Borneo Trip Day 5

IT was Wednesday, the day we depart to Miri. The flight schedule was at 12.55pm. In the morning, we met up with another coursemate, Steven for breakfast at Kenyalang. He showed us a place at a food court above the market. Kennysia.com also mentioned this place before for its Tomato Kuey Tiao. I ordered a Tomata Mee. We wanted to ordered the Sio Bee and it left only five. So we took it all.

After the breakfast, Steven brought us to his house. Before that he drove us pass his secondary school where the canteen just burnt down recently by the students. Sigh, students nowadays.

Steven’s dad is operating a vase factory and a shop selling vases and other souvenirs. And his house is just above the shop. Once we reached Steven’s place, it looked very familiar to me. I realized that I’ve been to that place eight years ago during my primary school trip to Kuching. No wonder it looked so familiar. I wonder if I ever met with the Steven before I came to UTM. Who knows, it is a small world after all. =)

Looking for vase? Visit here

Reaching the factory/shop/house

L-R: HC, BL, Steven and CY

Factory round tour

The worker demonstrated a little bit before letting us try

Bee Li trying the pottery machine

And I just had a mess with it

Workers carving the patterns on the vase

When it is about 11.30am, Steven fetched us to CY’s house where we picked our luggage before sending the four of us to the airport. And off we go to MIRI!

Goodbye to Ang's residense

Auntie, don't play play lah!

The Kuching International Airport

Borneo Trip Day 4

The next morning, all of us slept like pigs and we missed the breakfast buffet. It was just too nice to leave the place. However on 12pm, we gotta check out and CY’s dad was already at the lobby waiting for us.

CY’s dad brought us to the open air market in front of Electra house to have our lunch. Kennysia.com mentioned this place before, for its Sio Bee (or siew mai in the West). I tried the Sarawak Laksa and it tasted just like our Kari Mee in Semenanjung. Then we walked along India street. There were many shops selling cloths and boutiques.

The open air market hawker center

India Street

A pintu gerbang with a small alley entrance

Inside the alley

After that, we went to the Tua Pek Kong temple which is located at the center of the town. Then we walking along a row of shops which sell souvenirs. I didn’t buy anything back to KL except for two postcards which I planned to mail to KL and Seoul.

Tua Pek Kong temple

Inside a souvenir shop

We went back to Ang’s residence to clean up and rest. That night her mum prepared dinner for us and we didn’t go out anywhere after that. I continued my Chicken Little game. It was our last night in Kuching.

Borneo Trip Day 2

The next morning, we woke up quite late so we didn’t get to go to the Sunday market with CY’s dad. Anyway, why do we wana go to the market when we can sleep comfortable in an air-con room for a longer time? =p

We had our breakfast at home, since there were many leftover dish the night before. CY’s dad is a very free man. After breakfast, he brought us to a Japanese cemetery and monument in Kuching. Not many people know about this place even CY. That place is built to remember a group of Japanese fisherman staying in Kuching who fought during the WWII.

The entrance of the cemetery

The memorial

The Japanese tourists will not fail to visit this place everytime they come to Kuching

That's BL, CY's sis, CY and I, erm behind

Then we headed to 青山(Green Hill in Chinese). It is located about half an hour from town. It is a Chinese temple located on top of the hill and is built in the inside of a Malay village. Whenever the cars come to park at the hill foot, the Malay kids will always appear out of nowhere to collect the 'parking fee'.

The steps going up the temple

We folded these to be burnt later on

Me

Overlooking the Malay village and the river

The big footstep of Buddha

After some praying and photo taking there, CY’s dad brought us to see a rock at the outside of the Sarawak Museum. According the CY’s dad, it is believed that a guy was struck by a lightning and later he became part of the rock, which gave the rock its unusual shape. I entered the museum and the rest of them took some photos outside.

Do you believe it is a natural rock?

Inside the Sarawak Museum. It used to be the residence of Brookes

Long house

Then we went back to CY’s home. We were supposed to wait for David, another coursemate of ours to bring us out to some place but he was taking his afternoon nap at that time. And so did we, since we were tired too.

At night, David fetched us for dinner at 7pm. e went to a place called Jalan Song and met up with Yee Wei there. There were a lot of hawker stalls and even DVD sellers there. And since it was Sunday, the place is fully packed. This is where we can see Kuching people gather all together having the dinner/supper. Hehe. I ordered a sambal chicken and coconut drink. And the Takoyaki there only cost RM3.50 for four pieces. In KL, it is three for RM3.90.

Hawker street at Jalan Song

David then brought us to 马中公园 (Malaysia-China Garden） just opposite the place we had our dinner. There was a lake and the place was beautifully decorated with Chinese elements. Half of the garden was built by Malaysia and the other half built by the Chinese. There was also a big statue of Cheng Ho (郑和). It looked scary at night though.

The main entrance stands majestically

The tea house only opens in daytime

Cheng Ho

My architecture coursemates: (L-R) Bee Li, Han Chee, Chiou Yann, Yee Wei and David

After that David drove us to Kuching Riverfront. Nothing much to be seen there except for some colonial buildings nearby such as the High Court, Round building, Post Office etc.
Next, we went to the opposite side of the Kuching River where the Malay kampongs are. We also passed by some roundabouts. Talking about roundabout, Kuching have HUGE roundabouts and most of them come with long names.

Kuching Riverfront at night

Before sending us back home, David brought us for supper at BDC, just right beside the roundabout. I ordered a Teh Si Special.

Borneo Trip Day 1

IT was Saturday 12th April 2007, the day we went across South China Sea to the Borneo Island. Han Chee and Bee Li arrived my house a day earlier from Perak. Air Asia was having this air ticket promotion some months before so we booked ourself a ticket to Sawarak, the land of Hornbills.

There are some of our coursemates who are from East Malaysia so it would be nice to pay them a visit and also explore the other part of Malaysia at the same time. It would be HC and BL's first time to Sarawak and for me it was my second time. I had been there during my primary 6 school trip but that was such a long time ago. I can hardly remember what happened then. I only remember that I took a pic with a BIG pussy cat.

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 7.10am so the three of us reached LCC Terminal at about 5.30 in the morning. Never ever take such an early flight. But the view from the plane was real nice. =)

Waiting at ther terminal

View outside from the plane

Finally saw the shoreline of Sarawak

Sarawak's rivers. HC's dad kept on warning her about crocodiles

The houses just look like architecture model

We arrived Kuching airport at almost 9am where Chiou Yann and her dad were waiting for us at the arrival hall. CY's dad brought us to a coffee shop at 4½ Miles to have our breakfast. I ordered Kuching famous Kolo Mee and a five layer teh si special. Believe me, the East Malaysia has food which WE don't find in the Peninsular.

After breakfast, we checked in at the Ang's residential at Seng Goon Garden. The three of us were welcomed by the staff members: CY's mum, uncle and grandma.

CY dad's pet tortoise

Opps..

Many of the houses in Kuching have this so called kuali fixed on their house's rooftop. It enables the resident to receive more TV channels from the other countries. Except for the satellite dish and its fixing fee, the channels are for FREE. The bigger kuali you have, the more channels you'll receive. However this private satellite dish is so uncommon in the West Malaysia.

A kuali at Ang's residence

*Update: It is actually called a Parabola, not kuali

We rested for awhile before CY's dad gave us a tour around Kuching town in his Avanza. Well, Kuching is not as busy and as big as KL but it has a average and peaceful life there. You don't always see traffic jam and one more thing, there isn't alot of Malays but orang asli. They called them la kia (in Hokkien). We took pictures with a giant cat at the Padungan roundabout and then BL wanted to buy some bird's nest for her mum and sis.

9 years back

Meow~

Buying bird's nest at this shop, run by a friend of CY's dad

Next, CY's dad brought us to have rojak and cendol. I dunno where place was but it was opposite a police station. They asked you whether you want either milk or santan for the cendol, unlike KL they only pour santan for you.

L-R: Han Chee, Bee Li, Chiou Yann, her uncle and dad

After eating, all of us became pigs already, wanting to go home to have an evening nap. Of course we didn't sleep for long as we had to prepare for the BBQ cum steamboat at the Ang's residence on that night. I followed CY and her dad to collect some food that they had ordered earlier. The rest stayed at home prepare for the others.

Satay satay~

As the night arrived, guests started to come. CY's relatives and friends, her sister's friends and some of our coursemates in Kuching. Steven and Yee Wei was supposed to come but they had dinner at the last minute as it was Mother's Day.

The guests arriving

Looks like Jenny quite enjoyed herselfWhen the BBQ ended, there were a lot of leftover food. I guess they ordered abit too much food plus some didn't turn up for the BBQ at that night. After the had guests left, we helped to clean up and chatted awhile with CY's parents. CY's dad showed my some of his antique collection and also told me the stories behind of them.

We took a nice hot shower before getting ready to sleep. What a day!