Coming from a cosmopolitan city, my impression of Malaysia is that it is rather laid back as compared to the people here. Having been to the peninsular for a number of times, my impression stayed. But when I entered East Malaysia, it is as if time stood still. The place reminds me of my own country in the 1970s that has not been developed through the years. It is a real eye-opener, but also a place I like because I can just sit back, relax, forget all the stress and worries back home, and totally enjoy myself.
When I arrived in Miri, there was not much time to explore as we had to go do our nails, and then settle the last-minute preparations for the wedding. But on the third day I was in Miri (the day after the wedding), my room mate and I were able to take the shuttle from the hotel to where we wanted to explore. So we went to Imperial Mall, had lunch, and started exploring the place.
Aerial view of Miri
We were very lucky to secure window seats from the food court. These are the views from the window while we were eating.
I had no idea what this tall blue building is, but it seems to be a prominent landmark.
After lunch and exploring, we went back to the hotel, and my friend brought us to the stretch of beach behind the hotel, where we witnessed a very spectacular sunset!
The boardwalk on the beach, although part of it is spoilt
Can you see the little crabs on the rocks?
This is the famous seahorse island, which apparently, is out of bounds to public.
This is a very interesting elephant cloud.
We went for dinner after that. Initially my friend wanted to bring us to the beach shack, where there are lots of nice stalls selling variety of dishes, but her favourite stall was not there, so she brought us to another eatery owned by her friend for a sumptuous meal.
The next day, we went to explore the sights of Miri, starting with a drive up Canada Hill to see the view of the city from the top, as well as the site of the first oil rig in Miri.
View from the top of Canada Hill
The oil museum
The first oil rig in Miri
After descending from Canada Hill, we went on a drive around the city area and saw some village houses by the water front.
Recognise that blue and white building? We were at the mall opposite the day before.
Next, we went to a beautiful and pristine beach, with soft white sand and smooth crashing waves. The beach is not even polluted at all!
While driving along, we passed by this garbage disposal area, right in the middle of a street,
We then took a drive to the campus of Curtin University in Miri, where there is a nice lake in the middle of the campus.
We stopped by for a snack, and I could not resist taking this interesting street sign!
We then went to a local market, where there are many stalls selling local produce like food products, fruit, and hand-crafted jewellery made by the natives.
This is a local Miri fruit called "Sa lak"
Rows of stalls selling produce
Jewellery stall selling hand-crafted jewellery and bags made by the local tribes. I bought a very intricate necklace from there!
The necklace I bought
Sarawak local honey
The next day, we all checked out of the hotel. My room mate had to leave and the newly weds had to go home, so I checked into another hotel next door, and spent the time with my friends eating, drinking and just exploring the local stores.
The day before I left Miri, I decided the explore the stretch of beach leading from my hotel to Marriott. And it was a great beach too, with interesting sights along the way, like fallen logs and trees, long grass, a local clinic, even a dinosaur statue!
The second hotel I stayed in has a more close-up view of the seahorse island
The gazebo of the second hotel I was in
View of Marriott from the beach
What is a dinosaur doing in this part of the world?
Marriott Miri
Unfortunately, the walkway does not link to Marriott, so I had to go make another round, which passed by a medical centre, the main street and then to the entrance of Marriott.
The medical centre en route
On my last day in Miri, I had to leave for the airport very early for my flight to Kuching. By the way, the airport in Miri is a very small one. I thought it is the smallest one I have ever been to, until I saw Mulu's airport. And this concludes my time in Miri!
The runway at Miri Airport
Aerial view of Miri
Bye bye Miri!
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