Sabahan Avocados

I love eating avocados and I remember there was abundance of them when I still lived in Sandakan then. My mom would buy them very often, scoop the flesh out, mash them with some condensed milk and serve chilled. It was so delicious, I tell ya!

After moving over to KL for more than two decades now, I almost forgot about how heavenly this fruit tasted until I was smitten by the fruit smoothie craze months back. Prior to that, I did come across imported avocados sold at the supermarkets but its price and quality put me off. I remember paying RM12 for two avocados and they either turned black and rotted without ripening or simply would not ripe! Bad experience!

When I went back to my hometown during the recent school holidays, I "casually" (okay, enthusiastically) asked my big brother if he could get me some good quality ones. And yes, he or rather his wife got me 10 of which 4 was hijacked by my mom! Hahaha.. Though Sabah is well known for its gigantic home grown avocados but good quality ones are not easy to come by. My second sis in-law got some from the market and its flesh wasn't as good and smooth, tainted by its brown root-like tentacles. She had them blended into thick smoothie form and it still tasted yummy!

So I bet my siblings know what to get for me when they come visit me! LOL!!!

Playing Kites

Even though the kids are so into electronic games, when the sun goes down, they will move their butts out of the house and play some outdoor activities.

Looking back, I really miss my childhood growing up with my two elder brothers. I was a tom boy then and being the only girl in the family before my baby sister came along eight years later, my dad and two brothers doted on me except for my mom who was the no nonsense type. My siblings would tag me along wherever they went, be it out to the jungle collecting rubber seeds to making our own swords and weapons for pretend fight. Guess they had no choice as I would threaten to report to dad should they refused to tag me along. LOL... Yup, I was quite a spoilt brat back then. Those were the days, sweet, unforgettable childhood memories...

Desa Cattle Farm, Kundasang, Sabah

We went in three cars and our initial plan was to stay a night in Kundasang and two nights in Kota Kinabalu. We had to cut short our trip when my brother in-law's 4WD met a road accident that involved three cars while on our way to Poring Hotspring. The whole bunch of us instead visited the police station in Ranau for two hours while waiting for my brother in-law to lodge a police report for insurance claims purposes.

After police report was lodged, we went ahead with our plan to stay one night in Kundasang as the engine of the 4WD appeared unscratched, only its front body suffered damages.

We checked into Cottage Hotel in Kundasang around 2pm and had late lunch at the hotel restaurant. We were so famished that though the food was mediocre, they were all swept clean as soon as they were served. After refreshing ourselves in our rooms, we squeezed into two cars and headed to Desa Cattle Farm, not far from where we stayed.

As we approached the cattle farm, we were all taken in by the scenery which was simply captivating. I still have lots of photos not uploaded in my camera and most of the photos here were taken with my iPad while the last two picture was plucked from the internet. The place was so crowded that the long line at the snack counter was horrendous. We only managed to grab 4 cups of ice-cream before they were all sold out! Holy Moo Moo Cow!!

To be continued...

English Tea House & Restaurant, Jalan Istana, Sandakan

My baby sister took us for afternoon tea at this refurbished British colonial bungalow overlooking Sandakan bay and on its far right was Sulu Sea. The scenery from the tea house was breathtaking and pleasing to the eye and mind. We had tea while the kids had iced lemon tea and hot chocolates. We also ordered a set of Devonshire tea served with tea, scones, sandwiches and mini cakes and slices of cheese cakes and double chocolate cakes to share while enjoying the peace and serenity of nature with magnificent view of the ocean and greenery that surrounds the place.

The scones were served with clotted cream and strawberry jam with the texture of the scones bready and cake-like inside to which I did not favor much, I still prefer it to be light and flaky.

It was a relaxed and chilled afternoon spent with my dad, baby sister, nephews and niece and I wish I could do that more often and thanks to my sister for the treat.

Mom's Garden @Sandakan

I love to take a stroll at my mom's garden while admiring her plants and flowers. She has green fingers but too bad her avocado plant is too young to bear fruits. I love eating avocados but I can only get imported ones in KL. They are so pricey and there's no guarantee they are of good quality and "edible". Mom is propagating some of the plants and flowers for me to bring back to KL. I am the "plant killer" among my family members, am keeping my fingers crossed that they survive under my care!

Dim Sum @Lee Yuen Chinese Restaurant, Taman TatLee Jaya, Mile 4, Sandakan

Big brother took us for breakfast at this restaurant one fine morning. The food there was not bad but I personally felt that the chee cheong fun skin was a bit too thick compared to what we had in KL. The boy ate a loh mai kai (steamed glutinuos rice with chicken) 2 char siu pau (bbq pork bun) and 2 wu kok (yam puff). Burps..