As most of you know, I flew over to the other side of Malaysia for the first time to spend a few days over the weekend in Sibu, Sarawak and with BengBeng (not his real name of course) and gang. He and his lovely wife and son, BengHui (not his real name of course) were the perfect hosts. Playing host to many other famous Malaysian bloggers must have helped because BengBeng is in many ways like a seasoned tour-guide driving me and sharing with me everything he knew about Sibu.

There is so much to share about my stay in Sibu - so i have to be quite concise to not bore you. Upon a few days of reflection & rest - I think it would be fitting to use the acronym of SIBU to express my thoughts.

Soul & Spirit

Sibu (from the word Sibau) is born out of the sweat and spirit of Sino sojourners from the south seas via Singapore. Some say Sibu is the soul of Sarawak. (how many ’s’ was there?)

The soul of Sibu is the Rejang River - a life stream of timber and goods. Originally a small trading post, it grew quickly into a major town that supplied sawn timber, plywood, logs, express boats, rubber, liquors, pepper, cocoa, palm oil, mushrooms, pineapples, sago and pottery to the world.

Sibu’s seaborn sojourners are deeply spiritual; although a vast majority are Christians, Chinese temples also fill it’s landscape with magnificent architecture. The century-old Tua Pek Kong temple was where the early Chinese sent their children to be educated.

A shot of yet another tourist park - yet to be open- being financed by a local millionaire as a gift to the city. There are plenty of other parks generously funded by these spirited people.

It just amaze me that Sibu isn’t heavily promoted as a tourist destination - it has so much soul and spirit.

A side note: How do you call a Sibu person? Sibuan? Sibuwan? Sibusites?

Idyllic

This is an idyllic town -peaceful, picturesque & pleasant. Does this picture look familiar?

This tranquility transcends to its people; evidence by their a sense of synchronicity in the way they live, work and walk.

I see the life of Beng Beng and I am so envious - because it is so free of unnecessary cares of city life. No road bullies to hustle with, no impatient drivers to contend with.

Just like these swans perch elegantly on top of these stilts, so are the people of Sibu as they rise above the unnecessary cares of life.

Bountiful

Multi-coloured ceramic jars are exported from Sibu too.

The bounties of the tribes come to the Sibu Central market each weekend.

Care for a chicken wrap?

Did I mention that Sibu has the largest concentration of millionaires in Malaysia? There is a little “island” in Sibu packed with bungalows of multi-millionaires outshining Damansara Heights.

From just a cursory glance, one can’t tell. From what I heard and observed, the wealthy here are quite modest and it would be hard to distinguish them. In fact, I think I ate with a millionaire without realizing it.

Undaunted

Despite being plagued by the sinking delta, the people of SIBU remains undaunted.

The picture above shows how some parts of this town is sinking (and stinking) and the clogged up drains is testament to this tragedy. Yet, some residents stubbornly refuse to move out and hang tough to their homes.

No town or city is spared from its share of problems and challenges and Sibu is no different.

It is however the manner in which the people respond to their problems and challenges that mark them apart from others.

Yes, I couldn’t avoid the contrasts in fortunes of those who live in squalid sinking and stinking inner city and the richly ornamented bungalows of the millionaires.

Just like these two trees in the middle of Sibu is different - yet they are similar in that they are planted on the same soil. So are the citizens of Sibu - both rich and poor.

Both trees famed for their stubborn refusal to fall despite many attempts to kill, uproot and saw them. They best represent the spirit of the people of Sibu- united, unbroken, undying.

The people are undaunted.

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