We are now in Sibu

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SIBU: One of the best things about our assignment is its unpredictability: we never know what experiences we are going to encounter for that day or where the next day’s journey will take us.

After we left Saratok, our next scheduled pitstop was Sarikei after stopping at Meludam and Jakar along the way.

However, we ended up retracing our steps to Betong to spend the night when we learnt that the Chief Minister was scheduled to officiate the opening of a mosque at Beladin.

Our senior reporter Peter had an inkling that the Chief Minister would use the occasion to announce something about the election.

After a less than a pleasant night’s stay at a rather dodgy and smelly budget hotel, our team was up at the crack of dawn. We had a quick breakfast before rushing down to the Batang Saribas ferry point.

Beladin

The ferry point was buzzing with excitement when we arrived. A small crowd of locals dressed in their finest batik and traditional baju Melayu were already waiting to cross the river to Beladin.

Beladin is a small community adjacent to Meludam. However, unlike Meludam, the community here has experienced significantly more development in terms of infrastructure, public amenities and job opportunities, mainly thanks to government funding.

The presence of large oil plantations co-managed and owned by Tabung Haji together with private companies has also helped to accelerate development in the area. Agriculture and fishing are the primary economic activities here.

The atmosphere at the Al-Amin mosque was positively electric, as hundreds of people waited anxiously for the Chief Minister’s arrival.

Mosque and community leaders literally rolled out the red carpet to welcome the Chief Minister and his entourage of VIPs and there were hundreds of people lined on both sides of the path leading to the mosque, waiting under the hot morning sun.

After the mosque was declared officially open, our team headed to Sarikei where we spent the night in a less dodgy but still rather smelly budget hotel.

Jakar

The next morning, we headed to Jakar, just fifteen minutes drive from Sarikei. It is a small town consisting of a few rows of shophouses and is home to the popular Peking Restaurant, famous for its giant freshwater prawn noodles which draw hungry visitors from as far away as Sri Aman.

A peculiarity about Jakar is that there are 14 coffeeshops in a single row consecutively, according to shopkeeper Chieng Ai Kiew who has lived here for 36 years.

She owns and runs a corner shop selling food stuff and household necessities in the most recently completed shoprow. The shop also houses the only mini post office in Jakar.

Chieng was born in Sg Baji but moved to this quiet town on the outskirts of Sarikei after marrying her husband Wong Kai Wii who co-owns and runs the shop with her.

According to Chieng, the name ‘Jakar’ comes from the Iban word jaga, which means ‘to protect’ and was the name given to the town during the Japanese Occupation.

Jakar is a popular stop for visitors because of its close proximity to the main road and its understated charm. Most locals here are of Iban and Chinese Foochow ethnicity and the communities frequently intermarry.

Bintangor

The town lies on the banks of the Rajang River. River traffic and trade are important sources of commercial activity, as are the numerous swiftlet complexes and acres of fruit orchards, vegetable farms, rubber farms, and pepper vine fields surrounding the town.

Most of the residents here are Chinese, forming 55 per cent of the local populace while Ibans account for the remaining 45 per cent.

We were fortunate enough to be able to meet with Meradong assemblywoman Ting Sze Hui who squeezed our last-minute request for an interview into her busy schedule. We met over a round of drinks at a coffeeshop opposite the mini-stadium.

Pakan

Our last stop for the day was the district of Pakan, located in a mountainous area about 50km from Sarikei.

Being a Saturday afternoon, activity at the town was already dying down for the weekend. Even the animals were having an afternoon siesta. All the dogs we saw here appeared well fed and taken care of.

As an administrative hub, Pakan is quite well equipped in terms of facilities. Various government offices to serve the communities are located here, including a national registration office.

Agriculture forms the backbone of Pakan’s economy, led by rubber and pepper farming. Locals stop by here to buy supplies such as food and roofing.

After Pakan, we headed over to Sibu, our pitstop for the night.

We checked into Premier Hotel located right in the town’s centre.

Staying here seems like luxury compared to most of the places we stayed in previously.

But such is our life on the road: rarely predictable and full of unexpected surprises from one end of the spectrum one day to the other end the next day.