23 Mar 2011 – Civic Centre

Tue: thanks to AnnChee & SiawChuan for a home-cooked dinner. Nice to spent some time with their delightful children and they too are growing up fast. Jia Jia is now 9, same as Katy and playing the piano. Kelly would have been 6, like Ellie and Tiger is 3, a year younger than JohnW. Has been just over a year ago since Kelly departed from this world and she is missed by all her loved ones. Somehow it seems like yesterday that AnnChee & SiawChuan were passing thru’ SIN en route for their honeymoon!

KCH Civic Centre or Dewan Suarah KCH/1988 is a major landmark in here. The viewing platform at the top of the futuristic Civic Centre tower offers the best all-round views of KCH and the surrounding areas. The city and its hinterland, Mt Serapi, Mt Santubong and even the mountains of Kalimantan are visible on a clear day. Not sure as to why there are hardly anyone there yesterday, perhaps it is a weekday but lucky for my camera and me 🙂

Notice the beautiful big trees and the magnificent colonial white-washed buildings from the White Rajah days! Quite a contrast to the not-so well-maintained Chinese shop houses where Main Bazaar (river front) and #30 is. KLBank used to be there, now Star Company. Across the river is a Malay Kampong/village next to the Astana. It is certainly not your White Rajahs’ standard of living even when they are neighbours! Better watch my words here or might get bitten 🙂

The Torch Ginger is exquisitely beautiful to the extend that it does not look or feel real. This bud (the taste is not so good when the flower blossoms) is use to enhance the flavour of salad dishes. Usually in a lighter shade of pink colour found in rojak/a local salad dish.  The flowers in this pix are picked from Lawrence & Mabel’s garden and this vibrant pink is something new to the eyes that will have to focus towards SIN tomorrow…

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes – Marcel Proust

22 Mar 2011 – Modes of Transportation!

Bullock carts are no longer in use, but the journey would have taken many days for that mode of transport! Plane (35mins), boat (5hrs) and now the experience with the bus. No trains in these areas and as for biking or walking, the tropical weather is not where one wants to bike or walk unless there are no other choices!

Mon: bus from Sibu to KCH, app 7hrs including 2 stops in Sarikei & Jelukong. Chose Asia Star(Biaramas Express) with the most comfortable seats and seats #1 & 2 have the panoramic views. Relaxing and good way to see the interior of this area. Probably also the most expensive bus compared to the others but a well worth 59MYR ride on mainly 2 lanes decent roads by passing some small farms (corn, dragon fruits, pepper etc), abundance of tropical ferns & plants; orchid lovers would like this, the wild Arundina/Bamboo orchid (one of my favourite wild ones!) grows like weeds on the road side.

Left on time 10.00hrs- roads out of Sibu on a Mon drizzly morning! Notice the amount of water on the road-side… the floods during monsoon seasons are no surprises! If one has to live around these swampy areas, better build houses on tall Belian wood or concrete stilts 🙂

The express bus terminals in Sibu, Sarikei (one will have to be colour-blind to miss this terminal!) and a stop@Jelukong. Be prepared to pay .20c and another .40c for tissues for the restrooms in Sibu & Sariket. In Jelukong, hold your breath, but FOC 🙂

Sibu & Sarikei’s express bus terminals are located app 15mins drive from the town center, not confusing with the local bus terminals which are at the heart for these small towns. Originally the idea to stay near these local terminals (not realizing that the express bus terminals are at different locations) is that they are in walking distance to the accommodations. But would still choose to stay near the river if future trips are necessary. The pix of the orchid is downloaded and the most of the others are taken from a moving bus. Arrived in KCH on time, at 17.00hrs and appreciations to Lawrence for meeting me.

Thank you to Lawrence for his invitation to the Rotary Club dinner and meeting. An educational slide show regarding the medical volunteers to the longhouses in the jungles in Miri. Respect and admiration to the medical team from all over Malaysia who took their leave-time to do this noble field-work.

Men do change, and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass – John Steinbeck

20 Mar 2011 – Kampung Bawang Assan/Sibu

Breakfast before 0700hrs so as to make the most of this last day in Sibu. Quite a sad scene at the coffee shop, a young boy about age 6, washing cups with an older guy yelling at him on top of his voice. Controlled the tears but left as soon as I could shallow the last bit of noodles. Gratitude and thoughts to grand-uncle and grandfather for having the courage and guts to venture out of their poverty and for making a fortune so that we were given the opportunity to an education!

In archaeology and anthropology, a longhouse is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by people in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and N America. Many of the Dayaks in Borneo live traditionally in buildings known as a longhouse, Rumah panjang in Malay. They are built raised off the ground on stilts (best accustomed to jungle life) and are divided into a more or less public area along one side and a row of private living quarters lined along the other side. It is kind of like a village on stilts!

About an hour by car from Sibu crossing the Batang Isan Bridge is the Bawang Assan Village longhouse/希望在马来西亚，砂拉越诗巫, home of the Iban people who were into headhunting until as recently as in the late 1940s. In some very remote locations there may even still be the odd beheading but no worries will not be going in that direction 🙂

These 100yrs old foundations of the houses are made from Belian hardwood, the only wood in Borneo capable of being submerged for a long time. Appreciations to Catherine Eyut Ak Pasai (who is younger than me but has 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren!) & her family for sharing their lunch and for showing me their home. The ayam pansuh=chicken cooked in bamboo and ikan pansuh=fish… tasted heavenly!

Thanks to her family and the locals who so graciously allow to be photographed. And thank you to beautiful old trees 🙂

If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people – Confucius

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

18 Mar 2011 – Happy 37th Bday Linn, my first-born!

Check into King’s Inn on Wed for the same price as Dragon’s Inn. The room here has the river view and the hot water works, also more convenient to the bus station and boat terminal. The King won over Puff, the mighty dragon who ceased his fearless roar 🙂

Thu: last night the sky opened to rain cats and dogs but what a refreshing morning stroll by the river to the central market!  Morning sky dotted with swiftlets flying in and out of their nests. Only a few species of swiftlets are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of bird nest soup. This delicacy costs app MYR4,000-5,000 per kilo! The edible ones are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans, thus a lucrative but polluting business if one is not familiar of the know-how! These nests have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years.

http://sarikei-time-capsule.blogspot.com/2008/07/scenes-sarikei-nyelong-swiftlet.html

The central market (new district office block in the background) has abundance of fresh, organic produce which made me want to cook! Between the veggies and the bird nest which is rich in nutrients and are traditionally believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion, raising libido!! improving the voice, alleviating asthma, improving focus and an overall benefit to the immune system, one could be disgustingly healthy 🙂

Taman Merdeka, Pasar Sentral, Sarikei River Esplanade, Sacred Tree by the river

New Elfa Cafe, Rajang River T2, Temple-to-be! by the river

Old District Office & Court/1937, Chinese Chambers of Commerce/1940, Civic Center/1987.

Life revolving around  Jalan Wharf and the bus and river terminals…

Fri: appreciations to the people who took time to see and talk to me and a special thanks to Stephen CHEN & family who went out of their way to make me feel more than welcome. Heading upstream to Sibu at noon. The choice between the muddy brown water or the highway. For this stretch, will opt for the mud but will consider the highway back to KCH, then will have tried all mode of transport to this area 🙂

16 Mar 2011 – Jalan Wharf/Wharf Road

12Swp2022: both his old photo of Sarikei and blog link from this post has been requested to be removed by DanielYiek – I have spent countless hours filing reports to remove this photo from copycats on Facebook. I had no choice but to dsiable my blog because I need to stop copycats and keep my old photos for a charity book on my town.

After the great Sibu fire in 1928, the Sibu branch of KLBank under LAM Pak Kuang (need to find out if he is related!) was moved to Sarikei until Sibu was rebuilt. KLBank/廣利銀行, opened in Sarikei in 1937. KLBank moved from 5 Wharf Road to 22 Wharf Road after the war in the late 1940s/early 1950s.

KL Mortgage & Remittance Company was started by grand-uncle LAM JiChiew in 1905 in Kuching. It granted loans against the security of export commodities such as pepper, rubber and other indigenous products. It provided the services of remitting money of migrant Chinese to their families in SE China. It opened branches in Sibu (1923) and Singapore (1926). After the Depression on 26 Oct 1934, the company was converted into a public company under the name KLBank. It then opened in Sarikei (1937) and Binatang (1973). It was acquired by MUI group in 1982 and then it was acquired by HL Group Malaysia in 1994. (Wikipedia)

KLBank moved to the 1st shop of a new block next to Payang Puri Block in the 1970s. 金山代理商/Kim Sang trader took over the old shop and was known for its imported western products like butter, sugar cubes and bacon.

Today the economy of Sarikei is primarily agricultural and is famed for its pineapples and pepper. The center of town has many old Chinese shophouses from the 1930s. It is also a major transportation hub for traffic on both the Pan Borneo Highway and the Rajang river. The most distinctive feature of the bustling waterfront is a 3.6 m high pineapple statue. The irony of the pix on the right is where a pot of gold is expected, there is a run-down shed at the end of this rainbow 🙂

Eureka… found my pot of gold! 5 Wharf Road, now Kwong Hup Heng Cafe with owners also name LAM. Not related but also from the same village as grandfather. Mrs LAM age 86 remembers vividly to describe how one of the fat guards in the ancestors’ Jiangmen/China house got slaughtered by the Japanese during the war. 22 Wharf Road is now a combination of furniture shop and Lian Star Realty.

HLBank is located next to Payang Puri Block near the fountain. Had Sarawak’s signature and my favourite KoLo mee+ice coffee breakfast for less than 3MYR@Rian Cheong Cafe*** across from HLBank.

Appreciations to Stephen CHEN@King’s Inn for arranging to meet up with various locals who are willing to take time to talk to me. Thank you for his most kind hospitality by even inviting me to his home for a delicious dinner with his lovely family. There are lily-pond, mango and longan tree in his garden and the fruits are juicy and yummy. The day ended with a memorable durian feast on his kitchen floor! Am planning to stay on a few more days to talk to people. To be continued…

People tend to forget that the word ‘history’ contains the word ‘story’ – Ken Burns

15 Mar 2011 – The Rivers vs Pan Borneo Highway

Mon: thanks Chuan for dinner@The Heritage****but most of all do appreciate you for taking the time to meet and for helping out with info about transportation and accommodations for the next stop!

Tue: the Ekspres Bahagia departed KCH 0830hrs speeding down the calm waters of the Sarawak River (bypassing some industrial areas and some villages) into the end bit of a slight choppy S China Sea (nothing else but the sea) and then back into more shelter water on the Rajang River (some industries and villages) to Sarikei. The ride took app 3hrs 15mins and cost 40MYR. It was a comfortable trip but would not want to attempt it during monsoon season. Did certainly check with the weather first, especially after the earthquake in Japan!

Imagine the slow boat in the 1930s, that would take at least a day to get here then! Sarikei the capital of the Sarikei District, Sarawak/E Malaysia. It is located on the Rajang River near where the river empties into the S China Sea. With an app area of 985sq km/380 sq mi and a pop app 57,000 is culturally mixed with mostly Iban, Melanau, Malay and Chinese predominating. Checked into the Dragon Inn for 40MYR/per night, clean room with bath attached and most important unlimited internet access! Too hot, lazy and tired to go out to take pix now. Pix from town- akan datang/coming soon! A nap sounds good for now 🙂

Human nature is above all things lazy – Harriet B Stowe

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!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126362025803

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

12 Mar 2011 – A Prayer@Jemak Mosque for the People in Japan!

Masjid Jamek/Jamek Mosque is located at Petra Jaya adjacent to the State Library. Regarding houses of worship, the mosque is the most peaceful and serene place for me. There are no statues, icons, deities etc inside; instead there are pretty stained glass windows and tall pillars with tasteful mosaic domes covered with beautiful Arabic calligraphy. Today, a silent prayer was said for the people affected by the earthquake and tsunamis.

The Astana=palace in English, resides the current Yang di-Pertua Negeri or the Head of State/Governor of Sarawak. This palace is situated on the north bank of the river, just across the river from Kuching Waterfront. Charles Brooke (3rd and last Rajah) built this as a bridal gift to his wife Margaret in 1870.

Parliament Building by KCH River with Lawrence looking across the river at the KCH City Mosque.

Lunch@White Rajah Restaurant***/Regency Rajah Court Hotel. Food so-so. Lawrence & Mabel know the GM/Mr Lang? and coincidently he was also having a late lunch. Asked if it was possible to buy the disposable place mats and coasters of old historic prints and was immediately presented with two sets. The camera was happily clicking away while Lawrence went to get the car and we ladies took our time to admire the decor. As we were approaching the door, this young waiter approached us to ask if our bill will be settled by Mr Lang? What a polite and diplomatic way to inform us that the bill was not paid! Mabel & I thought that Lawrence took care of the bill. But the point is that it is impressive how this young waiter dealt with the situation. Must write to the management to congratulate them for such service.

Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends -Walt Disney

11 Mar 2011 – Greetings Again from Cat City!

KCH postings 7 Mar 2008, 15 May 2009, 26 Mar 2010. Must like it here to return every year since 2006!

Kuching KCH/古晋 officially the City of Kuching (431.01km^2/166.4 sq mi, pop app 600,000),is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysia state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo and the 4th largest city in Malaysia founded by the representative of the Sultan of Brunei in 1827

More than 150 years ago, Sarawak was essentially KCH. KCH was known as Sarawak first, then the word Proper, was added to Sarawak, thus Sarawak Proper, so as to distinguish it from the larger Sarawak which, in 1841, consisted of only the area between Tanjung Datu and the Samarahan River. In 1872, Sarawak Proper was given its present name, KCH, under the rule of the second Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Brooke.

KCH was named after a tidal stream called Sungai Kuching/River Kuching that ran between the present-day Tua Pek Kong Temple and Chinese History Museum. The stream originated from Bukit Mata Kuching/Cat’s Eye Hill where there was an abundance of a local fruit called Green Longan (Isau, Dimocarpus longan ssp malesianus), vernacularly known as Mata Kuching/Cat’s Eye. KCH is thought to derive from the Malay word kucing=cat. Many of the locals refer to KCH as the Cat City but it more likely comes from the Chinese word for port cochin coupled with the Malay name mata kucing for the longan fruit, a popular trade item.

Thu: Tiger flight roared on schedule into Cat City. Uncle Yat Ming somehow lost his baggage after claiming it… must have been the excitement of seeing brother Lawrence again after an absence of over 50yrs! All’s well that ends well, thank goodness some honest soul found the bag and called the police and the happy and rightful owner reunited with his bag 🙂

Thanks to Lawrence for dinner@Top Spot****with my favourite veggie, medin/FiddleHeads which is wild fern found only in this area.

Appreciations to Lawrence & Mabel for hosting today’s lunch***@Telang Usan Hotel in the company of family, Mabel’s brother Raymond and his Danish guests.

Just got news about the major tsunami after a 8.9 earthquake Japan with the footage on TV all confusion right now, but looks bad and the tsunami could be on its way to other places. To the people in that area, please stay as safe as they are able to.

Did you know that the word tsunami, which is now being used worldwide, is a Japanese word? This is indicative of the extent to which Japan has been subject to frequent tsunami disasters in the past – Junichiro Koizumi