Danny;
It's hard to believe that we haven been here in Malaysia since Nov 2010. As soon as we got to downtown Kota Kinabalu, all the familiar sights, sounds and smells came rushing back. Sabah's capital city is a pleasant Borneo surprise set between lush tropical hills and the South China sea.
After a quick refresh at our hotel we went across the street to have lunch with some of our Hosts from the US Embassy and SPARKS. We went over the details of our concerts and outreach programs. It was great to see Rodger, Chew and all our other Malaysian friends that I see everyday on Facebook.
After our lunch/meeting we went over to the Sabah Institute of Art and checked out the equipment for our workshop tomorrow morning. This is the first State Dept. tour that I haven't brought my own drums and gear, so I was very happy to find a kit already set up for me.
on the way back to our hotel we had to take a couple of group photos;)
The students at the institute made this crustacean chair and Johnny felt his inner lobster come alive, probably a pre dinner premonition;)
We had the pleasure of going out to an amazing Malaysian seafood restaurant to have a dinner hosted by
SWEPA Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (SWEPA) is an NGO where formation was spearheaded by the Economic Committee of the Sabah Women’s Advisory Council in March 1993. http://www.swepa.org
Chew, our good friend and US Embassy liaison along with these wonderful women, took us on a culinary tour of Malaysia's finest local seafood.
A giant blue lobster, some snails and mantis prawns that are grown in bottles.
There were also some clams and these shrimp with glowing eyes;)
Each dish was better than the next and they were all laid out for us on a giant lazy Susan.
Here's the mantis prawn;
Steamed prawn, crab, whole fish and snails
Johnny had the hardest time trying to get this one out of his shell, but he was determined and finally prevailed.
When we were done with this amazing feast, Chew and Shavia presented this gift to SPARKS and SWEPA. A beautiful book by Ann Dunham
The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) and the Embassy of the United States in Kuala Lumpur are presenting – “Ann Dunham’s Legacy: A Collection of Indonesian Batiks,” an exhibition that will showcase 20 batiks from the private collection of Ann Dunham, President Obama’s mother. The launch of the exhibition by Ann Dunham’s daughter, Dr Maya Soetoro-Ng, will mark the first time that the collection will be exhibited outside the United States.
.
Well we all had a wonderful time and are looking forward to our workshop tomorrow morning and a radio interview in the afternoon. Oh and of course more food adventures.
