us shifted from stairs to pure granite. We continued the rest of the way holding onto a rope. A welcome break for my tired and shaking legs!  

By around 5:30am we had made it to the top and took a seat to watch the sunrise. While we waited, there was an amazing lightning storm in the distance. We were so far above the clouds that all you could see was the clouds light up. It looked like fireworks!

It’s really cold on top of the mountain – often reaching freezing plus a major wind. Whoever had warned me to bring extra layers, I should have listened…but I pushed through long enough to watch the sky change from black to navy to orange and pink and finally to a pale blue.

Some straglers made it up after sunrise, but they still made it to the top!

Wonder of the Week: Breathing Underwater!

That's me - giving the "OK" sign!

Today I officially became a PADI certified open water diver! The course consisted of 2 days of work in the pool, an e-learning program and 4 open water dives, which I completed here in Hong Kong (Sharp Island, Sai Kung). 

While the visibility wasn't great, we still did see some cool fish and coral and even eel and a trumpet fish. I was amazed by how comfortable I was in the water and how easy the breathing was. Because I was going for my certification, I had to complete certain tasks, such as hovering mid water to practice buoyancy and breathing with an alternate air source. I've also learned how to use the dive charts and navigate underwater using a compass. 

Coming Up...Next week we're off to Malaysia to explore the amazing underwater universe, trek up Mount Kinabalu (SE Asia's tallest mountain) and go white water rafting! And you thought I was a city girl....

Staycation: Beach Camping In Style

This weekend Pat and I took a little staycation with a few friends. Our destination: beach camping at Palm Beach (Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Lantau Island, Hong Kong). 

Palm Beach is my dream come true and if I could spend every weekend there, I would. (In fact, only 45 minutes from home and at a pretty cheap rate, just maybe I can!).  This is no ordinary camping – no pitching tents and hanging bear bags – this is glamping at its best. Teepees that sleep 8 come equipped with air coolers and sleep mats, a small kiosk sells cold water, ice pops and beer and plays beach tunes all day long while surfboards, kayaks more are available to rent by the hour. 

Saturday was a perfect beach day filled with stand up paddle boarding, reading, swimming and lounging with friends. 

At around seven we motivated, still donning our bathing suits and sarongs, and made the six-minute walk down the beach to The Stoep,  an awesome beach restaurant serving up South African braai (bbq). Greeting us at the restaurant was a herd of cattle sitting right out front, just taking in the view on the beach.

Pat in front of The Stoep with his new friend.

These guys parked it on the beach and stayed well past sun set.

A few hours of eating and many pitchers of sangria later, we headed back to camp (sporting our newly purchased headlamps to ensure we wouldn't trip over cattle!) where we made s’mores, danced on the beach, took a night swim and even had an impromptu sumo wrestling match with a group of French campers (weird, but true).  Among the many awesome moments of the night was swimming with phosphorescence in the ocean, which caused us to all light up and sparkle as we swam (and squealed) late night in the South China Sea.  I had never seen this phenomenon before, but it was truly one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.

Here's an example of the phosphorescence! Pretty cool stuff.
photograph courtesy of facebook.com/microbiologynews

 And the best part was, once we finally got to bed, we got to wake up the next day right on the beach and ready to do it all again!

 

Summer summer summertime....

A classic junk boat sets sail in Victoria Harbor

Summer is in full swing and it's officially really f&*%ing hot!!

If we were in NY we’d be running off to Montauk every weekend. I miss it there and all of our friends and favorite spots (long waits at chowder house, lazy days at Ditch, Saturday mornings at Love, cookouts + clambakes, fishing off the pier, bocce ball + pro kadima matches and so much more….)

BUT here I am in Hong Kong! You might be wondering what we do here to escape the heat? We go on junk boats!  (For those Bachelorette fans out there, you may remember the dramatic night junk from Ashley's season).

Me and Pat and on our way to a
cowboys + indians themed junk!

Pat diving off the top deck.
A junk favorite!

It seems like you could go on one every weekend if you play your cards right. In fact, we've already been on 5! They’re usually organized by one or two people and have anywhere from 15-30 friends onboard (a great way to meet people, too). Depending on the weather, the boats sail to different islands around HK and then anchor for a day of swimming, eating, drinking and playing (yes, it's sort of like spring break - but better)! It’s an awesome way to spend the day and an even better way to see Hong Kong.

Before going on my first junk, our friends warned us be prepared to fall in love with HK. As if I hadn’t already!

 Here are some pics from our junk trips! Stay tuned for more as we get our sea legs wet!

Nice form! Notice the beach party happening behind the boats. We swam ashore to join in.

This was our first junk. It was a rainy morning but the afternoon cleared up.

We watched the Dragon Boat Races from an anchored sailboat in Stanley. It was a great day on the water!

A gorgeous sunny day! What's not to love?

A rainy junk day - just as much fun and less spf required!

Yep. This is how I've spent my weekends. Not bad for a Saturday....

There she is - the beautiful Hong Kong. Hong Kong Island is on the left and Kowloon is on the right. 

In Tacos We Trust: Braised Pork Tacos

If there's one thing that's really benefiting from my unemployment it's my gym routine cooking.  So when Pat said he was craving pork tacos, I made it my mission to make killer pork tacos.

Now I'm not a big pork person and, save for that bacon infused vodka I once attempted, I haven't experimented much with pig. So while I usually ignore consider his dinner requests, I jumped to try cooking something new. And with time on my side, I opted for a recipe that called for slowly braising the meat (yes, I do have entire afternoons free to do this!).

The first challenge was finding a pork shoulder. After a few failed attempts, I finally tracked one down at Pacific Gourmet.  Once I had my meat and all of my ingredients ready to go, I was ready to rock.

I can't say there was anything tricky about this recipe - and the most time consuming part of the cooking was just waiting for the meat to braise in the oven (giving me time to online shop job search).  The meat cooked perfectly, shredding easily with a fork and then melting in my mouth. The sauce had a lot of heat and really brought out the flavor in the pork, rather than masking it. I topped soft tacos with the meat and sauce, pickled onions (recipe below), a jalapeno slice and a slice of avocado and served these with a small side of quinoa and black beans.

Pat proclaimed that it was the best meal I've ever made him.  Okay, so maybe two things are really benefiting from my unemployment!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray's Week In a Day

What You'll Need:  (serves 2 with leftovers)

Meat+ Sauce:
boneless pork shoulder (about 2lbs)      
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons evoo
2 onions, cut into wedges with the root on
4 large coves of garlic, smashed
1 red chili
2 bay leaves
8oz beer
1 cup chicken stock                    
1 cup orange juice
1 chipotle pepper, chopped (2 for added spice)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 limes, juiced
corn tortillas
sliced avocado (optional)
sliced red cabbage (optional)
shredded cheese (optional)
pickled jalapenos (optional)

Pickled Onions:
2 small red onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 sliced red chili
2 bay leaves





What to Do:



Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C). Season meat with salt and pepper and let it come to room temp (about 30 minutes).  Pat pork dry.



Heat a large oven-safe pot over high heat with the vegetable oil. Place pork in and evenly brown the meat, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside the pork.

Lower the heat to medium-high.  Add EVOO and heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, 1 sliced chili, and 2 bay leaves. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  De-glaze the pot with beer and stir  in chicken stock and orange juice. Add the pork back into the pot (liquid should cover about 2/3 of the meat) and bring to a simmer.

Cover and put the pot into the oven, turning the meat halfway through. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 3 hours. Remove pot from oven and and remove meat from sauce, placing on a wood board - reserve and tent to keep warm. When the meat cools slightly, pull pork apart using 2 forks.

Simmer the braising liquid and reduce by half. Add the chipotle and adobo and lime juice.  When sauce has cooled slightly, use an immersion blender to purify into a thick sauce. Stir in your meat to coat or reserve to serve on the side.

For the onions:
In a sauce pot, bring the white vinegar, sugar, a teaspoon of salt, 1 chili pepper sliced and 2 bay leaves to a simmer over a low heat. Place sliced red onions into a sealable container. Pour the hot liquid over the onions, cover and shake vigorously. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Top your corn tortillas with meat and sauce and any additional toppings. Best served hot with a cold beer. Relax + enjoy!

PS - Looking for a way to use up those leftovers (if you have any, that is!)? Make a mini taco for a fiesta friendly finger food: Spoon a dollop of the pork and sauce onto a tostito - top with a sliver of onion, jalapeno and a pinch of cheese.

Why Hello, Big Buddha

Perched high on Lantau Island, Big Buddha is the largest, seated, outdoor bronze Buddha in the world! While it is absolutely a tourist trap (built in 1993!) it’s still a really cool attraction here in HK. Read more about how they built this gigantic Buddha here. Apparently the head alone weighs over 11,000lbs!

Feast your eyes on these pics and be sure to come with your battery charged on your own visit!

How to get there:  MTR from Central Station to Tung Chung Station, followed by a 25minute cable car ride high above the water and the mountains - opt for the glass bottom gondola (YIKES!).






A short walk through the souvenir shops in Ngong Ping village (left).

Finally up 200 plus steps to come face to face with Buddha himself (below).

After Buddha, recharge your batteries at the vegetarian restaurant and stroll through nearby Po Lin Monastery.

Namaste
xoGillian