Trip To The Other Side Of the Border Part 1

Seria Plaza

Notice how the cars stop at the pedestrian crossing to let people cross over.

YESTERDAY....NO,I'm not about to hum the Beatles's song,I'm just going to write about the trip we made to Seria & Kuala Belait yesterday. Having nothing much in particular to do, a friend suggested driving to Seria and off,we went.3 of us.(Cikgu Margaret,Cikgu Doria & I). I was driving since I pretty much know which road to turn to & if I went the wrong direction,I could quickly come back to find the exits.

Anyway,we left Lutong about 8.30am and by 9 something we're already in a coffee shop in Seria stuffing ourselves with chicken pau & mee kolok.(nadai mee kolok char siew sida dia) For the benefit of those who would like to know how to get to Kuala Belait,this is what you do: Drive to Sg Tujoh via the Asean Bridge of which you have to pay RM10 for the toll. The road is superb. Then a few minutes later,there's the Malaysian Immigration check point where they stamp your passports. A few 'yards' away,then,it's the Brunei Immigration. When I went there in September, we had to fill in the Embarkation form but this month we didn't have to. They keep changing the requirements. Wait til you hear this,effective 1st October,non-Brunei registered cars are only permitted to buy $10 worth of petrol and $7 worth of diesel in designated petrol kiosks. Why?The fuel is heavily subsidised by the Brunei Gov't and hence,the protection,I guess. Oh about the journey...before reaching Kuala Belait,one has to pass another toll. Here,the charge is $3. So,all in all,it's RM20 for the toll on the Malaysian side and $6 for the Kuala Belait toll plaza return. How long would it take to reach KBelait from,let's say,Lutong Bridge?..I would say about 45mins to an hour if there's not much traffic on the way. Is it worth going there? Oklah,for a change. It's clean,foreign and it's different. Stay tune for more!

India Street mari!!!!!& The Long Road To Serikin

On 5th October, about 19 of us left for Kuching to attend the 50th Anniversary Dinner of Sarakup Indu DayakSarawak. The dinner was on 6th October, at Dewan Suarah but we decided to go a day earlier just to 'look & see and shop a bit at India Street'. Needless to say,the place was really packed with shoppers and there were so many 'XXXL' size blouses. Compared to what we pay in Miri,the prices of clothings are cheap at India Street. One only has to pay @RM50 to RM60 for a piece of linen blouse at this shop. I don't know the name of the shop. It has a top floor full of ladies' clothings and reasonably priced. In Miri,the price would be double. The service was excellent because they already switched off the lights and were about to pull the shutters down when we barged in to the shop. They 'reopened' the shop for business until we got what we wanted.

Early the next morning we went to Serikin. If we had known that some VVIPs ( The Raja Muda of Perlis & consort,MB of Perlis & entourage) were going there,(on their way to see an army battalion serving near the Indonesian border) even if we're paid RM1000/each- to go there, we'd gladly turn down the offer. We realised only too late that the road to Serikin was closed to traffic(you should see the army trucks,the police and the soldiers there) and we had to walk about 'a thousand kilometres' to reach the stalls selling the pictured items above.Can you imagine? The midpoint of the walk was at the Serikin Police Station.AAAKKKKAAAAIII DDDAAAIII! My legs..my legs. A friend up to now has not recovered from that LLLOOOOONNNGGG walk to Serikin. According to her doctor,the leg pain's only common among the footballers.So you see,I'm not exaggerating! Another friend,Florince had no choice but to hire a motorcylist to take her to our van because she had both hands and her back full of shopping goodies. The ride was for RM1.00. Another friend told me that she and a few friends hitch-hiked at the back of an army truck.

Apart from the long walk,(I know,I know, I'm contradicting myself),I would take the RM1000 offer even if I knew the road to Serikin's closed to traffic. Just think what I could buy with the MMoonneeeyy!

There were many nice things to buy like handbags,luggage bags (branded)sarongs,satiny & glittery materials,curtains,table cloths and the famous mats.The mats that I'm mentioning here are ever so popular among the West Malaysians. Don't be surprised if you see 'The Mats" nicely laid on the floors of some houses in Perlis and that you were served Sarawak Kek Lapis during your recent Hari Raya visits because I saw 'them' at the check-in counter.

WWWAAAAIIITTT! Did I get to see the Raja Muda of Perlis and his Consort? Yes, I did. A charming couple. Did they shop there? You have to ask them if you see them.

AAAADDDDIIIIOOOOSSSSSS!

Boogie Nite...da..da..da..dance to the music,let's dance!

It's POCO-POCO time! Without fail,this item is a must in most of the functions in Miri. Here you can see Phylis (dance instructor) leading the way followed by Caroline,Snow White @ Putih & Mit @ Small. ---------------------------->

Aaaawwaahhhh!Julia berjoget with Kerina (mustard colour baju kebaya) & Nalam(in blue). Jugit sampai pagi! (Dance til dawn) .

Apai Gwen and Sulu Injau @Cherinie ngindik-ngindik carpet Grand Palace Ballroom. (Dancers are 'stepping' the carpet at Grand Palace Ballroom) Steady Sulu Injau @borrowed Lover

Dennis Nangkai, 'cha-cha..ing' the nite away.

Wait til you see him 'berTWIST'. Kalah Elvis.

Mummy Shayna and Apai Yok malu-malu tekuyung berdansa. Pusing kiri..pusing kanan.

Ratu Kebaya Samu 2007

The prizes this Gawai were too good to let go,hence we had two 'local' Samu ladies joining in the contest. I cannot remember who was crowned the Ratu Kebaya because all the contestants got the same prizes regardless whether there were slim,sexy or seksa. All were awarded for their guts! Pheewwiiittt!

Here,you have the ever sporting Indai Lipat doing the catwalk before the judges.

"Tusah Belaki Nguai" Bronze Gong Band ( Samu)

Samu longhouse is situated not far from the Bukit Saban National Service Camp,somewhere near Betong town. It is probably the oldest if not one of the oldest longhouses in the area.
The members of this band temaga are 'imports' from other longhouses. Their husbands are true- blooded Samu folks. The "imports" are usually very talented. They can beat the gongs,ngajat and generally more 'sporting' than the ladies that're born and bred in the longhouse. Each time there is merry-making,be it gawai or weddings,whatever,without them,there is no party at all.

The direct translation for :Tusah-Difficult/Ordeal?

Belaki-Marrying a man

Nguai-leaves own family and follows husband/wife & takes care of his/her side of the family. (something like that..very complicated..a few cases of Iban people never get to the marriage stage when the subject of "NGUAI" is brought up.)

Gining-Gining (Lost look) & Rangap-Rangap at 2020's

I remember telling my cousin,Indai Maie,who is from Bintulu, that a Mirian can easily indentify a 'non-Mirian"at 2020's by their body language. What may that body language be? Gining-Gining.(don't know the English word for it). Looking lost??How about 'rangap-rangap? (mouth wide-open??) Ha..Ha..Indai Maie and I would bump into each other at 2020's once in a few months when she comes to Miri to send her son for a dental appointment. Once in a while,2020's has its fair share of vips,who probably think it's cheaper to give loyal supporters a treat at the kedai kopi.

Meeting friends at Kedai Kopi 2020

It cannot be the dim sum that brings the smile to Doria's face. What could it be? It must be that she's still thinking about the time she queued for 5 hrs at the Sultan of Brunei's Raya Open House yesterday. The waiting was worth it,according to her...she got to shake the sultan's wife's hand. Lucky her!Wit met an old school mate called Anding. Strange it may seem,but one does get to see friends and make friends from near and far here at 2020's.