Taman Negara (2nd to 4th February)

Taman Negara was a place to enjoy the Mother Nature and I always wanted to go. This opportunity was given by NKS upon the celebration of my company Anniversary last year.  My brother joined me the trip.

Friday, 2^nd February 2012

We waited at Mandarin Oriental lobby to get our bus arrangement. I was amazed that the staff knew my arrival. This was a warm welcome greet from them. A lot of people (mostly youngsters) were taking up the trip because of the public holidays.

We reached NKS office at 12pm and we have to register ourselves at the counter before taking our lunch. I was given boat tickets, meal vouchers, accommodation voucher and tour guide voucher. The staff also explained the direction to our accommodation in the map.

Around 1.30pm, NKS arranged a bus to send us to Jetty Tembeling. We have to receive our permit before entering the jungle. We rode in the wooden boat called Sampan for three hours. It was quite tiresome and my muscle was stiff. I managed to spot water buffaloes bathing in the water.

When we reached Taman Negara, I thought our accommodation was just nearby. By referring to the map, the location was quite a distance from Kuala Tahan Office. We have to walk and bring our luggage along.

Abok Guesthouse was our stay. The place was new and only has 6 rooms. The room consisted of one queen bed, small drawer and a bathroom. No TV and cupboard were given. There was only one plug.

My brother took his bath while I unpack my luggage. When it was my turn, no water came out from the shower. I thought the water pressure was not working well but actually the water pipe was leaked. Haiz..

I just changed my clothes and walked to floating restaurant for our dinner. An introductory video about Taman Negara was shown on the TV. Wild animals, flora and fauna were preserved in the jungle. Also, origin of human (orang asli) was still staying in the jungle.

A Malay guy introduced himself, Mr Rusli as our tour guide. Night Jungle Walk was our first activity. My group consisted of 4 elderly, one family (parents and two young kids) and 4 Korean guys.

We passed by Mutiara Taman Negara. It’s a kampong style accommodation which was preferable by Western. Now, I understand why my company sells a lot of rooms to them.

 A pair of Tampir welcomed our presence. They were the striking star of the night. Mr Rusli told us that park ranger would bring the wild animals for tourist attractions. These Tampirs were enjoying their watermelon after the photo shooting.

Before entering the jungle, Mr Rusli brief us some information. One of the rules was we have to be quiet all the time. We should not touch or shake the trees (snake might dropped on your head if you do so).

Our first encounter species was Scorpion. Mr Rusli used a branch to lure the scorpion out from the tree hole. Next, he showed us sticking insert. It was difficult to spot it as it was camouflage. We were asked to group together and didn’t realize that a green snake just right above us. Wow.. That was scary! The snake didn’t make any movement so we don’t have to worry.

We also found poisonous caterpillar, long centipede and frogs. Mr Rusli mentioned that these animals and bugs were wild so this has to depend on our luck to encounter one.

Saturday, 3^rd February

On the Second day, we departed from our place at 8.30am. According to the schedule, we were supposed to leave at 9am. Mr Rusli advised us to start our activities earlier to avoid the crowds. Our group was the second to arrive the Canopy walk. The bridge is 45m high and 510 meters long. It was one of the longest in world. Originally the hanging bridge was built for bird watcher. Mr Rusli encouraged us to catch a bird’s picture by rewarding us a Tiger Beer. Haha.. He also mentioned that a bird sang, “One Tiger Beer, Two Tiger Beer, No More Tiger Beer!” Yes, we heard it. Hahaha.. :) 

After enjoying the Canopy walk, we went hiking to Temasek Hill. During the hiking, our tour guide taught us some basic skill survival in jungle. Firstly, we have to get water. Liana tree was the type of storing the water. Secondly, we must know how to set fire using the Cane (Rotan tree). Thirdly, we must find a Raisin fruit to light it up as a candle and it could be used to avoid wild animals from getting near to you. He also requested us to try the leave (tongkat ali) and it tasted bitter.

When we were leaving the place, we saw the long queue. I would praise Mr Rusli for making early arrangement. Next, we visited Orang Asli village.

This Orang Asli is called Batik. They look like African. They have black skin with curly hair. We were fed some backgrounds about them. These orang asli wouldn’t stay a place for more than 3 months. They always move like nomads. Building a house in one day was an important task for a girl in order to get married. As for the boy, he must be trained to be a hunter for the family. They would seek approval from their village’s leader for their marriage. Also, they married at young age.

We learned setting up the fire using the cane and the some kind of light bamboo. It wasn’t an easy task as it required strength and speed to rub the cane against the bamboo. Mostly guys (including my brother) did it successfully. After that, our guide showed us how to blow the pipe for hunting. 

We returned to our hotel to take a rest before our next activity. Once again, we gathered together for Rapid shooting at 3pm. This activity was fun and exciting. We were wet because the water splashed on our body. The boat stopped at the river side for us to play the swing like a Tarzan. Haha… We enjoyed ourselves at the river bank. This was the last activity with my group and the tour guide.

At night, my brother and I joined Night Safari (additional trip) with 10 people. We sat on the four wheeled drive. A girl was holding her torchlight all the time to spot wild animals. The full moon was shining bright at the path. Our first encounter animal was Slow Loris. It walked very slowly on the tree branch. Squirrels, birds and snakes were seen in the oil palm plantation. We were lucky enough to see a young Cheetah running about.

Sunday, 4^th February 2012

My brother and I started packing our clothes and things in the bag. We checked out the Guesthouse at 8am. Around 9am, we left the place. Our group members also departed on same that day except the family. Our Korean friends also bid us farewell.

Reaching back to NKS Office, Mr Melvin, boss of NKS introduced himself when he saw me. We just chat a few minutes as I was rushing to catch up the bus back to KL. I enjoyed the overall trip. ^^

Miri Trip (14-Jan to 17-Jan 2012)

A very good start with first trip, Miri of welcoming new year 2012.

I bought the flight tickets for my family last year due to the cheap flights offered by AirAsia. Our initial plan is to visit my relative in Brunei but now plan changed to stay in Miri.

Miri was not a new place to us as we had been there eight years ago. I still could recall my very first flight to Miri. My brother and I played t.tennis competition there but didn't travel much.

First day (14th Jan)

I didn't sleep through the night after coming home from watching our best badminton player, Dato' Lee Chong Wei's game in Stadium Bukit Jalil (Malaysia Open).

We took a bus from KL Sentral and reached LCCT at 7.15am. We took our breakfast at McDonald before boarding.

The flight took two hours to reach Miri Airport. From there, we took a taxi to Park Hotel. We are lucky that they allowed us to check-in earlier. The facilities are acceptable except no hair dryer and remote control for TV.

After unpacking our luggage, we went to do some exploration in town. I did some "homework" about Miri.. hehe..

Park Hotel is a strategic location where we could travel easily as bus station and Visitors Information Centre are just nearby the hotel. I was disappointed that the Visitor Information Centre is closed. According to a book and Miri Brochures, the Centre should be operating on Weekends. It seems that such information was not updated.

Our first visiting is Tamu Kedayan and Tamu Muhibbah. Tamu means market and it's an old Malay term. Those sellers are mostly orang Ulu such as Melanau, Iban, Kedayan, Bidayu, etc. They were selling variety of fruits and vegetables.

Fruits

You could find some special fruits which is different from KL such as Salak Madu, Buah Asam Mbang and wild Durian. We were fortunate to taste their Durian at this season especially my dad who is a Durian-eater. The flesh is yellow colour and sweet. Vegetables such as Paku and Petai were sold almost every stalls. I found something which is interesting. Normally fruits and vegetables were measured by weighing scale. However, you couldn't find that in their market, instead they measured by plate. They called it "Tompok".

Mee Golok was our very first dish. The price is between RM2.30 to RM2.50. This is the cheapest dish in town. It was my brother's favourite food in Miri. Do you know how much it cost last time? Only RM1.70.

Tua Pek Kong Temple

Our next destination is Tua Pek Kong Temple, the oldest Chinese Temple in Miri. They will be celebrating their 100th Anniversary next year.

A taxi driver recommended famous Indonesian food to us-Lalapan Ikan and Lalapan Ayam at Surabaya shop. The price is between RM8 to RM10.

Food

View of Miri Town

Second Day (15th Jan)

We went to the beach, Taman Selera/Brighton Beach early in the morning. It was quiet and the sound of the wave so lively. The wind kept blowing at us all the time and it's really relaxing. However, we were not allowed to swim due to high current. My brother collected some small seashells. 

Brighton Beach

After spending sometime at the beach, we took a taxi to Canada Hill. The taxi driver was a friendly guy who explained to us the history of oil drilling in Miri. Grand Old Lady is our very first oil well in Malaysia. We also visited Petroleum Museum which explained further about the process of oil drilling.

Grand Old Lady

Petroleum Museum in Miri

In the afternoon, we had our lunch in a Chinese shop. My mum ordered Mee Pok. It was quite similar to Pan Mee style. My brother ate Mee Chap (It's a bowl with all the pork mixed). My dad took Traditional Mee Sua (contains some alcohol) whereas I tried their Mee Merah (Looks quite oily). The price of the food is quite cheap (around RM3.50-RM5.00). 

Food

Eating Time

Around 5pm, we took a walk to Waterfront Commercial Centre. It's quite a distance. The area consists of office lots. I found Kek Lapis (Layer Cake) at Bakery Shop. This is one of their Sarawak's specialty. Of course, I bought some back to KL. Hehe..

Fishing Village at Waterfront Commercial Centre

A hon sound was heard and we saw a ferry passing through in front of the Waterfront Commercial Centre to go to the sea. Only then, we realised there was a fishing village and seafood restaurant, Yu Ha Hai. The view is quite similar to Kuala Selangor. 

We tried Midin with Belacan in Muara Restaurant instead of seafood. 

Walking at night in Miri was totally different scenery from KL. Not so many cars on the street and most of the shops were closed at 6pm. I could say the night of Miri is like a deserted place. 

Third and Fourth Day (16-17th Jan)

I heard that Laksa Sarawak is also their famous dish so we ordered in a coffee shop. They don't put "Tau Foo Pok" but could taste some herbs in their curry soup. It wasn't spicy but I still prefer Laksa in Penang. All of us tried the laksa except my dad who ordered porridge with pork mixed.

My mum did some shopping in their market before going back to KL. She bought their Belacan, Nasi Bario (planted by Orang Ulu) and Petai.

The street of Miri was started decorating with Chinese New Year ambiance. Several stalls have been setup to sell all kinds of foods, clothes, etc. The place was crowded with people. 

A bid farewell to Miri once again. It has been my memorable journey. I like the people and the food. :)

I hope my readers would enjoy reading my blog and would like to wish you, Gong Xi Fatt Cai. May this Dragon year brings you and your family good health, happiness and prosperity. ^.^