In quaint town Daro, folk proud of their Ikan Terubok

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Well-established SK Semop serving pupils of Kampung Semop.

Well-established SK Semop serving pupils of Kampung Semop.

A freshly painted ‘swiftlet hotel’.

A freshly painted ‘swiftlet hotel’.

Pineapples are sold for RM1 each along the coastal road leading to Daro.

Pineapples are sold for RM1 each along the coastal road leading to Daro.

Students of SMK Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Hajjah Normah, Daro, on their way home.

Students of SMK Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Hajjah Normah, Daro, on their way home.

The ferry point at Batang Paloh.

The ferry point at Batang Paloh.

Terubok fish is the icon of Daro.

Terubok fish is the icon of Daro.

Concrete shophouses in Daro bazaar.

Concrete shophouses in Daro bazaar.

BAT-V-LOGO2THE MORNING was grey and it started to rain as we headed out to Daro town from Sibu by taking the Tanjung Manis route after a simple breakfast.

The 70km journey over a few major bridges and two ferry crossings at Batang Paloh and Muara Lassa took about three hours.

Lack of proper road signage to major destinations such as Tanjung Manis and bone-shaking roads along certain parts of the journey slowed us down by at least 30 minutes.

As we disembarked from the Muara Lassa ferry point, the team took a brief tour around Kampung Semop, where construction of the Rural Growth Centre has started.

Along the route, many stilt village houses and a handful of modern concrete houses could be seen scattered on both sides. Some enterprising locals took the opportunity to make extra income by selling home-grown pineapples and wild vegetables under wooden shades by the roadside.

Daro is a small town by the river of Daro.

It is under Mukah Division and has a small population of about 5,000 spread over nine villages.

Melanau-Muslims make up the majority of the population, while the small Chinese community, mainly business traders, is concentrated in the town area. It also has a sizeable number of Ibans.

Many of the Chinese traders migrated to Daro from other parts of Sarawak, believing they could make a better living there.

This old town that boasts more than 100 years of history can still be seen through the two rows of wooden shophouses overlooking the river. They are a historical landmark of sorts of this town.

Terubok fish is the symbol of Daro, high in demand throughout the state, and fetches a fortune.

Locals claim the fish here has a unique taste when compared to those from other parts of the state, probably due to the murky brownish water of Daro River.

A huge flock of swiftlets swarm in circles and were chirping away as if playing catch in the sky from dusk until dawn while the locals went about their daily chores.

The Ramadan bazaar was bustling at late noon as traders prepared food and drinks for sale in a row of canvas tents. Someone threw in dangdut music, and that helped create a festive ambience.

During our walk around Daro’s small bazaar, we encountered a man from Bintangor, who did not want to be named. He opened a small kopitiam here 26 years ago.

“I arrived here in 1989. The worst time was in 1998 when the economy took a downturn. Development in Daro is average,” he told the BAT V when met here yesterday.

“But doing business here is good as the people, especially the natives, are not stingy nor calculative,” he said.

Daro definitely has a mysterious charm to attract businessman from not only surrounding towns like Sibu and Bintangor, but also from overseas.

Inayai-ur-Rahman

Inayai-ur-Rahman

We spotted an interesting shop selling carpets, fabrics and various Islamic accessories. It was operated by a Pakistani family.

Inayai-ur-Rahman, 21, who was manning the shop, said his family of nine was currently staying in Daro.

“Ages ago, my grandfather came to this land in pursuit of a better life since our family could barely survive in Pakistan then,” the charming Inayai explained to us in a mixture of broken English and Malay.

“He brought along my father then and both of them have obtained their citizenship. Unfortunately, I was born in Pakistan. Hence, my parents had to go back and forth to Pakistan often.”

Inayai said he enjoyed life here and has already gotten used to the food, which was not too different from Pakistani cuisines.

“It has been five years since I first reached Daro. I hope I can obtain my residency as soon as possible,” said Inayai, who married a local.

The friendly Melanau-Muslims, the fantastic green scenery along the quiet Daro River, and the famous Terubok fish are definitely drawing visitors to this quaint small town.