Ambuyat

Ambuyat is Bruneian Traditional dish which is made from sago. It is commonly consumed in the afternoon with other side dishes. Sago is extracted from rumbia tree after serveral processes. Sago powdered is mixed with room temperature water which allows it to dissolved then mixed with hot water which changes its texture.

Mix sago powder with 1 cup of water by add the water step by step. Mixing well to make sure all sago powder dissolved. Then add hot water(some say don't add the boiling water). So I am guessing the hot water should be about 95-97 C (few seconds after it boils). Add the hot water in slowly and stir at the same time. After a while, stop stiring but keep adding hot water until it stops moving (from the stirring). Then you mix it up so that everything is even. There you go, you have Ambuyat ready.

You will need a special joined wooden sticks called Candas to twirl around the Ambuyat. The you dip it in special sauce and swallow it (no need to chew). The sauces may made from anchovies, pasted (Belacan) and chilly mixed together. There are many other sauces available and Ambuyat goes well with "ikan bakar", pais, local vegetables like umbut, Lamiding, Pucuk ubi, etc.

One day, my manager (he's Portuguese Australian) asked me what is Bruneian cuisine or traditional dish. Straight away I answered Ambuyat. I explained to him what it is like and how to eat it. He asked if he can find it in Australia. Obviously, he has to come to Brunei to try it.

I heard one story, this Bruneian students going overseas (Im not sure how true is this story) and bring sago powder along with him/her. Anything that is white powder is obviously suspicious. So the customs asked him/her to prove that it is Ambuyat, Brunei traditional dish. Then he/she actually shown how to make it to them. Very embarrassing. Why don't they just taste the damn thing. They can tell it taste like starch. Funny story.

There are some restaurants offer Ambuyat in their menu. One of famous restaurant is Aminah Arif located in Kiulap and Jerudong. A must try traditional dish if you visit Brunei

Source: http://www.geocities.com/bruambuyat/sago_paste.htm

Belait Tourist Destinations

Belait is the largest district out of 4 districts in Brunei. This is where most of the oil and gas is found in land and off shore. This is the only place where you can find nodding donkey in Brunei. Ok lets focus on the places that you can visit in Belait based from my personal experience.


1. Oil and Gas Discovery Centre (OGDC). If you never visit OGDC before then you should visit this place. This science centre is under BSP company. I am very impressed with OGDC because they organised many events such as camps, teaching science for kids every friday, electronic workshops and many more cool stuff. They also visit schools to promote science to our youth. Check their website for the tickets price to enter the exhibition centre. I think $5 for adult. Hei thats cheap for an entry. If you think that is expensive, i got nothing to say. Atleast it makes you appreciate every second when you inside the exhibition centre. there are puzzles, tones of information and cool stuff inside. Theres also restaurant and pond where you can feed the fish. So check this place out people!


2. Sungai Liang Recreation Park and forest reserve. If you like hiking and natural habitat, you should visit this place and stay healthy at the same time. Make sure you wear proper gear. The place is not as steep as in Bukit Shah Bandar but if you have not been here, you should visit this place. There is this tower you should look for. It is really good view around Sungai Liang especially during sunset. You will find it if you are lucky. Just ask people around.


3. Bukit Teraja and Wasai. If you want adventure, this place is for you. It takes about 30 mins drive from Sungai Liang to Labi then further up. I recommend you to go hiking at Bukit Teraja first. This place is awesome. There are many rare species and the environment is amazing. The air is so fresh. Best place to relax and release stress. Beware of leeches (Limatak in Malay for this particular species). So make sure you bring matches with you especially if the area is wet. Make sure you bring enough water because it is a long Journey (about 1-3 hours, depend on walking pace and how far you wanna go). Along the way, you will find the first location in Brunei where they try to look for oil. There are holes where past armies used during WW2. Then when you go back, it may takes another hour or less because you going down hill (so be careful). Then if you wanna have a swim, then just go to the wasai near the entrance which is before you reach Bukit Teraja. It is closer. Wasai Wang Kadir (water fall) is further inside and may takes hours to walk unless that is your main destination. It is the best after hard work from hiking Bukit Teraja then swiming in the Wasai. Make sure you bring extra cloth.


4. Kuala Balai. There are many history in Kuala Balai (click for location). They used boats to travel along Sungai Belait to Labi, Rempayoh, Sukang, etc. If you want to visit this place, staying over for a night will be ideal and bring enough food and drinks. Traditional food light Ambuyat will be the best because you feel that you travel back into the future, with kerosene lamp and wooden house.


Important note: There is no electricity and no signal here.


You also can bring insect repelent for that nasty mosquitoes. I am not sure if this place is a good place to fish. It is next to Belait river. I heard rumors there are crocodile there but not sure how true it is. But it is save as long you dont swim there (duh) and you are catious. Overall it is really good place to go in big groups.


5. Pekan Seria. This small town has some good places to eat like satay, chendol, rojak, soto, etc. Keep on exploring and ask around. Near the taxi car park, you can feed the pigeons (burung Acang). There is also market (tamu) near by the town where you can get fresh local fruits, vegies and many more.


6. Tadung Saji. This is where you can find "pasar malam" in Belait especially every night during His Highess birthday (15-31 July). This is where you can get all cheap good food (if you are not familiar with pasar malam) from the stalls.


7. Kuala Belait. The main town in Belait district. This is where you can find all the administration and offices. There are some shops and good restaurants around as well.


8. Rumah Panjang Sukang (long house). This is very difficult to access because you need to use boat to reach here. Im not really sure how to get here but once you reach Labi, just ask people around and they will show you the direction. I will update once I know exactly how to get here. Basically you visit the native tribe (Iban) and learn their culture. Good place to go.


9. Riviera Hotel. This is river front hotel in Belait. Famous Shahryza Restaurant for dining and minutes away from Kuala Belait.


That are some of the tourist destinations in Belait. I will put more destination in the future.

Home Theather

Impressed with your neighbours or relatives home theather system with the big screens and awesome sound? You want to own your very own home theather but dont know how? I can help you with that. Getting the best home theater requires a lot of research because picking the best home theather from the crap one is not easy and you want to make sure it is worth investing. How much? It depends on your budget and your room size. If you want high end stuff, obviously you will need to spend more. No point buying 61 inch tv if you have small room. You have to watch it at its optimum distance.

1. Full HD 1080p tv. Try to get full def plasma or lcd. For bigger screens, aim for plasma. Have a look LED DLP projection tv as well if you looking for 50inch or bigger. Smaller screens like 32 inch, lcd is comparable as plasma and it gets expensive with increasing size.

2. Blueray dvd player. It is very hard to get blueray dvd movies in Brunei and im not sure you are willing to spend 30-50 dollars for one movie. If you do, then get blueray dvd player. Research the best one to get and you might have to order the blueray dvd your self. I recommend ps3 because you can play game and watch movies using the same device. But if you want device just to watch movie, then you have to get blue ray player like sony or panasonic.

3. AV player. This device process the sound to your speakers. So the right setting will produce better sound. Higher power with able to handle bigger speakers. Make sure you choose the right AV player for your speakers including your sub.

4. 5 or 7 speakers. The more speakers obviously the better. 7.1 surround sound requires:

• centre speaker
• 2 front corner speakers or tower speakers
• 2 rear speakers (left and right align of the seating)
• 2 behind speakers (directly behind mid line of the sit and tv)

For 5.1 surround sound, same as above but without behind speakers.

5. Subwoofer. Sub produce the bass (low pitch sound) where you feel the vibration in some parts in a movie. Normally 1 sub big sub is enough and you place it at the front (centre).

6. Cables. Make sure you are willing to invest good quality cables for your home theather. HDMI cables connects your tv to your blueray player (visual) and av cables to your AV player from blueray player and speaker cables from AV player to your speakers (sound).

7. Tv Cabinet. Purchased good tv cabinet so that your tv is at the level of your eye.

For the exact position of the speakers and tv setting, check http://whathifi.com/HowTo/

Source: Whathifi.com