11th Borneo International Kite Festival (Pt.1)

Location : Old Bintulu Airport
Date taken : 24 Sept'15

Visitor to the festival
playing kite at the sideline.

This year is the 11th time the Borneo International Kite Festival is held at Bintulu.  The festival is becoming a major domestic tourism product that attracts vast crowds of local tourists or visitors  from surrounding regions especially the divisions of Sibu, Miri, Mukah and even Brunei.  As a destination marketing event the festival have over the years brought in international kite flyers from faraway countries like Brazil, France, Japan and many other foreign nationals.  The festival has placed Bintulu on the world map of kite flying destinations.  This year the festival is stretched over 5 days starting from the 23rd of September.

Kite flyers from Japan playing the 'wasp' kites
23 Sept'15

Thriving 'Little Indonesia' in Serikin

Streets of Serikin

Rattan and bamboo -based products

The streets of Serikin have gradually been attracting hordes of local and foreign tourists for the last 10 years.  It is a good example of rural entrepreneurship with a difference.  Serikin is about less than an hour drive from Kuching city.  On this trip to Kuching I decided to give it a call in order to update on any new things that's happening to the place.  The streets are obviously more bustling than it was a decade ago.  The range of goods that are sold here have greatly expanded from the staple rattan-based furniture and handicrafts to textiles,  personal accessories, toys, herbal medicine, fruits and kitchen hardware.  What interests me on this visit is the growing number of eating stalls and eateries.  This new development may augur well for more return visits by tourist to savour some uniquely Indonesian dishes.  There is an abundance of cultivated vegetables and fruits that are on sale.  The effort to bring them is commendable in view of the fact that these traders have to travel about 3-4 hours to reach Serikin from the Indonesian villages where the traders originate.  Serikin is a win-win situation for both Indonesia and Malaysia where Indonesian traders are allowed to trade during the weekends into Malaysian soil.  The currency is Malaysian ringgit and many Malaysian tourists and consumers find the goods there reasonably prized.  However, one very pleasing element in the bargaining process is that the Indonesian traders do not hustle their customers.  The lingua franca is Malay and this encourages smooth transactions between the traders and tourists.

Make-shift stalls along the streets of Serikin

Knitted skirts bearing Sarawak native designs

Tapioca, gingers, etc.

Motorcycles fitted with rattan baskets to bring in the goods from the Indonesian villages across the border from Serikin

Pandan Beach at Lundu

Fishing boats at Pandan Beach, Lundu.

 On a recent trip to Lundu, about one and a half hours journey west of Kuching, I met one of the most beautiful beaches in Sarawak.  The Pandan beach has one of the most amazing coastal beach scenery.  The fissured rocks that form part of the beach features are awesome.  The beaches are long and wide and very gradually sloping into the South China Sea, making it very safe for swimming.  There is a small Malay fishing community that is resident to the place.  The coastline is very tropical with swaying tall coconut palms, breezy air, soft and fine sand and no pollution from nearby rivers or streams.  The calls of the Collared Kingfisher intermittently broke the peaceful beach atmosphere. The beach is an ideal place for a picnic spot because it is freely accessible to the public or visitors. 

Wide and long beaches slopes gently into the South China Sea

Coastal greenery and tall coconut trees

Fresh coconuts are available on sale at the beach stalls

Collared Kingisher (Pekaka Sungai - Malay)
Note : All images above taken on 5th August 2014.

Durian stops

Temporary durian stalls by the Sarawak trunk road, erected during the durian season

 The end of year is a time of fruits festival in Sarawak with the Durian lovingly called 'king of the fruits' forever claiming its welcome place in the hearts of Sarawakians as the year is about to roll over.  Traveling along the Sarawak trunk road from Bintulu to Kuching (600 km long) is not really a pleasant trip with many winding and narrow roads that are and in many places continuously under repair or re-construction.  It is a never ending sour sad story for Sarawakians and reflecting much of the 'raw deal' episode of the Malaysia Agreement that Sarawakians have to live by even after 50 years of independence in Malaysia.  But with the end of the year, Sarawakians turn jovial and a happy lot with the durians becoming the centerpiece of conversations anywhere with anybody anyhow.  In Sarawak there is the added plus that you can find all sorts of durians here which cannot be found in Peninsular Malaysia like the 'Nyekek' (Durio kutejensis) , 'Tutong' (Durio dulcis), "Munyit" (Durio grandilorus) and the 'Isu' (Durio oxleyanus).

Selling durians at Sibu central market - vendors of all races meet to sell various durian species from their own gardens in an atmosphere of festivity, racial harmony and happy end of year seasonal bonus.

"Isu" or Durian Umot (Bidayuh) - Durio oxleyanus

Durio zibethinus - this is the more popular and easily available type of durian sold at many towns in Sarawak and also along the rural countryside stalls

When the Durian is in season, other local fruits like the black 'Dabai',red 'Kundong' or hairy Rambutan join in the end of year party.

Typical Iban longhouse along Sarawak trunk road where durian trees are grown nearby the longhouse in fruit gardens that face extinction due to the onslaught of the new golden crop - oil palm trees.

The contention of a 'raw deal' in the Malaysia agreement - poor quality roads for Sarawak compared with expressways in Peninsular Malaysia.
But this sad sour story is brushed aside at the end of the year with the durians making Sarawakians a happier and satisfied lot...

Year in year out, the pricky question of a raw deal is happily forgotten for the 'heavenly' taste of the the durians.  Sarawakians are a patient lot. Thanks to the durian - forget the pricky part, just enjoy the thick buttery flesh.

Sematan escapade

Sematan Palm Beach resort

 The Hari Raya celebration is almost over which started on the 8th of August.  To cap it all we took a one night stay at Sematan Palm Beach Resort some 110 km away from Kuching city.  The resort is easily reached by car in approximately one hour and a half hours journey, through a countryside of rolling hills, greenery and pleasant rural village landscape.  The beaches at Sematan are long and gradually slopes into the South China Sea. It is very popular among Kuching nites who flock there to enjoy its beaches, sun and scenery during holidays and more often at weekends.

Stretches of wide beaches at Sematan

 There is a swimming pool that is located a few yards  in front of the chalets and fronting the beach.  From the pool you can see the Turtle islands of Talang-Talang and Satang.  What is interesting about the place is its serenity.  There are no sound of cars on roads nearby and instead visitors and guests hear the sounds of birds, wind, waves, laughter and occasionally rain.

Turtle islands of Talang-Talang and Satang in the distance..

The resort is well-maintained, well-landscaped and the room charges and food moderately priced.

View from inside Saffron chalet, where we put up for the night.

Satisfied guests...

Fun time in the swimming pool...