JalanJalan

We have 5 hours to kill in Miri, before catching the 7pm flight back to KL. Ma’am Sabariah has a couple of ex-students in Miri whom she taught in Ipoh way back late ’80s, so we touch base with them, now huge adults, them Meor and Nan. In fact on the AK flight from KL, she bumped into a 3rd ex-student, Faisal. Read her tales HERE and HERE as backgrounder.

We cross Miri River with the supply base for vessels serving the oil & gas industry here, to the right.

Shady trees along an avenue in suburban Miri. Good infrastructure, this place has.

Atop famous Canada Hill for a gawk at Miri, a city, but a town-esque city. The 4 tall buildings about sum it all.

Canada Hill is famous for this - the first ever oil-well in Malaysia, affectionately called ‘The Grand Old Lady.’

Details here.

It was manually operated by brute force …

… and feeling a bit charitable on this hot day, I just have to help those poor suckers, who have been huffing and puffing till they turned white! Or am I the real sucker here?

The original stucture is still secure and sturdy …

… but, dang, today is one hot day!

The Grand Old Lady is now within a new petroleum museum complex, which looks quite Australian to me, for some odd reason.

Nothing much happening in downtown Miri …

… except that some Einstein thought it would be a great idea to have a slice of KL’s Bintang Walk here.

We pop into a handicraft shop for some obligatory procurement.

This is indeed an oil town … ooops, city … when even the oil has to have recreation.

Last on the agenda, Meor takes us to see his mate, Nan. So there is a re-union of sorts with their beaming ex-teacher.

Nan’s day job is a chopper captain servicing those far-out oil rigs, a stressful task needless to say, but he has a creative outlet - bonsai.

Pretty little things. The Pinnacles?

Supposedly big trees stunted into elegant submission. Now that’s an art, and Nan is a sifu.

I like this one, miniature wholeness.

He adores orchids.

The fading late afternoon light gives this one an orangish hue.

And the pure white ones.

The back of his house has more magic.

He’s also into seashells.

Some rare ones too, I believe. I would not argue with Nan - I’m also passionate about things petite and cute.

In the dusk, we rush to the airport on time to catch our plane back to KL. Thanks to Meor and Nan for being truly gracious hosts.

Departing MYY on schedule, flight AK5257 arrives KUL on the dot. It has been a great weekend at Marvelous Mulu, which we’ll do again. But maybe we’ll bypass Miri then.

> THE END