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Get to know the symbols of towns in Sarawak

Published on February 22, 2019

Culture

Most towns in this world have at least one thing that they are known for, be it an agricultural product or a wildlife species that also calls their respective regions home.

This symbol usually can be found as a landmark or statue in the centre of the town. The same thing happens here in the Land of Hornbills.

If you get the chance to travel to each and every town of Sarawak, pay extra attention to the roundabout or the main entry road leading into the town. These are the common sites to find the town’s symbol.

Here at KajoMag, we want you to get to know all the symbols of the towns in Sarawak:

Kuching

There are plenty of stories about how Kuching got its name. The most popular one is that it came from the word ‘Kucing’ or ‘cat’ in Malay.

However, this theory is usually rejected as ‘cat’ in Sarawak Malay dialect is ‘pusak’ not ‘kucing’.

Nonetheless, this animal has become the symbol of Sarawak’s capital city. You can find plenty of cat statues around the city. There is even a museum dedicated to felines.

Kuching Cat Museum 14 — Some cat plates that could have been from Harry Potter’s Professor Umbridge private collection at the Kuching Cat Museum.

Lundu

Situated in the western part of Sarawak, Lundu serves as the gateway to Gunung Gading National Park and Tanjung Datu National Park.

There are two symbols of this town; Normah orchid and Rafflesia flower.

Normah orchid (Phalaenopsis belina) is Sarawak’s very own state flower while Rafflesia tuan-mudae is endemic to Gunung Gading, Lundu.

Bau

The town of Bau was historically known for its gold mining industry. Hence, it was only natural that the symbol of the town would be its miners.

There is a landmark in Bau depicting three miners with sculptures of Normah orchid and pitcher plants on top.

Serian

Serian town is home to – allegedly – the most delicious and best quality of durian in Sarawak.

There is a giant monument of king of fruits in the middle of Serian market place.

Sarikei

This town is known as the food basket of Sarawak. However, the symbol of this town is not a food basket but a pineapple.

At the Sarikei waterfront, visitors can find a 3.6 high pineapple statue.

The history of pineapple planting in Sarikei goes back to the 1970s. At that time, the locals started to plant pineapples n the Sungai Sawang, Parit Tengah, Parit Bugis, Sungai Salah, Sungai Sageng and Bukit Kinyau areas.

Sri Aman

Although the town is now called Sri Aman, the older generations in Sarawak still call this town Simanggang to this day.

After it was renamed as Sri Aman or town of peace in 1973, the symbol has been a pair of doves.

Betong

The symbol of this town is the rubber tree. This is because Saribas district was one of the first districts in Sarawak to plant rubber tree back in the early 20th century.

Sibu

Do you know that Sibu is also nicknamed the ‘Swan City’ of Sarawak?

Legend has it there was a famine in Sibu, which ended when a flock of swans flew through the skies of the town.

Bintulu

Bintulu is the energy town of Sarawak. While most visitors might expect the symbol of this town to be a liquefied natural gas plant, the symbol of this town is actually an egret.

There used to be a landmark of several egret statues in downtown Bintulu which, unfortunately, no longer exists.

Miri

Miri Municipal Council picked the seahorse as the town’s official symbol after it was proposed by then Sarawak chief minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud.

It was introduced as part of the “I love Miri Campaign” in 1994.

The seahorse is chosen reportedly because of its beautiful and distinctive figure with gentle and graceful motion just like the multiple ethnic and cultural identities of Miri which live in peace and harmony with good values of life.

Limbang

In the rural parts of Limbang, buffalo are not just used for sources of meat but also in paddy farming, exchanged as dowries and in their famous buffalo races.

With plenty of buffaloes around, it is no surprise Limbang picked it as its town symbol.

Lawas

According to Chang Pat Foh in Legends and History of Sarawak, the famous landmarks of Lawas are the sweet corn and apple.

Sweet corn is the most popular crop planted in Lawas while the apples planted in Ba’ Kelalan in the 80s was a success and has become famous since then.

Getting close to endangered animals at Matang Wildlife Centre

Published on February 20, 2019

Travel

If you want to take a closer look at some of the endangered wildlife in Sarawak, make a pit stop at Matang Wildlife Centre.

Matang Wildlife Centre 11 — Welcome to Matang Wildlife Centre!

Located about 40 minutes’ drive from Kuching, the centre houses threatened wildlife in large enclosed areas of rainforest or spacious cages.

Here you can see crocodiles, sun bears, bearcats (binturong), gibbons, porcupines, civets, tortoises and orangutan.

There are several kinds of birds as well such as oriental-pied hornbill, black hornbill, imperial pigeon, hill myna, wrinkled hornbill, bushy crested hornbill and Buffy fish owl.

Matang Wildlife Centre 2 — Take your time and enjoy your 40-minute walk through the Animal Enclosure Trail

Matang Wildlife Centre is not a zoo

The Animal Enclosure Trail is where it takes visitors past the animals enclosures for an opportunity to see the resident animals there.

The trail takes about 40 minutes to finish but visitors can always take their time to observe the behaviour of each species.

Matang Wildlife Centre 3 — The enclosure for crocodile and gharial.

Although the centre is not a zoo but rather, a dedicated centre where endangered species are rehabilitated, one cannot help but feel sad to see the animals out of their natural habitats.

Most of the animals have been confiscated from members of the public who kept them illegally as pets. At Matang Wildlife Centre, they must be rehabilitated and trained on how to fend for themselves before being released into the wild.

Matang Wildlife Centre 6 — Can you spot some of the animals in the photo?

How long do these animals need to be rehabilitated? The length of time can vary depending on the species.

Visitors can see that some of the different animal enclosures have been designed to closely resemble their natural habitats in the wild.

The enclosure for sun bears, for example, has a lot of trees. Plus, their food is placed high up in those trees to encourage the bears to use their climbing skills.

Some of the animals such as binturong and porcupine are nocturnal, so visitors might not be able to see them during the day.

Matang Wildlife Centre 8 — Somewhere in one of these burrows, there is a porcupine sleeping.

It was good to see some of the local visitors bringing along their young children to visit Matang Wildlife Centre.

Hopefully the future generations of Sarawakians will be more proactive in protecting the state’s endangered animals.

Part of Kubah National Park, you can also do a jungle trek at Matang Wildlife Centre. There is the Pitcher Trail (about two hours), Sungai Trail (about three to four hours), Sungai Senduk trail (about one hour) and Sungai Buluh trail (about two hours).

Unfortunately, all the the trails were closed temporarily during KajoMag’s visit.

Matang Wildlife Centre 7 — Sambar deers in enclosures.

Matang Wildlife Centre 9 — Oriental-pied hornbill.

Matang Wildlife Centre 10 — A gibbon sucking its thumb.

The Iban woman who does Malay keringkam embroidery

Published on February 8, 2019

Culture

Keringkam embroidery is a significant artistic heritage for the Sarawak Malay community.

The word ‘keringkam’ comes from the gold or silver thread called clinquant thread used to embroider motifs on shawls and headscarves.

With traditional Sarawak Malay attire, there are two types of scarves; the shorter ones called selayah and the longer types called selendang.

In the olden days, the women would wear these keringkam embroidered scarves for special occasions such as weddings.

Charles Brooke’s wife, Margaret, was known to have loved these fine traditional embroidery, as she had several in her keeping and had also taken portraits of herself wearing the selayah keringkam.

Depending on the size of the fabric and the detail of the motifs, a piece can take up to three months to complete.

Keringkam 2 — There are several types of flower motifs in traditional keringkam embroidery. The one pictured above is the ‘motif rose mekar’, or ‘blooming rose motif’.

Nowadays, only a handful of artisans know how to do keringkam embroidery. One of them is a 41-year-old Iban lady, Doris Hilda Reji, who fell in love with this Malay traditional craft.

She also happens to be the only non-Malay keringkam embroiderer in Sarawak.

Hailing from Lundu, she currently lives in Kampung Siol Kandis, and first began keringkam embroidery in 2003.

She was part of Skim Inkubator Kraf, an incubator scheme to start handicraft businesses under Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation. She still does custom orders today.

When KajoMag met her, she was working from home embroidering keringkam as per customers’ orders.

Doris showing her first keringkam embroidering work.

KajoMag: How did you first learn how to embroider keringkam?

Doris: I was a single mother trying to learn extra skills to make a living. Back then, I took some courses at Sarawak’s Women and Family Department (JWKS) and they started to offer a keringkam embroidery class.

I was among the youngest in the group so some of the officers suggested that I sign up for it. They said since I was still in my 20s, my eyesight was still good; perfect to do intricate work of keringkam embroidery. Before taking the class, I had never heard of keringkam before.

When I first saw a selendang with keringkam embroidery, I told myself I had to learn and finish one myself. It took me about three months and I still have my first ever keringkam embroidering work.

Since I started, I did keringkam embroidery on not just scarves but clothes and decorations to put in a frame.

There were some people looking for unique souvenirs, so I turned keringkam embroidery into small bookmarks to cater for their requests.

KajoMag: How does it feel being the only non-Malay in this artistry?

Doris: I have always liked anything that is handmade so I was not choosy on what to do; as long as the finished product is something made by hand. Since there was an opportunity for me to learn, I took it without thinking about it.

KajoMag: Do you have any plans on teaching your children how to embroider keringkam?

Doris: I taught my daughter how to embroider over the three months as we waited for her SPM results. She did that before she went off to further her studies. Even now, she occasionally sits next to me and helps embroider with me.

I don’t think she would take it seriously as a career, but at least she has some basic skills on how to do it. I always welcome those who are willing to learn from me at an affordable fee.

KajoMag: What is your hope for the future of keringkam embroidery in Sarawak?

Doris: As far as I’m concerned, pua kumbu is still widely known among the Iban community because we still use it to this day, so the younger generation knows about pua kumbu.

For keringkam, however, perhaps there are not many who are familiar with this art.

There is always room to promote more about keringkam among the younger generation. If they do not learn about it, then they would have no interest in wearing anything with keringkam embroidery on it.

Alta Moda Sarawak brings high fashion to Sarawak’s doorstep this March

Published on February 7, 2019

News & Features

KUCHING, Feb 7: Sarawak’s March calendar is set to start off with some glitz and glamour this year with the inaugural three-day fashion and lifestyle event, Alta Moda Sarawak (AMS).

Designers Sher Lo (top left), Asrul Asshadi (bottom left) and Diffison Tanjan (bottom, second right) are among the 24 designers and brands that will be taking part in Alta Moda Sarawak 2019.

To be held from March 7-9 at the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Building in Kuching, 24 designers and brands will be taking part in this event which aims to highlight the many colours of Sarawak’s cultures and diversities into the streamline of the fashion industry, applying the subject matter of lifestyle while emphasizing fashion as its core.

“We are honoured to have the opportunity to organize the inaugural fashion and lifestyle event of ALTA MODA SARAWAK 2019. This marks the first time an event of this kind will be held at the old DUN, an iconic landmark in Kuching.

“Our long term mission and vision are to hold the event on an annual basis as part of Sarawak Tourism calendar with Sarawak Tourism Board as the main supporter and partner,” stated AMS chairman Datin Esther Mujan Balan, who with Dato’ Raymond Valentine Jolly make up the AMS organizing committee.

‘Alta moda’ originates from the Italian language which means ‘high fashion’ where all the potential and leading couturiers, designers and labels will be looking forward to gathering under one roof similar to the likes of red carpet events featuring Hollywood A-listers.

In this spirit, AMS aims to serve as a brand platform for Sarawak designers to come together to showcase their talents and creations in the field of arts, culture and crafts as well as celebrate Sarawak’s diverse ethnic groups and cultures.

“We, therefore, see our role as one of the catalysts and key players in assisting in generating the traffic flow of tourists to Sarawak under the Sarawak Tourism umbrella. We are also excited to be holding this event in conjunction with Visit Sarawak Campaign with support and partnership from the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak and Sarawak Tourism Board,” she said.

Another objective of the event is to provide up and rising Sarawakian designers the opportunity to make their mark in their own country rather than having to go abroad to make a name for themselves. It also aims to give local fashion followers the chance to have “high fashion at their doorstep.”

This year, AMS is confident that with the experience and background of the team of strong and dynamic professionals under this platform, Sarawak designers will be able to establish themselves as the fashion brand to be reckoned with and to enable the expansion of the Sarawak designers industry.

“We are determined and focused for ALTA MODA SARAWAK to be a successful yearly event to promote Sarawak as a leading fashion hub in Southeast Asia and attract potential tourism and merchandise buyers domestically and internationally for our Sarawakian designers and artists.

“Along with the teamwork support from various collaborating partners, AMS aims to work together with promising young designers, established designers and the Sarawakian designers association to make this a reality.”

AMS is hopeful through the support towards ALTA MODA SARAWAK 2019, this will be the next great Sarawak event to be reckoned with whilst promoting the region’s large multi-ethnic and multi-cultures and to provide a unique experience and enjoyment for tourists to look forward to and to continue to boost the sustainable future of Sarawak’s tourism.

The 3-day event is expected to be attended by the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg; Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; and Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Ragad Kurdi Taib, wife of the Governor of Sarawak.

ALTA MODA SARAWAK 2019 Event Details:

DATE: 7th to 9th MARCH 2019

VENUE: OLD DEWAN UNDANGAN NEGERI (DUN) BUILDING, PETRA JAYA, KUCHING

DESIGNERS & BRANDS

Anannasa By Sher Lo
Anna Sue
Ben Nazry
Bianco Mimosa
Bon Zainal
Erwan Asbor Touch
Gavroche by Arzmy Hargreaves
Hafiz Carlson
Kaftans by India
Khalids
Latip’s Collections
Lentera Astana
LIM KOK WING Institute of Technology
Melor by Melinda Omar
Najla
N’Inspired
Papier Mâchè
Paul Carling
Qeisha Qiani, Dubai
SAB2 by Sabrina Bujang
Sereni and Shentel
Tom Abang Saufi
UNIMAS Fashion Designers
Von Jolly Couture, Paris

PARTNERS, COLLABORATORS & SPONSORS

Ministry of Tourism Sarawak and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB)
Sarawak Arts Council
Official Automobile : Mercedes Benz (Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd)
Official Hotel : The Waterfront Hotel
Official Travel Agent : Matahari Tours Sdn Bhd
Official Photographer : Kelvin Chan
Official Videographer : Tactickotor
Media Support : The Borneo Post, Sarawak Tribune, Utusan Sarawak, See Hua Daily, Berita Harian, Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), Information Department Sarawak, Era FM,
Lim Kok Wing Institute Of Creative University
University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
Bellasimo by Soul Vision
Borneo Medispa
Power Looks Global Image Consultant
Borneo Talk
KINO
KAJOMAG
Astro Radio Sdn Bhd
Tabcreative Company
Glacier

How a father’s rage led to the origin of oil in Miri

Published on February 7, 2019

Culture

British Charles Hose was the one responsible for the discovery of oil in Miri, Sarawak.

After his appointment as the Resident of Baram in 1890, Hose started mapping oil seeps in and around Miri.

He reportedly gave his findings to the Sarawak government but an oil exploration was an impossible mission back then due to its poor logistic conditions.

No one pursued the idea again until Hose retired and returned to England. There, he showed his map of oil seeps to Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah of Sarawak.

After a series of meetings, Sarawak signed the first Sarawak Oil Mining Lease in 1909, allowing the oil in Miri to be exploited.

However, according to legend there was another man who not only discovered oil, but was responsible for the origin of oil in this northern city of Sarawak.

How does the legend of the origin of oil in Miri go?

History writer Lee Fook Onn wrote in Miri Legends and Historical Stories about a family that lived in the middle course of Baram river many years ago. They came down to live there from Usun Apau highlands.

The family consisted of Balai and his wife, their son and their two daughters, Miri and Seria.

They were a happy family, with Usung famous for his hunting skills as well as Miri and Seria for their beauty.

The family owned a mortar from which black-coloured fluid would continuously flow but would never overflow.

Balai and his family would dip a piece of wood or leaf into the fluid to light a fire. This made their life easy and convenient as they saved a lot on firewood.

Time passed and the two daughters married, going off to live with their own families. Their only son Usung had died a while ago in a hunting mishap, and so Balai and his wife began to feel lonely in their own home.

The good thing was that Miri and Seria both lived nearby, so they often came back to visit their parents.

Every time they returned to their own homes, however, they brought the black fluid back with them.

Balai was not happy with that. However, their mother was more than willing to give and even used bamboo pipes to store the black fluid for her daughters.

One day, Balai caught his wife pouring the black fluid into the pipes. This time, he was so furious that he took a knife to cut the pipes. In his rage, he broke the mortar as well.

In the midst of his temper tantrum, Balai lost his balance and fell. As he struggled to get up, according to legend, he stamped the ground so hard that a heap of soil was formed. The black fluid then seeped through the ground and flowed into the sea.

This heap of soil is what Sarawakians recognise as Canada Hill today. Baram river, Sungai Melayu and several other rivers separating Miri and Seria towns (named after Balai’s daughters) are the ‘cuts’ made by Balai.

And the black fluid is the oil which now can be found in Miri and Seria.

Since Balai’s tantrum, oil has not been found in the middle course of Baram river to this day.

At Adau releases second album, ‘Oba’

Published on February 6, 2019

Entertainment

After the release of Journey (2016), Sarawak’s very own experimental world music band has returned with a new album called Oba.

In this album, At Adau fuses different kinds of musical styles and instruments, even inserting new sounds like electronic, pop rock and samba.

Oba which means love in the Kenyah language, has nine tracks to offer that will make fans dance or relax.

Apart from their usual music instruments such as sape, serutong, guitar, and all kinds of traditional drums and percussion, the band brought in new instruments such as the Penan nose flute and hulusi (Chinese cucurbit flute) in Oba.

At Adau Oba 3 — Fans had the chance to win At Adau’s latest album ‘Oba’ during the launching party at Rumah Asap Tabuan Dayak.

The six-member band has been busy promoting their album around Kuching.

Together with their partners Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Malaysia Airlines (MAS), At Adau had a launching event with the press at Plaza Aurora on Jan 30.

Then on Feb 2, they had a launching party together with their fans at Rumah Asap Tabuan Dayak.

The party had special appearances by Swaiv, Automatic The Remote and master sape player Mathew Ngau Jau.

Though it was just released, Oba was already making waves in the world music industry. By February 2019, the album ranked at number 35 on the Transglobal World Music Chart (TWMC)

In addition to that, At Adau was the first Malaysian act to be on the chart.

Co-founded by Angel Romero from WorldMusicCentral.Org, TWMC’s songs are selected by renowned world music specialists from all over the world.

At Adau Oba 2 — The launcing party of Oba on last Saturday’s night attracts both the young and old.

About At Adau

The band was founded in June 2014 as a traditional contemporary music act. Their music is mainly driven by the sounds of the sape. Plus, it blends the different beats of traditional drums and percussion of Borneo tribes.

The name At Adau is a combination of the word ‘At’ which means ‘root’ in Bidayuh. Meanwhile, ‘Adau’ refers to the preferred tree used to make the sape in Kenyah.

Since their debut, they have performed all over Sarawak as well as Thailand, South Korea, Australia and Singapore.

Oba is now available for purchase through At Adau’s official Facebook page. Or you can head over to Sape Gallery Riverside Shopping Complex, Skrang Tattoo Studio or Blackout Tattoo Studio.

Here are some throwback photos of At Adau performing at Rainforest World Music Festival 2017 and 2018:

A night of storytelling and poems at Nusi Poetry

Published on February 5, 2019

News & Features

Nusi Poetry was back for its second edition last Feb 2 in conjunction with the UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019.

Initiated by Nading Rhapsody, an Avant-Garde Borneo ethnic world music ensemble, vocalist Opah Aspa explained that Nusi Poetry was an inter-ethnic and inter-language event.

“In each edition, we will show a different mosaic. This edition, we are presenting Nusi Poetry: Mosaic -Ngebat Mimpi which means ‘weaving dreams’ in Iban.”

She added, “Each and everyone of us we all have our own dreams. We spend our lives riding our own journey, weaving our way to our own dreams.”

During the event, 12 presenters from different walks of life shared their stories about achieving their dreams through poetry, chants and lyrics.

A night of storytelling and poems at Nusi Poetry

Teacher Philomina Wilson for instance, shared her story by reciting a poem called ‘Heaven’s Very Special Child’ by Edna Massimilla.

As a mother to an autistic son, she related with Massimilla who wrote the poem for her daughter who had Down syndrome.

Meanwhile, Dr Deborah Chong gave a glimpse of her life as a successful fitness athlete through a poem she wrote called ‘Dare to Dream’.

Sharing how she lived her life as a dream chaser, Chong attributed her success to her seven-year-old son who was born prematurely.

As for Raziv from local metal band Myopia, it was the first time he would actually read the lyrics of his song to his audienxe, instead of singing and yelling them out as he normally would.

He shared about the scepticism he faced in his life for being passionate about metal music, something he experienced since he first discovered his passion at 9 years old.

Sticking true to the spirit of being an inter ethnic and inter language event, the presentations were done in different languages such as Iban, Sarawak Malay, English and Melanau.

Other poets and presenters were Gabriel Fairuz Louis, Opah Aspa, Kulleh Grasi, Ronney Bukong. Calvin Mikeng, Raygyna Hayden, Neyna Radzuan, Dauz Iezara, Zakaria Hassan and Venu K Puthankatil.

The audience was also entertained by the band Imaginasi founded in 2013 by Shahrol, Naz, Zair and Zul.

How Betong town in Sarawak got its name

Published on February 4, 2019

Culture

If you look up ‘Betong’ on Google, more often than not you will probably end up with Betong, Thailand.

The Thai town of Betong is located in southern Thailand, near the Malaysian border. It is the capital of Betong District, the southernmost district of Yala province.

Meanwhile, there is another town named Betong in Sarawak, Malaysia which falls under the Betong Division.

Both these two Betong towns not only share the same names but the origins of its name…and it all comes from a plant.

The origins of the name of Betong

Just like the town in Thailand, Betong derives its name from a type of bamboo called ‘buluh Betong’ in Malay.

It is also known as giant bamboo and it is a type of species native to Southeast Asia.

According to Legends and History of Sarawak by Chang Pat Foh, the scientific name of the bamboo is Dendrocalamus asper. He wrote, “In the olden days, there were plenty of buluh Betong widely grown in the vicinity of Betong area.”

In those days the area was mostly known as Saribas after the river that flows through the area.

There was no mention of ‘Betong’ in some of the books written about Brooke’s administration in Sarawak such as The White Rajahs of Sarawak by Robert Payne, Twenty Years in Sarawak by Max Saint and My Life in Sarawak by Margaret Brooke.

Due to its colourful history of anti-Brooke movement in the 19th century, there are plenty of references to Saribas.

According to Betong District Council’s website, the name ‘Betong’ was chosen collectively by both the Iban and Malay communities in the area after the abundance of bamboos there.

Betong 3 — St. Augustine Church, Betong.

The history of the bazaar can be traced back to the 1890s. Back then there were only 16 attap shophouses.

A huge fire broke out in 1915, razing the bazaar to the ground. Then, the town was rebuilt but was destroyed another fire in 1925.

Betong town and anti-Brooke movement

In 1855, a fort was built by the Brooke government in Betong. It was named Fort Lily, after Charles Brooke’s wife – Margaret Alice Lili de Windt.

The purpose of the fort was to keep the alleged Iban rebels in check.

At that time, there was an Iban leader from Padeh river called Aji. Son to Orang Kaya Pemanca Dana Bayang who led the Saribas Ibans, Aji and his followers challenged Brooke’s authority in the area, refusing to have a foreign power ruling over the Ibans.

The Brookes sent out an expedition in April 1858 to pacify the rebellion.

Fortunately, Aji survived the attack. Unwilling to give up, the Brookes ordered another attack against Aji. This time they were successful, and he was killed near Kuala Langit by Brooke’s forces.

Later, Fort Lily became the fortress from which they defended themselves against another famous Iban warrior named Rentap.

Betong 5 — The locked gate to Fort Lily.

Betong town and its agricultural history

Although the town was named after a bamboo, the symbol of Betong is a rubber tree. This is because the area was among the first in Sarawak to plant the lucrative rubber trees in the early 20th century.

As such, a monument of a rubber tree was built in 1996 and is located right in the middle of Betong town.

Besides rubber, other major crops planted here in Betong division are pepper, paddy, coconuts and oil palm.

While bamboo is not widely grown as it used to be, the agriculture industry still remains a significant economic sector for Betong to this day. Together with Sarikei, Betong division aims to be Sarawak’s food basket by 2030.

Read about how other towns in Sarawak got their names:

Marudi, when it was called Claudetown

How Lubok Antu got its name

How Limbang, Sarawak town of buffaloes got its name

KajoPicks: Check out these four coffee places in Bintulu

Published on January 31, 2019

Lifestyle

Apart from shopping complex, Bintulu is currently witnessing the rising number of different kind of eateries.

These include coffee places offering good coffee from dirty coffee to nitrogen-infused java and relaxing ambience for patrons to just hang out.

Here are four coffee places in Bintulu, Sarawak you need to check out:

1.Coffee Dream

Located at Parkcity Commerce Square, this coffee place has been operating since 2014.

Besides coffee, Coffee Dream is famous among the locals for its western food.

Omelette sandwich, spaghetti bolognese, mushroom soup, cheesy beef balls, mushroom cheese omelette, eggs Benedict, chicken Caesar salad are just the tip of their wide range of menu items.

For rice eaters out there, don’t worry because Coffee Dream has a selection of Asian favourites to choose from such as the typical nasi lemak.

While you are at it, might as well end your meal with one of their freshly baked cakes for dessert.

2.The Coffee Code Bintulu

WhatsApp Image 2019 01 28 at 13.41.14 — Do you like it dirty? Dirty Code from The Coffee Code.

The Coffee Code is Sarawak’s very own cafe chains. The first one was opened in Sibu, then Bintulu at Ibraco Town Square and the latest was in Kuching at Saradise, BDC.

When you’re at Coffee Code, how about giving the Dirty Code a try? It is their in-house version of dirty coffee. It is one of the best coffee places in town to spend your tea time because it serves wide range desserts.

Their specialty is perhaps waffles which come with different kind of toppings.

Coffee places Bintulu — Waffles at The Coffee Code Bintulu.

3.Escape Coffee

You can’t satisfy your coffee craving early in the morning at Escape Coffee. But you can satisfy your coffee craving late at night here because it opens from 12pm till 12am.

It is perfect for the late night work hustle since it provides free wifi.

Feeling hungry? They have good options of food on their menu such as beef sirloin steak, mixed grill, lamb chop, butter chicken waffle and chicken macaroni fruit salad.

4.Melt Cafe

The current star of Melt Cafe Bintulu, no, not its famed grilled cheese sandwich but its Nitro Coffee.

If you have not tried Nitro Coffee before, just imagine Guinness draft beer, only it’s coffee! Since the drink is infused with nitrogen, it has this rich, creamy head similar to Guinness.

So if you are a big fan of coffee, this beverage is definitely worth a try.

Longing for dessert? Give Melt Cafe’s Burnt Cheesecake a try. Some described Burnt Cheesecake as the alter ego to the classic New York cheesecake. The differences are this cake is burnt outside with toasty edges and without the usual pressed cookie base.

Of course you cannot leave Melt Cafe without trying its signature grilled cheese sandwich.

Melt Cafe Bintulu — Nitro Brew Coffee at Melt Cafe. Look at its creamy head on top of the glass!

Melt Cafe Bintulu 2 — How the Nitro Brew Coffee looks like after few minutes.

3 trails in Similajau National Park you must visit

Published on January 28, 2019

Travel

The nearest national park to the energy town of Sarawak, Bintulu, is Similajau National Park.

Widely known by its official name, ‘Similajau’ in the early days of the park’s establishment, locals preferred to call it ‘Likau’ after the biggest river flowing through the area.

The national park is more than just unperturbed coastlines. It has jungle trails for visitors to explore and enjoy the park’s diverse biodiversity.

According to Sarawak Forestry website, the park is home to 185 species of birds as well as 24 species of mammals including Borneo bearded pigs and macaques.

There is only one main trail at the park where one has to cross Sungai Likau via suspension bridge to start.

From there, the trail eventually breaks into eight different routes.

With eight trails to choose from, first-time visitors might not know which trail to take.

20190105 091235 — Are you wondering which trail to take?

Here are KajoMag’s top 3 trails in Similajau National Park you must take at least once:

1.View Point trail

Imagine looking over South China Sea at the mouth of Sungai Likau. The View Point trail is about 1.3km long and takes about 40 minutes one-way.

A shelter sitting on top of a small rocky headland at the mouth of Sungai Likau will greet you at the end of this trail.

It is a fairly easy hike passing though few small streams.

2.Turtle Beach trails I and II

Similajau National Park 7 1 — The orange-coloured Turtle Beach II.

There are two turtle beaches and they are only about one kilometer apart. It takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes to reach Turtle Beach I and another 25 minutes to reach Turtle Beach II.

The whole stretch of Turtle Beaches I and II are about 3km long. So if you have extra time, you can slowly explore both beaches.

Speaking of time, after reaching Turtle Beach II, if you still have the time and stamina, continue to hike another 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach Golden Beach.

It is a very long walk but you can make the trip in a day as a long as you start early. Those who have visited the Golden Beach have raved about its beauty as the coastline is lined with scenic cliffs.

Both Golden and Turtle Beaches have similar golden-coloured sand. The sand consists mainly of large, well-rounded quartz grains that have an orange tint due to their high iron content.

Hans P. Hazebroek and Abang Kashim Abang Morshidi wrote in National Parks of Sarawak that the sand is derived from the Nyalau Formation sandstone that forms the coastal cliffs and inland river beds.

“Erosion by breaking waves and flowing breaks the sandstone down into its constituent mineral grains. Sea currents, which flow parallel to the coast, continuously distribute and redistribute the ebach sands.”

That explain why the sand at these beaches stays golden in color.

20190105 093432 — Countinue ahead to Turtle Beaches I and II as well Golden Beach.

3.Batu Anchau

20190105 092827 — The trail leads to Batu Anchau.

While the rest of the trails at Similajau National Park can be finished without any climbing, the Batu Anchau trail requires a little bit of climbing.

Hence, the trail is for those who are fit as the trail has several fairly steep sections. According to Hazebroek and Abang Kashim, this is a good route for those interested in watching forest birds. And you may see long-tailed macaques and gibbons along the way as well.

Tips and tricks

No matter which trail you are planing to take, the best is to start early. Wear light clothing to protect you against the tropical heat.

All these trails can be muddy after rain so wear shoes which come with strong grip. Additionally, do not forget your sunscreen and insect repellents.

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