Back to Kuching for the Hari Raya

Jungle produce section at the Sibu Central Market.

Fosma has warned us days ago. OK, ok, we know today is the day of travell. We left Bintulu early at 7.30 am in order that we could reach Kuching before sunset to enable fospa and company break fast at home there. On this trip fosis and fosbro joined us. So it was four humans, me~ Inul and Mama Daisy in the car.

The first pit stop was Selangau where I posed for a picture. ( see inset)

Next we stopped at Sibu to buy a couple of things for the Hari Raya celebrations. Some things we missed buying in Bintulu were able to be bought at the Sibu Central Market. (See top picture and below)

What a kaleidoscopic collection of jungle produce products. It seemed everything green was there. Fresh and tempting. Herbal plants and spices were available in plenty.

The above is rare. Edible oil cake from the "Engkabang fruit" or illipe nuts.

An Iban lady weaves "Ketupat" wrappings used to steam glutinous rice which remains one of the favourite dishes during Hari Raya open houses throughout Sarawak. The ketupat glutinous rice is eaten with either curry or satay gravy.

"Hey, everybody city lights are here", Inul joyously announced at Siburan.

Finally we arrived Kuching around 6.30 pm and signs of city life greeted us at Siburan traffic junction. This trip took us a bit longer than usual because fospa decided not to rush the journey due to expected heavy traffic on the Pan Borneo Highway. Safety was top most in our minds. See cats do think. Tomorrow we'll wake up to a new day of celebration called Hari Raya or "Eid Mubarak" as the Arabs call it.

So guys, here's Inul and the rest of the crew wishing all visitors and friends to our blog ,

a Happy Eid Mubarak &

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri!!

For the record

Cumulative distance achieved on this 23rd trip back Kuching = 27,000 km

Date of travell : 9 September, 2010

Jet lag and wild cousins

Date taken : 1 sept'10

After the journey on the 30th of August, we felt tired and Mama Daisy took time to unwind and refresh herself. I joined her as I too suffered from the jet lag.

Distant cousin - Moth

Very,very distant cousin - twiggy mantis

Bye for now.

Pitstop at Sebangkoi Country Park, Sarikei

This is our 23rd trip back Bintulu. On the wheels is fospa and his co-navigator is fosma. Fospa has decided to go to Bintulu for many reasons. Firstly, there are ripe oil palm fruits that need to be harvested. Secondly, fosis will be arriving Bintulu from KL soon to join us for the Ramadan in Bintulu. Finally, fospa needed to check on many projects in Bintulu. Meow, meow ,meow..there's so much to do, so little time.

We left Kuching around 7.00 am and arrived Bintulu at 5.30 pm. Here are pictures about the journey.

Mama sitting steady while passing the bridge at Serian. From Serian it's another nine and a half hours ride to Bintulu.

Mama Daisy on the lookout for the traffic junction. Straight is Sri Aman town and to the right is Sarikei. Go right OK fospa!

SEBANGKOI COUNTRY PARK
SARIKEI

A shady area where fospa left us while he was busy clicking around for some pictures at the Sebangkoi Country Park. Sebangkoi - Inul was here!

The small stream in the park where picnickers refresh and had a good time under green jungle canopy .

A pavilion built over the lily pond for visitors to rest and enjoy the serene beauty of the park.

On this trip fospa decided to have a pit stop at Sibu. Of late Sibu was the talk of the nation when the opposition party headed by Wong Ho Leng won in its by-election. Then came in the yearly floods that are never stoppable here. This is because Sibu was founded on a settlement close to the mighty Rejang River. The early fathers of Sibu weren't smart enough in the choice of location and since then floods have been an annual nightmare. Again some quarters in Sibu said the name must be changed because it bodes bad luck. Why? In Chinese the word Sibu when pronounced meant " witch"- a sure sign of bad luck. Anyway it was not the Chinese who gave the name Sibu. The Ibans and Malays here call Sibu as "Sibau". It has always been the clumsy British tongue that pronounced it as Sibu. Another good example of the clumsy British tongue is the word "Pulau Pinang" referring of the island of "Penang". How did Pulau Pinang become Penang? Blame it on the Britons.

SIBU

Tall buildings in Sibu

The Sanyan building is on the right and the RH Hotel to the left. From where the above picture is taken is the open car park where food stalls are set up during the month of Ramadan for shoppers to buy a vast selection of food for opening of fast.

Looking back, the journey was safe but longer than expected. This must be due to the Puasa Month ( fasting month of Ramadan) when both fospa and fosma took to fast. Ramadan teaches one to be patient and calls for fight against anger and uncontrolled appetite. Follow the middle path , the sure way, the correct way and like we do are able to arrive our destination in conditions of safety, healthy , in good time and a pleasurable journey.

Note: Record achieved on this trip = 26,400 km
Date achieved : 30th August, 2010

Happy Birthday Kak Mona

Today is a very special day for us. Mama just said, " Inul, we need to send roses to someone very special". " Ok,kkk " I said. " I'll rush to the garden outside and collect some blooms". By the time I busied myself and got all the composition done I alerted Mama. "Mama, Mama...wake uup! It's all done". Mama was extremely happy to see the roses and exclaimed, " What a presentation. Good girl, Inul". " Now, ready to meow.....



Happy Birthday .. Kak Mona !!

Roses are red, violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet, my love

But not as sweet as yooouuuu!!!

From Inul and Mama Daisy

Bye, Kak Mona... I'm going to take a catnap now.....zzzzzzzzzz

21st trip back Kuching ( 24,600 km achieved!)

Inul at Selangau pit stop

When we started to leave our home at 8.30 am on the 16th of April, the weather was fine. After Sibu however we faced a short 3 hours of rain out of a total of ten hours-long journey back to Kuching. This would be our 21st trip back Kuching and on arrival there would add another 600 km to our record.

I was behaving well on this trip and occasionally would hear fospa and fosma saying "Inul is accustomed to travelling long distance now". "Hmmm....not bad for a small town girl", I thought. Mama as usual loves travelling long distances for the main reason that it afforded her time to sleep, sleep and sleep. She would at times ask for a frontal view of the highway and loved to see big buses and lorries go flashing by. ( See inset: Mama at the front seat )

One lorry, two lorries , three lorries ..endless lorries go by

Rain along the way - for 3 hours of the journey after Sibu

Short afternoon tea break at highway junction outside Sarikei town. Here fospa and fosma had fried mee and they said was excellent.

Refuelling at Betong Highway petrol kiosk - after about 6 hours journey from Bintulu. Total amount spent on fuel from Bintulu to Kuching is now at RM 100 per 10 hours journey.

Me from inside the pick-up watching the re-fuelling in progress.

Mama's favourite hobby!!

We arrived Kuching by late afternoon i.e. at 6.30 pm.

Total distance achieved on this 21st trip back Kuching = 24,600 km

A leaf mantis

Inul saw this mantis clinging to the mosquito netting at the farm.

The mantis was camouflaged in the form of a dried rolled -up brown leaf.

Therefore Inul would just like to call it a leaf mantis.

Inul loves wildlife.

21st trip to Bintulu (24,000 km achieved)

From inside the car, Inul saw this baby monkey.



On the 4th of April, we took to the highway early. As usual the whole journey took approximately 10 hours. It was sunny for the most part of the journey. Heavy rains were met from Sibu to Bintulu.

With this 21st trip to Bintulu, our travelling record tied a notch higher i.e. 24000 km. Here are some pictures of the journey.

Inset : Me and Mama taking naps along the way.

At the Sibu central market and from inside the car I watched fospa as he walked around the jungle produce market to see any strange plants, fruits etc.. But what intrigued him ( and Me) was a tiny monkey which was brought to market by one of the traders . The tiny baby was shown around the market. No, it was not for sale. The baby monkey was made a companion by one of the jungle produce traders there.

A busy street adjacent to the market .

We encountered rain for about 3 hours of the journey. A typical sight along the Pan-Borneo Highway.

On this trip we made a pit stop at Betong for refuelling and a late lunch. There we saw these two stray cats.

Finally, at around 7.30 pm we arrived Bintulu.

Remember me, Inul?

Mama breaks out the news

Very early this morning( 3 April) Mama broke the news to me. She said" Inul, get ready to go on the road tomorrow". "Oh, no! not again".

Mama kept on saying,"Inul, fospa need to go and tend the gardens in Bintulu." I know Mama likes to go back to Bintulu. She loves the jungle at the back of our chalet where she often wanders, jumps and runs.

Here's my pix (inset) at 2 years 2 months.

Mama Daisy checks out the boundary

On this interlude, Mama Daisy regularly checked out the progress of building works around our house boundary.


Below are pixes.

A worker applies cement plaster to the fence post or pillar.

This is Mama Daisy favourite alley. It's just behind our house.

Inul fools around

What Inul did during Kuching interlude (after 20th trip)?

This time around we'll be in Kuching for an extended period of time. Therefore Ill have more time to fool around the house.
Here are my favourite playground spots:
1) On the door sill ( above pix)
2) On the rooftop ( inset)
3) At the front garden ( below pix)


Note : On this Kuching interlude (after 20th trip) we have achieved a cumulative distance of 23,400 km. Oh, I need this much needed rest. People, I'm four legged. I don't have wheels!!