Konni & Matt - Perpetual Travellers: 19 Sep

Southeast Asia

Flawed-Democratic Federation of Malaysia

Malaysian Borneo

Sarawak aka Land of the Hornbills

Miri

Minda Guest House +6085411422 info@mindaguesthouse.com

Small but adequate double room with wifi, air-con and breakfast for MYR 50.- or US$ 14.20.- per night.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Minda Guest House in Miri, which we would recommend, and for directions:

N 04° 23.87' E 113° 59.32'

Visiting the “open house” of our Muslim Kelabit/Malay friends Fatima & Moshidi at Shangrila Gardens, sampling delicious and fattening Raya cookies and cakes, and celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri together with their family and friends: Selamat Hari Raya!

Taking pictures of the largest and biggest (but not grandest) Taoist temple in Southeast Asia, the San Ching Tian Temple, built in 2000 CE, which houses three statues of the deities Guan-di, Zhang-fei and Liu-bei, and features intricate dragon reliefs which had been brought to Sarawak from mainland China.

Leaving vast Sarawak ("...if adventure had a home, it would be here..."), a friendly East-Malaysian state which teeters between First World and Third World, thus (i) taking the MBT bus no. 2 from Miri’s central bus station to Kuala Belait in Brunei (MYR 13.- or US$ 3.70 per person, including a bus change at the Sungei Tujoh border checkpoint where we were being issued with a 30-day visit pass for a “social visit” to Negara Brunei Darussalam on arrival, free of charge, after we had had to reveal our race as “Caucasian” in one of those nonsensical embarkation/disembarkation forms for visitors), (ii) taking thereafter the local Bibiyana bus (BND 1.- or MYR 3.- per person) from Kuala Belait to Seria, a company town dotted with nodding donkeys in-between the low bungalows accommodating both Shell staff and the Ghurkha elite troops brought in to protect the oil, and, finally, (iii) the ADBS bus from Seria to Brunei’s boring capital city Bandar Seri Begawan (“BSB”) for BND 6.- or MYR 16.- per person.

Click below for more blog posts about our travels during Ramadan
11 Jul - 01 Sep 2013 Kuching
16 Aug - 04 Sep 2011 Tanjung Karang
09 Aug - 12 Aug 2009 Nunukan
30 Jul - 01 Aug 2011 Petaling Jaya
19 Aug - 28 Aug 2009 Similajau

Click below for a summary of this year's travels

2009 Map Konni & Matt