Personal journal and online public diary

Friday 5 February 2016

December Getaway



It's been awhile since i traveled and went on a getaway trip, leaving my comfort zone. My family and I seldom travel to different places, with an exception of Miri and Lawas since we can travel to those places by car as our revenue is tight, but I am blessed with the supplies we get on a daily basis. For what i could say, this year trip was truly a blessing as our decision was last minute and honestly speaking, we faced several obstacles that pulled us back from heading to our trip.

We started travelling at 6;30 in the morning, along with my parent's friend and his family, riding in a comfy vehicle. They were very welcoming and friendly I would say, and prepared tidbits for the entire journey. We talked and laughed, having conversations that were quite memorable as we drove to our destination.

(the air conditioner was extremely cold but the sun was very bright so...)

We arrived in Miri around 8 am and stopped at a place which is near Merdeka Mall to grab our breakfast. I wasn't feeling very well at that time, but i remembered that i ate a bowl of noodles, Despite its odd-looking appearance, it did taste good.

We set off again to meet the rest of the group as we were travelling together and prayed in the corner for a safe journey. Praying that our 6-hour road trip filled with bumpy roads but several beautiful scenery surrounding us will be safe.

We arrive in Bintulu about 12 pm and headed to this place called ' Lu Fa Restaurant' for lunch. Honestly, I highly recommend this cafe because it's very easy to find and always on full house. It's also recommended by various by-passers and even the local. They serve different types of food and their menu looked unique. The food was extremely delicious and appetizing, served in big portions. It's obviously a Chinese restaurant, but there are fast food dishes being served in the restaurant, so if you'e not into Chinese cuisine, you'll definitely enjoy the fast food being served there as it is not bad as well. In addition, I've seen quite a lot of non-locals or non-Chinese eating at the restaurant.

( I did not take my camera with me so this picture was adapted from the internet)

we set off to ur journey about 2pm. There was several oil plantation field along the way but the road wass too bumpy and the car was inevitably shaky so I did not take any pictures but you could have seen how majestic the plantation, the mountains and the sky were.

We finally arrived at Mukah at about 4 in the afternoon. I was amazed by the view of the sea. Its was a 30 minutes' drive from the town area and the Wi-Fi signal was pretty poor, so it was obviously a great exodus from the modern world today and an ideal place for a break and to refresh ourselves.

This trip altogether along with other 70+ families for a camp. I met a few of my friends who arrived earlier than I did and toured around the resort while slightly messing around with the provided facilities. The resort had only two luggage carts, so, obviously the child heart in ours were unruly, screaming in the lobby like 5-years-old kids.





We spent most of our time in the resort, learning and absorbing some knowledge since it was a family camp, but we had all the afternoons to ourselves. I mostly spent the afternoon  swimming and playing around with friends.

I went out with my family and friends in the afternoon to explore around the town area. We went to the wet market, they sold very different items and good and they even sold baby sharks and silkworms in packets!



After that, we continued around the wet market and eventually, we went to the durian stalls. All the stall owners were very friendly as they offered us durians to eat or free and kept slicing open the fruit, feeding us with tons of durians which was definitely satisfying.

Not long after that, we went to a place where they sell all the vegetables and homemade arts and crafts. I noticed that all the vegetables were twice the size compared to the vegetables sold in Brunei. They were also very fresh. They also sell self-made body scrub, bath scrub, woven baskets, Cotonou oil, etc. I also noticed that they sell coconut oil in small bottles at every stall I passed. I was told that coconut oil (especially organic coconut oil) have so many countless of benefits for our body and hair, so I bought one for only RM3 as a gift to myself!( I still haven't used it until no because it's too precious)


( I found this before heading to the vegetable stalls and thought it looked cool)



(at the roundabout)

We went to the local shopping mall for a look. They sell various candies and tidbits at low prices. They also sell quite a number of imported clothes at an affordable price but with amazing quality. I find the grocery stores there like a wholesale place because they have A LOT of delicious and amazing food that cannot be found in Miri or Brunei.


(They have this hamper section that you can pick your own item and they will wrap it for you, you can even book the hamper you want and pick it up later)


(This Thai ice cream is even better than Magnum or Cornetto. It's kind of out of shape when i unwrapped it oh well, it's worth taking picture of it)


( They sell various alcohol and bear in the grocery store. A whole rack if it!)

That late afternoon, my friends and I went out to the sea coast to check out the sunset. Frankly speaking, I am obsessed with seas, oceans and any blue-related like sky. This place seriously has the best view. After admiring at the gorgeous view in front of us, we did some candid shots before heading for dinner.

(Before heading out to the beach, my "What's in My Bag" photo, 100% candid)








( The sunset behind me was so dreamy!)




(The sunset from other day)

There was a large crowd by the seaside on that day because it was the weekends, but there was large patches of trees by the seaside, and it was beautiful.

I left the next day to Miri. My parents left a day earlier than I did because i wanted to stay longer so i followed my mom's friend's car to Miri to meet my friends. The road trip was totally HORRIBLE! I was car sick, vomited a few times and slept for the rest of the trip, otherwise in unconscious condition. We somehow missed a junction and went to a rural area. We stopped for a toilet break and checked out a local market nearby. Eventually, we drove pass Batunya Town and I was totally and literally amazed by the sight of Niah Cave. It was absolutely stunning and it literally took my breath away.
Unfortunately,  I did not get a picture of it, because:
1) We just stopped for a while
2) I was stunned by the view
3) I just woke up



I arrived at Miri just in time for dinner. We had a great variety of different food dishes and it certainly brought my appetite back. I went to meet my friends and their families before heading back to our shared-apartment.


We stayed at 4th floor and the view through my window was amazing




I've spent three days and two nights in Miri, staying with my friends. All we did was shopping for three straight days!!

( Can we take this time to appreciate that I had Pezzo for breakfast, lunch and dinner for three days?)


( We got thirsty and hungry from shopping)


(Ding's Tea recommended fried fish balls, i found it okay)

(well, I did mention we got hungry)


( More food incoming! We were very hungry, but this tasted good)

(after shopping at Popular Bookstore, we got hungry again, luckily just in time for dinner)

( I went to watch Star Wars before we leaving to Brunei. #noregrets)

I am very grateful for this two weeks trip that I spent with both my family and friends. I certainly enjoyed myself a lot after feeling a little bit lonely in Brunei. Spending time with both my family and friends was a getaway from my comfort zone and it made me love my Mother Nature more. The bond between my family, my friends and I was something worth being kept in my heart and in my mind. I am so glad to have all of them in my life.

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