Visitation to Bintangor, Sarawak

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I follow my friends to visit a small town called Meradong (Sarikei Division, Bintagor District). From Kuching to Bintagor by car is around 4 hour with an average 120km/h car drive.


We reach my friend hometown at around 4:30pm, drop by his brother's house (Inherit by his pass away parent). He told us some stories during his childhood time.


This Myna Bird it can make many Human Voice, it even knows how to say "你好吗" (how are you) in Chinese....cool!






My friend's brother raise chicken, bunnies, and Ginnie pigs. The bunny is so cute, I pat the rabbit body, the fur is soft. Just like a doll.


Every place has a symbolic signature, at Kuching - Cat, Sibu - Swan, Sarikei - Pineapple, Serian - Durian, Limbang - Buffalo, Miri - Seahorse, and here at Bintagor is Grapefruit.
*update: Bingator Symbolic is called Bintangor Orange (this info is given by a blog reader of mine)






Meradong Town view, the population are most native people, then most of the Chinese are doing business here.


Most of the Chinese are fuchow dialect people. And where there's fuchow friends I know that there's delicious kanpua noodles. The Kampua noodles made by fochow people are the best.





The water transport service to Sibu and Kapit. To Sarikei is just a half an hour car drive.




Most of the Chinese people here operates small grocery store, and coffee shop. There are only one hotel here which is the Ming Kiong Hotel (own by Dato Ting Pek King) and the Sarawak Tunku Abdul Rahman College will build here in the future as well.
Since no entertainment here, I can guaranty the students will all have good results.








The dry market, I haven't see a small ducking and chick for so long. It's so cute!


We went in a small grocery store to buy water, and I saw a very old Television by National. The owner told me that when Malaysia start broadcast television, he bough it at that time. It was around thousand plus.
So this television ages 20 years plus, and is still working (Made in Japan). I have a old radio (red color) and was made in Japan as well, my father bouth the radio since I was around 5 years old, now I'm 28. The radio still functioning well until today, Japan product is good.

The Sky is on Fire

On my way back to Kuching Town after dinner from Tapah village. It was around 6:45PM, I drive along Kuching-Serian road. I drive on the left lane of the highway, I must stop for a photos, cause the sky is on fire. Here goes...


Sunset at Beratok village (21th Mile Kuchng Serian Road)


This is my first batch of HDR photo, the sky is on fire

I'm going to the Cruises again...

Yesterday I'm going to the River Cruises agian...


The hazy sky, can't bring out the true color of Kuching waterfront.


Just have to bear with the haze, hope they stop burning the forest.


The new Sarawak State Assembly. How much does this cost?


Traveling and photography is the coolest thing to do in the weekends.


Don't really like boat, but I'm on an assignment.


Will take photos for a group of people later.


Rope which equals the size of my friend's arm.

The Race to Durian Mountain @ Kampung Pandak

My friends called me up, say will drive me to a special place for photography, and eat some durian. I wait them at the selected place, and after half an hour they’re still not here. I was getting sleepy, and start to fall asleep, and suddenly my phone rang. Yep, it was them. I hop into my friend’s car together with my D90.

We wait for another group of friends on our way to Santubong, my friend told me that we will be going to Kampung Pandak. Is the place where most of the durian sellers get their durian from. It is a durian manufacture factory :S I don’t really crave for durian. But if there are a lot of friends eating together, the taste will be nicer.



*sign* I’m a bit disappointed cause I tough I can go to the sea, to take some photos. But in the end I guess we all have to squad beside the road eating durians. While sitting inside the car, I close my eyes to rest for a while. The car bounces a lot, which I can’t rest properly. I saw my friend make a left turn, follow by a left turn again, the road become narrow and narrower. “What is this place?” I asked. “We’re here.” My friend said.



After I realize, we’re surrounded by trees, and not the ordinary rainforest trees, but a whole mountain of durian trees. I surprise to see that there are so many trees around here. My friends are all durian lover, and I can’t imagine how long they’re going to stay here.

My friend drive slowly trying to look for a place describe by all the backseat passenger. “Is here, no is there, opss no I think is here…” direction keep on changing. That time I check my mobile for signal just in case if I’m really lost at least I can call U right :P.





Finally we’re there, we drive up a small hill. The owner from one of the land was outside his house, he was picking leafs which cover around the durian fruits. He look quite friendly, but always with a cigarette in his mouth.



It seems like my friends and the owner know each others. We told the owner that we wanted to climb the durian mount to see if there’s any leftover durian :D he reply with half of his mouth open (because of the cigerate), “You guys did wear long sleeve? Should wear, many mosquito.”, and “pretty girl like you should wear a pairs of boots, the rocks are sharp up there”.





The chubby old man then lend us two pairs of boots, one straw hat, one basket to put in the durian. So the race is on, the owner said we can keep what we found on the hill. OMG! This ah pek is nice. Without second tough, off we go to the durian mount. Along the way, at first some of the girls complain why no durians, but after we found one, then comes the second, and third, and more.





Going up the hill is not an easy job, there’s a lot of rocks along the way. And have to pay extra attention when going up the hill, with just one slip it may not kill you, but it will definitely hurt badly. They just can’t wait much longer, so we all stop to rest, and EAT :D







They are unbelievable, we didn’t bring knife to open durian, guess what they use?? Their car key :S
And some of them use hand only, I have tested some and the taste is nice. So we all ate one, then second one, then third, and lost count.





The view on top of the hill is magnificent, we don’t found much on the hill top. So we start to going back to the small house. When we reach the house, we continue eat again. This time is on the chubby old uncle, he just keep on open the durians and told us to eat. Some of my friends volunteer to work for him when the next durian session comes. They enjoy the fun of looking for durians :D





Good time pass by fast, we all went back with a stomach full of durians, and also with lots of durian to bring back home. We bid farewell to the owner, and will see him next durian session.





Besides busy eating durians, I’ve shoot a lot of photos as well will post it up in my next post.

The evening @ Friendship Park Kuching

I stumble on a blog from China, she's a art student have to learn drawing from morning at 8am till finish class at 6pm. Her lecturer bring them to many place to draw, China has many stunning scenes.

I went to friendship park to learn photography yesterday evening, not really satisfy with the outcome. Need more practice, I need a macro lens :P


I'm playing around with the aperture mode, hm~~still not sure on how to make some part blur.




a dad is playing soccer with his son :) while I'm shooting the pink flowers.


hm~~the aperture settings really made me headache, I've seem a wedding photos before. The photographer perfectly blur the background scene, and sharping the brides and her family in the front. Wonder how he do it?


When the sun shines on this flowers, its like a coat of gold layer cover on top of it.


Yesterday the evening scene is not good, the sky is dark and hazy :(
Can't take good sunset scene.


The top photographer, Wilson Chin

Kuching Gambier Street, 古晉甘蜜街

I went to shoot some photos of the demolished Gambier Street. I did some reading from the net, the government (Kuching City North Datuk Bandar Abang Mohamad Atei Medaan) wanted to demolish this place cause they said that the place are decades old structures and is not safe to operated business and they put “safety first”, they concern about the safety of the people who operate business there.
Read News Here

They are going to make this place an esplanade which would stretch from Kuching Hilton to Ban Hock Wharf as well as across the river to ensure both riverbanks would be developed beautifully and making them a popular recreational spot for city dwellers and visitors.

When the government wanted to do something there’s always voice from the public, a signature campaign to save the heritage buildings of Gambier St. was form to group the power from the public and let the current ruling elites be aware of what they are doing was wrong.
Read News Here, and here.

Records in some publications show the market existed as early as the 1860s although permanent structures as the ones we see today were built in the early1900s. Personally I also hope that the authorities can keep this place, the historical value is priceless. I felt regret that there are many time when I have the changes to took photos of the internal or Gambier St. but I didn’t.



And now it had been completely tear down, what we can see is just some solid foundation (some said is a secret tunnel) which lies under Gambier St market for centuries. I must say that I’m really impressed by the architect work done by the Borneo British. All the building materials must be shipped from UK to Borneo, few hundred years ago where they only have steamship.



Imagine the man-power require to move all the materials. The White Rajah of Sarawak, James Brook, also build railway, trains, dockyard, buildings, they import cars from UK, plane. He builds an empire here!

I was thinking has the ruling elites from other done the same thing to their historical heritage? Or is it just here at Malaysia? Hm~~~



Well, few years from now we can expect a brand new Kuching Waterfront for sure. Hope that time, it can boost up the tourism industry at Kuching. Bye Bye Gambier Street.

Serian the Town of Durians

Went to Serian with mom, she wanna go to the Serian Market Square (aunties shopping heaven).


OMG~I just notice beside the roundabout when reaching Serian, there is also another Big Durian statue at the market square here.


This is what mom bought.


I'm not a big fan of durian, but I do crave for it sometimes. For thous who like durian, Bon Appetit my dear readers :P