Pisang goreng (fried banana in Indonesian/Malay) is a snack made of banana or plantain, covered in batter or not, being deep fried in hot cooking oil, and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
Pisang goreng is most often associated with Indonesia, and indeed the country has the largest variety of pisang goreng recipes. However, this fried banana snack is also considered native to neighbouring countries; particularly Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
It is consumed as a snack in the morning and afternoon. In Indonesia and Malaysia, pisang goreng is often sold by street vendors, although some sellers have a storefront from which to sell their wares.
~Wikiepdia~
COVID-19: Melaka develops strategies to protect tourism sector
The state government is developing new strategies to reduce the impact on the tourism sector in Melaka, particularly in the hotel industry, following the cancellation of tourist bookings from China due to the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Chief Minister Adly Zahari said one of the possible initiatives was to focus on the health tourism sector especially among tourists from Indonesia.
He said there were only about 700,000 Indonesian tourists to Melaka including for treatments in private hospital, to date, which could increase to over one million if promotions and attractive packages were offered.
"We have four private hospitals offering health services and they are in high demand among foreign tourists especially at Mahkota Medical Centre, but there is more room available to accommodate the arrival of health tourists in the other three private hospitals.
"We believe that health tourism is the best sub-sector that can be boosted in line with the current situation where health services are needed," he told a press conference after the state executive council meeting here today.
Yesterday, the media reported that the Malaysian Association of Travel and Travel Agents (MATTA) had confirmed the cancellation of about 95,000 hotel bookings in the country as a result of coronavirus outbreaks, citing most of the cancellations were made by visitors from China.
Commenting further, Adly said focus would also be given to attracting domestic tourists to the state especially to increase room bookings or support the hotel industry in Malacca.
He said various programmes or activities could be implemented at the hotel including meetings, conventions and exhibitions including involving government agencies and departments.
"We will also look at large-scale programmes that can be implemented to attract domestic tourists during the COVID-19 outbreak with the cooperation of various parties and take into account the advice of the State Health Department," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Geographér Café is conveniently located in a conspicuous corner pre-war shophouse right in the heart of Chinatown, Old Malacca. This eatery with its warm ambience reflects the gracious old charm of the seasoned traveller and truly maintains the tradition in a place where East meets West.
Visitors are provided a window with a "Living Museum" as they keep an exciting look-out for the bustling activities that pulse through the many narrow streets nearby, which are lined with shops, houses and buildings, centuries old.
Within walking distance from Geographer Cafe, history is alive in abundance from Geographer Cafe. The oldest Chinese Temple and Muslim Mosque are located on harmony street, a short stroll away. This beautiful old architecture respond to cultural and spiritual expectations from the glorious past till the present day.
The charm of Malacca is spell-binding and timeless. Its proximity to the riverfront made it the location for settlement and development.
The Baba Nyonya House situated at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock or formerly known as Heeren Street, is one of the most exquisite, displaying a blend of Dutch and Chinese influences. The Babas were called the Straits Chinese or Peranakans. Their culture is derived from Traditional Chinese with Malay influence. They belong to their own unique community and Malacca is the original birthplace of this clan. Their beautiful homes which contains their heritage structure are located a short distance from Geographer Cafe.
Join us at Geographer Cafe, a city of many historical cultures and delicious local cuisines.
Geographér Café
83, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Malacca, Malaysia
Tel: +60 6 281 6813 Fax: +60 6 2816613
https://geographer.com.my/
Kota Linggi a forgotten place
The area around Kota Linggi and the river mouth is a popular fishing spot while the calm and beautiful waters is a tourist draw. — Bernama
Despite its wealth of history which included the Bugis, Dutch and Melaka Malay Sultanate, Kota Linggi, also known as Kota Bukit Supai, now lies neglected and forgotten.
The local community wants the city, built by the Dutch and the Bugis at the mouth of Sungai Linggi in the 1870s, to be revived as a tourism product.
Salmah Harun, who operates a stall selling kuih muih, said previous efforts by the Melaka Museum Corporation and Alor Gajah District Council to promote the area had failed.
Since then, Salmah, 48, together with the local villagers, have taken the initiative to revive the area by starting small food and drinks businesses catering to tourists. There is also a food court which opens at night.
The Stadhuys building in Melaka is a popular tourist attraction. — Filepic
“The biggest problem we face is the location of this place compared to other places such as Bandar Hilir which is in the middle of Melaka City.
“This place is about 50km away, on the border of Melaka and Negri Sembilan, so it is difficult for tourists to come here.
“One solution is for the tour operators to bring in groups of tourists. The villagers are willing to work with them as it is sad to see the town gone quiet, ” she said.
Based on records, Kota Bukit Supai is also known as Kota Belanda, Kota Meriam Patah and Kota Filipina.
It was a strategic location for the Dutch to monitor the movement of their enemies as well as a site to collect the taxes imposed on tin ore brought from Rembau and Linggi.
History and natural beauty makes Kota Bukit Supai a potential tourism product. — Bernama
In the end, however, the city was neglected after the Dutch left Melaka.
Factory supervisor Tham Zhee Meng, 39, who often goes fishing in the area, said the town was a heritage location.
“It has a high historical value and should be promoted as a tourism attraction as Melaka is rich in history, ” the Rembia resident said.
Tham said the area around the river mouth was also a popular fishing spot while the calm and beautiful waters had the potential to draw tourists there.
Fisherman Abu Bakar Md Piah, 57, said the combination of history and natural beauty made Kota Bukit Supai a potential tourism product.
Kota Linggi was built by the Dutch and the Bugis at the mouth of Sungai Linggi in the 1870s. — Bernama
Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari said the state government was looking at rural tourism products like Kota Bukit Supai to attract tourists in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2020.
He said local and foreign tourists were already familiar with popular locations in Melaka like the Stadthuys, A’Farmosa Fort, St Paul’s Hill and museums in Bandar Hilir.
“We want to have a variety of tourism products in the state which are not just focused in the Bandar Hilir area, but in rural areas such as Kota Bukit Supai, ” he added. — Bernama
No cases of coronavirus in Melaka, but hotels taking precautionary measures
Tourists visiting the Stadthuys Building in Melaka. - Filepic
Major hotels here are taking temperatures of foreign guests and hotel workers as part of precautionary measures in the wake of the novel coronavirus.
Frequent disinfection works were also being carried out in hotels, including the rooms, said Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) Melaka Chapter's honorary secretary Jason Bak.
"For instance, Ramada Plaza Melaka Hotel has made it compulsory for hotel workers to wear face masks, as well as providing masks to guests upon request.
"This was a remedial effort embarked by hotels even though Melaka, as a top tourist destination in the country, has not reported any cases of coronavirus," he said in an interview here on Saturday (Feb 1).
Bak said hotels were also placing hand sanitisers in their washrooms, gyms, kitchens and restaurants.
He said all the managers had been told to maintain high hygiene levels and that failure to do so could lead to disciplinary action being taken against them.
Bak said the hotels were making sure that their managers attend daily meetings on the protocol of dealing with the contagion.
"This is to ensure that the hotel staff, from the managers to the cleaners, are aware of what to do in case they think guests or their colleagues have symptoms of viral infection," he said.
Bak added that hotels in Melaka would continue to ensure the safety of guests and workers by working with the state health authorities.
~The Star~
