Char Kway Teow, RM6.00
The kway teow was too charred till it tasted bitter. So I did not like it at all, and somewhat regretted the fact that I ordered it.So on we drove to Annah Rais Hotspring, it was rather far. We drove for an hour, but with our lively chatter in the car, we all felt like we arrived too quickly.
Beautiful drive!
Entrance fee was RM5.00. We walked about 30 minutes on a proper cemented pathway to the hotspring which is situated in the river or stream. There was an enclosure in the middle of the fast-flowing river ... and when I looked further down the river, I saw 2 more enclosures of different sizes.
The pathway to the hotspring ..
The water in the enclosure is warm ...
There were 4 cubicles - 1 was the toilet and 3 other were showers and changing rooms. They looked pretty shabby. Hmn ... could really do with some upgrade.
So we changed into our shorts and waded into the water .... brrr ... very cold, but refreshing water. The current was quite strong and the river bed was stony .... so it was quite difficult to move about in the river. My friends and I soaked in the hotspring for about 20 minutes .... and then we bathed in the cold river ...
What's nice:
1) Soaking in the warm water amidst the natural surroundings of the jungle.
2) Bathing in the cool refreshing waters of the river - the current was very strong though ...
What's not nice:
1) The hotspring was quite small, it could get crowded with lots of people as you can probably see!
2) The water temperature wasn't consistent - scalding hot at certain places, lukewarm at others
3) One was susceptible to insect bites! Bring insect repellant
I didn't really enjoy the soak as I did at Kampung Panchor Hotspring the other day. I think if you wanted therapy, Panchor would be the place to go. Annah Rais would be for leisure and recreation.
We next went to the Annah Rais longhouse, where we were welcomed with a shot of tuak each. Tuak was sweet rice wine - it was really tasty. I bought a bottle for RM12.00 to bring home.
Had a shot and was tempted to ask for seconds .... heh ...
Our tour of the longhouse started with this visit to this sugar cane crusher ...
First time I'd seen this!
This massive structure was used to crush sugar cane to make sugar ... according to our guide, a long time ago, this village wasn't so accessible, and folks couldn't get to the nearest township for supplies .... so they made their own sugar.
The longhouse corridor was lined with bamboo ... the bamboo would be changed annually
Our guide told us that one could move about from house no. 1 to house no. 9 without coming out of the corridor; the villagers' greatest fear were headhunters ....
Peeking into the headhouse
I did not dare go into the headhouse, an elevated house situated along the corridor ... there were real human skulls in there ....our guide did share about the significance of headhunting in the days past ... because I did not go into the headhouse, I missed all of his stories ....
Some beaded handicrafts for sale at the longhouse ...
A river behind the longhouse ...
Inside the showhouse ...
As you entered, the kitchenette is on the left, the hearth on the right, and an open space thereafter for dining, sleeping, living .... there's a loft too, where crops would be kept.
Street art on one of the walls at the longhouse ...
Lunch was next at Macheree Homestay at the longhouse itself. It was served to us buffet style, and featured local dishes. I hadn't planned to eat .... but when I saw pounded tapioca leaves, I was bought. I loved pounded tapioca leaves .... I could eat that alone with a big bowl of rice.
Ayam pansuh or chicken cooked in bamboo ...
Not sure if it's really cooked in bamboo or not because it was served to us in a huge pot ...
Stir-fried gourd ... not sure what gourd it is ....
Stir-fried pounded tapioca leaves .... my favourite ....
Stir-fried ferns and bamboo shoots
Rice cooked in bamboo ..
My delicious lunch!
I found the rice a bit hard; the chicken soup tasted alright, but I liked the vegetables very much; the ferns and bamboo shoots were crunchy, and just likely flavoured so I could taste the natural sweetness of the vegetables. My favourite was the pounded tapioca leaves; I could see that it was pounded by hand and not by the food processor; that meant that the texture would be good. The tapioca tasted rich and satisfying, and I had to have another serving ...
Full from lunch, we thanked our guide and walked back to the car .... on the way, we stopped to buy some tapioca crackers ....
Tapioca chips, RM2.00
Very distinctive flavour of tapioca, very crispy, slightly sweet and salty too ... these made great tv snacks ...
It was my first time to Annah Rais .. it was educational, it was fun. :))
their local dishes are not bad, I like tapioca leaves too!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the food was nice; I ate more than I wanted to. Lol.
ReplyDelete