exotic – Eris Goes To

Famous Food in Betong, Thailand – Bird’s Nest Soup @ Inter Bird Nest Shop

November 9, 2017November 7, 2017Posted in Food, Southeast Asia, Thailand, TravelTagged betong, betong attractions, birds nest, exotic, Featured, food, Thai, Thailand, Thailand attractions, unusual food, YalaLeave a comment

There are a few ‘must-try’ local specialties while visiting Betong in the Southern province of Yala in Thailand. One of these is birds nest soup. The quality is said to be superior and also much, much cheaper than you’d get them for in Malaysia. Not surprising that they do a lot of tourist business. After some hunting, we arrived at Inter Bird Nest Shop. The establishment itself is hard to locate since its nondescript on the outside, sandwiched between grocery stores/car workshops, but Waze the name (or ‘bird’s nest Betong) and it should bring you to the place.

The front of the shop has a couple of tables, but there’s a lot more space at the back. Aside from bird’s nest, they also sell fish maw, another local delicacy.

Nicely packed for you to take home/buy as souvenirs.

We ordered a bowl of bird’s nest at 200 baht (RM26) each. It came in a hefty portion enough for two, boiled in rock sugar to give it a sweet taste (the nest itself is tasteless). Loved the silky strands slipping down my throat like a warm embrace! It’s not often that I get to indulge in such luxury 😀 10/10 would go back to Betong and have this.

*Sorry no address. 😦 Waze ‘Inter Bird Nest’ or ‘Betong birds nest’ and it should pick up the place. The shop is located along a row of two-storey shophouses.

The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort – Day 3: Snorkelling!

April 4, 2017March 29, 2017Posted in Malaysia, TravelTagged Asia, beach, exotic, Featured, holiday, island, Malaysia, photography, Redang, resort, spa, Terengganu, The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort, travel2 Comments

The past two days at The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort was spent stuffing my face with delicious food – so it was high time for some exercise! Woke up early in the morning and headed to the Taaras Villa along with another blogger. There was nobody there so while he took pictures for his social media, I went for a nice swim in the infinity pool. An hour later, still in swimwear, I went down to the beach and soaked in the azure blue waters.

Then it was snorkel time! After the safety briefing at the hotel, the boat took us to a spot with pretty coral reefs and lots of fish. We got some bread to feed the fish and they swarmed around us in colourful swirls.

Ignore fat face.

On the way back to the resort.

The hotel invited some guests from an arts/culture club to show us the traditional way of making Batik, which uses wax to create patterns on fabric. We also tried our hand at painting some sample pieces! 🙂

Bought several sarongs (wraps) for only RM10.

Terengganu style keropok lekor (fried fish paste snacks) with sweet chilli sauce for an afternoon tea time snack! 🙂

Had BBQ dinner at night, and it was just R&R for the rest of the trip.

Bye Redang!

for more info, head on to http://www.thetaaras.com

The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort Day 2 – The Taaras Villa

April 3, 2017February 10, 2021Posted in Food, Malaysia, TravelTagged Asia, beach, beach holiday, destinations, exotic, Featured, holiday, island, Malaysia, Redang, Terengganu, The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort, travel, travel photography3 Comments

Second day at The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort on the scenic island of Redang, off the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia!

Woke up early and headed to the Asean All Day Dining restaurant for a good ol’fashioned Western breakfast – sunny side up egg, baked beans, beef ham, butter on toast, chicken and egg sausages, with a glass of cold fresh milk.

Headed to the beach. The skies were a clear blue, the hills were illuminated in sunshine, and the sea was a beautiful shade of turquoise. There were guests sunbathing, and even some surfers, since the waves were still quite strong. I sat in the shade and listened to the ocean lapping against the shore, before heading back to my villa to sink into the soft bed and watch TV. Now that’s what I call a holiday.

Later in the afternoon we attended a signing ceremony between the hotel proprietor, Berjaya Group and Prima Air. Under this partnership, Prima Air will provide chartered flights in s Cessna plane that accommodates about 10 guests, directly from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang to Redang, three times weekly. The flights will be packaged with accomodation at The Taaras. This service is expected to start in April.

Our dinner that night was at the exclusive Taaras Villa, the most expensive accommodation available at the resort. Apparently the Princess of Jordan and HK superstar Andy Lau stayed here during their visits! 🙂 The bungalow is perched atop the hill, with expansive views of cliffs, ocean and parts of the island. The living room even has its own karaoke system.

Dining area. Guests will be privy to private chef and butler services.

Perhaps the star attraction is the 16m infinity pool, which offers gorgeous views while you’re taking a dip. I got to swim in it early the next morning (since the rest of the group weren’t there, I had the whole pool to myself!)

Exploring the five bedroom villa. The house was very big and can easily fit 10 – 20 guests. In each room there were soft beds and couches along with TVs, large closets and bathtubs.

There’s even a basic gym in the basement, complete with treadmill, exercise ball, bike machine and yoga mats.

View from one of the rooms on the first floor.

The jacuzzi area was hidden in a vast room that looked like an art gallery, before opening up to this space with glass partitions and the tub.

The sea was a stunning dark teal/turquoise.

Our dinner that night was a traditional Malay meal – sambal squid, beef rendang, mutton kurma, fried shrimp, stir fried veggies and meat stew. Everything was excellent.

I’ll make it my dream one day to be able to afford such a place on a holiday. Not a bad thing, to dream. 😛