Pre-Gawai 2005 Country Ride

Posted by B4 on May 28, 2005 at 23:13:57:

I took a pre-Gawai country ride recently.
It was a trip down memory lane
as well as a Gawai 2005 country road rehearsal.
Together with two office colleagues
who have called it a day from gomen service
we enjoyed it.
I enjoyed it very much as nostalgic re-visits
of some long missed spots as well as passing through
some previously untravelled tracks.
It was on a fine Wednesday of 18 May 2005.

The trip was to be partly charity and partly pleasure.
Charity part was
that we wanted to visit a Wilfred of Kampung Rayang,
a former Officer of MARDI at Jalan Santubong
who was once also a former colleague to us three,
who has gone indisposed for many months now
but still is a gazetted Mardi Officer (an unfilled vacancy).
We want to give him our Get-well-soon Gawai Message.
Unfortunately, he was out when we came
as his sister had brought him out for a town trip.
We just left him our "buah tangan"
and we continued on with our journey.
Gawai nanti datang lagi, kuan beje.

Below are my ramblings, disjointed notes
that I made out of the ride.
Route taken: Kuching, BDC, Sungei Kuap Bridge, Seratau,
Tarat, Rayang, Serian Town, Ranchan Pool,
Taiee, Plaman Nyabet, Sira, Krian,
Teng Bekap, Simpok, Mambong & then back to Kuching.

From BDC to the Stampin Resettlement
which was initiated on low alluvial ground
including nipah swamp along the bank of Stutong River,
a Kuap River tributary,
a hive of housing building activities is visible.
The roundabout before the Lion's Nursing Home
and the resettlement
is now an intersection for the road
formerly linking the resettlement only to BDC ways
to branch out to the bridge across Stutong river
to to branch out also towards Stutong Indah
en route Taman Setia Raja & Kuching Specialist Centre

Stutong River Bridge and the Kuap River Bridge
both seem to have spurred up housing building develpment
on both sides of the river banks.
The units are coming up fast -- like mushrooms?
And Formely water-logged pools are drained dry,
filled up and piled where necessary for firm foundation.

On the PLI (Pusat Latihan industri) side of Kuap river bank
also a housing estate is fast coming up
near where there used to be a Sales area
for of fresh fruits & vegetables.
On the Tabuan Jaya side of that bridge
at the roundabout
an imposing Royal Custom & Excise signboard
wants to announce something or other
but there seems to be a cross bar to the road branch.

At the roundabout where the Kuching-Mambong Road crosses
K Sentosa-K Samarahan Road,
Medan University Commercial Complex is now erect
aparently ready to spring into action any time soon.
Commercial premise lah, brush up your Bahasa tool.
Nothing to do with Medan di Sumatra eh.

This and other observed roadside development projects
would seem to say one thing.
Development pattern of road first,
then econ activities later
is being followed.
Or
isn't it the other way round?
with Unimas Campus dev first
and then peripherals or "spin-off" follow later?

Ahaaa that is Gunong Sibanyis.
It’s like the hair is falling off and
the head is becoming bald.
Is it in the process of being levelled off?
It looks like an environmental "land shoot"
(never mind land what, degradation lah)
even from casual observation and from afar.
What says the EIA report one wonders.
My collegue says:
No, the towkay is selling off the "land" (soil lah)
to fill up lowlying flat areas
formerly rice fields of Siburan, Ber(Sar)atok and Tapah
as well as the Kuching-Serian road upgrading project.
I struggled to recall what Pape Gabuk mentioned
of Gunong Sibanyis earlier on in his JAB postings.

"I thought you said the road is complete"
I nudged my friend who seemed to have dozed off
as we pass Simpang Kampung Duras.
The long curved rows of street lamp posts looked futuristic
Though yet to rival the KLIA-KL city toll ways,
they are a spectacle to behold outside Kuching city itself
We are yet to come up with big neonlighted ads or billboards
which are common sights in KL metropolis ways.

Kuching-Serian road lighting project
certainly do add majesty to the Kuchig-Serian link
as well as serve possibly as explanasi perhaps for extending
the duration period for link completion?

There are few signs, if any, of apparent hurry
on that bright sunny Wednesday morning May 18
apart from some minor activities near Baki
that is near the junction to Kpg Taiee.
Project schedule has been publicised?
None of us recall any.
Without schedule transparency
we ordinary layman are in no position to say
the project is on or off schedule.
Possibly, the contractors are doing a fine job
and taking their due time to complete the project.

Surely they aren't the same people
doing also other infra stroke toll (infrastructural) projects
For if they are,
they would be overstretching their resources:
Batang Kayan Bridge of Lundu
Durin Bridge of Sibu
or at Batang Mukah Bridge of Mukah or
Lanang Breeeze of ... , aaah all awaiting completion.
Nonetheless,
in my mind on that day
the Kuching-Serian dual carriage way,
if & when done
complete with lighting,
would portend to the fast development of Kuching City.
Pictures formed in my mind of the rapid development rate
mentioned by Mr A Jose Duna
in his paper at the recent BGA seminar.
Now look at the lamp posts again
dah tanam tapi belum tumbuh tinggi lagi
dekat YB Bayoi's punya rumah di Stabun
before the Serian roundabout dd 18.5.05

I've not been to Serian for ages
or so it seems.
In actual fact
it's only since before last Gawai 2004 lah.
Passing through Serian township
I noticed a sign board standing upright
and saying "Serian Town Centre"
nearer to Kpg Pasir and Kpg Kemayau
than to formerly central Serian Coop Sdn Bhd premise.
Akai akai akai
Why is the coop sign board looking reduced in size?
Isn’t it miniaturised cf its formerly faded but big sign board?
All right, ... relativity, all right.

Serian town is fast growing alright
and its mosque is now occupying the ground
almost where DO Serian bungalow used to dominate,
on upriverside of the bridge
That is,
on ground forming part of the scenery for Serian Danu.
Just about a stone throw or two away
from the Roman Catholic St Teresa Church, Serian.
Meanwhile on the other side of river bank stands the masjid cawangan.
Serian Mosque reminds me of another landmark, similarly imposing,
at the new Anglican Church premise sited near the roundabout
before Serian town where the road branches into three:
1) to Tebakang-Tebedu-Pontianak etc
2) to old Serian town centre (original centre)
3) to new Serian town centre (EverRise, Kpg Kemayau, Dewan Masyarakat et al)
The Anglican Church walls display ornate, & therefore, eye-catching artwork.

At Ranchan Pool my misperception is corrected
at the pool chalet office.
It is now styled as De Chalet Ranchan Recreatioanal Park.
You can book for the chalet there and then
instead of having to go the District or town council office
as I previously thought.
The chalet accommodation rates range from RM100 per night
for 4 bed room aircond terrace suite
to RM10 per night/adult or RM5 per night/student
for dormitory
There are also RM80/night and RM60/night in between.
These are advertised in its free brochure.
PPK Serian that day happens
to be using the Bilik Kuliah there
for conducting a training course
on citrus cultivation or something.
Pengurus Besar PPK Serian is there
to negotiate expedient payment mode.

Now for the country ride proper.
As the on-going road construction is at its busiest
near the Kpg Taiee junction we mistake the lane
and miss the Taiee junction and have to return
to take the correct lane.
The road to Taiee also seems
to be undergoing an upgrading of sort.
Three or four fragile small bridges
across same number of small streams
are now in the process of being upgraded
into concrete and wider bridges.
Why now and not earlier
when the country road was first tarred?
As a big bump was avoided in the lencongan
my colleague suggested an explanation:
Earlier must be Peruntukan 7MP (seventh malaysia plan)
and now should be Peruntukan 8MP
mesti habis punya before plan period is over soon.

Do you want to see the school, the SMK Taiee?
Nah, unless we want to compare it
with the upgraded one at Tarat
which look new, spick and span
opposite the necessarily green and in part overgrown
Tarat Agriculture Station.
SMK Taiee at Tarat now is now headed
by Mr Rejeng formerly from Kapit Division
(of upper Rejang, you remember?)
as the recently posted Pengetua.
SMK Taiee Proper (i.e. at Kpg Taiee) should manage
alright with Ma'am Ana Dreba still at the helm there.

Let's now return to Kuching through Plaman Nyabet
Teng Bekap, Simpok and Mambong.
Plaman Nyabet is a village somewhere
in the border region between two dialects.
It's where Bukar-Sadong and Pinyawa-Biatah dialects meet
Some military minds thought there were CCO activists
in the region in the pre-1970s, you know.

As we now turn into the narrowed lane
having a signboard of sort
indicating Plaman Nyabet direction
somewhere near the Taiee Library and modern Baruk,
my travelling companion,
who formerly served in the army,
says he used to go to Plaman Nyabet on foot in the 1970s.
I want to see how it's now that the road's paved, he says.

To me it's a road untravelled.
Plaman Nyabet is a plaman I've yet to visit
though it's a name I've heard of since 1974
when Yayasan Sarawak's Rice Production Competition
(the previous year) came up with a winner
from the wet rice fields of Plaman Nyabet.
I still remember the late Arthur Madeng duly broadcast
his interview with the winner over Bidayuh Service of RTM.
The related script didn't impress my superior enough
to get organized or to plan a visit to the field.
And for me this is my first time to the plaman.
And what do I know?
Nothing.
Not only is the country road paved to Plaman Nyabet
but the plaman's lampu pelita days are also over.
The lines overhead along the winding narrow road
say the villagers have progressed
in their power technology adoption
from the wood and minyak gas (kerosene)
to the electric power technology.
Similar to Kpg Taiee?
Understandably it's a plaman of Kpg Taiee.

Next along the country road is Kpg Sira
Note that this is different from Kpg Bisira,
my colleague cautions me.
Look, he added,
they've felled the durian and other fruit trees.
Do you know why?
This is to make way for electricity
The villagers now know it's a price they've to pay.
It's not for free this new source of power technology.
So near from Plaman Nyabet,
yet they can't just sambung the light lines.
Kpg Sira electricity supply is to come
at cost of some obstructing fruit trees
They've agreed to cut down such trees
to make way for RES line to carry electricity.
After all such durian trees
pun tak jua berbuah begitu banyak tiap-tiap kali
kadang-kadang kurang dari sekali setahun duo.

Kampung Krian is next before reaching Teng Bekap
and I'm lost.
I'm lost because Kampung Krian has progressed.
The Krian I visited in 1974 is no more there.
Where is the longhouse with the tall notched ladder?
Where are the sago-leaf thatched houses?
May be in other parts of the village, my companian says
but not along the road side lah.
Electric power technology,
as they say,
is more than just electric guitar,
electric iron or
electric kettle.
Like for other Bidayuh villages,
Kampung Krian near Teng Bekap can well testify to that.
Progress for Krian comes at the cost
of obliteration of a a number of things
not least of which is the "environment"
simply in the sense of familiar surroundings.
That atmosphere
which was familiar to me in mid 1970s
is now gone, no more and
it is replaced by other things.
Haven’t things traditional also be affected?
Let's just say your guess is as good as mine.
What more tosay of historical landmarks?

But the Pinyawa Supermarket masih Super lah
at Teng Bakap
We didn't stop to buy things from it
but mere fact that it's still up and about
is a reassurance of sorts for sustainability.

Teng Bekap is now one of the registered RGC's
(rural growth centre under Rural & Land Dev Ministry)
It's meant to serve also the Bidayuh within its territory.
To orang Krian what is the proper spelling:
Tiang Bekap, or Teng Bukap?
(not Teng Bengam, heh; to villagers, what's it called?
Madih KL, care to share some insight into Teng Bekap story, please)

Instead of going to Mambong through Kamping Bayur
we took the Kampung Simpok route
My colleague wanted to pass through Sarig.
How much better, certainly more smooth,
is the ride from Teng Bekap to the Borneo Height Road
passing under the conveyor belt of the cement plant
at Kampung Mambong.
From Mambong back to Kuching two routes are open.
We can go either through Kota Padawan & Kota Sentosa
or through the "link" errr road (cling, no sound)
passimg Kampung Seratau and Bukit Sibanyis
heading to the one and only toll bridge in Sarawak (as of now).

Only minor negligible stretches here and there are still
unpaved along the way from Teng Bekap to Mambong.
Down with the dust & dirt and up with concrete huts
concrete columns and concrete supports for houses or
roadside abodes or residential bungalows and/or palaces.
Of course, Bollywood oops saru aku
Bolly Tilitiek Toling (split bamboo huts)
may still be there aplenty
but they are neatly hidden by natural greenery along the road.
The point is that it's now a more smooth ride
than when we travelled through during 7MP era
six of seven years ago.
Or earlier still,
no need to say lah brada ...

Looking forward to 9MP
and in the Gawai 2005 spirit Segulai Sejalai
Let us hope for more better roads ahead
for all.
Selamat Gawai 2005