Experience the unique cuisine in Borneo, East Malaysia

Borneo is known for its nature and wildlife, but visitors are often surprised by the wonderful selection of food on offer. While Borneo has similar cultural influences to Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysian, Indian, Chinese, the tribes native to the area have also influenced the culinary scene.

Bird’s Nest Soup

Sarawak has a long-standing reputation for producing world-class bird’s nests. Popular with Chinese, local climbers risk life and limb to climb precarious caves to reach the nest of swallows. The saliva is then extracted and dried into pieces before being made into soup.

Satay 

Satay is probably one of Malaysia’s most famous dishes, and for very good reason, it is bloody delicious. You can find good satay pretty much everywhere but we were lucky enough to have our resort’s head chef prepare some us specially. The delicious little sticks of meat, usually chicken or beef, are cooked with handful of spices and lemongrass and then barbecued to give them their unique flavour. They are then served with a scrummy dipping sauce usually made with coconut and peanuts among other things.

Kolok Mee 

Kolok Mee is a unique Chinese dish found only in Sarawak. The noodles are made from eggs, blanched in water and then served in a clear sauce. Small pieces of beef or pork are then drizzled over it. However, you can find variations of this dish today in Kuala Lumpur.

Manok Pansoh 

This is a dish from the Ibans of Sarawak. Pieces of chicken are stuffed into a bamboo tube together with mushrooms, lemongrass and tapioca leaves. It is then cooked over an open fire, the bamboo preserving the taste and fragrance of the ingredients within.

Nasi Goreng

This fried rice dish is again one the most popular dishes to eat and you should come across it in many varieties, usually served with crackers and topped with a fried egg. This can be eaten anywhere from street food stalls to high end restaurants.

Hinava

The Kadazan are responsible for this unique dish which is a form of sushi. Pieces of fresh mackerel, shredded ginger, mango seeds, sliced shallots and red chillies are mixed and drenched in lime juice, which acts as a ‘cooking’ agent. The result is a fragrant dish with a delicious taste.

Sayur Manis

This leafy vegetable was first discovered in the Sabah town of Lahad Datu by a farmer, who found a way to grow the stems into a crunchy texture and give the leaves a tender texture. Today, Lahad Datu is famous for these leafy greens.

See more: Must-try street food in Kuala Lumpur

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Experience daily life in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The Mekong Delta is a popular weekend getaway from the bustling southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City. What is there to do in this maze of rivers and rice paddies? Here are some activities you must try.

Visit floating markets to enjoy the daily life on Mekong River

The most unique and peculiar thing about Mekong Delta is no other than floating markets where you can see all the way of life, daily activities and culture of the people here. Floating markets are not a specialty that can only be found in Mekong Delta. Thailand also has many floating markets. Yet, Mekong Delta’s floating markets have their very own different charms. These markets has been existing just simply for local farmers to sell fruits and vegetables to the folks on the land.

Swim in the swamps and try net fishing

Swamps are a lot more fun to swim in than pools, and children in Vietnam love doing it. From September to December is when this activity is at its best because the water levels are higher during this time. Swamp swimming is a particularly favorite play time activity of children in the area, especially on hot afternoons as a great way to cool off. You will also probably come across some locals partaking in net fishing. They will gladly welcome you and let you have a try and your catches will be cooked for dinner.

Taste freshness of fruits in Cai Be Fruit Orchard

Since Mekong Delta provides two-third of the fruit consumed throughout Vietnam, tasting the fruits should be while in Mekong Delta. The perfect places for that are the fruit orchards which can be found in most of the region. Cai Be Fruit Orchard is the largest fruit orchard in the delta, offers the tastiness of all kinds of tropical fruits. During your visit to the orchard, you can pick up the ripe fruit right off the trees and enjoy them.

Visit the little coconut candy lady

Many residents of the Mekong Delta specialize in producing goods such as rice paper, coconut candy, bricks, handicrafts and the like. They even open their homes for you to visit, look around and buy items if you wish. One of our favorites is a wonderful lady named Tu Ha who makes the world’s best coconut candy. She is 62 and lives by herself doing what she loves, and part of that is sharing with the rest of the world her delicious sweets. She spends her days making different kinds of candies from coconut and ginger which are packaged and sold off to buyers. She is always open to teach you what the process is like, so go with a local who can help translate. Don’t miss out on the coconut rice wine! Take some back home—it is delicious, and strong.

Listen to Southern Folk Songs

After a long trip of roaming around Mekong River by boats, tasting fruits, catching fish and visiting floating markets, you will be then inspired and calmed by traditional Southern folk songs and performance. Also called "Đờn Ca Tài Tử" in Vietnamese, the Southern folk songs are one special kind of musical art, reflecting the lifestyle of Southerners who live and earn their bread on the land and along the Mekong River.

Through the songs, the locals want to express all of their inner feelings and emotions, generosity, industriousness, and courage of their own. That is why this performance has become popular to any domestic and international locals. You yourself will be quickly cooled down and recharged after wallowing in the soothing sound of the music, in addition to drinking fruit refreshments and tea of the area.

Read more: Explore the taste of Mekong Delta cuisine in Vietnam

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Top underrated destinations in Vietnam

Unless you have a local friend or you’re actively looking for exotic experiences in Vietnam, you’ve probably never heard about these obscure places. Let us introduce you to a Vietnam you didn’t know.

Tan Lap Indigo Forest (Long An Province)

Tan Lap Indigo Forest is located in Long An Province, 40km to the West of Ho Chi Minh City. It is home to a five-kilometre canopy walkway that has recently become a favourite site for locals’ weekend retreats or team activities. You can also explore the giant swamp at the end of the scenic walk for roughly US$2 per person.

Mount Lao Than (Lao Cai Province)

The 2800-metre high mountain of Lao Than in Lao Cai Province is a sought-after campsite and is literally heaven for trekkers. After two days and one night of climbing the rocky pathways, you reach the summit of Lao Than, one of the highest mountains in Northern Vietnam. There, you will be able to stand in a sea of clouds, taking in the breathtaking view of the Northern highlands while savouring a well-deserved cup of hot tea.

Tam Chau Tea Terraced Fields (Lam Dong Province)

Tam Chau is the biggest tea terraced field in South Central Vietnam. Since it’s just opened for tourism very recently, Tam Chau is still largely undisturbed and offers a fresh experience of Vietnamese tea culture for both local and foreign visitors. You should visit the place at the break of dawn to see firsthand the translucent dewdrops glistening on fresh tea leaves and to enjoy the early breeze that carries an exquisite aroma of freshly ground tea.

Po Long Garai and Po Rom Temples (Ninh Thuan Province)

The sandy province of Ninh Thuan saw the glory days of the Champa Kingdom as one of its main territories. Today, it is home to the Cham descendants and magnificent Cham relics, such as Po Long Garai and Po Rom ancient Hindu Temples. Unlike Cham relics in other Cham territories along the Central Coast, Po Long Garai and Porom were the most complex and extensive remnants of Cham architecture that luckily remain in their primitive state today. If you’re interested in the history of the Cham people and their mysterious architecture techniques, this is the place for you (be ready to climb hundreds of stairs though!).

Tram Chim National Park (Dong Thap Province)

Tram Chim is the biggest birds reserve and education centre in Vietnam. There, you will be amazed at the rich biodiversity across 7,600 hectares of wilderness, as well as the number of bird species that thrive there. Besides the natural habitat of the birds, you can glean some insights about the active efforts of local authorities and the science community in protecting endangered species. Don’t forget to hang back until sunset to watch thousands of cranes soaring overhead.

Ban Gioc Waterfall (Cao Bang Province)

Ban Gioc Waterfall lies at the border between China and Vietnam, in Cao Bang Province, North Vietnam. The grand waterfalls, therefore, is divided into two parts – Vietnam and China. Experience straddling two countries at once at the breathtaking nature spot.

See more: Top beautiful towns in Vietnam

Source: Internet