What is so special about Sibu?

Last week I had been assigned to an outstation job in Sibu, Sarawak. This was the first time I been to the East Malaysia and I was quite exciting for having this chance to pay a visit to the other part of Malaysia.

The first step I stepped on Sarawak’s land was the Sibu Airport, immediately I felt the peacefulness and harmony are surrounding the town. We gonna work for 5 days in this place, and here to start our journey in Sibu.

Madam Teng was the one who is responsible to pick us up from airport and she was also the first person that has connected with us in Sibu. She is a kind and soft lady, with beautiful smile to welcome us in the airport, and started introducing to us about this small and peaceful town.

With Madam Teng

All I can conclude about Sibu if I were being questioned was that Sibu is a town that full of tasty local foods. We had never experienced starve in the past 5 days but we were asked to eat all the ways. We had our breakfast in those hawker stall every day, with a bowl of noodle and tea before we head to office to start working for the day. After few hours we will be leading to have our lunch; and again after few hours we will be leading to have our dinner. Our feeling was like: What? We gonna eat again? The breakfast we had in the morning hasn’t been digested but we were asked to go for our lunch; our breakfast and lunch haven’t been digested and we were invited to have our dinner. So all about our life over there was eating, eating and eating.

Prawn Mee - A big big prawn!

Sibu Kampua noodle

Kampua flat noodle

Kampua noodles in red

Curry laksa

Kuey Teow

Foo Chow Kom Pia

I have been eating so full for every day and reaching hotel by around 9pm or 10pm, and I have to stand and walk for at least half an hour before I took shower and rest on bed.

Very soon I could felt that my waist was getting bigger and weight was getting heavier. Oh gosh, I have to eat apple for breakfast lunch and dinner after I came back to KL, I swear.

Overall, Sibu had given me a very nice experience and great impression. Peoples over there are nice, friendly and kind. All the races were living peacefully, respectful, and simply. I really fall for this town for the simple life, this is what I always looking for and hoping for to happen in real in KL, but undeniably we still need times for evolution to become a better place.

Sibu peoples are really proud of this small and simple town. The life over there is chill and relaxes which is just so difference from the tension life in KL. The number of peoples and cars are lesser, perhaps most of the teenagers were working in cities, therefore the population is lesser in Sibu, and this does contribute to the reason why you never seen there is traffic jam in Sibu. They are tolerant and cooperative, they always have the same mindset and same dream regardless the different races and religion, I believe they always aim to have a better government, to fight for a better life for Sibu, and that is why they seen every coming state election as a big matter in Sarawak.

We enjoyed our foods and life in Sibu for the past 5 days. The foods in Sibu are quite special which we couldn’t find any in KL.

I truthfully felt the kindness and love from Sibu peoples. They are just so cute and nice in welcoming us and bringing us for good foods. I even not spending one cent for the 5 days. This is such a nice experience to me, a chance for me to see the special of Sibu, to know the people in Sibu.

We see, we listen and we learn. We had a lot of stories sharing in these 5 days. There were a lot of interesting stories from Madam Teng and her family, regarding her husband and her sons, and she takes care of us very much; the social view and experiences from Mr Eddy and his Philippine wife, a cute couple ever be. Because of him we had exposed to the local culture of Sibu, by bringing us to one of the largest market (pasar) in South East Asia, revealing the interesting part of Sibu. For example the way they sell the chickens with the chicken legs tied up, and the chicken being wrapped in spool, arranged tidily in a row. Their market is clean, hygiene and huge. 

Chicken stall

The cute hawker  

XD

Mr Andrew, a nice and soft person who led us to the project site, explained everything to us in his full patient, trying hard to introduce all the good foods to us. 

Site visit

XD

Thanks to Mr Simon, the project manager, and the boss, Mr Siah for bringing us for dinner at the last night, ordered all the famous local foods and cuisine just to let us have a try, keep asking us to eat as much as we can, keep adding the foods to our plates. Another very-full night I had in Sibu.

Curry fish head

Chinese salmon? This is really nice.

Dessert- A very tall mixed fruit ice blended.

Seriously, I do miss the 5-day life very much after I came back to KL. There is so much different between the two places. I miss the foods, the life and the peoples in Sibu. What a great exposure and memory built over there.

These are what I’ve gained in Sibu. Definitely fall for this place. Hope everything everyone is fine, hope to see them again.    

Our hotel - Kingwood

Hotel with river view at night

Breakfast nearby market

Foo Chow delicacy - Ding Bian Hu

Three of us =)

I do love my job very much, at least it allows me to see the different part, meet the different people in my life. 

I do love the people around me, they are always the good guider and people who take care of me very well.

Appreciate every single seconds we spent together, and our memories.