GAYA STREET

THE Sunday morning street market along Jalan Gaya in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, is simply a boon for tourists. Right in the heart of KK within shouting distance of several hotels, including five-star establishments, the market is popular with both locals and visitors to the State.

THE Sunday morning street market along Jalan Gaya in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, is simply a boon for tourists.

Right in the heart of KK within shouting distance of several hotels, including five-star establishments, the market is popular with both locals and visitors to the State.

The tamu, as the morning market is called, offers a tantalising range of products that both excite and educate.

The market starts about 6.30am and until its closing time around noon, hawkers and vendors do a roaring, and at times, noisy trade selling food, kuih-muih, potted plants, sea shells, clothes, antiques, pottery, puppies, kittens, birds, rabbits, ornamental fish and other stranger animals.

The tamu is such a hit that the half a kilometre Jalan Gaya market branches into adjoining streets.

There is something for everybody — tribal artifacts, Filipino handicrafts made of shells, fibres and pearls, Sabah handicrafts, ancient brass gongs, Chinese ceramics and rattan furniture.

Loud music from stalls selling cassettes and CDs add to the atmosphere. Every Sunday is a carnival for the large multi-ethnic crowd who throng the tamu.

Some stall keepers display their wares on plastic mats, while others use low foldable tables.

The Gaya Street market also has a ‘mobile clinic’ manned by the Sabah Nurses’ Association where visitors could get simple medical tests, including blood pressure checks.

Come election time, it is also a fair ‘fishing ground’ for votes by politicians, both aspiring and veterans.

A dealer in old stamps, Chan Yee Lam, 65, sells First Day Covers from Malaysia and overseas as well as stamps at his stall.

His stall is also the informal meeting place for some 30 members of the Kota Kinabalu Philatelic Society. Members include children and the retired.

Chan, who started selling stamps at Gaya Street in 1984, said his clients included foreigners and Malaysians from the peninsula.

Artist Daiman Bona is one of four members of the Sabah Art Gallery who paint and sell their work on the spot.

Daiman said the miniature paintings were popular with artists as they get to take home a piece of Sabah for as little as RM15.

On other days, the group paints at their studio close to the Sabah Museum or conduct workshops for students. Daiman can be contacted at 016-8454 636.

Away from the hawkers and traders, shops along Jalan Gaya — goldsmith, cloth merchants, hardware traders and coffee shops — also do a roaring trade on Sunday.

Even the Sabah Tourism Board office is along the road, at No. 51.

Jalan Gaya is named after Pulau Gaya, one of the five islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park opposite KK.


Getting there

Kota Kinabalu International Airport is well connected by both domestic and international direct flights daily.

Accommodation

Kota Kinabalu has a good selection of hotels and boarding houses to meet every budget.



For details, contact the Sabah Tourism Board at 51 Jalan Gaya, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Tel: 088-212149, 212121, Fax: 088-21075 or visit www.sabahtourism.com.

For flight details, contact Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia or visit www.malaysiaairlines.com.my/travel/ or www.airasia.com/

Must Do

Go early to avoid the hot weather and take time to view every stall and items on sale. Chit-chat with the friendly street vendors.

180205

REEF FISH FACE EXTINCTION

Tuesday April 8, 2008, Reef fish face extinction as many end up on dinner tables, By TAN CHENG LI

The Asian craving for a particular reef fish is emptying our seas.

HUNDREDS of fish cages bob up and down in the waters of Marudu Bay, off Kudat in Sabah. In these cages are sought-after marine delicacies such as groupers, lobsters and crabs, as well as a staggering number of humphead wrasses.

From the massive number of humpheads holed up in the floating pens, it is impossible to tell that this is a fish species classed as “endangered” by the IUCN-World Conservation Union and whose trade is governed by the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).

A growing appetite for humphead wrasses (or Napoleon wrasse) has spelt doom for this species, whose numbers in the wild, already small, are being depleted further.

In Kudat, like in the Sabahan coastal towns of Tawau, Sandakan and Lahad Datu, fishermen continue to haul in humpheads (Cheilinus undulatus). Several times a week, these fish and the popular groupers, are bundled alive into air-filled plastic bags which are then packed into polystyrene boxes, transported to Kota Kinabalu, and sent on the evening flight to Hong Kong or Singapore. It is a time-perfected technique which gets seafood, alive and swimming, into restaurants.

Sabah exported 27,000 tails of humphead last year – an alarming figure since scientists believe wild humphead stocks in Sabah waters are almost exhausted and aggressive fishing can only doom the species.

Once a normal table fish, humpheads (or su mei) somehow acquired a luxury tag in the early 1990s. Those who want to flaunt their wealth and success would indulge in this pricey fish in restaurants in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Malaysia. What used to sell for RM30 a kg in 1980 now goes for RM250 to RM300 a kg. Soon a scramble for the fish ensued.

Before long, fears of over-fishing pushed humpheads onto Appendix II of Cites in October 2004 – the first coral reef fish to be listed. Everyone thought all would be well since trade would now be controlled through import and export permits.

On the contrary, the Cites listing has done little for humpheads in Sabah as trade quotas remain high. Many are stumped by the export ration set by Sabah Fisheries Department last February – a monthly 200 tails for each of the 19 exporters. This works out to 45,600 tails annually, a figure deemed excessive by many, considering that it is five times Indonesia’s annual quota of 8,900 tails.

“There is concern over how the export quota was set as the amount of humphead wrasse exported last year is even higher than that before the Cites listing,” says Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) senior researcher Tan Kim Hooi, who has written a policy document on humphead wrasse fisheries.

Doubts also arose over the scientific rationale behind the quota. A Cites Appendix II listing requires a non-detrimental finding (NDF) study to determine that trade will not threaten survival of the species. This study is only now being done.

Sabah Fisheries, World Wide Fund for Nature and wildlife trade monitoring body, Traffic, are assessing wild humphead populations in Pulau Lankayan, Kudat and Semporna. They are expected to recommend a new export quota when the present one expires in June.

Dwindling stocks

There are already signs that Asians’ taste for steamed su mei is depleting wild stocks.

“Sabah’s export of the high-value fish last year, although high, was just over half of the allowable quota. This can mean two things – either humphead populations are not really that big or the species has been over-fished,” says Tan.

Also, Sabahan fishermen and traders all tell the same tale about the fish they call mameng: the catch has dropped as have fish sizes, when compared to the 90s.

“Ten years ago, I can get several fish of 10kg to 15kg in a week. Now, not even one in a month,” says Kudat fish trader Wong Sin Hin. Today, the harvest is mostly juvenile fish which have to be fattened up in pens over three months or more, to reach the preferred plate size of 500g to 1kg (about 30-40cm in length) before shipment.

Hundreds of fish cages bobbing up and down in the waters of Marudu Bay, off Kudat in Sabah. In these cages are sought-after marine delicacies such as groupers, lobsters and crabs as well as a staggering number of humpheads. These fish will be exported live to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Marine scientist Dr Steve Oakley warns that netting young fish before they have had a chance to breed will curtail future stocks of the species. Insisting on size restrictions for humphead harvests, he says breeding adult fish should be left in the sea. Better yet, he adds, humphead fisheries should be closed until it can be proven sustainable.

Oakley, whose group the Tropical Research And Conservation Centre (Tracc) has surveyed reefs in Sabah and Sarawak, believes humpheads are locally extinct over most of the South China Sea. Viable breeding populations exist in two islands protected by dive tourism: Sipadan and Layang-Layang. Another healthy group exists off Brunei – but only because it is within the Champion oil field, a protected “no fishing” zone. Tracc surveys of Layang-Layang between 1996 and 2002 found a big humphead population of 300 females, 21 males and 100 sub-adults. However, the fish were not seen last year. The reason, Oakley fears, could be because a Chinese vessel was allowed to fish there.

For now, Sabah’s humphead catch figures remain impressive only because stocks are coming from the Philippines, which does not trade in the fish. Traders and fishermen in Kudat attest to this and the fact that Filipino fishers use cyanide to stun the fish, a destructive fishing method that can kill them as well as harm other marine life and the fragile coral reef habitat.

Lax enforcement, together with difficulties in patrolling Sabah’s 1,600km of coastline and extensive fishing area of 51,360 sq km, share the blame for the prevalent fish smuggling.

As humpheads from foreign waters are traded as Sabah’s, Tan of Mima says a generous export quota will deplete humphead stocks not only in Malaysian waters, but also in Indonesia and the Philippines. Already, high demand and lucrative prices have fuelled poaching.

In December 2006, a Chinese vessel was detained at Tubbataha Marine Park in Palawan, the Philippines, with 800 live fish onboard, including 300 humpheads. In the same year, the Bunaken Marine Park in northern Sulawesi saw three cases of poaching involving 207, 450 and 36 humpheads.

Indonesia had set an annual export of 8,000 tails in 2005 but revised it to 8,900 tails last year, and only allows harvest from specified areas, namely Papua, Maluku and Nusa Tenggara.

Over-dining

But high exports of humpheads is not the only concern. Equally worrying is their being eaten in large numbers in local restaurants. Chinese and Hong Kong tourists to Sabah routinely feast on su mei as it is cheaper than back home.

Cites, however, only regulates international trade of wildlife. At the airport in Kota Kinabalu, frozen humpheads are going for RM75 a kg. The sales personnel look puzzled when asked about the need for Cites permits.

To curb local consumption, Oakley wants national and state rules tightened to bar humphead fishing and give it the protected status that it needs.

“Humpheads are even more endangered than orang utans because there are more orang utans in Sabah forests than humpheads in its waters. But you can still eat the fish in a KK (Kota Kinabalu) restaurant. We are decimating this species for a poor reason ... merely to put a fish on the table.”

He adds that humpheads, being a major draw of the dive industry in Seychelles and Maldives, are totally protected there. “Malaysia needs to realise that tourists bring in more money than selling the last few humpheads would.”

Apart from harvest restrains, marine sanctuaries can further raise hope for humpheads. “With these protected areas, you will guard the habitat not only for humpheads but for other marine species too,” says WWF marine scientist Dr Annadel Salvio Cabanban.

She says the recent survey of Pulau Lankayan off Sandakan, a popular dive destination, uncovered 23 juvenile humpheads, with the largest one measuring 25cm. “With long-term protection of Lankayan, we might get a breeding population there in 20 years’ time.” And because humphead larvae travel with ocean currents, Cabanban says those produced in other protected areas might reach our waters. So she is hopeful for the species if more such sites are found.

Protection efforts should also not ignore seagrass beds and mangroves as both are important habitats for humpheads, serving as nursery ground for many reef fish. It is also crucial to safeguard the humphead’s breeding grounds. Humpheads display aggregate spawning behaviour by gathering at specific sites to breed. Fishermen can target such sites, so Mima researcher Siti Nazatul Izura Mohd Ishak recommends that they be documented and managed, such as by having a closed season during spawning period.

To safeguard humphead trade, Sabah Fisheries has held several workshops to inform traders about the risks of over-fishing and Cites requirements. Come July, a new – and most likely lower – export quota is expected. But are there enough humpheads left in the wild to repopulate our reefs? In the end, the fate of this fish hangs on just one simple gesture from people – don’t order su mei for dinner.

BACKCOUNTRY WONDERS

Sunday April 6, 2008, Backcountry wonders, By RENITA CHE WAN

There are many hidden gems in and around Kampung Pangsun in Hulu Langat, Selangor.

IRRESISTIBLE and enticing best describe Kampung Pangsun in Hulu Langat, Selangor.

This quaint little village seems to be an ideal retreat for backcountry travellers who yearn for the warm sunshine, rolling wilderness and invigorating swim in the river.

Mountain thrills: Gunung Nuang may just be perfect for you to test out your mountain climbing skills.

Not a lot have been exposed about Kampung Pangsun, which is only a 45-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, but those who crave the challenging outdoors know exactly what they need and where to get them.

“I went online to search for cool places in Selangor and there was this blog with a huge number of photos taken in Kampung Pangsun. I fell in love with that place almost instantly,” says a travelling enthusiast.

The place is not known by many, but in Kampung Pangsun and its vicinity, one is able to go mountain climbing, hiking, cycling, kayaking, swimming, or to just kick back and enjoy the lush greenery surrounding the village.

If you’re itching to go mountain climbing, then Gunung Nuang is the perfect mountain for you to test out your trekking ability. At 1,493m above sea level, it is said to be the highest in Selangor.

There are three access points to the Nuang summit but according to some locals, the best way to get there is through the Pangsun route.

On the way there, you will see a lot of stalls along the road once you reach Hulu Langat. In case you forgot to pack some food with you, make your way to these stalls.

It takes about eight to nine hours to reach the summit climbing at a comfortable pace and on a fine day, the climb up is not too strenuous.

However, after heavy rain, the whole journey can be quite challenging and you might bump into fallen tree branches and muddy laterite that makes the hiking even tougher than it is.

But for the veterans, it would seem more like walking up a staircase continuously for hours.

You can choose either to spend the night there because the hike is within a day but it is common to see people hiking up with their camping gear for an overnight adventure at the Pacat campsite.

Bear in mind that to climb Gunung Nuang, you are required to obtain permission from the Wildlife Department as well as from the Kajang Police Station in case any emergency should come up.

Another attraction is the Lepok Falls, also known as Near Vertical Falls. Cascading beautifully in the middle of the lush tropical trees, it stands at about 50m at its highest point.

It takes a two-hour hike to get there, but if you’re used to long distance hiking, then it shouldn’t take you more than an hour. Once you reach the place, you’d know it is well worth the journey as it is said to be the most beautiful and secluded waterfall in Selangor.

This natural jacuzzi is truly a paradise lost.

Imagine crystal clear water from mountain springs, gushing over smooth grey stones and the pool teems with life – fish, frogs and other aquatic creatures.

Cool waters: Lepok Falls is said to be the most beautiful and secluded waterfall in Selangor

Here in Kampung Pangsun, you can meet with the Temuan tribespeople and they would be more than willing to talk to you should you need assistance or want to know more about the village.

If you and your colleagues or friends are not too keen on going on an adventure all by yourselves, you can always go to Nur Lembah Pangsun, a great place for team building programmes.

It offers a variety of outdoor activities like mock war games, abseiling, flying fox, jungle trekking and mountain climbing, enduring sports, canoeing, river expeditions, camping and more.

So if you still want to have a lot of fun under the sun with proper professionals to guide you, then head for this place.

There are several ways to get to Kampung Pangsun. From the Klang Valley, use the highway via Cheras and once you arrive in Hulu Langat, look out for signs that say Kampung Pangsun.

Start your journey as early as possible so that you have more time to enjoy all the cool spots here.

REACHING FOR THE SKY

Saturday March 29, 2008, Reaching for the sky

Juggling housework and raising three kids, a Penang-based homemaker still manages to summit the highest peak outside of Asia, and proving that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

By LEONG SIOK HUI
weekend@thestar.com.my

It’s day 13, or perhaps day 14, Ong Seow Chooi has lost count....It feels like ages ago since her arrival in Mendoza, Argentina, the gateway to Mount Aconcagua. Day in, day out Ong struggles with the energy-sapping, steep scree (loose rock debris) slopes.

Each time she places one step forward she slides backwards two steps. In the last six days, she’s been lugging her 10kg backpack to various camps. At night, the temperature plummets to about -25°C . At times, the strong winds almost throw the petite lady off her feet.

Ong Seow Chooi.

Today she’s been footslogging for almost 10 hours since 5.30am. In the thin air, her laboured breathing and the crunching of her boots break the stillness. Ong tells herself over and over, “I can do this. I will make it to the summit.”

After what seems like an eternity, her guide says, “You’re almost there. You go ahead first.”

She toddles on. When she finally spots the steel cross (that marks the peak), she bursts into tears.

“I was so overwhelmed, so happy to be up there,” recalls Ong of Penang, a month after returning from Argentina. “All the hard work was worth it.”

For the 51-year-old woman, the road to Aconcagua (6962m), the highest peak outside of Asia, and one of the Seven Summits (highest peaks in Earth’s seven continents) was a long, tough one. Aconcagua is no child’s play. Each year, more than 3,000 climbers attempt it, with only about 40% succeeding due to the freezing temperatures, stormy winds and altitude sickness.

Every year, five to eight people perish there from extreme altitude sickness or exposure, according to Summitpost.org.

For Ong, Aconcagua was a personal goal. Her trip was self-sponsored; there was no media coverage and none of the usual shrieks of “Malaysia Boleh”. Here was a homemaker and mother of three who just happened to love mountain climbing.

Ong’s passion was triggered by a change in her lifestyle 12 years ago.

“I was on the plump side and I couldn’t fit into anything except empire-cut dresses. My friends would ask, ‘Are you pregnant’?” says Ong, who now looks lean and fit.

She was active in sports in school but stopped exercising when she got married and became a full-time housewife. After giving birth to her youngest son in 1990, her waistline kept expanding.

Ong Seow Chooi and her husband, Vincent Loh share a passion for mountain climbing.

“My husband Vincent said, ‘When we travel, we need to walk a lot. If you’re not fit, you’ll tire easily,” Ong remembers.

So, every morning she would wake up at 5am and take a brisk walk up the hill behind her house, then whip up breakfast and send the kids to school. Once her weight started dropping, she became fitter and her eating habits changed.

“We started thinking about eating healthy – less oil, sugar and salt. Then I started running, taking part in 10km-runs and eventually marathons,” says Ong, whose husband is also a fitness freak. They have taken part in marathons in Hawaii, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“One thing led to another, and when we finally went trekking in Nepal, I realised there was a whole new world of adventure out there.”

The road to big mountains

What started as a hobby quickly became a fixation. It helped that Ong’s husband was equally keen on mountaineering. A recently retired CEO of his own public-listed company, Vincent Loh became the oldest South-East Asian man to summit Mt Everest in 2006.

Prior to Everest, the husband-and-wife team had ticked off an impressive list of climbs – Kalapattar (5,545m), Mera Peak (6,654m) and Island Peak (6,189m). When Loh attempted a more technical route on Aconcagua in 2006, Ong didn’t join him.

“He did the Polish Glacier route, and it was risky for both of us to climb together. If something happened to us, what about the kids?” Ong says.

After he bagged Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and Everest, Loh decided he wanted to complete the Seven Summits. So the couple climbed Mt Elbrus (5,642m) in Russia and Carstenz Pyramid (4,884m) in Irian Jaya.

Then a friend, BJ Lim, asked Ong if she was keen on Aconcagua.

“For Aconcagua, I trained with a 10kg backpack and trekked up and down the hill near my house,” says Ong. “The only thing that was going to drive me back was the weather and altitude sickness.”

Loh says: “I think her experience on the other mountains helped. Every time she faces an obstacle, she knows how to deal with it. She’s very fit from her marathon-running, she has good leg muscle endurance, and the weather was good to them. It gave her lots confidence.”

“Also, the guides were excellent! At no time did they say, ‘You won’t be able to summit’,” adds Ong, who signed up with Argentina-based operator, Aymará Adventures and Expeditions.

She spent about RM20,000. Her climbing companion, Lim, also made it to the summit.

“And the food was delicious! We had pumpkin, zucchini and ham and cheese quiches for dinner, and after the summit, we celebrated with beef ribs and champagne.”

Ong Seow Chooi doing a tyrolean crossing at above 4,500m enroute to the summit of Carstenz Pyramid in Irian Jaya.

When Ong came back, her friends kept calling her, “Hey champ.”

“To my friends, it’s a huge accomplishment to have their female friend climb a big mountain, and at that age, too. For me, it was a challenge to see how far I could go,” she says.

“Climbing mountains make you mentally and physically strong. Also I learn to be more independent, tolerant and patient. And not giving in easily is an achievement in itself.”

Naturally, Ong loves the outdoors.

“You expose yourself to nature, experience the beauty of God’s creation and savour the peace and tranquillity.”

Risks and sacrifices

But mountaineering involves risks and even the possibility of death. Each time Ong sets out, her youngest son, Hong Gene, would say, “You must come home.”

“Initially, the kids were worried but now they are very supportive. They’d say, ‘Oh, mom and dad are off to climb another mountain’,” chuckles Ong. “Of course, the risk is always there. But if it happens, at least I go doing what I love.

“I’ve spent so many years taking care of the kids. Now is the time to do something for myself, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I’m still around for them. I’m probably away for a month or three weeks at a time. It’s a vacation for me except that it’s more high-risk.”

And Ong says she’s aware of her limits and doesn’t push her luck. Couples who play together, stay together, they say – Ong and Loh have been married for 23 years and their relationship is solid.

“If I had to advise couples on how to have a good relationship, I’d say you MUST share the same interests!” says Loh.

He and his wife run marathons together, trudge up mountains as a team, and love cooking and photography.

Enroute to Mount Elbrus in Russia. Elbrus is one of the Seven Summits – seven highest peaks in the seven continents.

“You get a more in-depth understanding of your partner when you’re both under tremendous pressure during a climb, for example,” says Loh. “Your life may be at stake, and your real character will show whether you’re a strong person.

“What I learned and admire about my wife is, she has a very strong willpower. When she wants something, she works for it. And her pain threshold is much higher than mine. But most importantly, she is a very good mother and she really looks after our kids well,” Loh sums up.

Ong is grateful for her husband’s support.

“Most husbands would say, ‘Don’t go...what about the kids?’ But Vincent is very positive and always pushes me to go after my dreams. Even when my face suffers from pigmentation due to sun exposure (from climbing), my husband still thinks I’m beautiful,” she laughs.

Her advice to other women: “If you set your heart and mind on something, it can be achieved. You have to believe you can do it. Of course, you must have the discipline and determination.”

The homemaker, who doesn’t believe in maids, adds, “Indirectly, you also send the message to your children that they can set their goals, work hard and accomplish them.

So what’s next on Ong’s list?

“Mount Everest in 2009. Hopefully, it will materialise. If it doesn’t, it’s ok. The mountain is always there. But it gives me something to look forward to and keeps me going.”

GONE GREEN

Saturday March 21, 2009, Gone green, By ROSE YASMIN KARIM

The Gulf of Siam at the foot of your bed? Love it. Hotels that leave the earth alone? Heck, yeah!

When I go to hotels that tag themselves as “eco-resorts”, my stay usually turns into a scavenger hunt for all the environment-friendly points.

“To reduce your carbon footprint, we have replaced the king-size bed with a hammock and the shampoo with apple cider vinegar,” the placard on the dresser might say.

Chef Patrick Wursching is a regular at the morning market in Mae Nam — ROSE YASMIN KARIM

Well, at least I imagine that’s what it would have said if Al Gore were the general manager.

On arrival at the Prana Resort and Spa in Koh Samui, I half expect to be seated for a lecture on saving the planet. In place are friendly banter and service with a smile.

The hotel uses a system that provides electricity to the room when the room key is inserted in a slot.

The air-conditioning blasts, and I plop myself in the middle of the four-poster bed. An unsettling feeling makes me fidgety, and I look around trying to figure out what it is.

There’s no television! No matter, I’ll find ways to amuse myself.

It takes me a while to get the shower temperature just right. A nanotechnology-made rock is latched onto the shower pipe. It supposedly energises the water. I don’t know if the rock has anything to do with it, but the strong water pressure helps to calm my nerves after a very bumpy, 2½-hour flight in a tiny, twin-propeller airplane from Subang airport.

Room with an ocean view and private pool. — PRANA RESORT & SPA

A placard sits on the sink, encouraging guests to hang up their towels should they wish to reuse it. Washing fewer towels will help save the planet about as much as switching to diet coke will make an obese person shed weight, says the cynic in me.

To be fair, the resort isn’t forcing anyone to go without fresh towels if they don’t choose to.

My hair dripping wet, I go around the room opening and closing drawers in search of the “weapon of mass seduction”. But to no avail. Flabbergasted, I call the nice lady at the reception.

“The blow-dryer is upon request, ma’am. We will have it sent over.”

The tree-hugger in me applauds the system of delivering newspapers only upon request, but no blow-dryer?

Squinting at the mirror underneath the dim, energy-efficient lighting, I powder my nose and remember that my camera is out of battery. I plug the charger into the socket and pull the key from the slot.

Instantly, the power goes out. Fish! I’m guessing I’m not the only one who would be disgruntled with — rather than grateful for — the resort’s energy-saving effort.

This is the catch-22 hotels face. If they don’t make an effort to be greener, customers say they aren’t eco enough. When they do make an effort to be a little greener, customers are annoyed by the minor inconveniences they have to put up with . . .

Excuse me, where’s the meat?

I’m not averse to pushing pensioners out of the way at a barbeque to satisfy my insatiable appetite for lamb cutlets, but vegetarian restaurants don’t get me excited. The food is often joyless.

But the table-setting at Amala Vegetarian Restaurant, Prana’s only restaurant, is gorgeous, the company fabulous and the sky tonight is star-studded.

French chef Patrick Wursching is not a vegetarian but he is very creative with his fruits and vegetables.

The dishes come beautifully plated and as colourful as tropical fish. Green, pandan-flavoured rice comes with servings of asparagus, carrots and mushrooms cooked just right in a rich creamy sauce. It is so good it hurts.

For obediently eating all our vegetables, we are rewarded with a rich chocolate cake for dessert. It’s topped with chocolate ice cream and cookies (which turns out to be a piece of papadum). There is no mock meat — only good, honest vegetables.

The morning after, Chef Patrick takes us on a tour of the local wet market where he goes to stock up his kitchen. We encounter staples of the Thai diet like terrapins and frogs, bugs piled high and freshly pounded green and red curry paste.

After a quick lap, a driver takes us in a van around the island. The driver doesn’t speak much English, so we have to conjure up the possible answers to the queries that pique our curiosities, like, why is the mummified monk wearing Ray Bans? Where do the katoey (transvestite) working the bars and clubs at Chaweng get their hair done? With all that sticky rice and mango, how do the Thai ladies stay slim?

On the way back, we make a quick stop at the Tesco Lotus supermarket to buy some Thai Chilli Paste to take home. Julie, a staff at the resort, highly recommends Mae Pranhom Chilli Paste, which has a picture of a lady with a bob haircut on the label.

Back at the resort, we are briefed on the resort’s expansion plans.

“The second phase of the resort sits right across the street and will be up and running by 2010. It’s a high-traffic area, so we will be lining the wall with bamboo plants to filter out noise,” says operations head Daryl P. Bisset.

“There will be more sweeping changes. For instance, we will be installing solar panels on the other side. The initial investment will be expensive, but we’ll save on electricity in the long run.

“The resort is also phasing out standard hotel cleaning products that contain harmful chemicals and buying biodegradable ones as we are planning to reuse the grey water to water the plants on the grounds. Right now, we have a small herb and vegetable patch but it has been a constant challenge to grow the plants so close to the beach.”

The architect’s illustration of the resort extension looks cool, but Bisset’s animated description of the place is even better.

“There will be a floating platform for massage sessions (he assures you won’t get motion sickness), meditation water pods, a jade bed that will help improve blood circulation, and a team made up of doctors qualified in alternative medicine who will run a body terrain analysis for guests to test their blood, urine and saliva,” he says.

Koh Samui is building quite a reputation as the detox capital of Thailand, and it looks like Prana Resort and Spa fits right in.

Travellers looking to check out this resort should start saving their vacation days!

For enquiries, call +66 7724 6362 or visit www.pranaresorts.com