Wow!! It's the Bintulu belacan

Welcome to Bintulu - home of the best Belacan money can buy.

Two things that make Bintulu international. First, from its seas are exported liquefied natural gas. Second, from its coasts ( see inset) are exported the finest and best quality 'Belacan' or shrimp paste. While in Bintulu, this year opening 'Bubuk' or shrimp season have kept me excited to blog about the making of Bintulu belacan. In a year the bubuk season come twice and the next one would normally be in August. What makes Bintulu belacan simply the best? I think it is the waters off its 14 miles of protected natural park beaches stretching from Likau river to Kuala Similajau river. From its blue and unpolluted coastal waters the local fishermen catch the shrimps in nets and these are immediately brought to town to be sold. Another point worth mentioning is the distinct hot and dry weather here that is ideal for the drying process. Ultimately , I think its the legendary skills of the fishing folks here in the fine art of making the belacan as passed from generations to generations with some recipe kept a family secret. In this blog however I'm about to let some secrets out so that you can try your luck with the smell, the sweat and the blisters or else just fork out RM 60 for a kilo of belacan !. Small fishing boats park nearby the town local market have the shrimps ready packed in ' gantangs'. At the early morning price is inelastic - it's a sellers market. Later in the day when the shrimps are less fresh and the demand less, it's a buyers market. However, when the weather is cloudy or rainy the shrimps can sell much cheaper because there's little sun to help dry them. But then Bintulu's weather is such that when the bubuk season is around there are always days when the sun naturally brings cheer.

Buying 'bubuk' early morning near to Bintulu's tamu or local market.

The season of shrimps in Bintulu has been exceptionally good this year. The fishing folks have been kept busy for a full month now. Before the shrimps land on the negotiation table or roadside market the fishermen have packed them into plastic bags weighing a 'gantang'' which is equivalent to about two and a half kilo. The gantang is always the preferred weight measure for sentimental and traditional reasons, I guess. At the inset is shown the main ingredients for the making of belacan. These are - fresh shrimps, coarse salt, pounded red rice for colouring. The steps in making belacan can be described briefly here. Firstly, the shrimps are marinated with salt and red rice and kept for 24 - 48 hours. Then, it is dried on mats in the hot sun. Next, the men and ladies folks alike pound it into a fine paste. More pictures below.

The dried shrimps are pounded in a special vessel called the ' lesung' which is a wooden mortar. In Bintulu, people prefer to use the mortar from the hardest timber species here called the belian. The 'anak lesung' or the pestle is also made from belian timber as seen in picture above. It takes about 2-3 rounds of pounding to obtain a fine paste of belacan. The pounding process can stretch to several days. Above is the finished belacan product. Each piece is about a kilo in weight and the selling price currently in Bintulu tamu or local market is RM 40-60 depending on quality and availability. Normally for a small family a kilo of belacan will last for about a year or slightly less depending on usage. That's about it folks. If you haven't try Bintulu belacan please do so. Put it in your list of 1000 things to do before you die!

Images of Kuching Today

Young Malay girls at Kota Samarahan.

A group of young Malay girls posing for the lens. They are part of a large crowd gathered at the Dewan Suarah's open ground to take part in the State-level Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration held at Kota Samarahan, near Kuching. Click here to see more about a Malay wedding couple.

The " Ketapang " tree ( in Malay) changing leaves.

This Sea Almond tree belongs to the Combretum family (Combretaceae). Typical of the Combretum family, it has branches with upturned twigs. Another peculiar habit of the Sea Almond is its seasonal deciduous behaviour when its leaves turned red and fall before the next generation of green leaves takes over the crown. To see more flowering trees of Kuching and Sarawak, please click here.

The Square Tower was initially built as a fort. In the 1920's it turned into a dance hall. Today it is a tourist attraction.

Kuching is the home of the Brooke's ( 1840's onwards) and later British colonial-style architecture in Sarawak. No other towns in Sarawak has the colonial buildings heritage kept in well-preserved conditions like Kuching. A dozen or more of these colonial legacies can be found within walking distances from the Kuching Waterfront and other major international hotels here. To see more of British colonial architecture in Kuching , click here.

Images of Kuching Today

'Made in China' decorative items for the Chinese New Year flood the five-foot way at Mile 7 ( Kota Sentosa)

On the first day of the First Moon of the Chinese Lunar Calender, the ethnic Chinese in

Sarawak celebrate their Spring festival or what is generally known as the Chinese New Year. This year the new year falls on the 3rd of February and is a public holiday. The festival is celebrated for about two weeks with family reunion dinners and visits to relatives and friends houses. In Sarawak however the Chinese nowadays hold open houses for friends of other races to visit their homes in quest of national unity. Currently decorative items are mostly imported cheaply from China.

This extremely attractive yellow hibiscus hybrid I saw today is in the Sarawak Museum garden's grounds. The Museum's garden has a good collection of hibiscus for everyone to see because it is an open public park. The hibiscus rosa-sinensis which is red in colour is the national flower of Malaysia and named "Bunga Raya" in Malay. More hibiscus pictures can be browsed here .

The Kuching Waterfront is an oasis amidst the city's concrete jungle. It is a heavily landscaped tourist belt area within the Kuching city center. A visit to the area is a must if you are in Kuching. On the opposite bank of the waterfront you can see sleepy Malay villages against the thriving shopping district of the waterfront showcasing Sarawak's handicrafts, foods, traditional trades and other modern conveniences like international class hotels, shopping complexes, banks and multi-storey car parks. For more images of the Kuching waterfront click here.

Images of Bintulu Today

I attended a Malay wedding function today held at my close relative's place. The bride is my cousin's daughter. In the picture above her uncle Haji Alwi is seen performing the " Tepung Tawar" ceremony as a way of blessing the newly-wed couple.

This signboard has been erected quite recently and the name speaks it all. "Pantai" is beach in Malay. "Temasya" connotes fun-time, recreational activity and a gathering of happy people. And all this happens at Bintulu's closest public beach from the town center which is near Tanjung Batu area.

The 'Pantai Temasya' or Temasya beach at low tide.

In the far distant background is the thriving Bintulu Port area which is roughly 20 kilometers away from Tanjung Batu. The beach is very conveniently located as it is only about 3 kilometers from Bintulu town. It is ideal for many beach activities like picnicking, photography, jogging, social gatherings, outing with children to play at the children's playground there and many more relaxing activities. There is more than ample car parking spaces and the place is provided with eating and drinking stalls, toilets and shower rooms to cater for local as well as out-of -town visitors. Overall cleanliness and maintenance of the park is satisfactory and entrance to the place is free.

Soldier I become

A few days ago I experienced a most memorable moment of my life when I stumbled upon Paci. Paci is an Iban lad who was in my employment in the late 1990's in Bintulu. As a young worker I noticed in him outstanding values of hard work, dedication, obedience, resiliency and trustworthiness. I always remember him as my front man when it comes to challenging work or even dry routine work. He never raised a complaint when assigned difficult or even menial work. Like many of my workers he was trained to be multi-skilled because the nature of my business in Bintulu then covered all aspects of minor civil construction, building maintenance and landscaping works.
He did respectfully asked my permission a long time ago to leave my company as he wanted to join the army. Today, after at least a period of 12 years it was a most pleasant surprise for me to meet him at the local banking street in Kota Sentosa proclaiming that he is now an army personnel stationed at Penrissen Army camp. So I took the opportunity to take a photograph with him. But more importantly my eyes were attracted to the tattoo he sported on his arms. So here's the picture ( see inset) .
Kota Sentosa is a unique place in Sarawak because the town grew in a linear development pattern. It is situated at the 7th mile from Kuching city and from history it grew from a tiny village that was located along the former railway line from Kuching to Mile 10. It is for this matter that Kota Sentosa's old name was 'Mile 7 bazaar'. It is also conveniently situated at the entrance of the Samarahan Division and next by the Kuching International airport. But what makes the town alive and kicking , indeed thriving is the presence of half a dozen of military-cum- residential complexes that house many battalions and regiments of the Malaysian army and air force. Their presence become the largest employment and business generator for booming Kota Sentosa.



I'm not sure when I'll bump into Paci in future but I pray for the very best of success in his career.

Paci and me - a photo I treasure as remembrance of a much-liked Iban lad.