13 Mar 2011 – The Sarawak Club

A rainy morning in search of sites owned by the LAM family many moons ago! Kwong Lee Bank /KLB, main office in KCH used to be owned by the LAM family from 1905-1964, absorbed by Overseas Chinese Banking Cooperation/OCBC in 1964, later by Malayan United Industry/MUI Bank in 1983 and at present bought over by the Hong Long Bank/HLB in 1994. Thus HL Bank is able to claim that it is founded in 1905!

The Sarawak Club was established in 1876 and is reputedly one of the oldest private membership clubs in the whole of Malaysia. This have been my afternoons hang-out since arrival. There is a library with internet access in addition to the swimming pool which is a comfortable form of excises after all these yummy local food!

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So coincident that Ting just posted a lovely pix on FB of a Hornbill from Sungei Buloh/SIN. Borrowing her pix to show what the real Hornbill looks like. Thanks Ting. Was just taking pix of The Hornbill Restaurant and the club facilities here. Sarawak is popularly known as the Land of the Hornbills, which is the national bird of the State. The locals view the bird as a symbol of purity. They use either the bird itself or it’s representation in their religious ceremonies. In Sarawak, as in other SE Asian countries, it is a protected species.

The high ceilings in the lobby & dinning areas give an airy feeling in these hot climates. Across the road from the pool is a building looking like a table with many legs. It is the Civic Center and visitors can go up to the viewing platform to get a panoramic view of the city below. It also has a planetarium where you can learn a bit about the constellation.

Fly me to the moon
Let me sing among those stars
Let me see what spring is like
On jupiter and mars – Bart Howard