Mess Kantin

 A stone's throw away from Tawau Airport is Mess Kantin, an unassuming cafe tucked away in the middle of what I recall as either an oil palm plantation or a forest reserve. As we were nearing the building, I noticed that it was a white church, as there was a cross on the outside. Ah, so it is attached to a church. However, when I searched on Google for information, there is no mention of a church. Instead, the cafe is attached to a bed and breakfast place called Tiku White House.

To enter the cafe, we used a side entrance. I thought the black and white gave it character. I noticed that the building is perched on a hillside and is surrounded by greenery. 

White seems to be their main colour. Even their coffee machine is white. One other thing that stood out was how cold their air-conditioning was.

The team were all youngsters, probably college or university students. One notable person was the barista, a young girl who continuously made coffee, which made me look forward to my cuppa. I then recalled seeing this cafe on Jason Loo's IG a few years back, who was here for the first Borneo Barista Retreat.

Ah, so yes, coffee here is not bad at all. The latte art, too. Look at the cute squirrel.

Dad had their Streaky Beef Sourdough (RM19.90), which essentially is sourdough served with scrambled eggs, streaky beef, mushrooms and salad.

We also tried their burgers - Salted Egg Burger (RM25.90) and Messy Eggcited Burger (RM23.90). I wondered why they use charcoal burger buns and whether they baked them on-site.

The full panels of glass allowed us full view of the outdoors, which added to the ambience especially when it was raining while we were eating. It did not help that it made it even colder, though.

If I ever have another chance of patronising again, I would give their dessert menu a try. And more of their coffee. Also, hopefully it would not be raining the next time I visit, so that I could walk about in their outdoor compound.

So, do not go thinking that Tawau is a small place with no hipster cafes.

Mess Kantin

Tiku White House, 2112 Jalan Sin On Tiku, Kampung Sin On Tiku, 91000 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia

M: +6013-216 5259; E: messkantin@gmail.com

Daily 10:00am to 6:00pm

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Coconut Grove 1511

Only after starting work in Tioman did I find out more about the island. Previously, the island was only learnt about through textbooks or folklore, due to the mountain that mythology claims is the embodiment of a might dragon (as it resembles the head of a dragon). Now, I know that there are several villages on the island, and not all are easily accessible.

While most of the villages are on the same side of the island facing the main peninsular, there is one that is on the other side facing South China Sea - Juara Village or Kampung Juara.

Lee Fong invited me to join her on her trip there with her friends. I managed to take two days off to join her for one night. Our met them halfway through their snorkelling at Soyak and rode with them on their little boat back to Juara. My first time there and I was impressed with the long stretch of white sandy beach. Ah, so Juara is a protected bay, unlike us at Paya.

We stayed at a beachside bed and breakfast called Coconut Grove 1511, which is nestled in between Barat Tioman and Juara Turtle Project. Apparently, it is run by a Peranakan family from Malacca.

 

It had several standalone chalets that could fit different numbers of occupants, which they divide into Tower Room, Seaview King Room, Seaview Twin, Garden View King, Garden View Twin, Garden View Family. We were in a Garden View Twin and asked for an extra bed for me to spend the one night there.

First thought that came through my mind was how similar the general design of the room was to Borneo Divers' especially the bed headboard. I suppose most island / seaside accommodations would have similarities.

The high ceiling with ceiling fan gave the room its own charm, I thought. It helped that the ceiling was entirely in white and that the walls were in a light colour. Seem to calm the senses somewhat.

I wondered if the name of the place was inspired by the many coconut trees in their compound. I liked how well-maintained their garden is, as many of their flowering plants were in bloom and many bushes looked manicured.

I also liked their main building, which housed their reception, dining area and bar. It was also where they had a live band performance every night - live band was actually their own workers singing with a guitar.

I love how we were surrounded by greens, especially with blooming Birds of Paradises.

Guests could choose to dine under cover or al fresco.

There were four breakfast sets to choose from and I naturally gravitated towards the french toast. Coffee, tea and cordial juice were free flow.

I could not remember if the chocolate chip muffin was complimentary or purchased, but I do remember that it was tasty.

Across the road from where we stayed was this quaint coffee and cocktail stand called Broken Van, which is operated by the dive centre next door, Barat Dive.

Coconut Grove 1511 is blessed to have the stretch of peaceful and quiet beach in front, much like their own private space, really. Ideal place to unwind with a cuppa and a book in hand.

So glad to have visited, even for a night. At least I know what the other side of Tioman looks like and roughly know what to expect in terms of food and transport. Will plan a trip to visit again in future.

Coconut Grove 1511

Kampung Juara, 28600 Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia

T: +60 9 419 4888; M: +6011-1756 8795; E: 1511tioman@gmail.com

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Day trip to Ayutthaya Kingdom

I think the only time I have heard or learnt about Ayutthaya would be when we had History lessons back in school. So yes, that was a very long time ago. What I remember of it was that it is the Ancient Royal Kingdom of Thailand.

Visiting Ayutthaya was one of the must-do items on Dad's itinerary, so we signed up for a day tour, which stopped at several places. Some of these stops were better preserved than others, but I got a rough idea of how extensive the kingdom was.

The first stop was made at Wat Pukhao Thong, a Buddhist tower in the village of Pukhao Thong that was built by King Ramesuan in 1387. In 1569, when King Bayinaung of Hongsowadi (now a part of Myanmar) took Ayutthaya Kingdom, he had a large chedi of Mon style built to commemorate his victory. Over the next 2 centuries, the chedi fell into disrepair and was restored during the reign of King Boromakot, who opted to build a new chedi of Thai style, a square shape with indented corners, atop the base of the ruins of the old Mon style chedi.

Our second stop was at Wat Lokaya Sutha, where I took very few photos because I did not want to take photos of the Reclining Buddha image (the only one I took was this photo below, near where the bus was parked). Situated in the west of Ayutthaya Kingdom, it was found that the architectural styles of the Main Pagoda was built during the same period as the Main Pagoda of Wat Lokaya Suthawas. The Main Pagoda is situated in the centre, with three Sermon Halls situated in the front. Behind the Main Pagoda is where the Ordination Hall and a Viha residing the Reclining Buddha. From archaeological excavations, it was discovered that the temple was built during the Early Ayutthaya Period. In 1954, restoration works were conducted by re-sculpturing the whole Buddha image atop the old one and changing the head style to the style seen today.

Our third and final stop for the day trip was at Wat Mahathat in central Ayutthaya. It is the temple that houses the Buddha's relics and is famous among photographers who throng one corner of the whole complex to take photos of a Buddha head embedded in a banyan tree (which I did not bother to take because I could get millions of photos on Google Images and because there were too many people for me to get anywhere near it).

It is stated in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya that the construction of the Main Pagoda was started by King Borommachara I in 1374 and completed during King Ramesuan's reign. The Pagoda collapsed during the reign of King Songtham and renovated in 1633 when King Prasat Thong ascended the throne.

At the fall of Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767 to the Burmese, the monastery was set on fire. The abandoned Pagoda fell into disrepair during the reign of King Rama VI, leaving behind only symmetrical base with stairs.

In 2499 B.E., an excavation by the Fine Arts Department found a cache containing many antiques, precious stones, and particularly, the relics of the Buddha that were well-preserved in the silver and bronze stupas. In the crystal stupa, a small golden casket was found containing relics, precious stones, golden rings, golden Buddha images and other ornaments.

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market

During my first visit to Bangkok with Alicia, we did not visit a floating market. So, after Dad did a little homework, we visited one on the last day of our weekend trip.

My first impressions of the place was that it felt like an organised place. In fact, it was not quite what I expected (not sure what I was expecting, frankly). There were traffic controllers and there was even an information booth. It was clean, spacious and very local, I thought.

I did notice that the non-floating portion of the market was way bigger than the actual floating portion of the market. It was colourful and bustling with activity, mainly the local folk purchasing their lunch or afternoon tea snacks and fresh produce for the week.

There was a tiny cafe tucked away in the far end of the market, where we obviously had to stop for coffee and to try some food from the many food stalls that dotted the market.

How I have missed authentic Pad Thai

While there were many food stalls there were on land, there were those that were floating, too:

You would order your food from the stall and it would be cooked on the long tail boat. There were tables and benches nearby for you to eat your meal "fresh off the boat".

There were also the fresh produce boats:

We took the opportunity to go for a boat ride, too. We insisted on a traditional one, where the long tail boat is manned and moved by an oar instead of one that is moved by an engine. It was an interesting and calming ride down the canal.

We went past homes and observed how the locals' lives revolved around the water. They tended to their gardens, played with their pet dogs and there was even one man who was "washing his boat" in his "garage". I did not want to make him feel awkward, so I did not take a photo of him.

The boat veered off the main canal. We were brought to what seemed like an abandoned floating restaurant. It also had a lotus pond.

This made Mum very excited.

At the end of the boat ride, we gave the boat rower (what is a more proper term for them?) a tip.

Although a little traveling required to get here (we took a Grab), I highly recommend this floating market for a more authentic experience. Those within the city are fine, too, but perhaps I feel that those seem more touristic.

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market

30/1 หมู่ที่ 15 Bang Ramat Rd, Bang Ramat, Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170, Thailand

T: +66 2 422 4270 

Weekends and public holidays 8:00am to 5:00pm

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