Coffee Delight

I was going to write about the craze for coffee art these days but I think I will begin with a write up on local coffee.You know,the old fashion kopi O.

Coffee has been around for ages and it had been the drink of our grandmothers.Somehow the generation X and Y  feels that they are the connoisseur of coffee.A cup of cappuccino or long black coffee may cost you about RM15 in Coffee Beans or Starbucks  but local black 'kopi- o' at a coffee shop down the street will only cost you about RM2.50 per cup.The same kind of coffee whereby it is grounded and sieved but it is cheap because most coffee shop buys coffee from the traders in town at a price of RM14 per kg.

Phang Yoke has been selling local coffee at Yee Hoi coffee manufacturer stall at the Super Kinta building for 30 over years but the 'Seal Brand Coffee' that she sell has been around for 60 years with a factory in Jelapang."It was my grandmother who suggested that I sell coffee to help make ends meet after I got married but till now I am enjoying selling coffee."said the 59 years old lady with a smile.

In a world where drinking gourmet and instant coffee is the trend,the coffee like the one sold by Phang,are near extinction. Still,she does not mind because she humbly said that those imported coffee must surely taste better. Most of her customers are her regulars and they said that her coffee is still the best for them.

"Modern people prefer to  drink coffee at expensive places these days but those who know about coffee will buy from me because my coffee is cheap and I grind the coffee when customers ask for it."said Phang.

 

Her stall and another stall are the only two that are still selling coffee the old fashion way . Coffee lovers should get their coffee fix from local traders and enjoy the taste of capuccino in the comfort of home.

Going to her stall ,we can smell the aroma from afar and it is very tempting. Her coffee beans are all sold  in huge jars and customers would choose. Then she will grind the coffee for them.If you want a taste of capuccino at home,just add some vanilla essence to your sieved coffee and voila,cappuccino for you.

Introducing Gaharu tea.

I have written about the Gaharu tea plantation for NST LET e-mag and also for the Perak Insights magazine.Both contents are not the same but it all come down to the story.A story about the Gaharu tea plantation,Gopeng.

Today I went to Gaharu Tea plantation which is situated at Gopeng as a guest of the CEO Nick Ho.

Nick and me had become good friends ever since I wrote about his family's plantation.Yes I had to impose myself on him for information that are not in the net.He had been very helpful and for that I am grateful.

The event today was in conjuction of the Chinese New Year and there were about 600 guests from all walks of life.

I brought my stepmom and sister along so that they could see the scenic hill with the agarwood trees.200,000 of trees on a 300 acres of land.Amazing sight but like other businesses,nothing comes easy.Same with the Ho family.It took them 20 years to see their investment becoming fruitful.

Now the plantation produces all kinds of products made from the tree.The best product is the tea.I have been drinking the tea since I first knew about Gaharu and I must say that it has helped me with my anxiety and insomnia.

Readers,if you suffer from insomnia,do try this tea.It is soothing and relaxing so it's best  to unwind n sip the tea in the evening.
There are other benefits to our health from this tea but it's for you to try and feel it.

I believed that my stepmom and sister had a fun time at the event.We went up the hills and watched the gaharu trees spreading across the hills and valley.A picturesque sight indeed.
Then we had fun hugging the trees which have drawings of animals on them.They say that hugging the tree will bring us luck!Hugging trees can be therapeutic,that much I am sure.

After the hugging and icture taking session,we relax and had a good conversation with Nick Ho.He gave us a fortune box which contains the tea and coffee products made from the gaharu leaves.A day well spent ,I would say.

What is Inap Desa?

Inap Desa is a concept whereby tourist who wants to experience the feel of a kampung lifestyle can stay with the villagers that are tied with the tourism department of Perak. This concept is attractive for the foreign tourist market.

My friend and I visited the Kampung Beng Inap Desa which is by the beautiful Chenderoh Lake.

Apparently Roslan was one of the six chosen to run an Inap Desa.Those who stayed with him will sleep the way they sleep,mattress on the wooden floor without air conditioning and eat what they eat.Then the tourist will follow him out to fish in the lake and also rubber tapping.Roslan have received many tourist from all over and they love it there.An Indonesian tourist said that this lake is much more beautiful than lake toba."said Roslan.

Kampung Beng is secluded and one can take a boat straight to the place or use the road like we did . Surprisingly he told us that the Petronas commercial by Yasmin Ahmad was filmed at the jetty near his house.Being a Yasmin Ahmad fan we were thrilled and hurried to the jetty and the house where the commercial was shot.

The ambience of the lake and jetty is soothing and it looks just like it did ten years ago.Time seems to bypassed this place.The lake is surrounded by mountains and jungles that are protected by the authority.Lake Cenderoh is a natural lake and it was the first dam in Perak.

Roslan showed us the fishes that they caught earlier.He said this fish can only be found in Perak and the Amazon. In Malay it is called 'ikan Raja' and in english it is called 'Peacock Bass'.A huge fish indeed.

There were only a few houses by the lake and most are traditional style.There are coconut trees by the lake and vegetables that they plant for them to consume.They are healthy folks because the place is not polluted and they are kind and generous. Life is good for them and may the Almighty bless them with the best.

The Sea

As much as I love nature,I am not into walking under the hot sun by the sea.I am more into hills and jungles.

So I was invited to stay at the Swiss Garden Damai Laut Beach Resort.A good friend invited me to stay the night there and see another hidden gem in Perak.
I hear from people that the place is not in good shape,there are flies all over etc.I am not surprised if there were flies because dinding which surrounds the resort is full of poultry farms.

We reached Damai Laut around noon after a 2 hours of leisurely drive from Ipoh.The route to the resort from the signboard  is quite far but I love enchanting  sceneries so I do not mind the distance.Mangrove trees with monkeys running towards the car,I was thrilled.

We were met at the lobby which was full of people and not flies!The smell of lemongrass was soothing and we were served a welcome drink of lemongrass tea.Patrick the new General Manager showed us to our room which was on the 5th floor facing the sea.For once I noticed that the hotel had put two prayer mats for us.Knowing that we are Muslims of course.We then  had lunch at the coffee house,a beautiful place made of glass from top to bottom with water flowing on the glass roof to the ground.I actually love 

water features so this place was truly inviting.The food was well presented and tasty.No flies so I asked Patrick where are the flies?He said that he has ordered the staff to treat the hotel with certain sophisticated fly traps and lemongrass scented candles.So far so good.

We were taken by a tramp around the 400acres which includes the beautiful golf course.

We were also taken on a boat ride around the pangkor island and we saw a few secluded islands like the monkey island and pulau Giam.The sea in those area are crystal clear and we could see the fishes when we looked down.

I tried the ATV after the boat ride and it was pure fun.It's nice to forget our age sometimes.

Dinner was at their thai restaurant which overlook the sea and the sun set.Beautiful!
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I had a good sleep in their well maintained room and the next morning we went on their jungle walk.I was in my element for I love nature and the hill trek was fun.There is a tree house in the jungle and it was my first adventure climbing a tree house.

After all the fun and adventure at Damai Laut,I left the place with a promise in my heart that I will return.With their medium cost hotel rate,Swiss Garden Damai Laut is a place to go for those who loves adventure and golf.