By the Kemena River

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/