Love for our beaches

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Nancy and her family sit on their home-made mat and enjoy their home cooked meals.

Nancy and her family sit on their home-made mat and enjoy their home cooked meals.

THE first thing a retiree friend wanted to see as an Ulu boy coming to study in Miri was the sea.

Masan (not his real name) had read books like the Peter and Jane series, featuring their holidays at the seaside. The books impressed him so much that he was full of anticipation when he came down by boat from Ulu Baram.

“It was an awesome sight — the blue sea and of course the sand,” he recalled.

Miri has many beaches as it lies on the northern coast of Sarawak. Beaches stretch for miles — every now and then broken by the many tributaries which form pretty shallow estuaries like Sungei Kekawang, Sungei Lusut Putus and Sungei Lusut, to name some.

These estuaries provide safe havens for fishermen and their boats while small villages are found just slightly inland such as Kampung Bakam, Kampung Lusut, Kampung Luak and Kampung Wireless.

The most famous beach in Miri is Brighton Beach where Taman Selera, the Marriot and some new condominiums are located. Brighton Beach used to be the frontage of government quarters and the Mental and TB hospitals. In time to come, maybe even the name Brighton Beach will be forgotten, and perhaps also Taman Selera’s. We don’t know what new names they will have.

Brighton Beach has long been a favourite among Mirians, expats and tourists who enjoy the beachfront food stalls, lovely casuarina shades and the awesome Tanjong Lobang cliffs. During weekends, the beach can be packed with picnicking families who bring along mats and home-cooked food.

Some bigger groups would occupy the holiday huts, provided by the government, and cook their barbecue lunch or dinner while those not early enough to grab their barbecue pits, would set up their own mobile stoves at some discreet corner.

Children enjoy their beach time with some even pitching their own tents. A wade or a short swim in the sea with the locals before dinner is just the right activity for the children and the parents wishing to spend quality time together.

A Kenyah family, from Long Liam, one of the lesser known Kenyah villages in the Baram, was having a family reunion on the beach after their siblings returned home from working offshore.

The mother, Uring, told thesundaypost the happy occasion was “family time together because some of us had escaped the Kinabalu earthquake”.

She recalled: “We were there as a family just one day before the tragedy in Ranau. Actually, we were visiting with a friend for a few days but decided to return a day earlier as we wanted to drive slowly — not rushing. The next day, we saw the news and were so overwhelmed by God’s mercy for our family. We started praying for those trapped in the mountains.”

Uring’s son-in-law who works in Kota Kinabalu, said the sea and the huge Baram River were symbols of God’s blessings.

“This bbq by the beach is a ‘makan selamat’ for our family. Almost everyone is here. After the earthquake, we truly value each other even more. We praise God for the reunion here today. Three generations.”

Never a dull moment

Another family from Lutong sat under the casuarina trees some distance away. They took out their food containers and shared their meal with me. The mother started cooking before sunrise and packed the whole family into a small car as early as possible for a good day of R and R (recreation and rest) at Taman Selera.

“Now it’s hard to have a good place like this … under the trees. We came here very early to spread our mat on the ground. Very relaxing. The two small children can run around,” exclaimed Nancy whose Iban family hailed from the Second Division. She got married in Miri

“All my children and my sisters’ children have grown up in Miri and they all like the beach. We try to come here as often as we can.”

The old food stalls at the oldest open air seafood and food court in Miri, once under the management of the Miri City Council, have moved to the new private Food Bazaar in Taman Selera. This has a delightful new feel but the old proprietors are still the same — friendly, humble and hardworking. They continue to serve old and new customers with warm hearts and also throw in some quick chats.

A Javanese satay stall or Satay Pak Cik Jawa at the Food Bazaar is now operated by third generation family members.

Instead of calling it pork satay, another stall offers its products as Pork Meat Skewers — rather like Korean meat skewers. There are so many other interesting dishes. An enterprising Lun Bawang woman has started a Dayak Fast Food Stall too — for a quick lunch or dinner with scrumptious choices.

This is a great outing place for families, dating couples and groups.

Veronica Wong, a retired dental matron and long-time resident originally from Sarikei, watches the sunset on the beach wherever she can, bringing along her faithful iPad to capture the transcendent solar phenomenon played out at sundown since the beginning of time.

“Every sunset is different and my iPad is full of beautiful sunsets which I have collected over the years. Each one is breathtakingly brilliant,” she said.

Journalist Kay Jiram, home for a short holiday, loves spending long hours on the beach — from about four in the afternoon to catch up on some jogging and view the resplendent sunset before heading for some satay at the Food Bazaar.

He enjoys the small chats and the proprietors still remember him from his student days.

A bank officer, out for a lunch break, said he enjoyed coming over to the bazaar — just a short distance from Centrepoint. The simple lunch and open-air atmosphere help him to destress. He likes the fish head noodles and Dayak food there.

New look for Brighton Beach-Taman Selera – condos, tour buses and Food Bazaar.

New look for Brighton Beach-Taman Selera – condos, tour buses and Food Bazaar.

Windsurfing, homestays and diving

In fact, some young people have already started to windsurf around this beach and further up at Luak Bay beach. On most Saturdays, young men will come alone or with friends to try their luck with the wind.

“Some days for hours, there is no wind,” said Gabriel, a keen wind-surfer who has returned to live in Miri after residing in New Zealand for a good 15 years.

“This is a sport which will definitely take off in Miri,” he added.

More and more homestays are springing up along the beaches to cater for families and backpackers while some five-star hotels are also having facelifts in a concerted effort to make Miri a truly resort city.

“More parks along the beach should be introduced. The Luak Esplanade is really bursting at the seams. The recent Blue Tears phenomenon attracted people from all walks of life to the Esplanade, the Tusan Beach, and the Lutong Beach. Cars were parked bumper to bumper. The hawkers had been doing brisk business in the last month,” Gabriel said.

Though new, diving has quite a good following. Alex Sii of Hoopa is enthusiastic about his diving business and encourages people to learn to dive. His tagline is “Come dive with me.”

Many marine photographers have also showcased their spectacular water-world prints with some even having written books on marine photography, inspired by their experiences at various Miri diving spots.

One young diver noted that Miri has some of the best diving spots in East Malaysia and may have more potential than Sipidan. Diving activities usually start from Miri beaches with company boats.

Indeed, Miri beaches offer great possibilities. The sea is waiting, the tides are coming in, the waves lapping on the shore and the coconut fronds waving a fond welcome in the gentle sea breeze.

Lookout tower for the Civil Defence Dept to safeguard the beach at Luak Bay.

Lookout tower for the Civil Defence Dept to safeguard the beach at Luak Bay.