22 Sibu

December 27-28, 2002

Bright and early on the 27th of December, it was once again time to move on from Kuching. This time there were no lingering questions. There was, however, the usual problem of out of date bus information. Despite having to take different bus from a different location and a temporary ferry terminal far out of sight from an unmarked stop, I managed to secure enough local assistance to climb on board the boat, just a few moments before it cast off. I bought my ticket onboard. Giving the number of people who followed me, my impression is that this is normal procedure. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fare was RM5 less than shown in the guidebook.

After 4 hours of ocean and river travel, my sandals touched dry ground in Sibu. The popular cheap guesthouse was full, which was no great surprise. Taking the advice of the Hover House manager went to the Sentosa inn. At RM25/night, it was more than I had expected to spend. However, it is probably the best lodging deal I have encountered on this trip. An air-con single with in-suite bathroom, hot shower, and a phone for less than US$7/night.

I spent the afternoon sorting out travel details for Mulu. There are no roads to Gunning Mulu NP. You must fly from Miri and, supposedly, it is often difficult to get a seat on the plane. I managed to book for the 29th. That left me with a few hours of daylight to see Sibu.

There's not a lot to see in Sibu. The Rejang River is wide and brown. Log laden barges occasionally pass. I went off to see the 7 story Chinese pagoda that sits on the riverbank. It's an interesting structure but, while lining up a photo from inside the gate, I found something more.

The caretaker of the temple is a pleasant man in his early 60's. He speaks excellent English and speaks it very quickly. He, apparently, delights in explaining all aspects of the temple to foreign visitors. Since there were no other Westerners at the temple, that would be me.

For the next 30 minutes, he explained the sun, the moon, the earth, fireworks but more importantly, the Yin and Yang. Every couple of minutes, he stuffed a new "free souvenir" into my bag. When his shift ended, I had a stack of paper items and a heavy metal pot. He insisted that I take everything. I also had a key to the upper levels of the pagoda. I climbed the stairs, walking past a woman performing a simple ritual at one the altars. From the top, there was a nice view of the town and river. On the way out, the next caretaker handed me my goody bag.

In the morning, I took a bus to Miri. In my bag were everything given to me at the temple. Everything but the pot, that is. While a nice gesture, it was simply too heavy.