travel
Epoch Times
September 4 –17, 2015 27
ALL PHOTOS BY Li Yen/Epoch Times
Continued from the opposite page language of mankind”, and he could not have been more accurate. At RWMF, people of various nationalities and races mingled with each other and danced along to the beat. The yodelling of Swiss, Jordanian and Congo performers at each corner of the performing square was a perfect example of music bringing people together. Besides the three-nightly stage performances by musicians across the globe, musical workshops and jamming sessions kicked off as early as 2 pm in the afternoon at the Dewan Lagenda, Iban Longhouse and Bidayuh House in Sarawak Cultural Village. The workshops were interactive and educational as international musicians shared their music with visitors. Through the various workshops, one could learn about Sarawak’s ethnic music, dance and its unique instruments, including the Ritual Eagle Dance of Borneo, the famous sape, and a workshop titled “Mythical Sounds: traditional tales, instruments and rhythms of Borneo”. The Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival was once again voted into the top 25 international music festivals by Songlines, a renowned world music magazine based in the UK.
There is only one word to describe Sarawak’s most popular dish kolok mee, and that is ‘sedap’ (delicious)!
Must-Try Eats in Kuching, Sarawak
There is only one word to describe Sarawak’s most popular dish kolok mee, and that is ‘sedap’ (delicious)! This springy egg noodle dish, which is accompanied with black vinegar sauce, can be found everywhere in Sarawak. Next on the must-try food list is Sarawak laska. The laksa comprises vermicelli
Mira Cake House
Leng chi kang
cooked in a thick shrimp-based soup, which is seasoned with sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk. It is served piping hot with bean sprouts, prawn, chicken strips, sliced omelette, fresh coriander, and lime. In Sarawak, you are likely to come across these multi-coloured layer cakes called kek lapis (Sarawak layer cake). The traditional method for baking the colourful cake was handed down over many generations of Sarawakians. Mira Cake House is probably the most popular kek lapis shop in Sarawak. Personally, I like the kek lapis made by CKIN Cake. Forget about drinking Starbucks in Sarawak. Instead, savour Sarawakian coffee at Black Bean Coffee & Tea Company along Ewe Hai Street, Kuching. Its freshly ground Liberica beans and Robusta beans are planted by the Bidayuh in the mountainous region of Sarawak. This coffee shop has been featured in a Danish travel magazine, and is said to be Kuching’s finest brew. Craving for homemade Baba Nyonya des-
Kolok mee
serts and delicacies? 33 Old Street Enterprise at 33 Jalan China serves homecooked nyonya rojak, ice kacang, leng chi kang and kantong (blended ice on a stick). Leng chi kang is a refreshing dessert cooked with healthy ingredients like lotus seed, barley, jelly, dried persimmon, winter melon candy, sea grass, and white fungus. The old courthouse in Kuching is now the Sarawak Tourism Complex, and houses the Visitors’ Information Centre and the National Park Booking Office. After making your tour booking to Bako National Park, rest and have a cup of hot chocolate or coffee at the Magenta Restaurant located in the Old Courthouse premise. While sipping your coffee, take some time to admire the outstanding belian (ironwood) roofs of this old colonial architecture built in 1874.
3 Reasons Not to Miss Sedona if You Plan to Visit Grand Canyon By Zhu Li Epoch Times Staff Sedona, Arizona sits 150 kilmoetres south of the Grand Canyon National Park. If you are going to the Grand Canyon, here are three big reasons to visit Sedona. The first is “beautiful”. US Weekly voted Sedona as the most beautiful place in US. Sedona is a 50 square-kilometre, relaxing, quiet little town that is picturesque from every corner. The second reason is “convenience”. Sedona is located between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, and from Sedona it takes only two hours by car to reach the Grand Canyon South Rim. If the Grand Canyon is a traveller’s Christmas dinner, Sedona is a delicate appetiser. The third reason is the real reason
why millions of tourists flock to Sedona each year. In the 1980s, the medical profession discovered that Sedona has a very strong energy vortex—a mysterious magnetic field that can treat pain, with a capacity to lift and balance the mind and the body. The response to the energy vortex varies amongst individuals—some people feel calm and tranquil, while others get more emotional, even bursting into tears. The ten-thousand residents of Sedona show how much they love their home town in many different ways—the materials and colours of the buildings, the styles and colours of the lamp posts and even traffic light posts are all carefully chosen. Even the giant food chain McDonald’s has changed its trademark “M” sign into a colour more suited to the surrounding environment.
Bill Cox/Epoch Times
Sedona has many hotels and holiday cottages with pleasing scenery, but like all other popular tourist sites, the prices are a bit steep. An alternative is to spend a day touring Sedona, then spend the night at Flagstaff, another delightful little town located on the foot of the San Francisco Peaks. Flagstaff is closer to the Grand Canyon by 1 hour’s drive compared
to Sedona, and will likely save you in hotel costs. Flagstaff has several modern, quality hotels with lots of parking. If you are driving from Sedona to Flagstaff, take Route No. 89 for a scenic drive the entire way. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Epoch Times.
A view overlooking Sedona from the Airport Lookout, on 17 May 2015.