Above Kuching

To be honest, flying is not exactly my favourite thing as I really prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground (except for a few inches when I am driving in my car). But the view from the sky sometimes mesmerize you and like they say a bird's eye view sometimes is more encompassing of realising what is around you. So if its something like less than two hours or just for a few minutes I don't mind. Since then this confines my travelling any point within the two hour radius of Sarawak. I do realize that one day I will have to overcome this phobia when I have to take the family beyond my comfort flying radius. My experience and trip to the United States during my university days was  torturing enough that I had to stock on the in flight red wine and games just to calm myself down during those fifteen to ten hours in the air. It was not easy also as there would be a screen which will show where your plane is 'blipping' over the great Atlantic Ocean - which is basically water and water and water minus the land. But a helicopter ride is always less than one hour and one can get to see more of land and less clouds. Armed with a good camera it makes for a perfect outing. Here are some pictures of Kuching for Nadai Nama Nama's viewers which I manage to capture. I know its not much but well like I say, when you are up in the sky and sitting at the back, there's no communication between you and the pilot. Unless you are really on an aerial photo shoot mission which will be a different case. They'll open the helicopter door for you and tie you with some safety belts so that you can have a clearer shot. The flight engineer accompanying you will stay a few distance 'away from the open door' while you lean over the edge wide entrance. Thus, between you and the engineer, it will seem like Titanic's "You Jump, I Jump" kinda sequence but I don't think that applies to aerial photography. In my case it was shooting from outside a small window provided and you have to open and close it quickly at times as the noise of the wind from outside is pretty deafening. This usually causes passengers who are scared of heights to panic and they'll will stare at you as if they want to kick you out of the helicopter. Luckily the space in the helicopter does not allow for kicking. So here goes for those of you who miss Kuching's picturesque especially the tourism belt (waterfront area) and you can click on the photo for a larger version.

Kuching view from above the Satok air approach which I am sure Kuchingites will be familiar with

The famous Sarawak General Hospital

Civic Centre and the tennis courts along Croonkshank Road

A closer view of Civic Centre and partial view of the Sarawak Club and Amphitheatre

Kuching City South Council's distinct blue top and the areas surrounding it

Kuching Waterfront and the Kuching Steamship Company building

An overview of the famous buildings in Kuching water frontage area from the Satok aerial angle

What used to be Holiday Inn Kuching is now Hotel Margherita (yellow) and one can also see the Riverbank Suite (brown) including Riverside Majestic Hotel in the background

The political and administrative nerve centre of Sarawak comprised of the Governor's Official Residence (the Astana), the old and new Dewan Undangan Negeri, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Wisma Pelita, Wisma Sumber Alam. The Stadium Sarawak and High Court can be also seen at a distance.

Side by Side: Fort Margherita and the new Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)

Flood and Landslide in Sri Aman

Sri Aman experienced heavy rain last Friday. It started around midnight and when I woke up in the early morning it has not stopped yet. Then my worst fear was confirmed when I received flood occurrence and landslides reports from those plying the Lubok Antu road- Sri Aman town. Though most reports came from Lubok Antu, I did not know why my mind jumped to SK Klassen, its hanging bridge and the students there. Deeply worried I quickly made my way to the school which was 20 minutes from Sri Aman town. When I reached the school I was again worried as I saw students hanging around the car parking space before the bridge. I was glad that the school had decided to close and the students had been prevented from staying inside. Those who attended boarding school were already asked to leave.

What the students have to go through when the water levels at Klassen River rises to the hanging bridge's height. That was not the only danger for those crossing as I saw water snakes pass. Hopefully no other creatures are lurking around there

Students waiting for their parents to pick them from school - they stand by the foundation of the new bridge that is being built at the moment

Testing the bridge's safety at the moment with some of the teachers and villagers at Klassen - my worry was that should there be a torrent of logs rushing down the river it will surely be 'captured' by the bridge

So at the moment only the rushing water is causing a 'drag' effect on the bridge, which in the long run will will result in strain on the wires and ropes that are holding this hanging bridge.

The structures of the new bridge that is to be build next to the hanging bridge also submerged. Constant rainfall has caused the work on the new bridge to be affected

We proceeded to Batu Lintang area which has been cut off due to the road access to the small town being submerged underwater at knee deep to hip level in some places

Landslides along the Lubok Antu road and about six were recorded early in the morning. the road maintenance crew was dispatched immediately to clear them

The Lubok Antu Waterfront was also underwater as seen here

Kampung Kutai in Lubok antu was also flooded and by the time I reached the place in the afternoon most of the caged animals were released and seen here taking refuge at the compound of the owners' houses

Hilton Batang Ai was cut off as a serious landslide occurred at the Batang Ai road

The local Dewan Undangan Negeri for N.29 YB Encik Malcolm Mussen arriving here together with the Road maintenance crew from the Sri Aman Public Works Department

YB Encik Mussen himself was at hand to ensure that the road clearance was done to clear the landslide which had stranded those at the other side of the road

One for the album - a snapshot with the ever active YB Encil Malcolm Mussen as he made his rounds to the areas affected by the flood and lanslide.

Though in the days ahead the attention of the weather proceeded to Sibu which also became a waterworld, the flood in Sri Aman was handled well by the various personnels who were manning the Divisional Disaster Reilef Committee which comprised of the various government departments, Most of them sprang into action from the word 'Go'. Most of the Yang Berhormats were already on the ground overseeing aid and cleaning up works. It was a good outing as no lives were lost except for a collapsed hanging bridge at Nanga Kesit area. Work goes on as we are constantly vigilant on the changing weather pattern as any serious flood in Sri Aman interiors would be very serious due to the hilly terrains and inaccessibility of most areas. To all the departments involved, I wish to thank you all for your support and cooperation. For without them it could have been worst. How worst? Below is a picture of the Nanga Kesit Bridge, Lubok Antu sent by a friend (Jang Lemanak) which collapsed due to the force of high water levels. It sent shivers to think if the same fate falls on SK Nanga Klassen Bridge but the mission now is to complete the new bridge as soon as possible.

The collapsed Nanga Kesit bridge (courtesy of Jang Lemanak) - the Lubok Antu District Office will request for a replacement hanging bridge from the State Development Office.

Up,Up and Away Again

It was time for me to take to the air again as I flew over Sri Aman town and headed for the unreachable areas in the interiors. So I know some of you have been asking what is the latest development for Sri Aman Town and I present to you the aerial view of the town area for consumption. Click on the aerial photos to enlarge it.

Flying to the interiors again with the EC Helicopter

From Kuching we passed Lingga Town and this is easily identified by the large Lingga river mouth from the main Batang Lupar river

The Gran Stumbin Area and in the middle of the longhouses (and in the photo) you get to see the new school SK Gran almost completed

Bakong is mainly featured here with the jetty just at the right corner and various longhouses in the surrounding area and the gravel road at the left hand corner which will bring you to Lingga town from Sri Aman

Pilot's view of Sri Aman town as we flew over St. Luke School (blue roof below)

View of part of the Sports Track known as Padang KPSU Lama, the blue roof of SK Abang Aing, and in the middle the new Sri Aman Township

The riverfront: the Batang Lupar Riverine park (below right), the jetty in the middle and the Tua Pek Kong Temple (below left) a mix of the old township and the new at the background

A wider view of Sri Aman river front to include both the riverine waterfront and the Taman Panorama Benak on the left and you can catch a glimpse of Fort Alice on top of the small hill

Sri Aman new township in progress as five blocks are being built (four almost complete)

View from a higher angle with the Masjid Bandar Sri Aman, next to the red roofed Civic Centre in the fore ground

Just an aerial perspective of the town for those who miss Sri Aman. I am sorry for those who have asked me to pick up some of their villages from the air. One gets pretty disoriented when up in the air but maybe in the next upcoming trip. Cheers.

Have You Seen the Old Man?

When I first reported for duty in Kuching in 1994, one distinct figure that kept emerging from my memory was the sight of an ice cream man and his bicycle. At one time it happened when I was in my car and the song 'Streets of London' came into play. Come rain or shine through the years, this old man will always appear as if out of nowhere. With his cap and distinct 'Nestle' brand shirt thats hard to miss. I would always remember the time I am caught in a jam while on a bus or car, Mr. Ice Cream man would be walking along with his bicycle either crossing the road or opposite. It has been many years since we passed by one another this way. There was always this intention to buy an ice cream or two but during most times I could only see him from afar and the busy traffic would push me ahead. So most of our meetings would always be just a matter of seconds. It seems impossible to get some sweet 'Red Bean' potong ice cream from Mr. Nestle Man.

So last Sunday, after a heavy downpour Mr. Nestle man suddenly appeared in my sight as he walked along Jalan Tun Jugah. This was my opportunity I would not miss after waiting to buy from him for so many many years. I made a point to park my car as parking by the side was quite risky due to the recent downpour. It was unfortunate that I had left my Nikon D5000 at home this Sunday. I had to rely on my 2MP Cameraphone as I chatted with Mr. Nestle Man.

Catching up with Nestle Man. It seems that age has weathered him ~ he walks with his bicycle for a few metres, and then pause to catch his breath before walking on again. I remember about ten years ago he walked upright and was able to stabilize his bicycle better. Now it seems a struggle to do so.

Easy does it - the road seems slippery

Not easy to steady the bicycle if the load is heavy but Mr. Nestle Man and his bike lean against one another as a loyal partner would

The cars pass by at high speed but they are considerate of this ice cream seller and his old bicycle

In my conversation with Mr. Nestle Man, he introduced himself as 'Ah How'. By the looks of the bicycle I would say it has been loyal to him for those many years he sold ice creams

'Ah How' says he has been in this trade for almost thirty years. Of course he was more fit when I saw fifteen years or so ago. He is proud of his work and is dedicated to it. Here he is struggling to find my Ice Cream potong... "Kacang Merah Potong ada, ada" he says as if not to disappoint me.

And so I got my Ice Cream potong and bid 'Ah How' goodbye. I am happy to have bought it from him after so many years. I had asked him many questions regarding his welfare but he brushed them off. He seems to have decided that this will be his trade as long as he can steer that bicycle. So my friends, if you see Mr. Ah How aka the Nestle Man, do stop and get your favourite flavour from him. I know he will appear again one day as I cruise along Kuching roads and I will surely get some more Ice Cream Potong from Ah How.

Slippery Road Causes Accident

Two cars went 'peng' (a term we use to describe accident here especially if the cars turned turtle or is really in an akward position) this morning at around 7:30 am. The incident happened about 30 kilometers from Sri Aman town, on the way to Mount Hosanna Chapel. The two cars skidded down the slippery slope (caused by rain) and ended in the ditches. None of the occupants were hurt though.

The white Perodua Kelisa on the right is seen in the ditch. At first glance you would have assumed this accident involved only one car but why is that orange shirt guy across the road if he owned the Perodua Kelisa?


Another guy in orange seemed to be inspecting the Perodua Kelisa and taking things out from the car -  it must be the owner


Another passerby (with cigarette) was also there asking if the accident victim need a tow truck. Hmm......


On a closer look I saw something that looked like a green Proton Iswara in the bushes. Nearby two figures huddled  down by the road side under the cold drizzle.


A young boy and an elderly woman was sitting down trying to find shelter from the light drizzle

After interviewing the two car owners it seemed that they have made the necessary calls for help and both drivers are from Debak, Betong. I doubled check them for any injuries but both seemed well and relaxed. As they did not request for other assistance and turned down my offer to bring the boy and the elderly lady to my office while the owners sort things out. It seems that someone with tow truck connections had arrived also. I won't stay around as they proceeded to talk with the car owners. I made my way back to my car but when I looked at the boy again, I decided to give him my umbrella. That much I can offer as they were confident their relatives were on the way. I am just glad that everyone is okay. 

Backup Your Backup Always Coz You Will Never Know

Where did you go? I guess I have a lot to answer to my Nadai Nama Nama fans as I go back into history to put up my Gawai 2010 blog. Its not too late to blog about the fun I had during my Gawai celebration. It was just that there was a mixture of events that hampered this blog. The main one of course was the sudden wipeout of data in my portable hardrive which contained all my backups, photos taken for the past eight years. Now I am just picking up whatever pieces of those 180GB information and files that have disappeared knowing very well I will never get all of them back.

The next is the Dell Netbook that I am using right now is underperforming. I know I am a camel trophy type of computer user, multitasking here and there while surfing the net and I believe I need a more powerful and responsive machine to work with. This Netbook was supposed to make it easier to blog with its portability and the supposedly powerful Intel Atom Processor - but it just can't handle what I have to put in from my Nikon D5000 and a hardworking photo editing software at the same time. In So I guess a netbok is just for the Internet and its meant for light work - as if I did not know. Now that I have started to reorganise but still cry over my lost data I'll backtrack on where I left behind this past few months and that is my Gawai 2010.

And so, was Gawai 2010 good for you as it was for me? Here are some scenes of Gawai in Sibu especially at the wharf when I went there a few days before Gawai.

The Gawai scene at the Sibu Wharf during the eve of Gawai - brisk sales of tickets for the boat operators


Hey look - one can still find a trishaw along the busy streets of Sibu Town.


Poerter counting his earnings as he helps in bringing the goods to and from the boat. This is the time they can make three digits in income.


Passengers waiting for the their boats making good use of the extra chairs put in place.

The next post will be on the family adventures we had last Gawai and maybe interrupted by some latest events that I need to blog about. Its a reminder to those who has digital files and data, constantly back them up. As James Joshua adviced me, make backups for your backups. Too true James...still it was a painful lesson.