THE Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT) had a rather emotional reunion with our much beloved BAT mobile after arriving in Sibu, having spent two nights and three days away in Kapit and Song.
BIG CATCH: Shopkeeper Ting Tiu Hong (left) holds up a 6kg ikan tapah, while Sia Pong Ee shows a highly sought-after 3kg ikan padi in Stapang, Sibu. Priced at RM30 per kg, the ikan tapah is worth RM180, while the ikan padi, which sells for RM70 per kg, is worth an impressive RM210.
BUSINESS AS USUAL: A barge carrying a shipment of coal travelling past the Mukah waterfront. In recent years, coal mining has become a major economic activity in Mukah district.
SURVIVING WELL: White egrets foraging for food among palm oil husks dumped by the side of the Selangau-Mukah road. Wild mushrooms also grow on these husks but it is not known if they are safe for human consumption.
DELICATE MANOEUVRING: Heavy commercial vehicles carrying coal and palm oil fruits and passenger vehicles cautiously negotiating their way around potholes along the the uncompleted road between Selangau and Matadeng.
EVER-READY: Fishermen cleaning and mending their nets on their boats berthed alongside the Mukah wet market after dropping off their catch for the day. Mukah is known for its abundant supply of fresh fish and prawns.
BUSINESS AS USUAL: A barge carrying a shipment of coal travelling past the Mukah waterfront. In recent years, coal mining has become a major economic activity in Mukah district.
It almost felt like coming home to sit in the Isuzu’s comfortable cab as we hit the wide open road once again to continue our road trip through the towns of Sarawak. However, it was also a bittersweet moment as we had to bid a temporary farewell to senior reporter Peter who had another assignment elsewhere. If all goes well, he will be rejoining the team later in the expedition.
Our first assignment back in Sibu was to write about the Rev. James M. Hoover Memorial Garden, dedicated to Reverend James Matthew Hoover, first missionary of the Methodist Episcopal who served in Sarawak from 1903 to 1935 and is highly revered for his contributions towards the settlement and development of Sibu’s Foochow community.
Unfortunately, this task was not as straightforward as it first seemed.
We had a rough idea the memorial was located in Sg. Merah but none of the locals we spoke with there seemed to know exactly where it was.
After an hour of fruitless searching, we were forced to retreat back to our hotel to file our stories for the day.
Early the next morning, we renewed our search by making a few phone calls (to no avail) and then, finally asking the hotel staff.
They had to make a couple of calls as well before we finally got hold of someone who could give us directions to get there, thanks to the assistance of the hotel sales manager.
Hoover Memorial Garden
Even though now we knew where to look, it still took us a few tries before we finally found the place.
We did not see any sign along the main road indicating the entry to the trunk road which leads to another junction which leads to the garden. At this junction, there is only the small sign with the name of the memorial and which is partly obscured by tall grass and weeds.
The Hoover Memorial Garden is well worth a visit. A security guard stationed there told us that many locals do not know where it is as people (other than tourists) rarely seek it out.
The memorial overlooks Sg. Merah and has a wall which stretches the length of the memorial and is inscribed with historical dates and significant events pertaining to the life and work of Rev. Hoover. A feature we particularly liked was the 1,118 white stars on the wall meant to represent the 1,118 Foochow pioneers who made Sibu their home.
Stapang
We intended to stop at Mukah for the night, so we continued our journey on the pan-Borneo road. This road is used by thousands of heavy commercial vehicles daily as it connects most of the major towns across Sarawak. It didn’t take too long before we were stuck in a slow moving queue behind two oil tankers, a bus and a lorry who were also heading in the same direction.
Our first stop was Stapang, about forty minutes’ drive from Sibu where locals introduced us to spicy Foochow noodles cooked with a generous dose of black pepper. This flavourful fiery concoction went down a treat and received high scores from the BAT team.
Selangau
Selangau lies strategically near the junction leading off the main pan-Borneo road leading northward to Mukah, about an hour’s drive from Sibu.
It is a popular stop for travellers, largely thanks to eating venues which open 24-hours located next to the main road.
During the day, passengers and drivers of busses, oil tankers, and lorries which ply the roads often stop here to eat, use the washrooms, as well as buy snacks and necessities for the road ahead.
Spending a few hours at one of these eating venues gives one the opportunity to observe the rhythms of life of the working class which travel these roads as well of the farmers and smallholders who live in this area.
At night and in the early hours of the morning, drivers of commercial heavy vehicles bearing logs and other valuable cargo stop here to rest as well as to refuel on caffeine before setting off into the darkness towards their destination.
Even before sunlight breaks over the horizon, businessmen or farmers driving vans and pick-up trucks filled with workers or day labourers are arriving in large numbers to have breakfast as well as to exchange news with other locals who also frequent the venue. The smell of banana fritters, fried noodles, and fried eggs fill the air, mixed with exhaust fumes from the various vehicles parked in front of the eating venues.
Most people who live in cities wouldn’t be awake at this hour, but to people who live in rural towns and communities all over Sarawak, it’s business as usual.
