From My Hometown

obmar · From My Hometown

April 20, 2006 19:31 PM E-mail this news to a friend Printable version of this news

Argentina, Austria And S'pore In Rafting Expedition

KUANTAN, April 20 (Bernama) -- Argentina, Austria and Singapore have confirmed their participation in the International Rafting Expedition 2006 which will be held on the Pahang River over five days from April 27.

State Cultural Arts and Tourism Committee chairman, Datuk Maznah Mazlan said a total of 112 teams would be involved in the expedition in which bamboo rafts would be used.

Besides these countries, many bookings had also been received from various government agencies from throughout the country, higher educational institutions, the private sector and non-governmental organisations, she told reporters here Thursday.

She said the expedition, which is scheduled to be flagged off by the Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, would begin at Esplanade Lurah Semantan in Temerloh and stretch a distance of 180 kilometres with the finish at Pekan.

Maznah added that many attractive prizes were up for grabs for the various stages of the expedition and that feasts and cultural shows by locals would be held for the participants at each of the stops along the expedition route.

-- BERNAMA

obmar

Temerloh is the home of the Patin fish (Silver Catfish), one of the most prized freshwater fishes in Malaysia.

Located about 130 km from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, delightful Temerloh is the second largest town in Pahang Darul Makmur.

And it is also “my kampung”, as the Malays say. My grandfather lived there and the whole of Batu Satu (first mile) Village of Temerloh seems to be dominated by my relatives (of the Sumatran Kampar clan). My grandfather’s house is still there, build in 1938

obmar

THE PATIN – A FISH LIKE NO OTHER!

Temerloh town sits at the confluence of the Pahang and Semantan Rivers, which is why it is rich with freshwater fish such as Patin (silver catfish), Jelawat, Baung, Tenggalan, Lampam, Belida, Tilapia and Kerai.

As the home of the Patin fish, the Temerloh folks have special dishes that bring out the best taste of the fish. One of my favorite is the ikan patin masak tempoyak. (I’ll put the recipe for those chefs in you out there in another webpage for your cooking pleasure.)

Actually there are three species of patin, based on its breeding, and hence to connoisseurs, there are slight differences in the taste. A patin fish has smooth flesh and when grilled under a firewood, or barbequed and eaten with sambal asam, …um mum…oh my… I’m not just salivating, I’m drooling already. It tastes like... well…it’s indescribable. Try them yourself, okay?

But please do forgive me for going into raptures over this fish. I just can’t help it. It’s not because I am Temerloh-born that I am biased, or that I have any economic reasons. But it’s just that I have eaten all kinds of fishes, and I still regard the Temerloh patin as the best fish in the world!! The patin tastes smoother and sweeter than any fresh salmon (or other fishes) by the yard!

The cheapest patin (about RM5.00 per kilogram) that is available at most supermarkets in Malaysia is the one bred in the lakes or large pools where the water does not run.

The one that fetches the highest price (up to RM100.00 per kilogram) is the wild patin caught in the river and which has a slightly whiter shade of silver on its body scales, and a slightly longer mouth (pout).

The less expensive river patin which costs about RM12.00 per kilogram is the one bred in the special breeding cages at the riverbanks. The restaurants in Temerloh use these patin for food dishes and most people will come to the riverside to buy them.

But as an aquarium fish, the patin is not that very good looking. Other river fishes like the tenggalan, kerai and the kelah (the green and especially the red kelah) are sought for their shiny silvery scales which, when reflected in the aquarium water, will shine and look like jewelries. That, I believe is good feng shui to the Chinese. These fishes are also easy to keep in the aquarium as they will eat anything.

If you want to see the place where patin and also tilapia fishes are bred in the cages in the riverbank, from Temerloh town just follow the road to the Temerloh Rest-House to Kg. Bukit Pak Silap. And then proceed to Kampung Bangau by the river. Here there are at least five places along the road where the fish is sold live. (Watch for the signboard at stalls that say “Patin / Tilapia”).

Although the fishes are kept in cages in the river, thieves sometimes come at night in boats and steal many of the fishes. That is why the breeders co-operate and keep vigil at the site at night. (And they keep warm at night by having fresh grilled fish with asam pedas and soy ketchup over campfire!! Oh, I envy them).

http://www.pahang-delights.com/

obmar

Dragon fruit a big hit in Temerloh

By ASMAL IZA MANSOR

IT ALL started some two years ago when Show Lee Sin “toyed” with the idea of cultivating dragon fruit plants at his orchard in Taman Baru Kerdau near Temerloh

“At first, it was something like ‘wait and see’ when my wife and I began growing the plant.

“After earning a handsome return and realising the fruit’s potential, we began to expand the orchard to some 2.8ha and planted more of these dragon fruit plants,” the 36-year-old Show said in an interview.

Dragon fruit is also known as cactus fruit or pitaya. Resembling a “dragon’s flaming fireball,” its sweet flesh is either red or white and speckled with black edible seeds.

Originating from the South American continent, this pine cone-shaped fruit has a pink skin with greenish fronds sticking out of its bulb.

This vine-like cactus fruit plant has two species. The climbing type (Hylocereus undatus, Selenicereus megalanthus) of which there are several varieties including red pitaya, strawberry pear and thang loy while the columnar plants (Stenocereus thurberi, Cereus peruvianus) are also known as apple cactus and Mexican strawberry.

Show said he plants the “red-fleshed” dragon fruit variety as it is more popular among the locals due to its sweet and juicy flesh.

Nutritionists have reported that the dragon fruit has high fibre content apart from being rich in minerals like potassium, iron, sodium and calcium.

“Its flesh has been processed into various products like cordials and even mooncakes,” he said.

Show said his wife, Chow Kwai Sing had turned the fruit’s flesh into a key ingredient of the mooncake, marketed under the “Crystal Jelly Moon Cake” brand popular among the locals particularly during the lantern festival celebration.

The Chinese community in Te-merloh town like the dragon fruit-based mooncake and they even place orders in high numbers for this traditional cake which the couple sells at RM20 a box.

Show said more research should be done on this fruit as it had vast potential to be turned into a downstream industry.

“Apart from being very nutritious, the fruit can also be processed into cosmetics,” said 35-year-old Chow.

She said dragon fruit flowers could be dried and processed into tea or teh bunga as the locals call it while its stem produced a sap similar to aloe vera and was useful in treating burns and scalds.

The couple has come out with several products from dragon fruit - canned drinks under the Pittaberry and Pinkberry labels as well as tea and energy-boosting enzymes sold at RM30 a bottle.

They also want to set up their own dragon-fruit processing factory instead of having to send their raw products to other factories for processing. – Bernama

The Beat

Very pretty looking plant, obmar. How big is the city there?

obmar

Not too big a population -
less than 100K.

obmar

Fiesta Hurra!! hits Temerloh

TEMERLOH: Tens of thousands of people braved a drizzle to attend the Fiesta Hurra!! roadshow during its stop here on Friday.

Despite the heavy downpour in the late afternoon, the crowd turned up in full force armed with umbrellas and raincoats and packed the mini stadium here to the brim.

The highlight of the event was a concert by popular artistes such as Adam, Ezlynn, Siti Sarah, VE, Kristal, Nur Fazrah and Futri.

Tengku Puan Pahang Tengku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah was present to grace the ceremony which took off according to schedule.

The futsal game in progress at the Temerloh mini-stadium as part of the Fiesta Hurra!! roadshow
Earlier in the day, several games and competitions were held as a run-up to the main event.

Among them were karaoke sessions, video games, futsal and rock-climbing competitions.

It was a carnival-like atmosphere as petty traders did brisk business, taking advantage of the situation to entice people with their ware.

The early birds at the event were pleasantly surprised to receive copies of The Star and Kuntum given by volunteers.

State Science, Innovation, Information and Information Techology Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin sponsored 500 copies of The Star and 300 copies of Kuntum for distribution to the people.

He said that newspapers were a good source of information and could enrich people’s knowledge and vocabulary.

“In line with the Government’s emphasis on the importance of English, the people should spend more time reading newspapers like The Star and other materials.

“At the same time, we hope that people will find time to enjoy football matches on RTM,” he said.

The Fiesta Hurra!! is a field event organised by RTM as a run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany from June 9 to July 10.

The event was launched at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 17.

The next promotional stops will be at Kuching (April 2 Cool

and Kota Kinabalu (May 12).

Having been the official broadcast station for the FIFA World Cup since 1974, RTM will once again take on the role this year.

The station will televise 43 of the 64 matches in the month-long premier sporting event.

RTM1 and RTM2 will screen 29 live matches and 14 delayed games.

The Star is the official newspaper of the Fiesta Hurra!!

The Beat

MY HOME TOWN - TRACY, CALIFORNIA

Yes, indeed, I said to myself, look out now, and I hung on. You never saw a driving fool like that. He made Tracy in no time. Tracy is a railroad town; brakemen eat surly meals in diners by the tracks. Trains howl away across the valley. The sun goes down long and red. --Jack Kerouac, On the Road

The poet summed up best the birth of Tracy, California. The town sprung from the new line of the Central Pacific Railroad on September 8, 1878 out of the San Francisco Bay, and kept growing since. The area, once home and hunting grounds of the Ohlone and Miwok Indians, largely became a railroad and agricultural town named after a local railroad official. Incorporated in 1910 and flushed with new irrigation ditches, it remained rural until the late 20th century when housing and commercial development turned the dusty, farming town into a sleepy, suburban enclave. Affordable housing and relatively safe neighborhoods and schools brought an influx of commuters from the San Francisco and Sacramento/Stockton area, fleeing the skyrocketing costs of living in these cities.

The Deuel Vocational Institution, a state prison, opened on Kasson Road east of Tracy in 1953. It covers 783 acres (3.2 km²). DVI is in the process of being repurposed from a vocational institution to a processing center for prisoners bound elsewhere in the state prison system.

Today, though still surrounded by farmlands, orchards, and ranches, the city of Tracy boasts modern facilities and wide, tree-lined arterials and caters to demographics outside of its old railroad and agricultural past. Current and expected future growth in the Tracy area has even resulted in effort, led by Congressman and local landowner Richard Pombo, to construct a freeway over the nearby Diablo Range to San Jose, the road paralleling the existing, congested Interstate 580 over the Altamont Pass. Following a trend among similarly-sized California communities, however, an increasingly vocal group of residents (most organized under the banner of the "Tracy Regional Alliance for a Quality Community") has successfully called for slowed residential growth.

The city bills itself as the "Dry Bean Capital of the World," and the Tracy Dry Bean Festival is held downtown every year on the second weekend of September.

The Beat

When I lived there in the 60s and 70s, the population was around 15,000. We looked at Stockton as the culmination of all our dreams, and San Francisco as just too cultured for our backward ways.

The Beat

We used to call Tracy, "The armpit capital of the world", because the sugar beet factory named Holly Sugar just north of town. In the summertime it would stink to high heaven.

obmar

I dont know if I had been to tracy, but I had been to SF, a few years back.

I went to the wharf, so nice seafood.

The Beat

obmar,

here's a map from the city's official website.

http://www.ci.tracy.ca.us/maps/

It's interactive, but if you try to zoom out too far, it goes bad.

The Beat

Here's another one:

When I lived there the only major road was the one in the middle. The other freeways have been added much later.

The Beat

Here is where I worked for a time back in 1979:

obmar

how long would you need to drive to san diego from tracy?

The Beat

Obmar,

San Diego to Tracy is about Seven hours.

I live in Los Angeles. San Diego to Los Angeles is about two hours. You are welcomed to stay at my home. I have a futon that should fit you comfortably.

If I can be of any help, let me know.

obmar

obmar

obmar

obmar

obmar

Temerloh
Latitude 3.4500
Longitude 102.4167
Altitude (feet) 111
Lat (DMS) 3° 27' 0N
Long (DMS) 102° 25' 0E
Altitude (meters) 33

Time zone (est) UTC+8

Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 13533

obmar

obmar

obmar · Weather Forecast

http://english.wunderground.com/global/stations/48653.html

obmar · accomodation

http://www.pahangtourism.com.my/accomodation/temerloh.html

obmar

obmar

From My Hometown

Weather Forecast

accomodation