For months I have looked at posts of random Steemit meetups and always thought how awesome it would be to attend one of them. Then after planning a trip to Malaysia, I knew I would finally be able to attend one of them. Not just any meetup, but some of the coolest Steemians I can think of. With flights booked and bellies empty I knew the day has come where I would finally sit in on a meetup and be able to interact and talk Steemit face to face with awesome people.
I have met one Steemian in the past, the one and only @oleg326756. That was last year though, and one of the memorable days when it comes to Steemit talk. This time it wasn't going to be just one Steemian but a lot of them!
Ahoi Team Malaysia!
I spoke with some of the Team Malaysia members after I let them know I will be coming to Malaysia. I was welcomed with open arms and they simply radiated friendliness. I want to especially thank @aaronleang, @joannewong, and @zord189 who planned and hosted the meetup.
We were staying at an AirBNB apartment complex with a great swimming pool and awesome views. We just had a nice swim and it was time to leave and finally meet everyone.
Not the best idea to hang out in the sun right before the meetup. I was pretty red and toasty from the sun, luckily it made me nice and hungry!
@aaronleang and @joannewong were kind enough to come to pick us up at our AirBNB. After we got in the car it was non stop chatting about all kinds of things, the beginning of all the Steemit talking. They were simply amazing and were great hosts from minute one.
Time for Angry Coconuts! (AKA Durian)
Some would call this a test to see how Malaysian I am =P. I was nervous about the Durian "Challenge" and the whole trip it has haunted me a little. I know from personal experience that when it comes to eating new and adventurous things, texture is the first thing that might make me hate or love it. @zord189 also confirmed that I will either hate or love it. This is also the fastest way to make or lose friends in Malaysia, JK! XD
The moment of truth and the Durians (yes, multiple) was on the table. As I picked it up all eyes were on me and @imdazu. The anticipation and excitement were thick in the air and then we finally took our first bite.
It blew my mind. The taste is hard to describe, it is a mixture of so many interesting flavors all at once. The texture (my main concern) was way better than I expected. Soft and mushy, kind of like a mango or thin extra smooth peanut butter. To my surprise, I was pretty impressed by this interesting fruit. Malaysian test = PASSED!
We carried on to try a few varieties of Durian, I never even knew you get different Durians, guess you can think of it as wine. We all know it as wine but there are hundreds of different types and flavors. The same when it comes to Durians.
The Durian Crew
With Durian done, it was time to move on and meet more Steemians!
Next Stop, Flavor Town!
Next up was Bak Kut Teh and a bigger party of Steemians. This was going to be our main meal, but after all the Durian i was not extremely hungry. I was more excited to meet more of #teammalaysia. It was late afternoon, the sun was going down and there was not a breeze to be found. My slight sunburn sand it and I started to slowly cook from the inside out. Soon enough they told me that Durian is a "hot" food and it will for sure make my body feel a lot hotter than usual. So I was sitting with a heat hat-trick. The heat was crazy, but honestly, I didn't care. I was having a great time meeting and greeting as our party grew larger.
Just as we sat down @bitrocker2020 showed up, I knew he was coming and I was keen to meet another witness in real life. This was the first time to meet a witness outside of Discord. It was awesome! Think we were both keen on meeting each other.
We got comfy and had some iced tea to cool down.
It was time to dig into the main meal and it smelled absolutely amazing! Bak Kut Teh is traditional pork soup that contains pork ribs and some of the nitty gritty parts like pork intestines. Being from Korea I had not a drop of fear when it came to trying out all things pork. The flavors were nice and herbal, it had a very fresh taste to it and the meat simply melted in your mouth.
I know there were different kinds and I really should have taken some notes about it all, but I had just too much fun talking Steemit with everyone! @zord189 and I had a great time talking crypto and investments. At this point, some of the other people just faded away and stopped listening to us as we went into our own little bubble of conversation. You can see I got my thinking face in full force here. =P
Santa visited Malaysia early this year!
I really had a great time with all the Malaysian even before the meetup and they have been nothing but good to me and the Qurator Project here on Steemit. I really wanted to give something back. I went with customized mouse pads that had their Steemit handle and also some Qurator sling bags. Just a little token of my appreciation for how awesome they are.
In this selfie below (Thanks to the selfie-master @bitrocker2020) you can see @zord189 holding up his mousepad. =) It was also time to move on since all the food was done and we were starting to crave something sweeter.
Fatbaby! (They know my middle name =P)
Just kidding, Fatbaby was a little ice-cream shop that all the Steemians raided after the lovely dinner in the intense heat. The aircon was much appreciated and I could finally cool down a bit. By this time I was pretty full and wanted to leave some space for our last meal that all the Malaysian are raving about Nasi Lemak. Here we got into even more intense chatting about Steemit and all things crypto. I finally got a nice chat with @bitrocker2020 and I must say I admire all he is doing for Steemit and the Steem blockchain. He is wise and I feel I have much to learn from him. Wish we had more time to get into deeper discussions, debating and discussing more crypto. Sadly we had to move on again, but before we do...
Fact time!
Did you know: @bitrocker2020 is a selfie-master. I kid you not, he has some really insane selfie skills. I guess it is from all his blockchain gatherings and meetups. I couldn't help myself and I just had to make this gif to show you what I mean. =P
The Final stop and the best Malaysian dish by far!
We headed down to a local spot to finally try Nasi Lemak. The street was filled with tables and food lovers all around. What was so special about this dish?
So every Malaysian I ever spoke to told me about Nasi Lemak. The hype was all over the show and from pictures that I saw online I couldn't really wrap my head around it. It looked simple, BUT ladies and gentlemen, this dish is really a must try. Fried chicken, rice topped with a sunny side up egg, some cucumber and nuts, all served on a banana leaf.
@imdazu and I were pretty stuffed by now and also kinda tired. We ordered only one plate and decided to share. The lights were a little dim since we were all chilling in the foody road. We snapped a quick pick and decided to dig in. OMG.
I told you the Durian blew my mind, but I was never prepared for what I tasted next. Maybe the simplest looking dish in Malaysia but when it comes to taste, flavor and texture I was truly blown away. I have tried many kinds of fried chicken in my life and all of them are pretty much the same. I can't say the same for Nasi Lemak though. The fried chicken Kung-fu'd my taste buds and the flavor was almost too good to share. Within a minute we decided to order another plate, one to share simply isn't enough. The small amount of cucumber and nuts complimented the whole dish and brought it all together in a way that I can only describe as phenomenal. Hands down the best chicken I have ever tasted in my whole life.
After our meals we kept chatting away, the street stayed pretty busy well into the morning hours. The Nasi Lemak was no joke and I have gained much respect for the dish. I met a few more steemians and I had a chance to catch up with all of them. Such a lovely experience. =)
Time to say good-bye! =(
The lovely evening with all the awesome food and Steemians had to come to an end eventually. I was a bit sad to go but we were well into the morning hours.
All I can say is thank you@aaronleang and @joannewong. You were great hosts and @imdazu and I loved every moment. We appreciate the time and effort of picking us up and dropping us off. The great food and notifying all the team that we will be around. It was amazing to finally be part of one of these awesome Steemit meetups.
Thank you, everyone, for making it a special night and the highlight of our trip to Malaysia. =)
All the Steemians that share this special night: @karinzdailygrind, @bitrocker2020, @digitalmind, @ireenchew, @ackhoo, @aaronleang, @joannewong, @zord189, @kevinwong, @scrooger, @imdazu, @khimgoh and @littlenewthings
On a side note, after visiting Malaysia and experiencing the awesome food, culture and people we are kind of considering spending a year or two there. Still a lot to take into consideration and some planning to be done. This means I will move to a permanent summer vibe and all you can eat Nasi Lemak. Why not? Right?!
Thanks again everyone. It was amazing!
Not all photos are mine, they are a mixture of all the steemians who attended the meetup. =)
Did you hear about the Qurator witness? Qurator is my main project here on steemit and it has grown to over 1400 members. We are proud to announce the witness is now live! If you like what I do here on Steemit consider voting for Qurator as a witness. =)
Via steemit.com.
- Via SteemConnect.
Thank you for reading! Steem on Steemians!
Via steemit.com.
- Via SteemConnect.
Thank you for reading! Steem on Steemians!