SY2 Chinese New Year Gathering

Today is Prudential Taman Sea Branch Chinese New Year celebration, there are Lou Sang, Lion Dance Ceremony for all the Agency Managers, Unit Managers and all the Quality Agents.

I too joined the joyful and prosperous occasion. We joined with the rest of the team and all of us are getting a big Ang Pow for our ‘Hoi Kong Tai Kat’.

Catholic Memorial Pilgrimage Centre 3 Feb 2014

It is the 3rd day of Chinese New Year and I was forgotten it was whose ideas is that to visit this holy place. And it is really new to me as well too as I was never heard or gone to this place at Kuching past few years ago.

Mount Singai, situated between Bau & Batu Kawa, about 550m high, is located about 40 minutes drive from Kuching. This is where the Catholic Memorial & Pilgrimage Centre to be found.

We reached at the foot of the Mount. Singai and it is located in the village, there is a small stall selling coconut drinks and other soft drinks.

Going to this special place is like a renewal of faith. Not only one needs to walk uphill for more than 30 minutes, when I saw the steep timber staircase with most of the walkways are covered by moss, my mind was thinking like, “It would take all my energy to climb up to the top, oh dear…”

With Daddy and I were taking care so many children with us, as Brother Andrew and Minah did not follow us due to his health, both of them waited us at the stall at the foot of the mountain. We often stopped to catch a breath and take photos along our way up to the mount.

Plank-walks and staircase were built at some of the steep places thus provide convenient to elderly visitors. Halfway up to the Centre is a clearing providing a good view of the Kampung below and also Batu Kawa township in the distance. There are altogether fourteen station of the cross along the track.

But once we get to the centre the feeling of fresh air and lush, green scenery that surrounds the place greets you with a calm and peaceful feeling. All you hear is the sound of the small jungle creatures that was left to live undisturbed.

The area surrounding the Catholic Memorial Pilgrimage Centre is also a good site for Jungle trekking and also wildlife sighting.

There are abundance of fruit trees, palm ferns, wild flowers along the path and also wildlife. A jungle path leading to the top of Mount Singai located just beside the Longhouse.

A brief history of Catholic Memorial Pilgrimage Centre. Over a hundred years ago, a small Catholic Chapel was built among the Bidayuh on the slope of Mt. Singai, Bau, Sarawak in 1885.

Today this majestic ancestral home of the Bidayuh of Singai is no longer inhabited following the migration of the people to the surrounding lowlands.

The site of the first chapel at Mt. Singai however has been turned into a Memorial and Pilgrimage Centre with the building, completion and blessing of the Centre in November 1999.

The Centre has attracted a lot of Catholics and other Christian Pilgrims and has become very popular with the local Catholics and other Christian denominations and those from other places, so much so that the existing living quarters, especially the washrooms and toilet facilities could no longer cope with the increase in the number of visitors there.

Today the ancestral home of the Bidayuh, other than devoted Catholics and other Christian denominations, has become a popular weekend destination from the urban dwellers nearby especially Kuching, and also a tourist attraction.

The centre now has new Church which a 300 maximum seating which in the form of the Bidayuh Ceremonial House, Baruk. Below it is an open air prayer space with wooden seats.

Other facilities including dinning cum community hall, hostels, chalets, public toilets, washrooms, caretaker house and ten doors longhouse. We took some time visited the areas and took some photographs. It was really amazing that I can’t imagine there is a holy place like this at this height of the mountain, and it is really took great faith to build it.

After a while, we started to come down from the hill through the same stairways again, this time was faster compared to our hiking up to the hill.

On the way down hill, we have more time and energy to see the surroundings of the hills, the jungle was so virgin as untouched. We were almost exhausted when we were at the foot of the mountain again.

Overall, it was a great experience to us!

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Jong’s Crocodile Farm Revisited 2 Feb 2014

Almost every year we would visit Jong’s Crocodile Farm whenever we come to Kuching. This year also the same, we came back here again for I can not recall for N times already.

It is a must go place because the children love to see the crocodiles and animals! Apart from crocodiles, there are also numerous rare species of birds and animals found only in the Borneo Island.

We can have the enchanting experience of walking freely among the monkeys, leopard-cats, sun bears, bearcats, pheasants, civets, barking deers, sambar deers, turtles, fruit bats, monitor lizards, pythons and even southern cassowary.

One and only known Crocodile Museum in Malaysia. You will come across the museum as you enter from the entrance.

The Museum accrued not only the Skull of the legendary Bujang Senang, but have records of most of the historic men-eater crocodiles in the region.

Visitors will also get to see gallery of historical photos, close-up on crocodile's eggs, crocodile skeleton replica and also it's nest.

Here we can experience feeding live crocodiles at our daily feeding demonstrations located at one of our many saltwater crocodile ponds!

Watch, with your own eyes, majestic crocodiles leaping several feet into the air from the swamp! Get up close and personal to feel the gush of wind coming from their massive bites and the splashes from their giant leaps.

The Arapaima feeding demonstration is located at the middle of gigantic Fresh Water Pond, where the Arapaima and more than 15 other species of freshwater tropical fishes habitats.

Visitors can also take a rest here in the gondola like stage after while watching the fishes feed. With the Arapaima swimming around in the pond & water lilies floating around, it might just bring some relaxation through the natural Zen.

We did not take much photos as we have came here numerous time before. Just a few group photo shots and big close up shots on the animals.

 

Kuching General Post Office 1 Feb 2014

During this trip back to Kuching, we did walk about near the main bazaar area in town. We did pass by The Main Post Office on Jalan Tun Haji Openg.

It is another good example of Kuching’s cosmopolitan architectural mix. Built in 1931, it appears to belong to the early 19th century with its neo-classical style and Corinthian columns.

This majestic building was designed by Denis Santry of Messr. Swan & McClaren Architects (Singapore). Completed in 1932 under Charles Vyner (the third Rajah), the Neo-Classical facades were quite in contrast to the style of buildings favoured by James and Charles Brooke (the first and second Rajah).

The site was once used for a police station and also the Rajah’s Stables. Occupants of the old Medical Headquarters across the road fondly recall looking to the Rajah’s Stables, surrounded by areca palms, to the coach house, hay loft and harness room, and watching the horses being fed, watered & groomed.

The post office marks the beginning of Sarawak's first trunk road. A letter addressed to any mile along the road is guaranty to get delivered. This building will soon become the new home to the Sarawak Art Museum.

Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner 30 Jan 2014

Well, here is our Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner for this year!

My mother-in-law is an amazing woman, she can do a lot of wonders, from cooking, teaching the children, and everything comes to her, she can handle it well.

She used to be a hawker selling kolo mee, noodles soup, and ‘kam puah’ dry noodle (it is the dry noodle only can have it in Sarawak, it is a signature food or dish for Fu Chou clan), etc..

There is one signature of her always appears in the dining table during this season of joy is the braised duck.

She really do it so good tastes, that every year one of Sister Agatha’s friend would order from her.

In her old age, she still can able to cook so much dish. This time around, my sister-in-law did help a lot in preparing and cooking. Normally my task is cleaning the dishes after each meal, because I am not a good cook.

After the dinner, the children joined with their cousins playing the fire crackers from evening till the midnight!

KLIA2 29 Jan 2014

This year, we are going back to Kuching as a family again.

I know that my mother-in-law is old age now. This is the least I can do for her and the children. I want the relationship and the bonding between both children with their cousins, uncles, and aunty are still there.

So here we are in KLIA2 airport for the flight going back to Kuching for Chinese New Year. The kids are so excited because they can meet with their dearest cousins again.

The new low cost terminal looks fabulous and there are more shopping retail outlets here compare with the main terminal at KLIA.

The kids are having fun here and looking for their own entertainment. It is decorated with Chinese New Year theme as well.

On the Go…

Both children’s daddy brought them to Aeon. These are the funny faces and patterns that both kids did in the shopping mall!