Trip from Kota Kinabalu-Miri-Sibu

Introduction: I have difficulty blogging this topic because somehow the pictures attached refuse to appear in the blog if I make this blog into 1 document. So I split it up into pieces and this is the start of the blog until I reached Sibu.

Trip from Kota Kinabalu-Miri-Sibu

I went back to my hometown Sibu, Sarawak for Gawai (Dayak's Harvest Festival) on 29 May 2006. Since I just bought a new car, I intend to find out what the car can do on such a long journey (about 900km).At the same time, I want to experience the journey from Kota Kinabalu (KK) to Sibu. I was joined by my in-laws for the trip.

Day 1 - KK to Miri

We took off about 8 am from KK on 29 May 06 towards Sidumin, a town at the Sarawak border. We passed by Papar, Beaufort, Sipitang & Weston on the way. Make a note to stop at Sipitang town because it has a great seaside view. We reached the Sabah-Sarawak Merapok/Siduman Checkpoint to enter Sarawak.

The trip was possible because of this car below, Mitsubishi Lancer GLX.

Mom-in-law at the Merapok Sidumin Checkpoint.
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Then we proceeded to Lawas town. We rested and moved on to enter the small Brunei country. We stamped our passports at Mengkalap Checkpoint to exit Sarawak. Details of Lawas is at this netlink (http://www.lawasdc.gov.my/b_malaysia.htm)

We reached a boat ferry to cross a river and the fare is RM10.
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Then we drove into Brunei and stamped our passports into small Brunei at the Temburong Brunei Checkpoint. This checkpoint is not congested as the other Brunei checkpoints. Make sure you get a Temporary Brunei Car Pass at this checkpoint. It is called a 'Red Form' or 'Borang Merah'. The Pass is valid for a month for your car to pass through Brunei. Do not bring any liquor or you have to declare it to the Brunei customs.
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We reached the Puni Brunei Checkpoint and stamped our passports out of small Brunei. We reached another boat ferry about 600 meters from Puni checkpoint and paid RM8 to cross it to Limbang.
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My dad-in-law at Puni Checkpoint.
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We proceeded off to Limbang to have lunch since the Limbang Checkpoint is at the Limbang river jetty. We cannot miss this checkpoint to enter Limbang or else we cannot get out of Sarawak.
Details of Limbang is at this netlink (http://www.limbang.net.my)
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When we have finished our lunch, it was time to drive to the Sarawak/Brunei checkpoint at Tedungan. This is the worst checkpoint throughout the whole journey because of the heavy traffic. The time to go through this checkpoint can be at least 1 hour on weekdays or low traffic period. The time can be more than 1 hour on weekends or holidays. The Sarawak checkpoint is not a problem but the chokepoint is the Brunei Immigration. It opens 2 counters only and it took a while for them to process your passports.Any Brunaians reading this blog, take note. The Brunei government needs to speed up the processing time at his particular checkpoint.


We were out of the checkpoint and made our way to Jerudong Park and catch the highway to Kuala Belait. The highway is very good and it is a good place to test the maximum speed of the car. My car did maximum 140 km/h on the highway.Great drive. We passed Kuala Belait Junction and reached the Sungai Rasau Toll and paid Brunei$3 for the toll. We stamped our passports at the Sungai Tujoh Brunei/Sarawak checkpoint. There is another toll here and I paid RM10 to enter the highway to Miri City. We stayed overnight in Miri City because the whole journey took us about 12 hours and the distance is 450 km.

Details of Miri City is at this netlink (http://www.miricity.com.my)
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The whole trip can be cut down dramatically if the Sarawak government makes a highway from Lawas direct to Miri that bypass Brunei. The route can be going behind the 2 Brunei country and it will eliminate the multiple in and out of Brunei.The Sarawak political party and government will definitely get a big boost of support if this idea is implemented.All take note that I am the one who suggested this idea on the internet.

Day 2 - Miri to Sibu

On the next day, we left Miri City about 10 am and drove for about an hour to Niah junction for a rest. Then we drove to Bintulu town for lunch. It is about 2 hours drive from Niah.

We stopped at Bintulu town for lunch. Bintulu is a very organised place and I compliment the local council for putting such a good road system. The Bintulu highway towards Selangau town is the best I seen so far. Hopefully the Sarawak government will pump in more money to make highway such as this throughout the Sarawak state.
Details of Bintulu is at this netlink (http://www.bda.gov.my)
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Bintulu Tamu Market
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Then we proceeded towards Sibu. The road condition between Bintulu Highway and Selangau is the worst part and the Sarawak government must do something about it. Bad patch work is in abundance at this part of the road. We stopped at Selangau town after 2 hours drive for tea time. Selangau is a typical small town on the Selangau river.
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Selangau Town
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After tea, we continued for about an hour to Sibu. The drive was good and we reached Sibu about 5 pm. Sibu is about 450km from Miri. It was good to be in Sibu and see its progress. It is where I grew up.It is good too to come back to where I started and assess where I am now.
Details of Sibu is at this netlink (http://www.sibu.com.my)
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Sibu Wet Market
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Sibu Center Esplanande
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Conclusion
That is the end of this little blog about the journey I did for Gawai. You can always leave your comments and rate this piece. Check my other blogs for more pictures of the trip.
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