From Kuching to Limbang via Miri & Brunei

Thursday was the start of my 1042km (estimated, via Miri) journey from Kuching to Limbang.

Introducing Limbang Division located in Northern Sarawak, the 4th largest of the 11 Divisions of Sarawak with an area of 7,788.5 km² and population density of 10.4/km² (one of the most loosely populated divisions of Sarawak).. so if u get lost here, u might need to travel a Long time before u can find someone for directions.. *snickers*

actually, Sarawak state's 124,450 km² has a population density of 19.4/km² which is nearly double of Limbang division. not that much of a difference.

but if you want a comparison, the state of Selangor has the area of 8,104 km² and the population density of 667.7/km²

Geography lesson: light green Limbang district, dark green Lawas district, both districts under Limbang division. get it? as you can see, Limbang district split Brunei into 2 Parts, West Brunei and Temburong district. in fact, Temburong district is surrounded by Limbang division.

wow, imagine driving from Miri to Sabah, you have to cross 4 international borders, and since Each border has 2 passport checkpoints (Malaysia and Brunei sides) means 4 x 2 = 8 passport checkpoints + 1 Sarawak-Sabah interstate border!

due to this, everyone in this area needs a passport, and we Malaysians can get the rm50 60-page within-24-hours blue Limited International Passport for Brunei, if not my rm300 red international passport will be finished within a couple of months!

Sarawak map.. i like this map cause it shows most of the main cities/towns and the attractions. the maroon thicker ink is the Start (Kch) and End (Limbang) of my journey while the smaller red ink is my Transit (Miri) and the next place i went the following day (Lawas) which is near the Sabah border already

yes, it is indeed one end to the other end of Sarawak.
Johor Bahru - Perlis = 875 Km.
(Kuching - Miri = 827 Km) + (Miri - Limbang = 215 Km)
= 1042 Km.

caught the early 7am flight Kuching to Miri then its off for breakfast at a kopitiam near Merdeka Mall (with Star Cineplex, the only cinema in Miri) with laksa (it has fishballs in it! different from Kuching style), kampua mee (bye bye Kuching Kolo Mee, now its gonna be Kampua Mee Kampua Mee) and kom piang (mini Foochow mince pork burgers)

and the driving journey starts at 10.20am.. the is the 1st border from Miri - Brunei is at Pusat Imigresen Sungei Tujoh

gosh, to go through one border you need 2 passport checks (Leaving Malaysia and Entering Brunei) then ur car check (expires monthly) at 2nd border checkpoint into Brunei . there's really Only TWO counters, so if you see like 15 cars ahead of you, be prepared to wait 1 hour.. *shakes head* fortunately we chose to travel on Thursday as Brunei weekend is Friday and Saturday so those will be long-queue days.

To return back to Malaysia, Sarawakians don't need passport checks but West Malaysians/Bruneians/Sabahans/Labuanians do need.. so that's 1 advantage of being Sarawakian.

hello Brunei! we went to the nearest town, Kuala Belait for sushi

had sushi at Escapade Sushi, its not too hard to find, behind some shop lots, and its halal (of course, we are in Brunei!) if u spend more than B$200 you can get a membership card with 10% off, or just buy the card for B$20..

the sushi here is fresher and nicer and costs around B$2- B$3.80, not bad, of course don't start converting everything. 3 of us ate a few plates costing B$15 so its B$5 per person.

then its another 2hours or so journey through Brunei.. i think this is the difficult part as you drive through villages/ make sudden left right left right turns which New drivers would definitely miss!

then other side of Brunei border check point (with districts Muara, Tutong and Kuala Belait) is at Kuala Lurah Immigration, situation on the west side of Limbang.. as you can see, if we U-turn back its to return to Brunei, if not we are entering Limbang! this is on Tedungan side, 43km away from Limbang, another 45 minutes drive to Limbang town.

have i confused you yet? ;P

maybe this can help

Hello Limbang! Greetings to this town with a population of about 90,000, the melting pot of many cultures, including Brunei Malay, Kedayan, Chinese, Iban and Orang Ulu ethnic groups such as Lun Bawang, Bisaya, Kelabit, Tabun and Penan

i must admit i expected worst, maybe it would be a tiny town with minimal basic necessities like those places i go for rural areas for community services (thank Goodness i did cause i have such low expectations then!) where you struggle for water and save on electricity, but actually its quite big like Sri Aman or Serian.

it has some hotels (like the famous Purnama Hotel), Limbang Plaza shopping mall, banks (Maybank, Public Bank etc just no CIMB), several schools, Pasar Limbang or Tamu, post offices, recreational parks, sports fields and swimming pools, library, ports with express boats to go Labuan, eating places like Sarimah Curry House etc (these are some of the places i looked out for)

Limbang seems to be the land of water buffaloes/kerbau.. there's a buffalo statue and the Limbang Regional Museum (since 1897!) has a buffalo in front of it! this water buffalo is the icon of the Bisaya people here. not to forget, people were asking me to try nasi goreng kerbau (buffalo fried rice)

and of course the first place we dropped by is Limbang Hospital! the dental clinic was nice and clean as well, quite modern. honestly since its pretty new compared to some older dental clinics i worked at in Kuching.

Limbang Plaza, at least got Sugarbun and KFC .. there's the basics here like stationary shop, hairdresser, supermarket, bakery (Wang Lian bakery here is one of the better ones besides Bread Shop and Strawberry bakery) etc.. kinda like Wisma Saberkas. its attached to Purnama Hotel (a 3 star hotel which is the tallest landmark at Limbang) at Jalan Buangsiol (cool name!) there are other hotels like Centre Point Hotel, National Inn Limbang, Royal Park Hotel (not bad i heard) and Prime Hotel.

tea time at King's Coffee.. the coffee here is fragnant and the butter-kaya roti kahwin is small light and crispy. not bad.

visiting the wharf for express boats to labuan. that would be my next travel destination, if i find the company to go with.

There's a few places that might be worth travelling to besides the usual Miri, Labuan, Brunei and Kota Kinabalu like: (info take from 1Lawas and Sarawak Vacation Destinations)

- the challenging Headhunters Trail from Ulu Limbang to Ulu Melinau, Mulu, the famous World Heritage Site

- the amazing Buda Caves system in Ulu Limbang, burial grounds of the Tabun tribe of yesteryear
- Sarawak Kelabit Highlands, series of beautiful mountain valleys lying slightly over 1000m above sea level, flanking by jungle-covered peaks rising to more than 2400m and bordering Kalimantan. It's one of the top vacation destinations preferred by avid nature seekers to Sarawak
- Kampung Meritam, a Malay village about 37km on the outskirt from Limbang town, the only place in Sarawak where mud volcanoes are within reach by road .. the volcano mud pots stretches over 10 acres!
-Kampung Seberang Kedai, rows of stilted wooden houses opposite Limbang town, comprises of over 120 houses inter-linked by wooden walkways
- the grand annual Babulang Festival of the Bisaya Community held only in Limbang during the 1st weekend of June
- Take a river ride to see the boat-making cottage industry at Kampung Limpoang and Kampung Pabahanan, both traditional fishing villages where the occupation includes king prawn (udang galah) fishing
- Visit Kampung Patiambun where the villagers’ livelihood includes catching crabs, and Kampungg Limpaki with hundreds of coconut trees, is a must for those who love village setting
- try Limbang's famous food: Bario Rice (3 varieties Adan Halus, Adan Sederhana and Padi Tuan), midin, mangrove clams (lokan), tahai smoked fish (its so famous its called Dadah Tahai!), buffalo meat??

(don't i make a good tourist guide although just hours being in Limbang? even i am impressed with myself.. *pat pat*)

if you decided to do the crazy 1200km drive from Kuching to Lawas, i found an interesting website called Brookes Terrace that teaches you which towns to stop along the way like Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Limbang and finally Lawas. perhaps a trip to take Once in a Lifetime.. i repeat, ONCE.

Pasar Limbang is just next to the wharf with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood etc and stalls that sell food too

Taman Tasik Bukit Mas is beautiful, 210m high jungle-clad limestone outcrop or hill.. very nicely taken care of and there's a long hanging suspension bridge over the big lake. nice weekend place for family with playgrounds, walking path, bbq places etc.. looks better than our Reservoir Park! there are hiking trails up the hill too, for the more adventurous. apparently there's a Buddhist shrine half way up the summit.

the part of the Limbang Golden Jubilee waterfront the little town behind

there's the most of Limbang town, not to forget the more-notorious Bangkita area, famous for its 'night life'. Limbang is known to be little Thailand, if you get what i mean.

Hey, don't look at me, its true! according to Wikipedia: "In the 1970s up until the early 1990s, Lawas and nearby Limbang were notorious for being the sin capitals of Sarawak. Prostitution, massage parlours, sleazy pubs and rundown motels were common in both towns. Both towns have since undergone a complete transformation following major urban redevelopment in the last decade.."

then its home-cooked dinner with Crabs, one of the famous Limbang seafood here.

everyone asks me how's the town, well it is better than i expected, but like i answered everyone, visiting for 1-2days is still ok coz everything is new, but residing here for years might be a different matter altogether. I suppose its better to focus on the positive aspects and the reason i am here, to serve the Limbang division and at the same time, make the best of what i have.

More Farewell Eats 3

Its the last few days in Kuching, 3 days to be exact, so every meal seems like an opportunity to meet up or have a farewell.. breakfast lunch dinner, breakfast lunch dinner..

so i wasn't too surprised to gain a whole Kg in the past few days towards the 'moving day'. only shows that i am well Loved and Fed by my loved ones here, cause as u know, we Malaysians show our love via Food.

lunch on Monday was at Tracy's Kitchen near Padungan.

famous for the Pak Lo duck and chicken.. we had wine chicken, pork leg and big kailan

Cucumber juice too, Teh C Peng and coconut + sugar cane drinks

thank u for the lunch treat :)

dinner birthday celebration at New Chef Delicious near 3rd mile roundabout

another 7 course dinner: soup, O chien, vegetables and tauhu

butter prawns, steamed fish and pork leg.. seems like the same menu from 2 nights ago, only that the crab became prawns.. and u wonder how i gained weight so fast? wait till u hear more..

laksa and beef noodle breakfast near Simpang Tiga roundabout, where i've been eating ever since.. i learn how to eat.. the portion of laksa here is always 3x more than usual.

Tuesday was my boss's birthday so we bought a Secret Recipe super-rich-and-sinful-triple-layer-chocolate cheesecake for him but little did we know his friend bought him a chocolate ice cream cake from Lof Bakery as well.. we had one cake for lunch (on top of homemade lasagna) and one for tea time because having both at the same time is too overwhelming..

boss making his wish.. and my perio team who i have been working with for the past 1month.. will definitely miss this place, my last attachment before my district posting

then it was Raya open house organized by Kuching Division at Wisma. Lots and Lots of food, and great timing indeed cause since its my last day at work, i managed to meet up with all my friends, colleagues, staff and bosses from the other clinics as well.

just some of my colleagues.. will definitely miss everyone!

and my Farewell gifts: a meaningful bookmark from J and a sweet birthday present from G, a photo album with photos of us inside! i din realized i had so many outings with her till i flip through all the pictures.. really moving indeed.

her 'Sorry You Are Leaving' card was the best ever, opening the card made me scream out (for reasons left untold), one of the best surprise pulled on me (as i was always the one throwing the surprises, not the other way round)

last meal in Kuching with my parents at Richmond Place before my district posting :'(

thank you all so much for the support and encouragement.

Moving may be just another day to some, but somehow for me, when loved ones show their care/concern/appreciation and Love, it makes it even harder to leave..

"that makes it more meaningful, doesn't it?" J told me as i looked at the lovely presents, to which i fully agreed.

i suppose i rather have it meaningful and bare the pain of leaving my hometown after that, then to leave emotionlessly cause it doesn't mean anything at all...

Last Weekend Touring Kuching

Sun morning we went to Carpenter Street.. passed by the famous 'cheng' shop at Bishopsgate Street but the place was too full (and we are impatient)

so we had our kolo mee at the nearby temple stalls instead, not far from Baba Nyonya

walking along the front streets facing Waterfront.. i realized there's lots of interesting lodgings or B&B here

went across river to visit the DUN, Kuching

walking nearby the DUN building and the Astana

then its time to get back across river

only to cross over to Kampung Gersik for some famous Sarawak Kek Lapis.. Kek Lapis Mira doesn't have my favourite type so went over to Dayang Salhah instead

then its a stroll back to Hills Shopping Mall for a drink at Kim Bay Restaurant

and the journey ended like a Tourist's, at a hotel in Pullman. i've never stayed here before but it definitely looks nice.

alright, done being a tourist in my own hometown during my last weekend here, time to get back to reality!

Last Weekend in Kuching at Muara Tebas Temple and Matang Wildlife Park

Saturday started with breakfast at Chong Choon Cafe, 3rd Mile for its hand made green noodles, although i actually like the bak chang and panggang more

then we are off to the Muara Tebas Temple/ Green Hill Temple/ Ching San Yen at Kampung Muara Tebas just less than an hour's drive from Kuching.. its so odd to drive into a quiet kampung area and suddenly stumble unto a beautiful secluded temple by the coast near the fishing village

walking a few stairs up to the temple.. and the beautiful view from the temple on the hill

my dad says this is facing the South China Sea, therefore in the past the ships come to this port.. this temple is like a gateway of the south of Sarawak to the sea, the travellers give thanks at this temple when they arrived safely.

inside Ching San Yen temple

the view from the side of the temple

passing by Kampung Golbeit, another fishing village by the coast that's famous for its fresh seafood

then We are off to our 2nd stop: Matang Wildlife Centre

passing by the Matang Family Park

and finally found Matang Wildlife Centre

exploring the Information Centre at the centre

the difference with this wildlife centre as compared to the zoo is you get the experience of hiking in the forest (like my community service), on stones and wooden bridges. however the animals are safely in enclosures, not out in the wild.

crocodiles, deers, orang utans, sun bears are some of the animals at the wildlife centre

we dropped by the Sinar Serapi Resort Homes for lunch.. i've been here before when it was under construction but i was impressed by how well it has developed.

the entrance is rm10 in form of vouchers which can be use on the Chinese or Western set meals, or the different types of boat rides...

or the water park! looks really fun for kids

do look forward to the windsurfing, concert, gondola-ride-to-your-home ala Dubai style that will be developed at this resort soon!

spent the hot afternoon watching Fright Night at Spring! not bad, although the movie felt short somehow

then its a 7-course dinner at Country Court restaurant with dragon fruit juice, crispy O'chien, steamed fresh parrot fish from Sematan..

salted egg crab, pork leg, vegetables and tauhu

2nd round with the HOs dinnering at Porkie, 101 with pork ribs, lamb and sausages

and following by meeting up with another group of HO/pharmacist at the Platform, a (very smoky and loud) karaoke lounge at Brighton Square

very long and tiring Saturday, but definitely fun to visit places outside Kuching which i haven't been to and meet up with friends, trying to cram everything into one day! now i know sometimes you shouldn't try so hard to do everything in such a short time...