
Fri: after a pleasant 1hr 30mins on the Rajang River (15MYR), was welcome by Sibu’s chirping committee in a basket 🙂







Not to be mistaken with the Sibu/Cebu in the Philippines, Sibu here is a town in Sarawak/E Malaysia! Garden City to be, this quiet town along Rajang River is one of the three towns in Malaysia which consists of a predominantly Foochow-Chinese population. Gam Mua noodle /干盘面 (kampua) – noodles tossed in pork lard or vegetable oil, fried shallots, spring onions and sometimes soy sauce and/or chili sauce is their signature dish. The town symbol is the Swan but all my pix look more like a goose! Central Market, Malaysia’s largest indoor market is quite amazing, especially how the chickens are wrapped in newspapers… eco-friendly chicks 🙂



Checked into the River Park Hotel/Jalan Maju (68MYR/per night) and took a siesta on this very hot afternoon. The late afternoon rains helped to cool the evening but not much help where taking pix is concerned. Early night and hopefully early tomorrow the rains will stop! Kian Hock Coffee Shop has good food and is next door to the hotel. How convenient!




Sat: Sibu’s area of app 8,278 km2 /3,196.3 sq mi is populated with app 257,800. The more affluent buildings besides some hotels are the Sanyan Tower/三洋大厦 (notice the rainbow! from the Central Market pix), Tua Pek Kong Temple, Fu Yong Methodist Church/Hoover Mission Hall. To many this is a sign of wealth and progress but is organized religion the answer to salvation? On this beautiful morning, the camera will be my only salvation:-)



The original KLBank/1923 was located on Jalan Bank on the junction of Jalan Wharf & Jalan Temple, what a strategic location! 6 Feb 2009 posting, it was a bike shop, today it is a cafe! Mission is now more or less accomplished in these areas with pix of where the original KLBanks were once located in Sarikei and Sibu. The next mission is to search for anyone who might have pix of the KLBanks from 1923 & 1937!








Life in Sibu is again very much focus around the river. A new attraction is the Pandaw River Cruise/2009, a 9days ordeal cruising up the Rajang river deep into the Pelagus Rapids Resort in the rural interior of Sarawak with longhouses as the attraction. Will pass on that for now. As long as the legs are able to carry this overweight body! the cruises can wait…



Started raining again this afternoon. Had a drink@Le Ark Cafe & Gallery, a wannabe trendy joint that does not serve Gin Tonic or Martinis. But Blue Lagoon is on the cocktail list… maybe they should have a signature drink name Muddy Lagoon 🙂



Ended the day@the night market where the full moon is supposed to be larger than normal, but alas the clouds will not budge for the moon… maybe later! At least the rains have stopped. Choices upon choices, managed to choose 3 dishes- tamarind (assam) fish, tapioca leaf and another local veggie for dinner, yummy!
A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death – Albert Einstein