My Sarawak

Announcement

2010-04-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

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Happy browsing.

MOOD.

Images of Bintulu Today

2010-04-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Waterfront structures

Belian railings ( foreground) at Bintulu Waterfront

Sarawak Rivers Board newly completed building

Bintulu Waterfront - longest waterfront in Sarawak.

Salleh sells the 4 C's

2010-03-29T04:24:00.000-07:00

Haji Salleh Yap, always feeling young and energetic in front of the wok.

I am fascinated by how Salleh Yap makes his business last. When I was a young student in the early 70's, I used to drop by at Mr. Yap's stall situated next to the Rex cinema in Kuching. Sounds familiar? Those were the days of the cinema and films, and he was in his twenties joining force with his father to conduct a simple yet unique business of selling fritters at the back lot of the Rex cinema. When I met him today at his stall nearby the Kuching divisional mosque, I found that he is just one year my senior. He has been in the business of selling fritters for the last forty five (45) years. The name "Rex Fritters", or in the local Malay lingo - cucur campur rex, was proudly displayed on a one-page menu at the table where I sat. It was all light- heartedness, friendly atmosphere and laughs when I intervened in short conversations his busy movements while he completed an unending list of orders from customers and many who lined up to buy some as take-aways. At RM 5.00 I had a plateful of fritters served hot according to my choice. The choices are many. There are fritters of fish ball, prawns, yam, sweet potatoes, sausages and bean curds. The beauty of eating the fritters at the stall is that it is served hot out of the frying pan. With a magical sauce that has remained consistent over more than four decades, he remains the N0. 1 fritter seller in Kuching. And was I surprised? He how runs courses on making fritters, the Rex style. Now I can understand why the 4 Cs he sells has kept him forever busy and wealthy- Convenience (location), Class (quality), Cheap and Culture (common cuisine). All mixed the 4 Cs has been a winning menu for people from all walks of life who have like me associated Rex fritters as an original Kuching brand over many decades.

Fritters - Rex style.

Kuching's new Orchid Garden

2010-03-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

A section of the open area housing some ground or terrestrial orchids.

I have been busy for the last two weeks researching and writing for my assignments which I've completed a few days ago. Therefore today I took time to free my mind out of heavy reading and let it wander amidst nature's scenery, fragrance and beauty. Oh, how grateful I was for having made a short visit to the newly completed DBKU Orchid Garden nearby the Kuching Waterfront area. The garden is owned and managed by the Kuching City North which in Malay means Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara - thus the abbreviation DBKU. DBKU is a government agency tasked with the administration of Kuching City North. I need to explain further. Kuching City has two mayors, one for the northern area and another for the southern region. I guess not many cities in the world have two mayors. Well, that's something for the record. The garden sprawling over a 15 acres site, is open to the public from 9.30 am till 6.00 pm from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays. Admission is free and photo taking is allowed. Naturally I had a field day taking the images home . But I feel I need to come back here again in the future to see more orchids in bloom especially to peek at those that failed to show their true colours today. I will try to cover more on the subject of orchids later now that excellent samples are easily seen at the garden. For now I would like to share a few of the wonderful species that caught my nokia n93i camera phone lens for the sharing. I hope you too will enjoy the slide show below. Just click on the 'Normah Orchid' image below to see the garden via youtube. Have fun and need I remind " A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

Sarawak State Flower ~ 'Normah Orchid' ( Phalaenopsis bellina)

Images of Kuching Today

2010-03-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Wild fruits sold at Satok Sunday Market

Belimbing Hutan ( Baccaurea angulata)

Asam Paya ( Eleodora conferta )

Keranji ( Dialium indum)

Rambai ( Baccaurea motleyana )

[Note: All the vernacular names are in Malay]

Going wild over illipe nuts

2010-03-03T23:02:00.000-08:00

A fruiting " Engkabang" tree ( Shorea macrophylla) showing reddish brown winged fruits.

Let the illipe butter melts its flavour and enriches your rice with its highly regarded oil. Rice is never the same again.

I have a ravenous liking for illipe-buttered rice. How does it taste? For those not familiar I'll just like to describe the illipe nut taste as near to the cashew nuts. The rarity and speciality of the illipe nut tree (Shorea macrophylla) has been described in my earlier post here.

I have read recently that the illipe oil that is derived from the nuts is used as base for cosmetics (lipstick), skin moisturizing products and a substitute for cocoa butter in the making of chocolates. Whenever there is chance I'll try my best to keep stock of the illipe butter cake. They have a reputation of lasting for years at room temperature without losing its unique taste or flavour. My love for them was acquired from my grandmothers ( from both my father and mother's side) and that's as far as I could remember. Back then it was easily available but today I think it's a miracle if you can stumble upon one cake in town. Like any other indigenous trees in Sarawak , those with exportable value have seen their last hours under the unstoppable blades of bulldozers that carve new homogeneous oil palm plantations across the length and breadth of Sarawak. The fate of the engkabang tree is the saddest story of Sarawak's "development" story. Thus whenever I see an engkabang tree or its fruits I'll jump to joy and try to enjoy it in the two ways described here, that is as a salad and butter for rice.

Remove the thick skin and then soak them in water for 2-3 days.

After soaking, the fruits are boiled and reboiled repeatedly for about 4 times to remove its bitterness. After the last boiling, take a bite and if it tastes like cashew nuts, Yep! that's just right.

The boiled nuts are soft to eat. Take them with a pinch of fermented durian called "tempoyak" locally. For me, I'll can devour any amount of the sliced nuts. Well, it's part of the family tradition!!

The illipe butter in cake form standing tall on a plate of boiled illipe nuts and "tempoyak".

The above is the last step towards happiness. Having the illipe salad next to the fermented durian (Tempoyak) is indeed mouth watering. Add some slices of red chilli and a tiny pinch of sugar to the tempoyak and Oh, life is worth living. Have a joyful meal of illipe -buttered rice with

your favourite fish and that's how marvellous simple living is.

Images of Kuching Today

2010-02-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

Shady Kuching

Central Padang, Kuching City.

Central Padang, Kuching City

Kuching Waterfront

Mama was terrified!

2010-02-22T19:26:00.000-08:00

Mama looking frightened. What's above the roof?
We're now safe and sound in Kuching. On the 17th of February, we left Bintulu at around 9.30 am and after the usual 10 hours journey through the only road that connects Bintulu to the capital city Kuching ( Pan Borneo Highway), we stepped into our home around 7.45 pm. that evening. At the start of the journey, Mama Daisy was panicky, nervous and looking terrified. She never showed those signs before. What was amiss? About 10 minutes of the journey fospa parked the car by the road shoulder and gave time for Mama to relax and cool down. Theories about why she behaved strangely were discussed. At about the same time I did my 'business'! Oh, the air smelt shit!. Then fospa's head lamp lighted. He got an idea. My 'shit' was placed close to Mama's nose. Sure enough the foul smell neutralised her senses of smell. That trick worked and immediately she stopped being terrified or nervous. Now comes the explanation. Apparently just before we left Bintulu, fospa had asked Ati ( our nursery hand) to vacuum the car. The "fumes'' and smell of the vacuuming process must have produced some unpleasant and fearful odour to her, thus her fear and eagerness to jump out of the car and looking fearful as if something's happening above the car. With Mama feeling safe and sound, fospa continued on with the journey. Below are the memorable journey in pictures. With this 20th trip back Kuching, we garnered a total record of 23,400 km thus far in our record breaking journey as the most travelled cats in Malaysia.

20th trip back Kuching (17-2-10; 23,400 km achieved)

In safe hands. Thanks for the thighs.
Thighs that bind!

Inul sharing the jump seat with Mama

A bend on the Pan Borneo Highway.

Mama looking curious as we entered the town of Sibu.

Early harvest. Many paddy fields around Sri Aman town were ready to be harvested.

CU of a paddy stalk. Rice is the staple food for all Sarawakians.

The last quarter of the journey i.e. from Sri Aman to Kuching we met with heavy tropical storm.

For the love of orchids

2010-02-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

I am always fascinated by orchids. When in Kuching a perfect place to start admiring orchids is the flower market at Satok that runs from Saturday till Sunday. At the flower market one can be easily overwhelmed by the many varieties of orchids sold by the commercial nursery owners when they gather weekly to display their latest collections. Below are a sampling of the hundreds of varieties available.

Orchids at Satok Sunday Market

Sarawak is still largely covered by tropical rainforests and by some account have about 300 species of wild orchids. They come from many habitats like limestone forest, kerangas forest, mangrove forest, sub-montane/mossy forest, roadside open spaces, lowland forest, secondary forest or gardens and peat swamp forests. The orchids that are of special interest in Sarawak are many. The Phalaenopsis violacea is an epiphytic orchid that can only be found on Borneo island after having been discovered in 1859. It combines beauty with fragrance. Yet another highly regarded rarity is the slipper orchid called Paphiopedium sanderianum which can only be found in the limestone hills of Gunung Mulu National Park, a world heritage site. Its flowers have two wavy drooping petals that reach more than three feet in length. One of my favourite native species is the Pigeon Orchid that can be found on many old trees along Sarawak town roads especially on rain trees ( Samanea saman) or the tall and shady Angsana trees ( Pterocarpus indicus) ( see inset above)

A common terrestrial orchid native to Sarawak - Spathoglottis plicata, thrives in open sun.

Being a lover of orchids but not in any way a grower, I find that those who excel in cultivating orchids are naturally gifted in the art and science of tendering these very demanding plants. As for me the many trips that I've done on the Pan Borneo Highway has always been an orchid journey of sort. This is because all along the highway, on both sides of the road one can see endless rows of bamboo orchids ( Arundina graminifolia) growing in clusters with slender stems and forever producing a succession of rosy mauve flowers opening one or two at a time. They are so prevalent that they appear as natural landscaping for miles on end.

The Bamboo Orchid ( Arundina graminifolia) growing wild along Pan Borneo Highway

Can one be hooked on orchids? Said one commercial orchid grower, Joe Kunisch; "You can get off alcohol, drugs, women, food, and cars, but once you're hooked on orchids, you're finished. You never get off orchids....never".

A thing of beauty is a joy forever;

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health and quiet breathing.

(John Keats)

Images of Bintulu Today

2010-02-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

Red Lanterns to usher in the Chinese Lunar Year of the Tiger

A rare find - fresh Illipe nuts ( Shorea stenoptera) sold at Bintulu Tamu ( Jungle Produce Market )

Instant Planting of Foxtail Palm ( Wodyetia bifurcata) at Bintulu Town proper.

Gone 22,800 km

2010-02-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

Watching Mama Daisy sleep. It's her routine now. She takes driving the Pan Borneo Highway the easy way, provided the car is air-conditioned.

On this 20th trip ( 9Feb'10) to Bintulu we hit the 22,800 km mark. Fospa and fosma had a tough time caring for me because somehow I'm the noisiest one in the family when inside the car. I cried and screamed for about half an hour, after that my nerves calmed down and overheard fospa sighed" Oh, Inul, you'll be OK after Serian." Serian is our first stopover after about a half an hour journey. Fospa loved the market at Serian and rested for about 30 minutes to enjoy his favourite cakes and morning newspaper, the Borneo Post there. After Serian I behaved well. Everyone seemed to show their biggest smiles to me. Mama Daisy came over many times to groom me and meowed words of comfort. My favourite spot this trip was the 'jump seat' because in my times of stressfulness I needed some human touch. If you haven't noticed, everytime I wanted to sleep during the long journey inside the car I would always look for fospa or fosma's thighs or hands to rest my paws. Surprisingly human touch gives me much comfort and safety. At the jumpa seat I had a choice of two. ( see inset)

Freshly baked morning cakes and goodies at Serian. Choice is a problem!

A awesome place to park at Sri Aman. The shade provided by the Angsana trees was so cooling that Mama and me had a good rest before the next lap.

View of Sarawak country side before reaching Sri Aman town.

"Wake up! Mama. We're about to go for the last lap of the journey". Fospa and fosma had their cold thick black and iced coffee at Selangau canteen before proceeding to Bintulu to beat off the drowsiness or sleepiness. From Selangau, it's just another two hours journey remaining out of ten. We arrived safely at around 6.45 pm after a long 10 hours journey from Kuching.

At the farm in Bintulu today (11 Febrauary'10). Oh, isn't this a perfect place to hide and ambush little robin?

Remember me Inul?

Images of Kuching Today

2010-02-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

Red Lanterns

-decorations for the coming Chinese Lunar Year Celebrations-

The Spring Mall

The Boulevard Mall

The Spring

True Forest Dwellers

2010-02-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Me on top of the express boat bound to Tubau, after which we took the landcruiser to reach Penan territory at Ulu Belaga. Notice the piles of rattan neatly stacked on which I sit.

In 1987 I took a challenge to go deep into the interior of Sarawak. My mission then was to meet one of the well known nomadic tribes of Sarawak called the Penan. With the help of a forester friend we left Bintulu at 7.00 am on the 29th of September, 1987 and arrived at the Penan's location around 11.00 pm at night. The journey to Penan territory entailed a five hours journey by express boat and then a gruelling 6 hours journey by landcruiser using the muddy , slippery and dangerously steep logging roads. But feeling young then really there was no fear or real fatique. Only excitement to see eye -to -eye the true nomadic tribe of Sarawak. Indeed our journey was met with success. We slept the night in a makeshift jungle hut and woke up early to search for the Penan settlement. At around 10.00 am the following day and after travelling for about two hours in thick jungle we stumbled upon a small party of Penan who led us to their temporary settlement.

The above is a picture showing a Penan family preparing the wild sago as starch for food. The Penans live by extremely simple means. They are jungle hunters and gatherers. They move about the deep tropical forests of Sarawak and seldom meet other Penan parties or other native groups of Sarawak. As such they tend to shy away from people and by remaining in the jungles most of the time they retain a surprisingly fair complexion. Inbreding is common among them because contact with other Penan parties are seldom. Thus the Penan girls marry early as the need to produce children is found urgent due to their short life span as a result of tough life in the jungle.
On this visit I met this young Penan mother who has just given birth to a boy a week ago. Without any name yet, my forester friend gave him his name" Masleh" to the little boy. To my surprise the family agreed. The Penans travel light. The most important things they carry are their bundles of clothes, cooking pot, blow pipes, knives and rattan carry baskets. All other needs are provided by the forest e.g. fishes, wild animals, fruits, sago, herbal plants etc. They do collect bird's nests,'damar' ( jungle resins) and rattan that fetch high prices when sold to rural traders. The Penans are extremely fit, stout and forever 'King of the Jungle'.

A typical temporary settlement in the jungle made of bamboos, rattan, palm leaves, tree barks and wooden branches. You don't need any nailing to the structure. Most are fastened or tied using rattan and strings made from tree barks.

It would be very interesting to know what has become of " Masleh". One thing for sure he must be in his early twenties now. Could he have gone to school? May be studying at a local university? If only I knew.

Building conversations #2 - Poetic about a string

2010-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

We are still at ground zero. We are going to construct the ground beams by connecting two pile heads. The concrete pile heads have been hacked to expose the steel bars. From these exposed bars we are going to tie up additional steel bars for beams and columns later. But there's something neat happening on site. At the level where the beams are to be constructed the hacked pile heads are properly boxed to maintain exact level. Now the tricky part is to place or align the formwork. For this fospa was glad that the contractor used the carpenter strings. Can't live without it.( See pictures above and below). Oh, ya mama too was curious whether the carpenter strings were aligned correctly (see inset). Now once you have the area of the ground beams boxed then later on you can place the ground beam bars squeezed in between the formwork ( not shown in the pictures here).

The earth in between two pile heads are evened out so that the formworks stay upright.

Once the formworks are erected, they need to be firmed and for this purpose small pieces of wood are used as bracing. Formwork need to be sturdy and firmly erected to support the pressure of concrete when poured later. Don't want the concrete to push out the formwork and mess the place, do we? Such hazards are costly and a total waste of time.

More formworks. More bracing.

OK, now's something going on in fospa's head. He's kinda poetic about the carpenter strings.

In fact, he has cracked a poem about it. Here it goes:

The point of it all

The craftiest of old hands

And latest survey know-how

Will meet to life's reliability,

On a busy construction site

When two strings cross

A perfect needle point

You get practical with life's problems

Through the ages of use

A philosophy of life

That answers the science of knowledge

With the simple wisdom

Of a carpenter's loving hands

Stick to the knitting

The tapestry of life

A vision statement

You would love to sing

And be practical with dreams

Like stretched yet flexible carpenter strings.

MOOD.

Remember me Inul?

"Daily Cut Flowers" revived

2010-01-30T03:10:00.000-08:00

For visitors and fans of my blog Daily Cut Flowers, here's good news. I have decided to revive uploading new compositions. However, the arrangements will be uploaded in a new blog called "MOOD's Creative Curves".
Since I started the daily cut flowers compositions last year, I have created 150 arrangements. This is testament to my concept of the Malaysian Garden called " Laman Kambatik" . Obviously it's not difficult to gather planting materials such as flowers, colourful foliage, bracts, ferns etc from the garden outside provided you create it the " Kambatik" way. Thus making simple compositions are a breeze and absolutely free .

I hope that this year you will be inspired by the beauty of flowers as I do.

Title: Happy to be revived!!

Images of Kuching Today

2010-01-28T03:23:00.000-08:00

Newly renovated multi-storey car park in Kuching City centre called " Medan Pelita" with 6 floors of carparking, a floor for cineplex and 3 floors for shopping and restaurant.

A Chinese temple at a traffic junction nearby Kuching Waterfront area.

Exquisite blooms of the Hibiscus at Museum Garden.

An attractive scarlet Hibiscus variety at the Museum Garden.

Chill out @ Asajaya

2010-01-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

Country road at Asajaya.

Today is special. After about a full week of research work I felt stressed and decided to take a break. So we are on the road and this time it's Asajaya, a one hour drive from Kuching. Asajaya is known for its ruralness. There are paddy fields, acres of pineapple plantations, , coconut plantations and slowly creeping in are the oil palm plantations too. I guess after having sat infront of the computer for an average of 12 hours a day during the past week, the pain in my eyes are now cured by the greeness and expanse of the countryside. ( Note: The brightly coloured building on the left is a public toilet. To enter one is charged 20 cents. The cleanliness and gushing clean tap water inside was worth the charge.)

To reach Asajaya one has to take a ferry ride and the charge is a token RM1.00 only. We saw two ferries operating concurrently and the service apparently depended on the tide. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long upon our arrival at the ferry point. Today the tide was in around 11.30 am and we were told to be back at the ferry point before 5.00 pm by which time the tide will ebb. On the way back to the ferry we had to queue up for an hour before we could board the ferry. Such a waste of time I thought. But then again today is supposed to be a chill out. I did not mind for once.

On all roads that link the various villages in rural Asajaya, a common sight would be the ubiquitous paddy fields. Yet despite its vast arable land resources and a tiny population of about 3 million people , Sarawak fails desperately to produce enough for its own population. For umpteen years now Sarawak has to import 70% rice from Thailand, China, Vietnam and even India for its own rice consumption. I am always perturbed on all my travels these three years on the total absence of any mechanical devices used by the paddy farmers on their farms throughout the length and breath of the Sarawak's Borneo Highway from Kuching to Miri. I think the moment I see any mechanical device on the Borneo Highway the next time, I'm gonna take a rest by the roadside and pray. Pray and thanks the Almighty for showing the light to our State leaders.

CU of a paddy stalk.

A romantic scenery I would love to paint.

Building conversations #1

2010-01-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

Mama Daisy squats on compacted ground.

( Mama be sure to take your bath later, ok!)

Yesterday I celebrated my 2nd birthday. Today we're on a new challenge. I'm a grown up girl now :)) and need to learn something. This challenge will be blogged! that's for sure. Me and Mama Daisy ( see inset)will be wandering around our house and the neighbourhood to check and talk about a housing project. In fact there are two housing developers that have recently started to undertake building construction around our home. Whatever stories we gonna tell comes right out of the trenches. Believe me. This building conversation series will allow us to explore building construction A-Z. For friends and fans out there, you can build your house the DIY way - just follow our story.

Formwork is erected to receive concrete for floor beams.

( Mama is careful. She stands in between the carpenter strings)

An excavator or back hoe does all the major earth compacting, shuffling, clearing works etc. A very important heavy equipment at any construction site these days.
This is the view towards the east, where the hills are.

Looking East. That's after the site has been filled-up, compacted and piled.

See the extra concrete piles that jut off the ground. These piles will hold the house columns or pillars and some floor beams. Note# in the old days timber materials were commonly used as piles. Today many prefer to inject concrete piles into the ground using mechanical or hydraulic means.

( Mama is tired and says it's time to go home and get some cold drinks, Bye for now!)

Inul is Two Years Old Today

2010-01-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Inul at Two Years Old

Today I feel on top of the world. It's my second birthday. Fospa has been contemplating to show a video of my birth for the world to see sometime ago. So here it is for the first time. In the video Mama daisy first gave birth to big brother "Einstein" . I came out second at about 8.50 pm on the 25th of January,2008 and safely delivered to the world by Mama.

For more stories abot me and Mama please visit our blog here ~ Hav Paws Will Travell.

For current stories about our record breaking adventure please scroll on the side bar under label and click Hav Paws Will Travell.

The Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXCz39ce4g0

Images of Kuching Today

2010-01-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

New State Legislative Assembly Building by the Sarawak River. A 'sampan' boat glides over the calm waters.

Red lanterns at the 'Spring' car park add to the festive mood for the coming Chinese new lunar year( February)

A red Hibiscus variety - hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia.

Eating out for 'Nyonya' food. Nyonya food originate from the states of Melaka and Pulau Pinang.

Deep pink colours of the Ixora macrathyrsa ~ "Pink Deluxe".

Red curtains to depict Chinese New Year festivity.

Between Fiction and Non-Fiction

2010-01-20T03:15:00.000-08:00

Her collection of 'Commando' comic books.

Today I take a major rest from my routine browsing and downloading of articles from the Internet for my written assignments. Learning and gathering knowledge is so much fun these days and I'm grateful that I'm able to keep up with the rest in academia. Very early in the morning I took on a great mission to help my wife sort out her collection of novels, mainly paperbacks and arrange them neatly in the bookshelf we bought yesterday ( see inset). Both of us shared the love of reading and books. She reads largely fiction books (horror,thrillers,crimes ) while I read mostly non-fiction books ( management,history,nature,wildlife,landscaping,art,photography etc.)Since our marriage of 32 years, she has now collected about 400 fiction titles and I have accumulated a sizeable 700 titles. That's a lot of money we have invested in books and of course not to mention the time reading them. Books and reading have kept us together happily and we never complained about each other's spending on books, thus the pile up.
I have a peculiar habit of collecting books on my travels as a remembrance of the time away from home. Normally I would scribble the date of travel, purpose and other tiny details that would be of interest in my life later, like now when I tend to recollect about my life's journey. Therefore for this purpose I have created a blog that will document about the places I've been. I call it "Books and Places" and it is here ~ http://booksandplaces.blogspot.com/ . I just started to upload pictures of the book covers a few days ago and will not know for sure when I'll finish uploading all the 700 titles. Well,a start has been made. With this blog I hope to track part of my travels through books I brought home. It is my fervent hope that the books will remind me of the people I met and also the ideas that crossed me. I guess I'll be able to track back the journey of my personal transformation through books this way.

In between our love of fiction and non-fiction there is however an interesting genre that separate our reading interest. My wife loves to read comic books even before I met her. But to know she only read 'commando 'comics truly amazes me. Her prized collection is an original Commando comic (no.982) as shown above. She told me at that time she only bought the comic for 25 cents and as indicated on the cover too, it cost at that time in 1975 only 7 pence. Today one can buy a Commando comic in Kuching for about Ringgit Malaysia 8.60/piece.

As for me, a gem in my collection besides non-fiction is this song book bought in 1966 with the Beatles on the cover. I bought it when I was a junior secondary school student in Bintulu. That's when we boys started to play the guitar and do the twist and shouted "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah".
From learning to shout and sing to analysing management case studies, I feel my life has been one thrilling adventure.
.

Images of Kuching Today

2010-01-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

Heavy downpour experienced all over Kuching due to the yearly monsoon rains. Rains expected to continue till February, ending of the monsoon season.

Traffic junction at Kota Sentosa ( Mile 7, Kuching- Serian Road)

Honolulu creeper or pink coral vine planted as hedge infront of Malay kampung house, Jalan Astana, Petrajaya, Kuching.

Canvas spread temporarily to protect shoppers and vendors from rain or shine at Sunday Market area, Jalan Satok, Kuching.

Great sample of heliconias featured at flower market, Satok sunday market.

Rainy Days, Sleepless Nights

2010-01-14T02:33:00.000-08:00

Heavy downpour on the way back from the State Library

Since my arrival in Kuching City (inset) a week ago I've had sleepless nights which should not be the case normally when the weather here is invitingly cold and rainy throughout the past week. It is projected that the heavy rains will be met with high or king tide at various places throughout Sarawak and the public have been warned over the radio, TV and newspapers the likelihood of flooding to some low areas in the Sarawak from today to the end of this week. For many this type of news is a yearly repeat. It look like the monsoon season in Sarawak will be extended to February this year. But I just cannot wait for some nights to be over. At last I made it! Four major assignments were completed within one week of my stay in Kuching which were drafted but not finalised when I was busy working at my farm in Bintulu a fortnight ago. Once all the loose ends of the paper on Business Strategy and Policy were completed and the papers given the final touches, I was happily clearing my study room of papers, books, files, stationaries,etc. Thanks God it's sealed and done. But then a whole new set of papers will be seen scattered in the study for the coming days because from today till next week I have to complete two more papers with a total allowance of 10,000 words. Read again 10,000 words!! on two questions under the subject New Business Venture. I am not complaining. It's the life I've planned for. I've asked for it. Way down inside me I thoroughly enjoy it. It's fun all the way, despite the sleepless nights and constant travelling from Bintulu to Kuching and vice versa. All these because I have set my mind on a life -long learning trajectory. Thus every corner and milestone I meet is a dream come true - rainy days or sleepless nights considered.

Jalan Kulas or Kulas Road in heavy rain today 14/1/10

Animal Story

2010-01-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

Last rays of the moon before day break at our farm.

Woke up early today. Saw the moon still above me. Followed fospa for a morning walk. But wait.....we saw something that explained it all. " No wonder !" said fospa. Now I am beginning to understand why my sleep was interrupted last night when fospa shook me and I sensed something was amiss. Some thudding noises were heard in close quarters to our chalet and for once we thought there were intruders somewhere in the dark. Who could they be? As fospa walked along the soggy farm road his eyes suddenly zeroed in to some prints on the ground. " No, Inul it wasn't people . It must be the sambhur deer that made the noises last night. Here's the proof". I could see the sign of relief on fospa's face as he had a closer examination of the sambhur deer's hooves prints freshly carved into the dirt. Judging by the pattern of steps, the deer must have had a leisurely walk around our farm last night. It's all excitement at the farm the whole day. Fospa's satisfaction and happiness beamed throughout the day as he recalled over and over the visit of the sambhur deer to our farm last night. Inul too. (see inset)

Fresh deer hooves print .

.
The farm road where the deer hooves print were seen.

Hi, there! I think you're driving me nervous. That's close enough.

Ok, take your best shot or I'll fly away . See ya,

said the grasshopper.

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Remember me Inul?

Images of Bintulu Today

2010-01-02T01:04:00.000-08:00

Mile 3, Traffic Junction, Bintulu- Miri Road.

Bintulu Waterfront, Kemena River, Bintulu.

Assyakiriin Mosque, Bintulu.

Minaret at Assyakiriin Mosque, Bintulu.

For more images of Bintulu, please visit :~ My Bintulu Clicks

Let the good times roll

2009-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2010
Wishing all fans and visitors to this blog all the best for the new year

from MOOD, Bintulu.

To the East, To the East

2009-12-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

Typical view of the Pan Borneo Highway. Bintulu which is to the east of Kuching is 600 km away and about 10 hours by our Ford pick-up inclusive of pit stops for rest.

Me and Mama Daisy on our special travelling mattress.

JUst the other day, fospa mentioned of his intention to go east. He has many times over the course of a few days talked to us about going east. Ya, I know, I know.. but I am not ready. How can I tell fospa about him? Oh, the neighbour's tom cat has broad shoulders, long and white body and piercing eyes that kept me melting away! Soon, I'll have to say good bye to him and that thought made me cry. At about 8.20 am on 28th December, we proceeded with our journey to Bintulu. I was crying again during the first half hour of the journey but Mama Daisy was always there to stay close to me and comfort me. Sooner than expected I began to join Mama in having long cat naps. Sleep would be a better word to describe Mama's marathon naps. On this 19th trip to Bintulu, fospa made pit stops at Serian and Betong. Finally we arrived Bintulu around 6.40 pm in fine weather.
Below are pics taken of the memorable journey east.

Rice fields around Sri Aman looking healthy and fertilised. The rice fields will be harvested sometime in April or May next year.

A small town park in Serian.

Mama Daisy got all the onlookers attention at the petrol (gas) station in Serian. On this 19th trip to Bintulu, Mama Daisy and me set a new record for the most travelled cats in Malaysia.

Cumulative Distance Travelled = 22,200 km

achieved on this 19th trip to Bintulu(28/12/09)

For more stories about our record breaking journey, please it check out at Hav Paws Will Travell

or alternatively click on label Hav Paws Will Travel at the right side bar. Happy Browsing ;)

A town park at Betong.

In Betong-old wooden shophouses still compete with newer concrete ones.

Seasonal Fruits of Sarawak - On this trip many seasonal fruits were seen and sold along the whole length of the Pan Borneo Highway. It's the end of year season for many types of local fruits. Here are some examples we saw.
"Dabai " fruits were seen from Serian right up to Sibu. Depending on the variety and quality most were sold at an average price of RM 5 per kilo ( see inset). Fospa adores Dabai fruits.

Ripe "Dabai " fruits on trees

Very seldom seen "Kundong " fruit.

Unripe mangosteen fruits are green, ripe ones blacken to deep purple.

" Langsat" fruits on tree branches, literally speaking.

To the West, to the West

2009-12-25T17:08:00.000-08:00

Two islands just off the coast at Sematan Beach, Western Sarawak.

On the 23rd December we drove west of Kuching to see the beaches and tiny rural towns of Sarawak. The last time I travelled west to Sematan must have been more than three years ago. There has been almost no change to the country side and the towns of Lundu and Sematan remain quaint, quiet and I guess trailing far behind to the rushing pace of development in Kuching or Bintulu for that matter. Both towns to me are ideal shooting locations for some truly romantic small town episodes or short story. Why our local film makers not make them popular shooting locations is beyond me. This is because the scenery is fantastic with rolling hills and countryside, the people are friendly and docile, food is relatively cheap and costs of living generally low and both towns are very accessible from Kuching city by a short one and a half hour journey by road. If I were a teacher and got transferred to rural towns like these I think I'll be able to save tons of money. I guess for young teachers its a place to get married and start a family early. Life can be so serene and I think crimes are a rarity. Is it? That could be the start of my short story.

Above is a picture of the only coastal road that links Lundu and Sematan to Kuching. Over the hills is neighbouring
Indonesia. They are hundreds of individual homes spaciously positioned along the whole stretch of the highway with large gardens and small subsistence farming plots.

This beautiful coastal vine has pale purple flowers and makes habitual presence in most coastal beaches of Sarawak. Immediately they remind me of the beaches at Bintulu where they are a welcome respite.

CU view of the common salt-tolerant beach creeper Ipomoea pes-caprae or sometimes called railroad vine or beach morning glory. Notice the pale grey coloured beach sand of Sematan.

A collection of sea shells that makes picking and beach combing a pleasant activity.

Shells on log. These tiny sea shells can be boiled and the soup is a delicacy among the locals.

Lundu Town

The street sculpture at the entrance of Lundu town depicts a touristic image. Around this locality are to be found the largest or biggest flower in the world called the Rafflesia. Above is the image of the flower done in ferro- cement technique . There are a few national parks around this area but not well promoted.
The town of Lundu seems well maintained and the little town park surprises me. Here we can take a leaf from rural town landscaping. The folks take pride and fully utilise their parks as meeting places, green corners for relaxation and I guess a fun place to be. The shophouses in Lundu retain much of their pre-war beauty - wooden, quaint, over-sized and shopping cum residence style living architecture. Residence is on the second storey. Dropping by at the local market place I stumbled upon tiny chillies of various colours and the price was reasonable (see inset)

Typical wooden shophouses prevalent in rural towns of Sarawak and in Lundu there are many.

Durian fruit sellers waiting for Customers

Take a leaf from Sarawak small town landscaping. There's always a small park right in the centre of town. This Lundu town park serves many functional objectives which I thought was excellent.

I was happy that I could make time for this short day trip to Sematan and Lundu because I'm not sure yet when I'll be back here. Maybe when I have a better idea of a truly romantic story.

Images of Kuching Today

2009-12-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

The newly completed Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building ( DUN) in use in 2009. View from Kuching Waterfront.

Building Entrance of Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak ( DUN) with the Kuching Waterfront in the far background.

Close Up view DUN complex which seats the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly sessions.

Date taken : 23 December'09

For more pictures and images of Kuching, please visit : my Kuching Klikz

December crowning glory

2009-12-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

You would have imagined that the tree tops of forests canopy are the last competitive space of the gigantic rainforest trees proudly claiming the winning height with their latest outcrop of new green shoots into the tropical blue sky above. But come December I am in for a beautiful surprise. Throughout Sarawak the vigorous Bauhinia climber (Bauhinia kockiana) steals the show for it is on top of everything else. December is a time to look at tree tops as the Bauhinias scrambled over the trees to provide a magnificent crowning glory to the permanent gigantic columns of greenery. It makes me wonder whether the ancients have seen this acrobatic display and created the 'crown' intuitively in the shape of encircling vines to be accorded to the best achieving athlete for the vines are above the tallest trees and then conferred over our short human frame. Well, it's just a December thought to haul me up forward to a new year of which I am desirous of more success in business as well as in learning. The best is yet to come!

CU of Bauhinia kockiana species

Crowning December Glory

Trailing the December climbing beauties here in Bintulu are two favourite species of mine
and are shown below.

CU of the purple Trumpet Flower ( Bignonia magnifica)

The trumpet flowers are woody, vigorous and tough climbers and as such are ideal for pergolas or trained as colourful urban tree climbers.

Below is Close Up of the flowers of the Garlic Vine ( Cydista aeuquinoctalis)

Garlic Vines grown at the Sarawak State Library or Pustaka Negeri Sarawak,Kuching.

Bintulu Images Today

2009-12-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Welcoming X'mas and the New Year 2010

Newly Renovated Chinese Temple in Bintulu Town Proper

Pasar Utama or Central Market

Flowering Bauhinia vines climbing the tallest trees in December

For more pictures and images of Bintulu, please visit : my Bintulu Clicks

Tug -of- war with Jane

2009-12-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

With the camera handphone on my right hand, I tried hard to pull over "Jane", but she left me flabbergasted. Jane won.

I meant to write about the striking but tough climber at my eco-farm sometime ago. Today, being a Sunday I have more hours of leisure time to come to terms with her. I'll like to call her "Jane" because she reminds me of the imagery of the forest when people talk about the jungle, jungle people or jungle adventure. As one writer eloquently recalls "No writer or artist describing a 'jungle' has ever left out the snaky stems of the climbers or lianas, nor has any jungle dweller remained unaware of their flexible usefulness. Even in films, the camera lingers on these ropes of the forest. Breatheless, we admire Tarzan as he swings halooing through trees or sails across some incredible chasm hanging on the end of a thick vine; or, variously, we are filled with horror when our hero grasps a climber we know is really a deadly serpent, so sleek are the skins of both" (W.Veever-Carter, Riches of the Rain Forest). Well, this morning I had a tug-of-war with "Jane", the leguminous climber - Bauhinia ( see top picture). For the moment I'm unable to say 100% sure what the real name of the species I have at my farm. Nonetheless, for all intents and purposes it could be a very close relative of the Bauhinia kockiana which are constantly seen in urban parks and homes since it is more flamboyant in its flowering, sturdy and a vigorous climber of pergolas. I find that the Bauhinia kockiana has mainly dark orange flowers which are much larger than the species I have at the farm. The species here have both yellow and orange flowers of slightly smaller sizes. It is the philosophy of my eco-farm to leave as much natural stand of original rain forest vegetation islands as possible. There are many such micro eco-systems islands scattered at the farm 20-acre site, over swampy and flooded plains, undulating forested jungle fringes, covered hill tops and dark and damp valley slopes and basins. All these to ensure that my oil palm holding is vested inside a sustainable and biologically diverse environment, with dense variety of wildlife to complement. Only in this respect could I see the oil palm holding be sustainable in the long run.

The Bauhinia is a genus of legumes which are represented in the form of trees, shrubs or climbers mostly in tropical and sub-tropical climates. As a climber they need tall trees to cling to and for the Bauhinia this is no big deal because they have soft tendrils that could do the twining process simple and early, then unnoticed they slowly envelop the old trees or shrubbery with its maze of twiners, flowers and green leaves making some perceive wrongly that a tree is in flower, as in the picture above.

The Bauhinia kockiana originated from Sumatra. They are loved for their frequently blooming flowers that resemble some orchid species e.g. the golden showers. They can be effectively trained over an arch or support or any old tall tree. When in flower they are very showy, producing blooms in racemes ( i.e. flower-cluster with separate flowers attached by short equal stalks, at equal distances along the central stem). Bauhinias love full sun and grows well in deep soil. I am hoping to get some seeds from this plant after the flowering season is over though I know they rarely set fruit. Anyway, if I can't get any pods, I might propagate some from its green or semi-woody cuttings later.

Above is an example of a Bauhinia kockiana showing deep orange flowers and a flattened brown seed pod that normally hangs out for months. Note the charateristic 2-lobed leaf.

Location : Kuching Waterfront, Sarawak.

The Exotic Renda

2009-12-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

LS view of the feather-leaved Sealing Wax Palm ( Cyrtostachys renda) synonym - Cyrtostachys lakka grown at my farm.

This outstanding red palm is a real favourite of mine. It is always locally known in Sarawak as "Pinang Lakka" and being native grows throughout Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra island especially along coastal regions in sandy and swampy soil conditions. However because of its ornamental appeal it has been grown at urban locations where soils are different from its original habitat . But it doesn't bother the lakka thus dislaying its perfect adaptability. It has been used as instant decoration for arches during sports day, weddings and also in welcoming returning pilgrims from Mecca. Grown in big pots it can be shifted anywhere within a corporate building or any open landscaping spaces, e.g. sidewalks, airport lobbies, etc. It is the most exotic among the palms in Sarawak basically because of its brilliant scarlet and sometimes deep orange and smooth crown shafts. In my farm I have kept both varieties of the blood- red and deep orange- coloured leaf bases.

I have been planting dozens of this palm at my farm for beautification purposes as well as for an on site nursery for obtaining seeds for germination. Recently I checked on the propagation box. Surprise it was. I was able to see some seeds germinating after been placed inside the box a year before (26/11/08). Indeed it is not easy to get young seedlings from the seeds and the time it takes to germinate does not make impatient people happy to search for them. The rate of germination is less than 50%. Thus there is another way to obtain young trees the instant way. From the adventurous stolons new trees can be separated from the mother plant but the amount one can get is limited. Therefore to obtain large quantities, propagation by seeds is still preferred though restrained by time.

With the help of a " parang" ( matchet) the underground stolons that connect the young tree to its mother plant is cut and an instant plantlet is obtained.

As the tag says, the date of sowing the seeds was 26/11/08, that's a year ago.
Notice the straight eophyll ( first leaves) at the upper left of the box barely an inch long.

More seeds are available for this year's propagation from this single stem.

A view of Sarawak Museum building in Kuching showing the C. renda planted at the entrance. The trees must have been planted for more than 20 years to achieve the height above.

My last sanctuary for wildlife

2009-12-03T04:14:00.000-08:00

A forest fringe left intact and preserved to provide conducive environment for attracting wildlife at my farm. Here wild pigeons savour the berries and figs, sambhur deer hunt for edible fruits and young shots of the dillenia shrub, tiny munias hop on the long grasses to eat the grass seeds and the white-breasted water hen roam on the grassy and wet ground below.

Today I' ll devote my time on the interesting subject of wildlife. In Bintulu, I live in an eco-farm with much of nature's environment intact despite it being developed as an oil palm holding. On any day I can hear birds chirping and see them all over the farm. The merry company includes the red-eyed starlings, singing magpie robins, brightly coloured scarlet sun birds, noisy woodpeckers and talkative hill mynas. On rainy days I'm bound to bump into scorpions and millipedes as they sneak along the external walls of our house to have a chance to enter the relative safety and warmth inside. In the early morning and late afternoon, the swifts will display their almost acrobatic maneuvers above the forest canopy as they dive to catch insects or sip water from the three streams that transverse the farm. On many occassions I marvel at the hornbills as they make a fleeting visit over the farm. On some nights I could hear the shrieking bark of the sambhur deer and the ceaseless cries of the crickets punctuated sometimes by the late night calls of the owls and the night jars. Walking by the farm in broad daylight, I may stumbled upon the squirrels as they squander the ripe fruits of the cempedak, pineapples, papayas or oil palm. Occasionally a bat would be seen hanging upside down a banana leaf unwilling to leave after a night's hangout. By sheer good luck, I have encountered a monitor lizard and a band of monkeys. There is so much to discover in the many vegetation islands that I purposely conserve and I always feel happy to steal a little of my hurried time to have a peep into them and play catch -up on the many things I would normally missed seeing during my last visit. Just like the other day, when I bumped into a grasshopper that was clothed in leaf-like wings as camouflage . Once I caught a tree shrew inside a trap that was meant for rats. Or have you seen the nocturnal civet cat? (see inset)
What kept me attached to my farm? It is when you drive the rugged country farm road and being chased regularly by wild pigeons or water hen that habitually love to cross the road just as when you are about to meet them. Then it's the heart-warming presence of squirrels jumping over your roof to hold on to the next tree branch for freedom. And finally the incessant wait for the next barking call of the sambhur deer in the stillness of the night just yards away from your bedroom windows. In perfect clockwork nature has kept me astounded of its diversity
and richness that to me my eco-farm is my ultimate sanctuary of wildlife.

Cast of appearance

Scorpion

Bees

Cicada

Giant millipede

Tree lizard

Green lizard

Butterfly

Grasshopper

Smoking the "Cempedak " fruit

2009-11-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

A fish-eye view 0f a fruiting "Cempedak " tree.

Now that the seasons of the " Cempedak" fruit is nearing its end, I'm thinking of how I can continue to enjoy its flavour come next year. The "Cempedak" is a close relative of the jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). While the jackfruit is native to India, the cempedak is native to Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and the Sulawesi Islands. Being cauliflorous, the cempedak ( Artocarpus integer) bears its flowers and fruits on the trunks. The above picture is taken from my eco-farm in Bintulu. I have a dozen of these 50-plus years old trees which never fail to produce fruits on yearly basis. This year the fruiting has been heavy and started sometime in September. The cempedak has a pliable, soft and supple outer skin. The fruit flesh or aril is yellow to golden in colour (see inset). Its aril is soft, tender, succulent and slippery. If you have the chance to eat the aril, remember not to swallow the seed. Just consume the flesh. The seed which is large brown has a papery covering. When boiled the seeds are eaten with honey or sugar. Others prefer to deep fry the aril with flour and taken with tea or coffee just like one enjoy the banana fritters.
Today, I'll just try to smoke the flesh so that I can store it for a few months past February or March next year. Below is how to do it.

After separating the seed, the aril is left to dry in open sun which may take half a day or a full day, depending on the intensity of the sunlight. Arrange them on a mesh for faster drying.

After drying, the aril is smoked and this may take about 4 hours to produce the best result.

Smoked cempedak or "Likeng"

In Bintulu we call smoked cempedak as " Likeng". Slice the likeng into small pieces and store them in containers. They can last for months, say about 4-6 months and still retain the strong fermented flavour of the cempedak. In Bintulu, the Melanaus eat them with "sagu" or sago pellets for afternoon tea or any other occasion. And I love them sugary and honey taste.

Friends Droppin' By?

2009-11-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

It was a real surprise the other day. Mama Daisy was growling and snarling. Something was amiss. What could it be? I kept jumping higher and settled at the top of the bookcase. When Mama Daisy made noises, fospa checked what's happening. First, one came out of hiding. Then a second came into the limelight. Soon a family came to town ( see inset). " The kittens look very cute", said fospa. Fospa decided that they should be allowed a temporary stay at the veranda for a while until the two kittens are weaned out from their milking. I'm not particularly happy with the arrangement because I'll not be free to roam around the veranda. I am not ready to call them friends yet. They are stray cats and probably belong to some one. Anyway, I don't have much choice. For the time being both me and Mama Daisy will just avoid the veranda. We don't want trouble, do we?

First one out of hiding

The second coming

Remember me Inul?

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Bye, for now.

Against the Blue Sky

2009-11-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

This morning the sky over the farm looks very clear and blue. The above subjects are taken against the blue sky. In Bintulu at this time of the year, the skies would normally be cloudy, and dark grey because of the rainy season. However, this morning the weather took to a better turn.

I will not be surprised if towards the evening the sky would turn grey and ready to pour down the annual end or year heavy downpours as it did yesterday and the day before.

We were once kids

2009-11-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Young kids at Kampung Jepak playing in the rain . Date: 24Nov'09.

The season of rains is back in Sarawak. It's an annual recurrence and makes me wonder how the rhythm of the rains, its appearance and then flight makes me count for granted the passing of time and the sureness of another year. This afternoon, time took me to a rehearsal of the days when I was just like those innocent, energetic and joyously happy kids playing and running on the village football field. Rain or shine the "We" feeling of comradeship among friends we grew up with are something I always treasure. Passing by the village football field I thought how fortunate I was when I joined my primary then secondary school soccer teams. For a young and tiny kid wearing a football jersey and representing the school in a local soccer league is a mountain of achievement. It happened to me in 1965 when our school won the soccer league. A small black and white photograph that captured the proud moment of achievement is shown below.
The Bintulu Government Secondary School soccer team with the prized trophy. I'm the tiny kid at the front row, second from left, executing a perfect pose. Date : 1965 . The tall white gentleman at the back is our referee, a Dutchman by the name of Mr. Brentjens who happened to be a Catholic missionary teacher at St. Anthony's School where I completed my primary schooling in 1963.

21,000 km & a season of fruits

2009-11-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Me ( Inul ) and Mama Daisy on our travelling cushion

"This is Mama Daisy's 18th trip to Bintulu and I'm on board to achieve our new record of 21,000 kilometers of road journey from Bintulu to Kuching and vice versa", said Inul. This time around Sarawak is in the midst of its year- end season of fruits and our travel was made more interesting with the countless pit stops along the Pan Borneo Highway. Fospa took this opportunity to savour the rich variety of fruits available. On this trip fospa first stopped at a handicraft shop situated after the town of Serian ( see inset), which is just about quarter of our journey. From the shop fospa bought a small rattan basket that will be used to keep our food for long journeys in future.

Inside the village handicraft shop. At the middle foreground is the rattan basket fospa bought for us.

Above is close up of 'rambutan' fruits of yellow variety planted next to the handicraft shop, and below red rambutans planted by the roadside somewhere along the middle half of our 12 hours journey i.e. near Sarikei town.

Entering Sibu town. From here it took us about 3 hours to reach Bintulu.
ETD Kuching : 8.45 am

ETA Bintulu : 8.30 pm

18th trip to Bintulu - 18/11/09

For more stories of how we started this journey of our life time , please click on the link below:

Hav Paws Will Travell

Nan Bread

2009-11-23T01:26:00.000-08:00

Today I managed to try something new called " Roti Nan". ' Roti' is Malay for bread. 'Nan' isn't Malay but is Pakistani for pancake cooked in a clay oven. A short Q & A with the Pakistani cook had me convinced that this type of bread/ pancake is good for health because there is no frying with oil in order to cook it. Instead the dough is slapped onto the hot inner walls of the big gas-fried clay oven ( see inset). With the aid of two long iron rods the Pakistani cook quickly removed the hot bread from the oven and then with the speed of light sliced the bread, sprinkled some pieces of garlic and spread butter on it. Next came a small plate of yellow "dhall" beans ( see picture below) as a final dressing to the show. It's refreshing to know that Bintulu has 'roti nan', something unheard of say five years ago. It's a sign that Bintulu is catching up in one respect. And there are Pakistani cooks in Bintulu.

Gas-fired clay oven

My afternoon break with 'roti nan ' served with garlic, butter and 'dhall' beans costing RM 3.00 a plate. Cheap for a healthy food.

A Fruitsome Journey

2009-11-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning (19/11) to the sounds of crickets and birds. We left Kuching yesterday at 8.30 am and arrived Bintulu around 8.00 pm after a 12 hours journey by road. My normal duration for the Kuching- Bintulu journey has generally been 10 hours, but on this trip I let the hours drifted by for the main reason that this is the end of the year and I will not want to miss the little details that should be enjoyed along the Pan Borneo Highway. The end of the year is a moment I look forward to because if one were to drive the length of the Pan Borneo Highway, the sights and tastes of the local seasonal fruits are not to be missed. Because I made so many pit stops along the highway to see and sometimes buy many of the fruits available by the roadside the journey was a pleasant, exciting and fruitful one. Below are shots I took for the world to share. (Inset: Our pick up refuelling at Sibu with the rainbows in view, three quarters of journey covered)

The rambutans ( Nephelium lappaceum) has soft hairs and come in two main colours - yellow and red. I recall that in India , rambutans are highly priced as wedding gifts and Singaporeans export these fruits overseas and re-brand them as " Singapore Lychee". And the best part of the story is that small island of Singapore does not have land to plant rambutan trees but obtain them from Malaysian farms which are just across the channel. Does it prove that Malaysians are good producers but Singaporeans better marketers? Anyway, I price most the wild species of rambutans that still grow in my eco-farm here at Bintulu.

Most rambutans ( Note: In Malay 'rambut' means hairs ) that are grown now are hybrid species to make them more marketable and the better clones should provide the following characteristics: thin outer skin, thick flesh, fruits skin is easy to open by an effortless slight twist, glorious red colour or golden colour, sweet tasting, juicy, seed small and the flesh ( or aril) easily peeled off from seed without the seed cover stuck to the flesh and long shelf life. Well, let the scientists sort out the details. One thing is for sure , don't clone one without hairs. It will not be a called a rambutan fruit.

You can buy fresh green peppers by the roadside. Sarawak's climate is ideal for pepper growing but requires very intensive care especially from diseases and as such is appropriately grown on a family basis. At today's price, black pepper fetches RM 8,700 per tonne ( Bintulu price) and white pepper ( processed) fetches RM 15,100 per tonne. However, considering the tiny size of the pepper fruits, the amount you need to collect before you could sell them makes it obvious that you need to be a bundle of patience, have stacks of money to buy inputs especially fertilisers, weedicides and pesticides that don't come cheap, and luck against diseases, weather, world ups and downs in pepper commodity prices to get rich. No short cut! and as one friend of mine commented " What ? You are in to farming? It's just buying fertilisers and letting the rain wash them away !" Oh, yes talking about the rains, this time around the journey was met with slight rains for about one third of the journey and the rest of the way was cloudy skies.

LS of the 'mata kuching' fruit tree. The name " Kuching", the capital of Sarawak comes from this fruit according to one theory. Another theory says that the name of Kuching City derives from the local Malay word for cat i.e. Kuching. Now if the first theory is correct, Kuching is not cat, afterall.

CU of the ' mata kuching' fruit ( Euphoria malaiense)

Lucky, lucky me. A fruiting " Engkabang" tree.

And finally I consider myself extremely lucky to see a fruit- bearing "Enkabang" tree near Sebangkoi, Sarikei town. Locally the fruits are eaten fresh in various ways e.g. salad, vegetable, etc. There is however a novel way the people of Sarawak take this fruit. They boil the fruits for its oil and then prepare it in the form of a cake that will last for years at room temperature. They are then eaten with hot rice to make the rice tastes better, more fragrant and healthy because the 'melted' enkabang cake dispenses the flavour of the fruit just like when you apply butter on roasted bread. After you rub the 'engkabang' cake and melt some away, the rest of the cake can be kept for future use. It's so very practical because you don't need to place it inside a fridge like you do the butter or cheese.

Why did I say I was lucky to come across the " Engkabang" tree fruit? Engkabang trees are of the 'dipeterocarps' species and are considered giants of the rain forests. Dipterocarp comes from the Greek word to mean ' two-winged seeds'. But the tree I saw has more than two wings. Some of these fruits can have 3- 5 wings. These wings make them look like badminton shuttlecocks. And lucky enough I met them at this point in my life!. The reason being these helicopter wings are produced once is sixty (60) years! Well, now I can claim in future that in my lifetime I did see a fruiting Engkabang tree once. Once is good enough. Now if the engkabang fruit drops and gets caught on the branches of trees and other obstacles and does not hit fertile grown soon, the fruits and seed will be spent and no chance to propagate itself. It has been acknowledged that it takes a 60 years cycle for an engkabang tree to flower and because the requirements of germination from new seeds the natural way is very stringent that it takes this species one century to spread over a kilometer radius. Strange but true. And to make the matter worse, this tree species is one of the most marketable species for tropical hardwoods export from Sarawak that they are increasingly hunted for their logs than their fruits. For now you can kiss tropical biodiversity goodbye.

Durians on My Back

2009-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note. I'm back in Kuching. But wait, not till I get a load of durians. That's just what I did yesterday (4/11) when we stopped by the Pan Borneo Highway after Sri Aman ( see inset). There were many fruit stalls set up temporarily by the roadside offering a range of local seasonal fruits at this time of the year. It's indeed a season of fruits in Sarawak right now and this will continue till end of December. More stories later.

A smiling vendor with happy customers selling an assortment of fruits near Sibu. There were pomelos, bananas, oranges, dragon fruits, Malay apple fruits, mangosteen, rambutans, etc..

I have so many favourites when it comes to local fruits. Above is the yellow durians called "Nyekak" by the local Ibans and next to it is the "Rambutan" fruit.

My kind of a fruit party.

The journey to Kuching this time around was fine all the way, except for a punctured tyre before arriving Selangau which was duly repaired in time for the next three quarters leg of the journey. Despite the rainy season, we didn't encounter a single drop of rain over the 10 hours journey. We left Bintulu ( with the cats) at 9.00 am and by 7.00 pm was at our front gate in Kuching, and so very grateful that we made it safely.

At the Tamu

2009-10-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

River prawns called " Udang Galah" fresh and alive at the Tamu or jungle produce market.

Fresh and uncontaminated jungle ferns called "Midin" at the Tamu, Bintulu town.

For more pictures and stories about Bintulu, please visit my other blog here ~ My Bintulu Clicks

A Harvest and a Feast

2009-10-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

This morning I feel elated for two reasons. Being away from Bintulu for about three weeks now I miss exceedingly my eco-farm here and therefore to drive away the blues I started to do a little bit of labour of love. Then while walking around the farm I met with a surprising encounter with a lovely beauty that seems to enthrall me forever. First, the harvest. As can be seen on the left (inset) the oil palm fruits freshly harvested today, are about 3-5 cm long with a diameter of about 3-4 cm which I consider a pretty good size since planting them three years ago. And there are good tasting. It's no wonder squirrels love them and BTW there are plenty of these cute creatures around at the farm here.

A ripe fruit bunch like above could easily weigh between 10-15 kilos.

This morning I started to harvest Zone D, located just behind my chalet. The tree that I harvested is seen on the left of the picture above. Note the diversity of planting in an eco-farm which allows for multiple harvesting of oil palm fruits, seasonal fruits, and other jungle produce items like edible ferns, herbal plants etc. besides my favourite inter-cropping of landscaping plants for advance growing and propagation purposes.

Before Harvest

After Harvest

To be an expert harvester you got to be able to cut the base of the leaf stalk with one single thrust of the chisel and another to cut the fruit bunch. Well I'm beginning to love this work especially when I can strike one with a clean cut. It gives much satisfaction and needless to say perfect exercise because at this low height you need to bend your body many times to complete harvesting about 4-5 fruit bunches per tree. Well, my record this morning is 10 trees and the rest I'll just let my worker continue harvesting. At today's price a tonne of the fresh fruit bunches fetches between RM 350-RM 380. Normally I would harvest the farm twice monthly.

And a Feast for my Eyes

As the butterfly flutters its wings I feel a strong rush of excitement and thrill to see how this regular visitor clings to the flowers to extract the honey. It is one of those moments when we suspend all thoughts and just love life for what it is - to be enjoyed.

For your eyes only.

This lovely flowering plant is of the Clerodendrum genus and commonly called the Pagoda Flower due to its bright orange to red flowers arranged in a pagoda-like structure, and is found in many regions of Asia. From this genus comes another favourite of mine called the " Bleeding Heart Vine" ( Clerodendrum thomsoniae)

The leaves are broad, glossy and deeply veined. But what attracts me to this plant is the pyramid-like tier of hundreds of tiny salmon pink flowers. This plant flowers throughout the year and thus qualify well as a "Kambatik Garden" favourite.

This LS view shows partly its growing habit. The above specimen is just a few feet away from my verandah and seems to grow excellently in damp but well-drained soil.

By the Kemena River

2009-10-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

Late this afternoon I dropped by at a riverine petrol station near Kampung Jepak situated close to the mouth of the Kemena River. Just across the petrol station is the original Bintulu town which is still thriving even though many of its satellite towns have blossomed surrounding the original town over a 30 years period of transformation from a fishing village to an industrial town it is now. The original Bintulu town attraction is the river that has been the lifeline for generations of people from upriver and the coastal areas around Bintulu. From where I was standing at the petrol station jetty I could see two uniquely shaped buildings with rooftops in the form of the local "terendak"- a kind of sun hat worn by the Melanaus of Bintulu. On the banks I saw plenty of colourful fishing boats berthing which reminds one of the importance of fishing to the people of Kampung Jepak. In fact of the two unique buildings (see inset), the one on the right is the called" Pasar Utama" which consists of a wet and dry market. The left building is the "Tamu" which houses hundreds of local traders selling jungle produce items, vegetables, fruits, local cakes and anything else that is edible ( e.g. maggots, frogs, wild boar, snakes )

End of the riverine petrol station jetty , with the two unique public buildings on the bank of Kemena River across.

Bridges Don't Come Easy

Next to the petrol station is a pontoon where motorcyclists wait for the ferry boat. The motorcyclists of Kampung Jepak prefer to ride the ferry boat to take a short cut to town because the bridge that links Kampung Jepak to Bintulu town is situated some 20 kilometers away upriver. Furthermore the ferry service is free.

Note: For more pictures and stories of Bintulu please visit my other blog here ~ http://mybintuluclicks.blogspot.com/

19,800 km in the rain!!

2009-10-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

We have been forewarned. Fospa mentioned that this 17th trip to Bintulu will be a rainy one coz the end of year rains will be at our back. We left Kuching at 8.45 am today (22/10) in slight rain to start with and as we proceeded on with the 10 hours long journey we encountered more rains as predicted. Geography can be an interesting subject and it's just only talking about the weather. Except for a total brief period of about half an hour, the whole journey was in complete rains - some light, some medium and some *OMG* heavy tropical torrential downpours! At the start of the journey I was screaming and very nervous. In fact fospa checked my heart beat and mentioned to fosma ( yes I heard it) " Inul is nervous and her heart beat is throbbing!". " Oh, don't worry", fospa said "Daisy will be there to comfort her". Mama came to my rescue and after about 30 minutes ( that's a long time she has to endure my behaviour) my nerves seemed to be settled and calmed as she continously groomed me. Mama can be so loving and a true friend. So on with the journey. At the first leg of the journey ( 1st quarter) fospa halted the car at a country side farm near Sri Aman to get a shot of the farmers working their paddy fields. By this month most of Sarawak's subsistence paddy farmers have worked, planted or tended their paddy plots and throughout the journey we could see the paddy plots in various colours to show the various stages of planting work achieved by the farmers. Some plots were really dark green in colour while others brown and black because the owners have just completed burning the bushes and grasses before they start to plant them with this season's new seedlings.

" Planting rice is never fun. Bend from morn till set of sun.

Cannot rise and cannot sit, cannot rest a little bit"- lines from fospa's school song sung about 50 years ago.

Fospa could remember the lines of the song that he learnt from his primary school days about paddy planting which he recited while driving. It is sad that after so long a time ( generations and generations) Sarawak paddy farmers are not exposed to mechanisation. What's this ministry called " Modernisation of Agriculture" doing for the poor farmers? I can't even see a mechanical equipment used in the paddy planting process along the whole stretch of this Borneo Pan Highway. What modernisation? Oh, I could sense fospa's anger and frustration.

Rains at Sarikei, somewhere at middle of the journey.

Nearing Sibu, careful of the pools of water.

More torrential rains fell on us at the 3rd leg of the journey ( nearing Sibu) as per images above.

Finally at around 7.00 pm we arrived Bintulu in light shower and so happy to be back home to where I was born. Mama Daisy was considerate enough to allow me to lay my head on her shoulders. I could then sleep soundly. Mama you're an angel.

Remember me Inul?

Note: Cumulative Distance Travelled = 19,800 km

achieved on this Btu - 17th trip ( 22-10-09)

For more stories about us, please check it out here ~ http://havpawswilltravell.blogspot.com/

Getting ready

2009-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today (21/10) fospa broke the news. Tomorrow we'll be on the road again. Fospa eagerly checked the computer for our images that have not been posted. So here they are. In the picture (inset) Mama Daisy is seen at her favourite loitering place. Must have been the cold concrete floor and the shade that makes the place groovy. Here's a little secret about me. It's a habit of mine to put my paws on Fosma's hand when ever I get the chance to nap or cuddle close to her. This touching act Mama Daisy will never allow me to do to her and thus makes me wonder. Why does Mama not allow me be friendly with her? Am I past my age of being treated like a cute little girl? Anyway, I always like to treat Mama Daisy as a true friend, even though at times ( many times actually) she would snarl and show her disagreement. We young girls need love too Mama.

Remember me Inul?

I am that big girl above.
For more stories about our adventure follow this link~ http://havpawswilltravell.blogspot.com/
See you all in Bintulu soon.

Najib is Listening

2009-10-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

I was overjoyed when I heard over the TV1 news yesterday that the Federal Government has finally agreed to make Malaysia Day a public holiday for all the 13 states of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak included. The Malaysia Day issue has been a sore point in the relations between the eastern and western states of Malaysia for many years . I have written at least three posts on this issue here and here and again here.

Malaysia was formed on 16th September,1963 when the ex- British colonial states of Sabah, Sarawak and the Malay States of Malaya decided to form a Federation despite being distanced and separated by the South China Sea. The one anomaly in Malaysian history that remained uncorrected and purposely avoided by generation of Malaysian top leaders was the fact that while the act of forming the modern federalised political entity was a major historical landmark, it was never given official recognition and a source of pride by setting aside a day like a public holiday to remember it. Forty five(45!) years have passed and yesterday it was finally agreed by Federal leaders that it is time to give due recognition to the eastern states of Malaysia for their sacrifice and compromise in teaming up with the Malayan states to form Malaysia. Of course, it will be in the interest of historians in future to outline the reasons why and how the decision was made. But to me, living in the present I am more inclined to give my version of what made the Prime Minister changed his mind. Najib has always been adamant about the demands of the peoples of Sabah and Sarawak. Why did he change his mind? For one thing, the politics in West Malaysia has been bad for UMNO ( Najib's ruling party) recently where in the last election it lost five (5) states to the opposition parties. It could remain in power today because the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak are giving UMNO full support by siding UMNO at the Parliamentary level. Assuming both states withdraw their support, UMNO would sit on the opposition bench - a dreadful thought for any UMNO leader. Secondly, I find that despite the hype about" One Malaysia" concept mooted by Najib ( since he took over the reins of the government a few months ago) the states of Sabah and Sarawak gave it a lukewarm response for reasons we all understand ( if you are a Sarawakian or a Sabahan). I am speculating here. But could it be that the celebration to commemorate Malaysia Day in Kuching recently with its dismal turnout made Najib radically revise his calculations? What do Sarawakian leaders and peoples want to show? Thus in a pre-emptive move he quickly announced yesterday the need to make Malaysia Day a public holiday. Najib is listening and Sarawak gets what it wants without begging.

I saw these school kids during a rehearsal at the Padang Merdeka where the Malaysia Day celeberation was to be held. But wait. It was held on the 10th of October and not the 16th? Why the anomaly? Beats me! but when you jumble dates irresponsibly and get cold faces looking at you, what is the implication? Anyway, the show went well that evening because the end of year rains did not fall to scatter the crowd.

The Supple Rattan

2009-10-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

I am forever fascinated by nature's special gift to the jungle peoples of Sarawak. From its deep tropical rain forests are obtained the 'rattan' (Calamus). The rattan is a versatile, pliable and flexible climbing plant and due to its suppleness, it is sometimes referred to as the 'supple jack'. To utilise the rattan one has to perform much processing work because when found in the jungles it is a very thorny plant and some cleaning and drying processes have to be introduced to make it last and workable. There are rattan mats and drums with rattan ties and fasteners ( see inset). At my farm I used to carry fruits in rattan baskets. There are rattan fish traps, rattan bags, rattan walking sticks, rattan balls, rattan walls and ceilings, rattan furniture - chairs, tables, table mats, beds, partitions, cribs, and even rattan cosmetic jewellery items like rattan rings, rattan beads, rattan bangles and rattan head bands.

My favourite rattan carrying basket called " Abik" in the local Bintulu Melanau dialect.

Rattan baskets of different shapes and sizes to carry jungle or farm produce to home or market.

And just the other day at the native crafts exhibition I stumbled upon these beautifully ethnic-designed "parang" which is the Malay word for sword-like instruments where the rattan is used to tie or hold the sheaths of the parang together.

An expert craftsman requires no nails or glue but instead uses rattan strings as fasteners.

The "parang ilang" once used by native warriors for head hunting expeditions are prized souvenirs for visitors to Sarawak today.

The above is a rare show for me. It's a special axe used for building dugout boats or canoes called "perahu" in Sarawak. The handle is made from rattan and fastened to the cutting blade using rattan strings. This axe is preferred over wooden or metal handles for the simple reason that it is lighter and gives that 'spring back' effect .

Two Years Tall

2009-10-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

While writing this blog post, the end of year rains are tapping on my rooftop and the abundance of heavenly water it pours on the garden will be evidenced tomorrow on depressed surfaces over the garden floor. With the coming of the wet season, I will normally start to add new planting materials to the garden as a welcoming gesture to the days ahead of garden renewal and green sprouts. It has been just about two years down the road when we made the once-in-a-lifetime decision to put foot in Kuching. We have no regrets even though the decision was highly pragmatic and in the most casual "take- it-as-it-comes" approach.

Front Garden as at November 2007.

Front Garden today.

The rains will come and go, like our entrances and exists of daily existence. It will come and nourish the garden. Our front garden plot is small but has been a great a spiritual retreat , a story of growth and decay in the working wonders of nature . Besides the garden has been a most pleasurable physical workout place to unwind my hurried life. It's about two years tall and the garden is shaping up well. It sings out a calling in me to live up to my whole senses ( spiritual, emotional, intellectual and civil) in order that the garden of my life will be filled with moments of discovery, wonder and blissfulness. Like a blessed garden our life has to be lived in, re-worked and re-discovered not once but continuously.

Does your garden grow?

Images of Kuching Today

2009-10-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Fishing Boats berthing by Sarawak River

Speed boats berthing by Bako River

Extension terrace of a fisherman's house at Bako

Nibong Palm leaves ( Oncosperma tigillarium)

Papery bark of the weeping paper bark tree- Melaleuca cajuputi

Credits: My Kuching Klikz

Images captured by camera phone N93i

Date taken: October '09

Chinese entrepreneurship

2009-10-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

You can call Malaysia as a 'nation of Chinese shopkeepers'. Everywhere in the towns and rural villages throughout Malaysia, Chinese traders have a stronghold on the local economy and has remained unchallenged even after much intervention by government policies aimed at encouraging the Malays and other native groups to have a piece of the economic pie for more than forty years now. While statistics on the increasing involvement of the "bumiputras" ( i.e. the local Malays and native groups) show a minute improvement, these statistics seemed disparate and subject to manipulation by the authorities to justify their claims on the success of their market intervention policies. There again, the bumiputra success are pinned on the 20% control of corporate assets owned by the government through its government -linked companies ( GLC's) but not owned by bumiputra individuals. Thus in summary, bumiputra entrepreneurship is a drop in the ocean of the big Malaysian economy.
Above is an oil painting by Mohd. Sallehuddin entitled "Village Shopping", dated 1959 ( 89.5 x 76 cm) kept by the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. I had a chance to see this painting yesterday at a mini-art exhibition at the Kuching Waterfront of which the painting shown was a re-production. However it captures well the elements of Chinese entrepreneurship then. The Chinese trader, call him " Ah Chong", opened shop right in the midst of a Malay village ( kampung). Ah Chong is frequented by the local Malay ladies( call her Sarimah) who obtain their daily necessities from Ah Chong's shop almost religiously. Sarimah made it a point to dress her best when shopping and so did her little daughter. But Ah Chong doesn't bother about niceties. He seemed proud to show his abs to lovely Sarimah. Ah Chong's presence has been in the kampung eversince his lifetime and then his son and grandson's generation. Chinese entrepreneurship always start small and end mostly big.

Fast forward fifty years, I find today the newer generation of Chinese kids are quick in grabbing opportunities in dealing with the latest essential of today's living - like the hand phone business. In Kuching city small vendors sprout like mushroom selling handphones and its accessories, prepaid cards or even loading you handphone with songs albeit at a tiny price of RM1 per song. I guess Ah Chong's generation had made a head start which later generations are able to build upon and reap. Over the counter, Sarimah's generation continues shopping in bigger numbers, better dressed and so does the handphone vendor, thanks to improved education.

Images of Kuching Today

2009-10-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Images of Kuching by Walking Around

Mona Lisa on My Back

Tin Smith at Work

River cruise boat berthing at Kuching Waterfront

Narrow Corridor at the General Post Office

Malaysian colours

Candy Floss

Shopping at a Gambier Street shop

Credits: My Kuching Klikz

Date taken: 10-10-09 ( Saturday)

using camera phone N93i

On the way - the Back Courtyard

2009-10-08T02:50:00.000-07:00

I'll be in Kuching for the whole month of October. While busy studying and preparing for my series of tutorials next weekend, assignments that follow and an exam slotted at the end of the month, I'll continue to pick up on my back courtyard gardening. The side garden is more or less completed by now, though more continuing experiments, additions and subtractions are a pleasant activity to further improve it. The yellow bells flowers ( Tecoma stans)(see inset) mark the entrance to the back courtyard. My idea of the back courtyard according to my "Laman Kambatik "or the Malaysian Garden concept is basically that of an edible garden. In Malay there is at present no name for 'edible landscaping'. Thus I have coined a term to describe it. I call it "Sara Landskap" in Malay. Truly, I'm the only one soul to use this term in Malaysia at present. Whether it will be used commonly in future is yet to be seen. If it ever does, then the word originate from me. Will it be taken up by DBP? I wonder.

CU of the Chinese Lantern ( Physalis alkekengi). It's tiny round fruits taste like tomatoes.

The above pictures illustrate quickly what I mean by edible landscaping. If you plant the Chinese Lantern ( Physalis alkekengi) within a matter of weeks, you'll be able to enjoy its fruits right from your backyard. Besides fruit trees, the essential planting materials for a "Sara Landskap" are herbal plants and they can come in all sizes, shapes, tastes, colours, heights and preferences to shade and sun. I'll expand on this idea on edible landscaping in future posts.

View of my next challenge. The yellow bells plant ( Tecoma stans) to the right, is my starting point for the edible garden.

View of the side garden, mostly completed from the back courtyard.

End of Year Rains Are Back

2009-10-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

The last three days of October have witnessed the coming of end of year rains in Sarawak. It is about time that these rains come after having lived through the two months of drought in June and July and very little rains in August and September. This year however the end of year rains are preceded by strong winds and heavy tropical downpour mainly due to the tail end winds from typhoons that hit the Philippines but barely hit our shores as they habitually swerve up north to Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan in good time. It is for this reason that Sabah, the most easterly state of Malaysia is called " The Land Below the Winds" in describing the nature of typhoons movement around the Asia Pacific region which build up force and intensity in the Asia Pacific ocean, then pound the Philippines before venturing up north towards other East Asian countries principally Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Japan and leaving Sabah ( and Sarawak) untouched. The news over TV and the Internet this last two weeks are testimony to the tremendous damage that the typhoons have caused to the millions of people in the Philippines this year,turning them homeless and with little food or shelter. Today I was not spared the heavy rains as I drove back from the City ( see inset). And grateful that we in Sarawak are spared from the typhoons.

End of Year Rains are Back in Kuching City

In Kuching it has always been my experience ( at least for the last two years) to find that the rains fall mainly in late afternoon, say around 4.00 pm onwards. In contrast, I find that in Bintulu rains are mainly during the night till morning and come daylight it 's good weather to work in the open fields especially if you are a civil contractor , a farmer or fisherman. In Kuching on the other hand, you start to pack your bags early in the afternoon and therefore there is less working hours in a day.

DBP - as confusing as confused be!

2009-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (4/10) I went to visit the "Ekspo Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan" at the Sarawak Tourism Complex situated right smack in the center of Kuching City (see inset). The yearly exposition takes turn to be held throughout the thirteen states of Malaysia and this year it's Sarawak. At the expo, I dropped by at the DBP 's booth. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) is the premier Malaysian agency on the development and standardisation of the national language especially regarding its spoken style and spelling which are of real concerns for students or any users of the language nationally and worldwide. The national language was called " Bahasa Malaysia" in the early 70's when linguistic nationalism was at its peak and efforts to optimise the usage of the national language became the norm in the 1980's onwards, culminating in its use as the main medium of instruction in all public universities in Malaysia. I used to teach "Bahasa Malaysia" as a single language at a secondary school in Bintulu in the mid 70's ( after my graduation) and used it daily in official written communication throughout the 80's till early 90's when I was employed as a civil servant.

A Millenium or Global Language?

Come the 21st century, some bright Ministers in the Malaysian Cabinet changed the naming of the national language to " Bahasa Melayu". "Melayu" means "Malay", thus 'the Malay language'. Presently Malaysia is caught by a national fever called "One Malaysia" which resembles very much like the " One Unilever" concept introduced a few years ago by Unilever as a means to integrate all its operations globally. Now caught in this latest fever will the national language be faced with a reversal of fortune and be called "Bahasa Malaysia" again? I wonder.

( Note: In the above column, "Salah" means wrong and " Betul" means right )

I was glad to be given a copy of the pamphlet on the "Pedoman Bahasa Melayu" - Guide to Malay Language. So it is confirmed. The authority now declares the national language as "Bahasa Melayu". Any doubts? Back home, I turned to page 6 of the pamphlet and couldn't yet fully recover from a rude shock.Let me explain.
In the days of high linguistic nationalism, teachers, students and any users of the language were told to translate "nationalism" as "nationalisma". Now the pamphlet says we are wrong. The latest spelling is "nationalisme". But 5 lines below it I was knocked by another major shock. If "organism" is to be translated correctly as "organisme" today, what then thus "ism" mean when 'nationalism' is to be spelled " nationalisme" while "organism" is to be written as " organisma". Isn't it just plain crazy when "ism" is spelled as "isme" in one and "isma" in another and both are allowable. I guess it is such glaring erratic nuisances that make some a plain hobby to be 'mad about Malaysia'.
Ok, in reading between the two words another word struck me. It's " Optimum". Here's a short story. The word "Optimum" was my school motto in Miri as early as the 60's. I left the school/college in 1969 to take up further studies at University of Pulau Pinang on the historical island of Penang, West Malaysia. Well now, back to Miri in the 80's , the Principal of the school which by then was transformed into a college and who by the way is a Bahasa Malaysia language expert decided to translate the school/college motto and the letters " OPTIMA" appeared on the school emblem, logo, exercise books, certificates, letterheads, badges and whatever paraphernalia related to the college branding. That sounded so upbeat, new, nationalistic and spelling-wise correct. Now according to DBP , the word " Optimum" should be spelled exactly as the English derivative. Will the college authorities, paint over the school's motto and badge to " OPTIMUM" like it was in the 60's? Makes me wonder where DBP is leading us to?

The Nibong Palm and its uses

2009-10-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

On a visit to the fishing village of Bako just the other day, I saw many clumps of "Nibong " trees growing alongside the highway to the village. The Nibong tree ( Oncosperma tigillarium) is often called the "Thorny Palm" on account of the many thorns that adorn its trunk. The Nibong tree is very useful for settlers of the mangrove swamp forest. The Nibong shoots (cabbage) are cooked as vegetable and its stem is used for many purposes such as for fish traps, piles, fencing, jetty or house posts and the hard outer wood is used as decorative wall panels as well as floor boards. Many handicraft items are produced using the Nibong wood like large wooden spoons or ladle, chopsticks,bangles and other small decorative items e.g. key chains etc., Further, taken out of its natural habitat and grown on drier ground it can become ideal planting material for landscaping purposes especially to provide scale to tall buildings by planting them close to building walls or structures.

Clumps of Nibong seen along the edge of highway towards Bako Fishing Village.

In the above example, the Nibong's round stem is used as house post and floor joist.

My kind of place to relax and enjoy the view of a fishing village, its people and activities and immersing in the goodness of nature e.g. sea breeze, wildlife, mangrove trees, river, mountains in the distance and the wide blue sky.

Clams Cooked in Curry

2009-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a fishing village at the estuary of the Sarawak River . The Kampung Bako fishing village (see inset) is accessible by a half an hour road journey from Kuching City. At the village small fish market I found fresh and alive bamboo clams ( Solen corenus) and decided to buy a kilo of them at RM 18/kilo. The bamboo clams are tubular mollusks that find home on the mudflats nearby the village. I love to eat them when prepared in curry-style.

The reed-like shells are thin and soft.

Ingredients for Cooking Bamboo Clams in Curry
1/2 kilo of bamboo clams
2 table spoon of fish curry powder
2 red chillies
1 spring curry leaves
1 lemon grass
3 garlic
2 slices ginger
1 large onion

Cooking Instructions:
( Note: I'm a hopeless cook but a marvellous eater)

Fry onion till fragrant
Throw in chilies,lemon grass, garlic, ginger and curry leaves into wok
Next in goes the fish curry powder
Finally throw in the clams, salt and sugar to taste
Stir fry for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

( Well, cooking is so damn easy, why don't you learn to cook? So says my wife every time I congratulate her for being the best cook in the world!)

Cook bamboo clams in a hurry, cooked clams in the curry.

Powder Me White

2009-10-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

When in Bintulu I have met many glowing specimens of red make-up beauties, today in Kuching I stumbled upon the powdery white kind. It is the Cajeput Tree ( Melaleuca leucadendra) sometimes also called Melaleuca cajuputi. I saw one tall specimen in the middle of the park across the Kuching Waterfront area, nearby the"Astana" ( the Governor's Residence) and the new Sarawak State Assembly Building or the new DUN Building in short. DUN being the abbreviation for 'Dewan Undangan Negeri' or State Legislative Assembly. Many things attracted me to this tree. Firstly, it's outstanding height of above 40 feet with weeping branches and an open wide crown suggests a tree of character.

Further down the path, I saw a grouping of the trees situated close to the riverbank to indicate its preference for water-logged areas. This tree is native to Sarawak and Malaysia and is found in many coastal swamp forests. When I came close to one of the trees, I found out that the flowers are very attractive. They have white creamy flowers that appear like tiny bottle brushes with spreading hairs. The bark is spongy and papery and make it a habit to peel off its white sheets when its time to do so. What convenience for a lady of style! The leaves are a light green and a medicated oil known as the Cajeput Oil is distilled from the leaves for external application of headaches. Weep no more Papery Beauty. You are a class of your own.

CU of the creamy white flowers.

Self-peeling and white papery bark makes changing make-up effortless.

A group of the Weeping Paperbark trees by the banks of Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront area. Note the tiny white flowers on weeping branches.

At the mouth of Likau River

2009-09-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

For many years I have not chased tiny crabs seeking refuge in their dugout homes. Or cross the South China Sea from the mouth of Kemena River at Bintulu town to the mouth of the Likau River riding 3 meters high waves on speedboats using twin-powered 200 horsepower outboard engines. The sea breeze at Likau River on 23th September,2009 gently washed my face of the wonderful memories I spent at the mouth of the river in the eighties when I frequent the place very regularly to check progress on the development of the park facilities. In those days there was no road access to the park and in developing the facilities the only means of transportation for materials, equipments and manpower to the site was by sea using barges pulled by tugboats and small sea -worthy crafts like speedboats and long boats. Twenty years fast forward, I could see much changes at the park from the initial works we did earlier on.

The Mouth of the Likau River

To enter the Likau River, you need to be able to negotiate well this river mouth with rocky outcrops. There are many instances when boats hit the shallow rocky bottom and thereby capsized or sunk. This river mouth is also the main entry and exit point of salt water crocodiles that habitually make the Likau River their favourite home.

I saw one tiny crab and chased it to its hideout. The beach at the mouth of the Likau River is combed with thousands of these crab hideouts.

The sign is a constant reminder to give due respect to those ancient and living creatures. Who dares swim!!!

Above, an older signage and below is one recently installed using Sarawak's hardest timber material called the "Belian" wood.

The Suspension Bridge

A suspension bridge links the Park's Administrative-cum- Visitors complex to the entrance of the Similajau National Park at the right of the picture. Below the bridge flows the Likau River - looking calm but infested with man-eating crocodiles.

Above are examples of day shelters to protect visitors against rain and sun.

The canteen constructed in the eighties is still in good condition and running.

A Tree of Power- the Tongkat Ali

2009-09-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Sungai Likau which sits at the entrance of the Similajau National Park in Bintulu, I was pleased to see the efforts of the Park's authorities in replanting the "Tongkat Ali" tree ( Eurycoma longifolia) around the Administrative -cum -Visitors complex area. The tree is native to Malaysia. In the inset (left) is a picture of the tallest "Tongkat Ali " tree I saw at the complex area. In the Malay language, " Tongkat " means ' a walking stick' and "Ali" is a common male gender name among the Malays. The tree has a singular long root that when pulled resembles a long stick.

I was introduced to the tree way back in 1986 when I was involved in the landscaping of the Bintulu Golf Course where they grew naturally in large quantities on the original site of the golf course at Tanjong Batu. The "Tongkat Ali" tree is endemic to Bintulu especially along Tanjong Batu Beach to the Similajau River, a coastal belt of about 20 miles long. In the 1980's it was a kept secret among practitioners and hobbyists of traditional medicine about the aphrodisiac properties of the Tongkat Ali tree. The easiest way to enjoy its potent force is to drink the water from the boiled roots, after slicing them into small pieces. The boiled water taste very bitter. However it is generally believed that the bitter the taste the stronger its power. I used to drink it to prepare and build my stamina for cross country races, jungle trekking adventures, strenuous 18-hole golf games etc., where enduring stamina is needed. For example , take a 500 ml bottle of boiled pure Tongkat Ali while doing the 1st nine hole and don't be surprised when you see yourself like running to finish the 18th hole and then spiritedly to continue with the next nine!!!. Later on, I took to drink it on daily basis for many years, probably for about a duration of 20 years to help me maintain my general body welfare. I dare say that it has worked wonders for me. Thus if people are not familiar about the tree and scared to drink its roots, well don't worry it will not do you any harm. Rather the Tongkat Ali is good for one's overall health and instant prowess because it has the potent power of a steroid and an aphrodisiac.

Ripe fruits turned red and very ripe ones blackened.

A Tongkat Ali shrub in flowers.

Tongkat Ali trees planted in rows behind the Park's Administrative-cum-Visitors complex. The roots are boiled and drank to get its potent power.

Satok Sunday Market

2009-09-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Fresh Roselle fruits ( Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Smoked Anchovies

Orchids, Orchids, Orchids.

Credits: N93i

Date taken: 28-9-09

Location: Satok Sunday Market, Kuching City.

Kuching Regional Bus Terminal

2009-09-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Regional Bus terminal at Mile 4, Kuching- Serian Road

I am Big and Accommodating - join me on a relaxing journey, so the sign says.

Yesterday I visited the regional bus terminal to send my son back to Bintulu after spending the Hari Raya in Kuching. The terminal located at Mile 4 , Kuching -Serian Road, is the regional bus central for all buses operating from as far as Indonesia ( Pontianak), Brunei and Sabah ( Kota Kinabalu). Now there are buses that carry passengers on an express service from Pontianak to Kota Kinabalu, thus passing three national boundaries. These express buses make it appoint to alight and embark passengers at the terminal. For my son's Kuching - Bintulu trip the ongoing fare is RM 60 ( Ringgit Malaysia) for most buses.

Kuching Waterfront at Dusk

2009-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Credits:N93i

Date taken: 25 Sept'09

We cut the 19,200 km ribbon

2009-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today(24 Sept.) we left Bintulu around 9.00 am to head for Kuching. Fospa had prepared us some excellent food( barbecued sting ray) last night to make us happy. On this 16th trip back Kuching, we were accompanied by our fosis and her friend from Kuala Lumpur who joined us for the Hari Raya celebrations in Bintulu. As usual I used to cry and scream for the first 20 minutes of the journey, then with constant and fond words of comfort from fospa I began to get hold on to my nerves. Mama was in her queenly best. She has taken the habit of taking long naps throughout the journey and I slowly begin to learn adopt her most sensible behaviour.
On this trip we made our first pit stop at Sibu which is a 3 hours drive from Bintulu. Below are some interesting pics of Sibu. From Sibu to Sri Aman, fosis took over the steering wheel to give fospa much needed rest. The second pit stop was at the junction of Sri Aman where fospa ordered a glass of thick black iced coffee drink. From Sri Aman fospa drove the car right till Kuching. We arrived Kuching around 7.30 pm safe and sound.

Fosis at the steering wheel.

Mama having long naps and me getting to like the habit, too. Remember me Inul?

Up ahead is our van which fospa decided to transfer to Kuching . The van was driven by our fosbrada accompanied by fosma. The dark green forest alongside the highway are oil palm plantations that are a common sight around Bintulu and Betong.

Sights of Sibu

Where you can see poultry sold in style.

Lanterns over the streets to welcome the moon cake festival.

Note: Cumulative Distance Travelled = 19,200 km

achieved on this 16th trip back Kuching(24-9-09)

For more stories about our attempt to create a Malaysian record for the most travelled cats in Malaysia, please check it out here at Hav Paws Will Travell

Coconut Grove at Tanjung Batu Beach

2009-09-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Changing Make-Up and Aerobic Roots

2009-09-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

While in Bintulu I took the opportunity today to visit the Sungai Likau, a favourite spot of mine to watch the ecology of a mangrove swamp forest. The Sungai Likau is a small river that delineates the entrance to the Similajau National Park at Bintulu. I was impressed to see the Trail Map details carved into the 'belian' planks. The belian is the hardest wood in Sarawak.

For today's photo taking using my N93i camera phone, I concentrated on the trees, roots and water elements. I'll have more pictures of the mangrove forest in later posts.

My kind of tree. It is called " Selunsor Merah" ( Tristania beccari) and has a peculiar habit of discarding its dark brown bark and thereby exposes a new beautiful layer of red make-up. I would just like to call this tree- the Make-Up Tree !

The aerial roots of this mangrove tree species hangs above the water mark for just a moment before the high tide catches up.

This red-coded trail provides a very educational trekking through undisturbed jungle teeming with wildlife and world of tropical coastal peat swamp forestry.

Notice the planks, posts and handrails of this boardwalk squeezing its way through the mangrove swamp. It's all constructed from Sarawak's hardest timber species, the "Belian" ( Eusideroxylon zwageri ) . Belian timber will not rot in water and lasts one's lifetime( 60 - 100 years).

Ferns at Eco-Farm

2009-09-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Midin ( Stenochlaena palustris )

Bird's Nest Fern ( Asplenium nidus)

Ferns at Eco-Farm

2009-09-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

Resam ( Dicranopteris linearis)

Nodding Clubmoss ( Lycopodium cernuum)

Hari Raya Aidil Fitri in Bintulu

2009-09-20T02:53:00.000-07:00

Today marks a special day for Muslim people in Bintulu ( and elsewhere around the world) when they congregate at the Masjid Assaykirrin to celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. I was part of the crowd that gathered here early to perform the special Aidil Fitri prayers followed by a sermon. Prayer time started at around 8.00 am Malaysian time. What was special today was the large number on non-Bintulu residents comprising of foreign workers from Indonesia and Bangladesh to partake in the congregation. There are easily about 20,000 or more foreign Indonesian and Bangladesh workers in Bintulu who are employed as contract workers in the oil palm plantations, plywood factories, construction sites and domestic households and service outlets like restaurants, petrol kiosks etc.,In Malaysia the government allocates two days of public holidays in celebration of the Aidil Fitri festivity.

Fun at the Farm

2009-09-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a very,very busy week. The last post has been a week ago. Fospa has been kept busy with a never ending "To Do List". While fospa finishes outstanding works in preparation for the Hari Raya celebration, I was busy too. I explored the environment around the chalet ( see inset). Fospa said, " Inul, we're gonna hav some fun painting this new extension which will serve as our eco-farm's office." The new extension work provides for 3 additional rooms which become my temporary playground before they receive a concrete floor. I noticed the writings on the wall. Fospa has scribbled his initials "MY" just for the fun of it.

There was flooding again to the stream that meanders around the south-west side of our chalet. The heavenly water has filled up all our 7 large 200 litres storage tanks and would be able to carry us through over the Hari Raya holidays. There is no piped water at our farm. We survive here using rain water for washing, bathing, cleaning, while the water from the stream is occasionally pumped to water the plants at the farm's nursery. Fospa often takes his bath at the 'abah' or garden verandah/patio with the forest as background. He says," Inul, in Kuching we can't enjoy this luxury. Here we have the whole forest for our bathroom!"

At the 'abah', we get our due share of water distilled from the heavens.

The stream overflows quickly after a heavy 30 minutes of tropical torrential rain.

Finally, I saw this moth at our chalet's door. I like the dripping white tail wings and the fine antennae of this dark brown moth. Moths are common visitors to our farm. For more stories from me, please fly in our special blog : Hav Paws Will Travell.

A Fruitful Morning Walk (11/9)

2009-09-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

With a "parang" ( machete) in my right hand and wearing a comfortable safety shoe, I went for a morning walk at my eco-farm. I met a few outstanding performers and one new achiever. The latest achiever is a species of the "tipus" ( see inset ). Outstanding performers are the " Jering " tree and the " Cempedak" tree, both delivering this year's tons of seasonal pleasure and thrilling moments. For international visitors to my blog here's today Malay word mystique - "Buah" means Fruit.

Buah Jering or the Jering Fruit

Buah Cempedak or the Cempedak Fruit

...........Sawit or the Oil Palm Fruit ( Fill in the Blank)

Of course, it's much better to learn Malay if you say the word 'Buah' and consume it at the same time!! Have a fruitful day.

The "Jering" Fruit - Pithecolobium lobatum

2009-09-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

#First Facts of Bintulu - Council Negeri

2009-09-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that a new stainless metal plate has been securely fastened to replace an older one that was vandalised about a year ago. Does it take that long for the Council Negeri or Dewan Undangan Negeri to act?

Anyway here's part of the notes written on the shiny stainless steel sign.

" Council Negeri is the oldest legislative and the biggest fully elected Assembly in Malaysia. On this site, the Assembly was established and its first inaugural meeting was held on 8th September,1867. The Second Rajah of the Brooke Government, Sr Charles Brooke and five British officers and 16 Malay and Melanau community leaders in the state attended the meeting".

Being a Bintulu dude, I feel proud of the Malays and Melanaus here for being part of a unique history in the founding and development of modern democratic practice in Sarawak and now Malaysia. I have regularly written on the colourful early history of Bintulu and the fort where the first Council Negeri was held. Please follow the following links:

a) http://mybintuluhistory.blogspot.com/2007/07/my_affinity_with_council_negeri_in_3.html

b) http://mybintuluhistory.blogspot.com/2007/07/my_affinity_with_council_negeri_3_21.html

http://mybintuluhistory.blogspot.com/2007/07/my_affinity_with_council_negeri_3_23.html

http://mybintuluhistory.com/2007_06_01_archive.html

http://myussop.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-dun-building.html

A monument in the form of a clock tower is erected on the site of the first Council Negeri Meeting. The monument is called " Tugu Council Negeri " in Malay to mean 'The Council Negeri Monument'

The Angels Come Trumpeting

2009-09-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

In my last post about this plant as in here I couldn't not find the name for it. Now I found that the plant is called Euclinia longiflora. This plant is also commonly called the "Angel's Trumpet" but other species of plants are also given the same vernacular name viz Brugmansia, Datura and Randia. That completes my one year search. Today the Angel's Trumpets came flowering. From my record thus far, it has twice flowered since I kept it about nine years up till now. Enjoy the garden music while it lasts.

Euclinia longiflora ( Angel's Trumpet")

Mata Kuching ( Euphoria malaiense)

2009-09-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Sweet tasting Cat's Eyes ( Euphoria malaiense)

2009-09-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I dropped by at my father's house. I noticed the " Cat's Eyes" fruit tree ( Euphoria malaiense ) he planted was bearing ripe fruits on low branches. I couldn't resist the temptation. I gathered about two kilos of the ripe fruits to be consumed later in the evening for breaking of fast. I have a definite weakness for a similar kind of fruit that is the 'longans' ( when as a boy I used to buy them as preserved fruits in cans largely imported from China. I guess it must have been about twenty years ago that these " Cat's Eyes" trees were becoming favourites for small to medium-sized town gardens for the sweet and juicy fruits they produce. It is from this tree variety that Kuching ( capital of Sarawak) got its name because ' mata Kuching' means ' cat's eyes' in the local Malay dialect, of which these trees were prevalent around the place where Kuching was named. Judging from today's performance I would be too very happy to plant them in my garden or farm.

I can consume all of the above at breaking of fast time. Hmmm....temptation, temptation, temptation.

Bintulu in "Poui"-ring Petals - a video

2009-09-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

I took this video on 7-9-09 to give a better dynamic feel to the splendour of the "Poui" trees that are in full flowering during the months of July to September in Bintulu. In the video two trees are significantly captured viz the "Poui" trees planted at the road's central median and road shoulders and the majestic and tall Royal Palms ( Roystonea regia) .

The Poui Tree - some notes

The Poui tree ( Tabebuia) is sometimes referred to as the Trumpet tree on account of its large trumpet to bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink or white. The pink flowered variety is called Tabebuia rosea and the white flowered variety as Tabebuia alba. Poui trees originated from South America. They are fast growing and can be easily planted as large rooted pollarded stumps where it is necessary to trim or prune extra branches during transplantation. They can reach a maximum height of 50 feet and being a medium -sized tree should be planted on medium- sized to large- sized roads with a planting distance of about 30 feet. The crown is spreading with showy flowers that are clustered at the tips of the branches. The are briefly deciduous during and after flowering but return almost evergreen after that. In Bintulu they flower profusely this year due to the very distinct dry spell for the two months of June and July which induces or stimulates the flowering. The spent flowers form a colourful carpet of pink or white petals that gives much temporary beauty to behold.

Ramadan Bazaar at Miri

2009-09-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

I drove north , a distance of 200 kilometers to Miri on a day trip today. Left Bintulu around noon time and arrived Miri at 3.00 pm. While in Miri I dropped by at the Ramadan Bazaar ( see inset). There were a wide choice of foods, drinks and goodies on sale. I shall let the pictures below do the talking. After breaking fast, we left Miri at 8.00 pm and arrived home safely in Bintulu at 11.00 pm. Have a rewarding week ahead. And Happy Fasting for Muslim friends.

A mini- pick up loaded with sugar canes for juicing.

Cakes were plenty. I opted for pudding cheese cakes.

Not to be missed. Grilled hot dog, fish ball, chicken wings, etc..

The crowd like every where in Sarawak's Ramadan Bazaar is a potpourri of races.

Bintulu in "Poui"-ring Petals

2009-09-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

The grandeur of Poui Trees ( Tabebuia) in flowers of pink and white at Bintulu this September.

P.S. For more pictures of Sarawak plants, please follow this link : All The Plants

Even more stories of Bintulu, please drop by here: my Bintulu Clicks

Ramadan Bazaar at Bintulu

2009-09-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Any casual visitor to Bintulu will notice the prevalence of men and women walking the streets, entering banks or shopping at supermarkets wearing coveralls in various colours. From labourers to engineers coveralls are standard outfit for this industrial town. The Ramadan Bazaar at Bintulu is no exception. Bintulu is the showcase of Sarawak's industrial might. At Kidurong heavy industries zone ( see inset) covering an area of about 1000 acres are located the key projects of its industrialisation programme. To mention just a few - liquefied natural gas plants, middle distillate synthesis plant, fertiliser plants, crude oil terminal depot, oil palm refineries,industrial glue plants, medium density fibre board plant, etc. The workforce to its industrial growth are subjected to wear coveralls while working inside the plants for many safety reasons.

Yellow coveralls means a step towards industrial progress.

Bintulu's famed fresh fishes are popular Ramadan offerings.

The Ramadan Bazaar at Medan Raya has ample and organised car parking spaces, wide choice of prepared foods, drinks, cakes etc.

Mama Daisy Relaxes in Bintulu

2009-09-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Mama Daisy could't wait to arrive Bintulu on this 16 th trip ( 30-8-09). She joined fospa at the driver's seat to help with reading the instrumentation. " Yep, we've just hit the 90 km an hour speed" Mama meowed. "The sooner we arrive Bintulu the better it is for everybody. Be cool gal" was the reassurance she gave me. Mama prefers Bintulu to Kuching. Life in Bintulu is more relaxing and natural. In Bintulu Mama has the whole farm to herself except an occassional visit or two a day by neighbouring cats which she found a daily occupational hazard to shoo them away. To protect me Mama will chase away any uninvited guests through mud, stream and forest. She was extremely mad with those cats who have characters like car repossesors thinking that the whole world owes them for their unruly, crude behaviours much sanctioned by the town's bankers.

Mama likes it at Downing Step. It's her best spot on a hot afternoon.

She loves grooming herself.

Mama on Top of the Roof

Mama coming closer to admire the pink flowers of the Poui Tree. Cats wanna hav fun too.

P.S. Today's story is focussed on Mama. To know me ( Remember Inul?) please step along here:- Hav Paws Will Travel

Poui Tree ( Tabebuia )

2009-09-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

September Pink and White Glory

2009-09-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last year at about this time around the "Poui" trees were flowering through out Bintulu. I had written about them here. However, this year the Poui trees are in their flowering best. This could be due to the very prolonged distinct spell since the month of June to middle of July inducing this year's marvellous flowering. Not many people in Bintulu know how these trees were introduced here. In 1985, the first batch of these Poui tree seeds were sent to me by George Alphonso from Singapore in an envelope. It was from these seeds that the Poui trees in Bintulu derived their parentage. ( See George's letter below)

George Alphonso was appointed as Horticultural Consultant by the BDA in 1982 to advise the authority on the horticultural aspects of making Bintulu into a garden city. His services lasted for about 12 years. I was fortunate to work with him when I was in charge of landscaping of Bintulu in the 1980's till 1992. Finding it so very difficult to import live trees I asked George to send seeds of the Poui trees by mail. To know now how well these plants have thrived in Bintulu over the years is indeed a great pleasure and satisfaction. But lest we forget it was George who sent them by mail to Bintulu. George ( as I admirably call him) passed away in 2005. An obituary from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, UK is shown below. ( Reference: Orchid Research Newsletter No.47, January 2006)

Obituaries

Arthur George Alphonso (1921-2005)

George Alphonso trained as a gardener at the Singapore Botanic Gardens during the Directorship of Professor Eric Holttum. After the war, in which he continued to work in the garden, he came to Kew in 1954 on the two-year, international trainee course. During his two years at Kew he developed a love of the gardens and made many lasting friends.

On his return to Singapore, he resumed work at the Gardens as Senior Curator and, not long after the retirement of Professor Humphrey Burkhill as Director in 1969, was appointed Acting Director, a post that he held until 1976. He developed the orchid hybridization programme in the gardens and also introduced many novelties. Following his retirement he continued to take an interest in the Gardens but developed a new career as a garden designer, travelling as far afield as Australia and the Philippines, there to advise President and Mrs Marcos. He continued to work with orchids and was a regular lecturer at World Orchid Conferences and other events until the 1990s. He settled eventually in Perth, Australia, where his daughters are resident, but made frequent forays back to Singapore where he remained active in the Orchid Society of South-East Asia for many years. The hybrid orchid genus Alphonsara is named in his honour.

George passed away on 27 July 2005 in Perth. He leaves behind four daughters and their families, his wife Margaret having predeceased him.

Phillip Cribb

More Pictures of the Poui Trees in Bintulu ----24 years later!

The Poui tree has been called Tecoma Pentaphylla previously. Now it is known as Tabebuia alba ( white flowers) and Tabebuia rosea ( pink flowers)
I saw these stands of Tabebuia rosea in full flowering today at the Medan Jaya open space area.