How to get to Miri city?

If you are planning a trip to Miri and right now, you are still residing overseas, I would recommend that you book your flight to either Kuching city or to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. There are flights from these cities to Miri city.

If you are travelling from Singapore, the good news is that Airasia.com now flies direct to Miri city from Singapore. All you need to do is to book online at www.AirAsia.com.

If you commute from Kuching, you can book online either at www.Airasia.com or www.MASwings.com.my or Malaysia Airlines at www.malaysiaairlines.com for flights  to Miri city. The journey by air takes less than 2 hours.

You may also travel by coach from Kuching. The trip takes around 13-15 hours with several pit-stops at several towns in between. The fare is around rm80 per way per person. The coach that I would recommend would be MTC because the coach made lesser number of pit stops compared to Biaramas coaches. The last time when I travelled with MTC, the whole journey took me 13 hours whilst the journey by Biaramas coach took us 15 hours to reach Miri city from Kuching. If you travel by coach from Sibu town, then the journey will be around 7 hours to reach Miri.

Alternatively, you may also try a speed boat ride with Expres Bahagia speed boat from Kuching to go to Miri.

I took the speed boat ride once from Kuching to Sibu and it took me 5 hours to reach Sibu. Passengers will alight at their destination but the boat will move on to Miri. It is faster to travel by sea compared to travelling by land.

If you should decide to take the speed boat ride, do remember to bring along a sweater because the air-condition in the boat is usually at full blast and you will be freezing cold as you watch some Cantonese drama in the boat or you may also opt to sit at the open deck during the journey and enjoy the strong wind blowing against your face and a nice sun tan.

If you should come from Kota Kinabalu, there are direct flights to Miri city either by Airasia.com or Maswings.com or Malaysia Airlines, www.malaysiaairlines.com. Another route is travel to Miri city from Brunei, the oil rich state by car.

From Miri, most tourists favourite destination would be Mulu caves and the Pinnacles. To reach Mulu from Miri, one has to book a flight from MASwings.com.my to get there or he can also fly direct to Mulu from Kuching with the same airline. Only MASwings airline flies to Mulu from Miri. Once you reach Mulu, you can easily go to niah caves.

Click for Miri city tour here >>

Unforgettable Journey into Mystical Borneo on RV Orient Pandaw Cruise

I recently had the priviledge to go on board of RV Orient Pandaw, a cruising boutique hotel even before the launching of its maiden journey on 1 July 2009. I was given a tour of the cruise ship by its Hotel Director, Mr Alexander Scheible. The RV Orient Pandaw is the newest addition to the Pandaw fleet family. It is now based in Borneo on the Rajang River. Like its other siblings, it exudes a traditional colonial style perfect for tropical locations.

Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was founded in 1865. By 1920s, it was the largest privately owned fleet of ships in the world. In 1942, over 650 vessels were sunk in an act of denial and protest when the Japanese invaded Burma. Its largest vessel was licensed to carry 4000 deck passengers.

In 1995, the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was revived by Mr Paul Strachan. He acquired the Pandaw cruise ship which is over 50 years old and re-fitted her. They tried to conserve as many original features as they could. Later, they built larger vessels with better design and efficiency. The newest addition being the RV Orient Pandaw is now cruising along the Sarawak river.

Its 28 guestrooms are also known as staterooms of 170 swq ft. They are finished in hardwood with brass fittings. All accomodation is air-conditioned. Its bathrooms are fitted with shower and toilet with wooden cover. Each room has a mini safe for guests safe-keeping. All staterooms open out on to a promenade deck with private outside seating.

Like the staterooms, the public areas are beautifully designed with their almost Somerset Maughan quality. A small spa and fitness area are available too. Other facilities include a mini-safe, minibar, DVD on demand, room service and wifi.

Chefs prepare a fusion of spicy Asian and Western food on board and produce is sourced locally including tropical fruits like pineapple from Sarikei, vegetables from the Sibu market and the fresh river fishes from Rajang River. Breakfasts and lunches are a simple buffet. Dinner is a sit down dining. The single sitting dining room offers a mix of European and Asian influences. There is a cocktail bar on the large observation deck and a sitting room with a lecture theatre on the lower deck.

The Cruise

What differentiates this cruise ship from others is their services. There are 30 crews on board and each crew takes care of 2 passengers. The maximum passengers allowed on board are 60 passengers. So that ensures that each passenger is very well taken care of. This cruise ship is different in that its main focus is to allow its passengers to relax, and enjoy the surrounding scenery as the ship cruise along the Rajang River.

They do not focus on giving their passengers occupied with many activities. There are no karaoke sessions, no swimming pool and no activities on board. The ship’s main aim is to let the passengers relax on board, read a book and enjoy the sun. There are complimentary coffee, tea and mineral water available all day. In addition, there is a free bar throughout the cruise offering local spirits and cocktails free of charge.

What the Borneo river cruise focus on is to let the passengers explore the jungle and see all the wild animals and plants that grew deep inland.

Passengers are welcomed to join the escorted shore excursions, do their own thing or just stay on board, relax and read a book. Though there is space for those who seek silence, a Pandaw cruise can also be a convivial experience with a group of like-minded travellers exploring a little known country in the charming and historic atmosphere of a Pandaw. Schedules for at least once, if not twice a day, there are excursions into timeless villages and small towns and return home relaxed with an unforgettable experience on board RV Pandaw Cruise of Sarawak.

Is this roasted coffee in Sibu better than Nescafe?

I was in Sibu recently and I was introduced to a coffee shop which is famous for its coffee. The test is in the tasting. So I ordered a cup of iced cold coffee.

The moment the coffee drink touched my tongue, it felt like a medium roast, smooth and full bodied with full fragrant aromas. Even with ice cubes in the drink, I could still taste the roasting and smelt the fragrant aromas. It Ieft a lingering taste of roasted nuts on my tongue. Indeed it characterized richness of the coffee beans.

I love tea more than coffee. Usually when I drink coffee, I drank it for the sake of drinking it to keep myself awake and not really aware of its roasting taste or the feel of its body on my tongue. Yes, I am not a sophisticated coffee drinker to be able to differentiate its flavour or aroma or acidity but after today’s cup of coffee, it seemed like my senses had suddenly been awakened and I became more aware of the differences in aroma, body, fragrant and flavor.

This glass of iced cold coffee is definitely a must have if you go to Sibu. It costs less than rm1 per cup or rm1.50 for a glass of iced coffee. Ask your friend or whoever to bring you to Sungai Merah vicinity at Lorong Wong Ting Hock 1 and go to Choon Seng Coffee Shop which is right below Cosway Office to order your coffee.

Trust me, you will not regret the effort to go there for this cup of rich coffee. We even bought a kilogramme of coffee powder from them to take home.

Like me, it may even change your outlook on coffee from there on….

The Biggest Sea Horse I have ever seen in Miri, Sarawak

I was in Miri recently on a city tour. My guide Saliza took me to several interesting spots around Miri.

The one place I was most impressed with was the Seahorse at Marina Bay. When Saliza told me that he was going to show me the largest seahorse in Miri, I got curious and asked him if it was a live one as I know seahorse is actually very small. He laughed and said, “No, it is a seahorse lighthouse”. When I saw it, I was in awe of it because it was a really tall lighthouse, around 2 storeys high.

Seahorse at Marina Bay

Then I went wandering around the area and spotted this cool Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant. The restaurant is 2 storey high and is designed with a Balinese touch.

Tiny huts surrounded its front building and its whole outlook and ambience looked traditional. They serve not only Asian cuisine but also Italian food.

I spotted this display at the corner of the entrance. It sure looked interesting isn’t it?

Wood carved into a seaplant and sea creature.