Machan

Machan is a small town just about 25km away from Kanowit. Due to its close proximity with Kanowit, I decided to check out this town. Before arriving Machan, there is a oil palm statue (which also happen to be the town's symbol) at the junction leading to the town.

Before arriving the town, I came across a privately owned orchard.

There is nothing much to see at Machan except for a row of old Chinese wooden shop houses

The Pasar Tamu is located in between the shop houses which operates daily from 6-11am

Machan community hall

However, there is an unpleasant sight just across the river from the town. Logging activities seems to be active here. Illegal or not, it kind of pollute the river and its natural surrounding.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

Let just hope we don't forget the true meaning of Christmas. The celebration has been over commercialized and somehow we tend to forget the purpose and origin of Christmas day.

Here are some of the advertisement boards seen around Sibu Town Squares from some of the sponsors with their best wishes

Kanowit Express Boat Terminal

River transportation still plays an important role in Sarawak and people in Kanowit areas also rely on the river in their daily routine. This what looks like a new express terminal for the town, replacing the previous one nearby the waterfront.

Inside the express boat terminal. Sarawak Rivers Board also has an office right here.

The signboard on the distance of the nearby towns (Song & Kapit) which are only accessible by boat.

The boats and express boats which are commonly found in Sarawak riverine.

Kanowit Recreational Park

Kanowit Recreation Park is probably the most prominent structure that greets visitors when they start entering the town by road.

The local council named this park as Recreational Park but it is just too small to even jog around here.

Inside the park is a dabai statue which I assume is the mascot/symbol to represent the town. At first glance, I thought it is a cocoa statue. But on second thought it just don't make any sense as cocoa is not widely grown here.

Just behind the recreational park is the town's bus station which connect Kanowit with the nearby towns of Sibu, Bintangor and Sarikei

Kanowit Market

Visiting the market and tamu in Kanowit is definitely an experience. The tamu is basically located beside the town's main market, just right below the Water Board's hill.

In the main market, there are a variety of fruits and vegetables been sold. Mostly sourced fresh from the wild. Most of the locals around this town congregate here to sell their produce.

Most of the fruits and vegetables found at the market and tamu are not widely available in the towns or cities. Some are so rare that I don't even know their names.

Rambutan is cheap and comes with thick flesh. RM3 for a bundle. I heard some of the locals here actually own the rambutan trees.

Dabai, our very own local olive. It's definitely cheaper to buy it here than Sibu. Best of all, most of them are of good quality

Sibu Christmas Procession 2009

The annual Christmas Procession went on smoothly last night even though there was an intermittent drizzle throughout the event. I believe the Lord was looking after us as the sky was very dark since 3pm and everyone was expecting a heavy downpour.

This time around I studied the procession route and decided to station myself at the Sarawak House overhead bridge so I can have a better aerial view and assuming less people will congregate here.

The theme for this year is "Joy to the World"

The Girl's Brigade Bands

SMK Tung Hua School Band

Scouts dressed in Scottish attire and musical instruments

Various churches members who joined the procession. Everyone was happy and brave through the unpredictable weather.

Children on bicycles

Strangely, a clown made an appearance in the procession

The main attraction of the procession got to be the floats from the town's churches. Somehow the floats' qualities seem to drop over the years.

Fu Yuan Church float. Luckily the designer of this float took into consideration the height of the overhead bridge or else it will be a disaster as the float appears to be a bit taller. Somehow there was a hinge to lower the "tower" and hence avoid the collision.