Jalan Alor

Welcome to Kuala Lumpur's Food Street, Jalan Alor. 

Jalan Alor was once known as the Red Light District of KL. From hookers to hawkers, it is one of the most famous streets in KL today; KL's biggest collection of roadside restaurants and street food vendors. It still looks like a dingy and dirty back lane but tourists and locals still frequent Jalan Alor for their food cravings. 

During the day, it is literally dead. Only a couple of restaurants would be open for breakfast and/or lunch. By evening time, this place magically turn itself into Makan-Land.

I am always amazed that even in this humid weather, people still love to visit Jalan Alor to eat, in perspiration. I guess the variety of food is just too good to refuse. I first came to Jalan Alor because a friend raved about its curry noodles. Yupp, it was an amazing bowl of thick savory curry broth topped with beancurd puffs, big and fat cockles and long beans. Superb flavor.

Jalan Alor, setting up of tables, ready for the night.

Fruits

Luk Luk

Seafood

Sweet potato chips

Ready for dinner!

Yam ring

Bittergourd

Crabs

Black pepper beef

Curry squid

Lobak

Assortment of dim sum

Rachel buying for supper!

Other types of curry noodles; some filled with radish and others filled with beancurd slices.

Of course, there are durian stalls here as well.

Kampung Bukit Tinggi

Kampung Bukit Tinggi is located in Bentong. It is a small town situation on a hill and when you drive along the Karak highway, heading towards the Bentong exit, this village sits beautifully on your right hand side. It is quite a view from the highway.

I do believe that when one says the name 'Bukit Tinggi' it would usually refers to the nearby French village or the Japanese Village or the adventure park or the Chateau spa. Not me! I mean the old little village where good food and markets are found. This village is the heart of ginger growing in Bentong. Bentong is famous for its ginger as they are bigger and spicier than the normal ones you find around. 

This village specializes in Watercress, or so I have noticed from the first time I stepped foot here. Every restaurant serves fat juicy sweet stir-fried watercress. They also serve great kampung chicken dishes, seafood, lamb dishes, pork dishes and other veggies of course. Oh, and I must tell you that they have the best soy sauce in the world for it tastes crazy delicious. I will tell you about it in another blog entry. It is REALLY all about food here.

Markets selling fresh vegetables and fruits.

Stir-fried watercress 

Steamed kampung chicken

Noodles with fried wonton

Stir-fried watercress

Ginger kampung chicken

Tofu omelette

Stir-fried choy sum 

Braised pork belly

Spicy prawns with okra

Stir-fried watercress

Fish slices with green onions

A good ole bowl of curry laksa

Stir-fried watercress

Lamb chops

Steamed soy kampung chicken

Stir-fried watercress

Shakadang Trail - Taroko Gorge National Park

Soooo excited! We actually took a train from Yilan (Taiwan County) to Hualien (Hualien County), about a 2 hour ride, just to hike in the amazing Taroko Gorge Natioinal Park. 

'Shakadang' means Molar Tooth (aboriginal term). It is believed that the Aborigines found many molars, part of their ancestors' remains, when the footpath was first constructed. 

Shakadang Trail @ Mysterious Valley Trail, was built along the river cliff. It cuts through rocks along the edge of the river so some stones are low and sharp above your head. It is well-maintained but not as easy as it looks.  However, your attention would quickly be diverted to its crystalline turqoise-colored waters. This bluish-greenish water comes from the marble stones high in the mountains. The Shakadang stream is a branch of the Liwu River which cut through 9 million year old rock layers to carve out Taroko Gorge.   

This is my first time eating Bird Nest Fern. I did not know it could be eaten and oh my, it tasted soooooo good together with hot sausages!

Bird nest ferns

Hot sausage

Hot sausages and bird nest fern

Stalls selling souvenirs 

Aboriginal necklaces

After our hike, we ended up in this little restaurant for some well-known seafood noodles and clam soup.