First off, a very short ode:
Thankyou thankyou thankyou to Sunday night-Litefm for making a long distance driving experience bearable. I know I’ve said it before, but it isn’t an exaggeration to say that that radio channel may have just saved my life.
Because when you’re handling an MPV at night, on a long and winding road where the lights are poor from Perak to KL, it’s your first day of stomach cramps, and you’ve got passengers in the back who refuse to fall asleep and decide to start bickering on your driving shift and keep on reminding you to slow down, then you know you need something strong to keep your wits about you.
And that’s exactly what the magic of Litefm on Sunday nights is.
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So. I’ve been away for the past few days. Baruk jak balit dari Sarawak. Best kali jak. Best gilak2! Apo nok paling best kamek nak padah ctok is: drebar nya bait gilak. Serious, sangat-sangat frenly.
Should I ever find myself surprisingly married, I think it would have to be to a Sarawakian. Or at least, someone who can speak it very well. The whole time I was there, just listening to the lingo made me smile - it’s so attractive to listen to. Imagine that kind of marriage; half the time would be spent trying to figure out what he’s saying, which means things would never get boring, and if we’re arguing, all I’d have to do is listen to him speak and that’d be the end of the fight. Sounds like a good deal, don’t you think?
The trip itself was awesome, Alhamdulillah. The siblings and I made it clear to our parents from the beginning that we didn’t mind going minimal, and it was all about the outdoors from the get-go. The fanciest thing we’d bear would be putting up at a hotel and getting around in a vehicle. Other than that, the four of us were pretty much game for anything.
We left on Tuesday and came back last night. I’m really too wiped to detail out the whole thing right now, so I’ll handpick a few things I remember off the top of my head, and I’ll share the rest in person later (if you want me to).
Sarawak is actually the last Malaysian state for the sibs and I to conquer. We’re quite the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia poster family. My parents went there last year without us, and the last time we went to East Malaysia was to Sabah in ‘03, a few weeks after my SPM. Since AirAsia decided to forgo all fuel surcharges, we decided Sarawak’s the most rational choice to get away from it all. Besides, what better place can there be for a bit of adventure?
The first thing I can say about Kuching is exactly what I said above: drebar nya bait gilak. It’s like they don’t have honks in their cars over there. Everyone drives at this leisurely pace, they give way to others, they’re patient and they never honk. I’m not kidding - it was astounding to see actual politeness on a Malaysian road. KL drivers need to learn a lesson in courtesy from Kuching drivers. Honks are probably an accessory over there, whereas it’s a necessity over here.
On Kuching itself - I love the city. I love its cleanliness, the clear signs, the food (we got to go to Rom Orchid Garden, yo), the people, the place. And have I mentioned the lingo? Abah tried to speak it and it came out sounding all Indonesian, which was so wrong. The streets are nice enough to wander around on foot, although it’s strongly advised to stay indoors once it gets late. Like a lot of cities, Kuching can get dangerous at night.
Most of my time in Sarawak were spent in these shoes:
- Kasut berjasa, November 2008
Being the intelligent being that I am, I left my proper sports sneakers at home and relied everything on my Pony shoes instead. I thought I was done for, but surprisingly it had a lot more grit than I gave it credit for. It kept me from slipping as I went caving in Bau, and saved me from tripping as I went jungle trekking in Semengoh. It helped me get around the Sarawakian Cultural Village, and in its last gasping favour, supported my worn out feet on my last day as I went traipsing about in Kuching city. I’ve had them for years now, but I think this holiday was it’s real shining moment. I think I’ll always wear these shoes with more fondness than any other footwear I have. Yes, even more fondness than my Asadi slippers.
On caving in Bau - it isn’t quite spelunking, but it being my first time in a cave, it was a definite high. We picked up a hitchhiker on the way to Gua Angin (Jim from the Land of Obama, Michigan) and in the end spent half the day with him, exploring caves. My dad’s constantly picking up hitchhikers; last time it was 2 Swedish travellers in Cameron Highlands. I suppose talking to strangers runs in the family.
I loved the caving experience to bits, no joke. In Gua Angin, you need torchlights because you’re engulfed in complete darkness, and in Gua Pari-Pari, you need proper shoes because climbing up gets quite steep and slippery. Abah played the master scout and guide, and a few hours later, I emerged with hands covered in bat droppings, clothes soaked in sweat and spring water, jeans laced with dirt, shoes caked in mud, and I felt like the happiest girl in the world. Seeing bats up-close was exhilarating.
Jungle trekking was exhausting. It was only 2km, but the trail was no easy feat. Unfortunately for us, we went around noon time because that was the only time we had. We couldn’t stick around til 3pm, which is when the animals would come out to scour for food. The rangers showed us tracks left by jungle boars, but the best sighting we got was a few orang utans. I had about 5 leeches having the feast of their lives all over my feet, which was a bit gross, but I hear they suck out the bad blood in your body, so I suppose it’s not too bad.
As for the Sarawak Cultural Village, it isn’t really all that adventurous since it’s a place catered specifically for tourists to learn more about the natives and their traditions, focusing on the Bidayuh, Iban, Melanau, Orang Ulu, Penan and the Sarawakian Malays and Chinese. I’d call it an experience in culture. My ultimate favourite is probably the Melanau dance performed at funerals called the Alu-Alu. The silat movements at the beginning gave me chills - that was how beautiful it was.
The final days were spent doing what we really should have done in the first place - relaxing. On our last night, we went to the city’s heart, where the river flows. For 20 sen, you can take a very short boat ride across to the other side where they have food stalls of different sorts.
As for yesterday before our flight last night, the sibs and I went around the city with Lutfi’s friends from Kuching for some shopping, museum-touring, lunch and a game of bowling. They’re unbelievably nice. One of them, S , he’s been the one helping us get around Kuching and leading us to the right eating spots. He went jungle trekking with us, he brought us to Semengoh, to Rom Orchid, to Saddat, to Damai, and before we left he actually apologised if the places he led us to wasn’t up to par. That’s how nice he is.
As for shopping, as usual I’m absolutely hopeless at it. I chose a few things for the sake of getting a keepsake, but my sister went all out. We both discovered she’s got quite the gift of bargaining. She tried it out at a few shops, and it worked flawlessly. I just stood at the counter gaping at her in awe. It must be that cute look she puts on, the one that comes out when she’s in trouble. She’s got retractable horns, my sister. There was this one man who didn’t smile at all when we were looking around in his shop. She went up to him holding up a shirt, asks him the price, he answers, she gives him the cheeky look and asks for a lower price, and get this: he stares at her for the longest time before bursting out laughing and agreeing. I don’t know how she does it! The next time I need to buy new clothes, I’m taking her along. She’s my new weapon.
Well then, so much for keeping this short. When have I ever, anyway?
It really was amazing though. The next time I go (Insya Allah), I’m aiming for Gua Mulu and Gua Niah in Miri, and maybe some kayaking too. Memang tak sempat nak buat semua, but you can’t always have everything at one go. Photos will be up soon, if I can spare some time to upload them.
Now I really am wiped out.
Selamat Hari Raya AidilAdha to fellow brothers and sisters, wherever you are, wherever you may be.
Enough said here.
