olaf – Page 168 – Tropical Life

Feb242015 by olafNo Comments

Bangkok, Thailand

Five Best

Despite the plough of rush-hour traffic, eager development construction and the hustle and bustle of its busy population, Bangkok is known to its residents as ‘Krung Thep’ or the ‘City of Angles’ and has a amazing rich history, an impressive record for honouring its cultural traditions and a serious approach to the conservation of its historical and religious sites. Thailand is the only country in SE Asia that has never been colonized by a foreign power and as such its history is its own. The Historical records of Bangkok start in the early fifteenth century when because of its strategic location near the Lower Chao Phraya River the site was developed as a trading post serving the greater region. Without any significant interest from Europe the port slowly grew in size. It was in 1782 whe...

Feb132015 by olafNo Comments

Room 4 Dessert

Spice

Just in case you haven’t heard, there is a delicious treat waiting to be discovered in Ubud called Room4Dessert. This is the creation of the palate seducer Will Goldfarb of previous Room4Dessert fame in New York City. Famed for creating avant-garde desserts and known as ‘The Prince of Pastry”, Will is the unchallenged master of turning simple ingredients into seductive plates of delicious desserts. Local products and Indonesian preparation techniques have given Will a whole new string to his sweet bow. Indonesia has an enticing range of products like belingo, kemangi, palm sugar, tombong, snakefruit and klepon that have added zest to his already well-honed art. Room4Dessert serves 9 different desserts, each with its own character, presentation and taste. Here are 5 of my favourites. Choc...

Feb132015 by olafNo Comments

Tapis Restaurant at Kayumanis Jimbaran

Spice

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_blockquote type="type1" border_color="#00e3ff"] This elegant restaurant sits unobtrusively in a quiet corner of Jimbaran. Tapis Restaurant at Kayumanis offers a pleasant environment for dining and a menu of authentic Indonesian cuisine. [/vc_blockquote][vc_column_text] The restaurant is relatively small and presents as a luxury home. Timber furnishings dominate the interior and while there is an Indonesian authenticity with the menu, dishes are presented in an appealing modern mode. I made myself comfortable at one of the tables and started my culinary journey with tuna sambal matah - pan seared tuna with sesame seed served with Balinese chili sauce ‘matah’. I followed this with the restaurants rendang, a rich beef stew based with coconut milk and the delicate sw...

Feb112015 by olafNo Comments

Banyubiru at The Laguna

Spice

Combining great cuisine and interactive renditions, Banyubiru at The Laguna Luxury Resort & Spa offers an exquisite cultural dining program, involving a Balinese Blessing, fire dance performance and dinner ceremony that take the guests into an intimate journey through Balinese and religious performances. This fascinating dinner program begins with a gathering of guests at the Cascade bar close to the lobby to view a fire dance enacted by three dancers and two musicians. At the conclusion of this dramatic dance I was escorted with the rest of the guests to an open area just in front of a Pura (temple) in the Temple Garden. Here for the blessing I took part and experienced first-hand the basic ‘five steps’ of the Balinese Hindu prayer procession. A walk through the garden followed this ...

Feb112015 by olafNo Comments

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Five Best

The city of art and culture, Yogyakarta is the capitol of the Yogyakarta Special Region in Java. Here education, fine art, music, drama, ballet and poetry flourish along with ancient architectural sites and historical buildings. Of the most visited of all the sites here is the 9th century Borobudur, the largest Mahanyana Buddhist Temple in the world. Built by King Samaratungga of the Wangsa Dynasty in 824 AD this shrine has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Toped by three circular platforms the temple contains 2,600 relief panels and around 500 Buddha statues. This edifice to the dynasty lies between the Sumbing and iconic Merapi volcanoes and it is recommended to reach the top at sunrise for a breath-taking visual. Yogyakarta is also the home of the Keraton, the regions roy...

Feb112015 by olafNo Comments

Nha Trang

Next Island

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_blockquote type="type1" border_color="#00e3ff"] Vietnam is not lacking for its tropical getaways. One of them is Nha Trang, a coastal city in the Southern part of the countryside. It has become well known among international tourists for its mild all year round temperatures, its international-class leisure facilities, captivating historical landscape, spectacular beaches and crystal clear ocean waters. [/vc_blockquote][vc_column_text] The beachfront area of Nha Trang has these last few years, been through some great improvement with added parks and sculptured gardens spread along its impressive shorefront. The local streets now present a host of dining options that have contributed to turning Nha Trang into a fully-fledged resort city. It has become one of Vietnam...