Wild produce displayed at the market.
A feeder road leading to a longhouse by the riverbank.
A cute kid spotted amidst the crowd in Teresang market.
Stalls selling exotic meat and other wild produce next to the front gate of SJK (C) Hock Lam.
The old Kapit Hospital which is still in use.
Ikan Semah is a common sight in Teresang Market.
The hilly Kapit-Song road.
People crowding at the walkway in front of the market located next to the Tua Peh Kong temple.
Kapit is only accessible by river yet there are so many cars in town.
BAT 5 were forced to cut short their trip yesterday after learning that express boats cannot anchor at the shallow river upstream of Belaga, which was supposed to be their next destination, as there was little or no rain the past week.
Filled with disappointment, we headed to sample Kapit’s best Kampua Mee (a Foochow delicacy popular in the central region of Sarawak) to brighten up our day.
The whole town centre of Kapit came alive in the morning. We watched the hustle and bustle of this small town as we strolled down the streets to the wharf, past Teresang Market.
For an isolated district only accessible by river and with a population of only 18,000, the roads in this town, which were recently tar-sealed were crowded with people and overflowing with cars.
But in spite of the vibrant environment, there are drawbacks. This tiny town will be left stranded after the last express boat departs for Sibu at 3.15pm.
During our conversation with former councillor Ma Tian Ho, he emphasised that linking this remote town to the outside world by road remained on the top wish list of the people of Kapit.
“It will be a dream-come-true for the people if the government keeps its promise to complete the Kapit-Song-Kanowit road,” he said.
The lack of land connectivity to major towns, he added, brought a great deal of inconvenience to the people especially during life-threatening situations.
“The seriously sick and injured who require urgent and immediate medical attention can only pray and let fate decide their life or death,” he bemoaned.
In addition, Ma pointed out that no surgeon or doctor qualified to perform surgery were permanently stationed in Kapit Hospital.
Insufficient healthcare services added to the dilemma and hardship of the people who were already living in isolation in this small town, he continued.
“There was this one case when a child with appendicitis needed immediate medical attention but unfortunately the operation could not be done at the hospital as there was no surgeon,” he elaborated.
“So, the child’s mother had to bring him all the way to Sibu by boat that took at least three hours to seek treatment,” he said, urging us to imagine the pain and stress the family had to go through.
“Young people flee this town for the bright lights of bigger cities to lead a better life with abundant opportunities. It is almost becoming an old folk’s town,” he shared.
The road connectivity, he stressed, was extremely crucial to expand the prospects of this town and in turn encourage young people especially to stay back and continue building and developing the town which their forefathers built.
Ma then highlighted the Kapit Express Boat Passenger Terminal which lacked proper safety measures for passengers, especially little children, elderly and pregnant women, embarking and disembarking the boats.
“The staircase leading up the wharf is in bad condition and without proper railing. It is dangerous for the people of Kapit who frequently use this terminal to get in and out of town for many reasons,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sia Shui Pau, special Chinese Affairs officer to Kapit MP who is also the Deputy Regional and Rural Development Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi, took us to see the ongoing Kapit-Song-Kanowit road construction yesterday.
Heavy machinery and tractors could be spotted along the route with workers working to level the gravel, cementing drains, installing bridge rails, welding and casting iron under the scorching sun.
Sia revealed 11 km out of the 45km Kapit-Song road had been completed.
“The whole road project that is divided into phases is scheduled to be completed in 2017,” he added.
“The construction is time and energy consuming due to the hard land and dense forest with rocky hills spanning across the district. The contractor had to use explosives at certain parts to blast the rocky hills in order to create the route,” he elaborated.
Sia praised the current contractor undertaking the 10km construction for doing a job well as for being accommodating in helping to clear and open up land plots for the future use of natives living in longhouses near the riverbanks.
“The longhouse people requested Datuk (Nanta) for help and the matter was conveyed to the contractor,” he said, adding the natives would have to relocate when the roads were completed.
“Not only did the contractors clear the land but they also opened up feeder roads leading to longhouses by the riverbanks,” he added.
Since we had an extra day in Kapit, we visited the Teresang Market again. The market was packed with people and filled with noise in the morning.
This place could be one of the most interesting markets in Sarawak. It offers an amazing and huge range of exotic meat from pythons, civets, wild boars, bullfrogs and many more that city folks will never see in their lifetime.