The magic of Miri
February 18, 2007 | 12:00am
Centuries ago, outsiders feared to trespass the lush jungle haven called Sarawak in terrible fear of its cannibals, or "wild men of Borneo." This exotic island was characterized by intriguing mysteries and beguiling secrets. Generations of explorers and bounty hunters arrived in Borneo not only to unlock its secrets and surprises but also to conquer the land. After the arrival of the White Rajahs in 1839, headhunting was brought to an end thereby eradicating such transfigured myths.
Today, Sarawak boasts exotic adventures, astonishing biodiversity, jungle trekking, boat trips on extended river routes into the country’s interior, encounters with unknown wildlife and discoveries of its native people. The river rides and primeval beauty of the approaching forests assault the senses, proving to be an adventure of a lifetime. While Mother Nature has remained preserved in this paradise, there exists an enviable balance as great progress and development have also taken place. Sarawak has a modern and fully equipped port and airport as well as a very efficient road system connecting all the major towns in Sarawak, Sabah and neighboring countries Brunei and Indonesia.
What truly fascinates, however, is the history of Sarawak, one of the two states that make up East Malaysia. Sarawak and Sabah are separated from west Malaysia with an area of 124,449.51 square kilometers. Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, making up some 37.5 percent of the country’s total area. Ruled not by a colonial power, but by an English family led by James Brookes for 100 years, it earned the title "Kingdom of the White Rajahs." James highly revered Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Singapore’s founding father. Brooke devoted much of his time to fighting pirates, headhunters and bandits in Sarawak’s interior and coastline. He died in 1868 and was succeeded by his nephew Charles Brooke, a capable and organized ruler. The main development in the last years of Charles Brooke’s reign was the discovery of oil. In 1895, traces of oil had already been discovered in Miri, a charming town that faces the South China Sea along the banks of the river. Miri is the birthplace of Sarawak’s petroleum industry, which remains the major industry of the city. The successful discovery of offshore oil in the 1970s instigated a development boom in Miri: luxury hotels were built, sprawling mansions were constructed, new shopping centers and industrial estates established. Another boom during the 1960s to 1970s was the timber industry  exporting timber became a highly lucrative industry.
Miri’s population consists of Chinese, Dayak, Malay, Melanau, Indian, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Iban, Bidayuh, Penan and other indigenous groups. Through these broad classifications, the races are further sub-divided into different tribes, each having their own particular areas of abode, occupation and language. However, the commercial, industrial and technological advances, coupled with easy accessibility and a growing number of interracial marriages among locals, has shaped Miri into a potpourri of customs, traditions and beliefs inherited through the generations.
Today, the town that oil built is a bustling commercial center, well prepared to serve the cosmopolitan petroleum community and welcoming tourists the world over. Tourism truly thrives: Miri came to be known as "Sarawak’s Northern Gateway." In the mid-’90s, development plans for rapid changes and concentration on tourism to boost the commercial sector called for the Oil Town to be elevated to a city status  the first city in Malaysia to do so. My dear friends Anyati Orcullo and Judy Merusin decided to take me for a spin in Anyati’s newly acquired 12-cylinder BMW 850, thus we cruised along the impeccable highways from nearby Bandar Seri Begawan to savor the sumptuous seafood delights of the resort city of Miri. A seafood paradise and the best place to enjoy fresh prize catches like fish, prawns, crabs and squids  the Miri Waterfront is the ideal dining haven. From there, we proceeded to the Marriott Miri Resort and Spa, a five-star full-service haven located in the Miri Resort City. We marveled at its deluxe amenities with a first-class spa called Mandara, and exceptional restaurants that offered warm and personalized service. Director of sales and marketing Subramaniam Vathsala graciously toured us around the luxurious property sprawled majestically over 20 acres of lush tropic gardens just two minutes from the city center. She excitedly shared that 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the independence or merdeka, thus "Visit Malaysia Year 2007" is an invitation to the world to come and join in their festivities. The city’s "Miri International Year 2007" brings a variety of special events like Marriott’s 80th anniversary for all Marriott Hotels and Resorts worldwide.
We had the ultimate spa pampering at the Mandara Spa at Miri Marriott Resort and Spa as we sampled the signature Mandara massage performed by two therapists working together using a unique blend of four different massage styles  shiatsu, Thai, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Balinese. The exotic aroma of spices and fragrant blooms, the gentle sound of soothing music will bathe your senses and lull you into a state of exhilarating bliss.
Tourism has also become one of the major contributors to the local economy. For the tourist who has a penchant for natural beauty and jungle adventure, Miri is the place to be. Miri’s natural diversity offers visitors a wide range of attractions including the Gunung Mulu National Park, home to one of the grandest national parks of Malaysia and is one of the only two World Heritage sites in Malaysia. It boasts of immense caves and jagged limestone pinnacles. Mulu’s various show caves include the Wind Cave, Clearwater Cave, Moonmilk Cave, Deer Cave and Langs Cave. The rainforest, rivers and caves of Mulu housed different varieties of plants and animal species. No wonder Mulu is the prize treasure of Sarawak, gaining the status "jewel in the crown."
The "Grand Old Lady" is a must-see for all visitors to Miri. Historically, Miri is a town founded upon oil and nothing captures this relationship so well as the Miri Oil Well No. 1, fondly known as "Grand Old Lady." It is situated on top of Bukit Telaga Minyak (Oil Well Hill) formerly called Canada Hill (the old folks said that there was one Canadian who lived there and his main business was to recruit foreign and local workers to work in the oil fields around this mountain). Oil Well No. 1 is the first oil well in Malaysia to be drilled by Shell Company in 1910. After a productive six decades and an estimated 660,000 barrels of oil, it was shut down in 1972. It was eventually declared a national monument.
Miri has long stretches of white sand beaches that are frequented by locals and visitors alike on weekends. The Luak Bay esplanade has become a popular meeting spot for kite enthusiasts. The beaches of Bungai and Peliau, less than an hour’s drive from the city center, offer breathtaking scenery. For the night owls, entertainment outlets, restaurants (for both Muslims and non-Muslims) and roadside cafes along South Yu Seng and North Yu Seng roads abound.
In addition to this, Miri is also known for its exquisite handicrafts that attract many tourists and locals at the Miri Handicraft Center on Brooke Road. Stroll down this avenue and relive their history that has enriched this land of favor and promise.
There is a fascinating world waiting to be explored, whether in far or distant lands. Our attitude ought to be to expect nothing but the unexpected. I encourage you to travel and discover while you can, as I truly agree with Horace Mann, Father of American Education, who wisely enthused: "Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with 60 diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever."
For inquiries on how to get to Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei, call Ms. Chili Pefianco of MegaBorneo Tours at 372-4563 and 0920-9187358 or e-mail chili@megaborneo.com. For inquiries on Miri Marriott Resort and Spa, call reservations at +6085-421121.
E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.
Today, Sarawak boasts exotic adventures, astonishing biodiversity, jungle trekking, boat trips on extended river routes into the country’s interior, encounters with unknown wildlife and discoveries of its native people. The river rides and primeval beauty of the approaching forests assault the senses, proving to be an adventure of a lifetime. While Mother Nature has remained preserved in this paradise, there exists an enviable balance as great progress and development have also taken place. Sarawak has a modern and fully equipped port and airport as well as a very efficient road system connecting all the major towns in Sarawak, Sabah and neighboring countries Brunei and Indonesia.
What truly fascinates, however, is the history of Sarawak, one of the two states that make up East Malaysia. Sarawak and Sabah are separated from west Malaysia with an area of 124,449.51 square kilometers. Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, making up some 37.5 percent of the country’s total area. Ruled not by a colonial power, but by an English family led by James Brookes for 100 years, it earned the title "Kingdom of the White Rajahs." James highly revered Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Singapore’s founding father. Brooke devoted much of his time to fighting pirates, headhunters and bandits in Sarawak’s interior and coastline. He died in 1868 and was succeeded by his nephew Charles Brooke, a capable and organized ruler. The main development in the last years of Charles Brooke’s reign was the discovery of oil. In 1895, traces of oil had already been discovered in Miri, a charming town that faces the South China Sea along the banks of the river. Miri is the birthplace of Sarawak’s petroleum industry, which remains the major industry of the city. The successful discovery of offshore oil in the 1970s instigated a development boom in Miri: luxury hotels were built, sprawling mansions were constructed, new shopping centers and industrial estates established. Another boom during the 1960s to 1970s was the timber industry  exporting timber became a highly lucrative industry.
Miri’s population consists of Chinese, Dayak, Malay, Melanau, Indian, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Iban, Bidayuh, Penan and other indigenous groups. Through these broad classifications, the races are further sub-divided into different tribes, each having their own particular areas of abode, occupation and language. However, the commercial, industrial and technological advances, coupled with easy accessibility and a growing number of interracial marriages among locals, has shaped Miri into a potpourri of customs, traditions and beliefs inherited through the generations.
Today, the town that oil built is a bustling commercial center, well prepared to serve the cosmopolitan petroleum community and welcoming tourists the world over. Tourism truly thrives: Miri came to be known as "Sarawak’s Northern Gateway." In the mid-’90s, development plans for rapid changes and concentration on tourism to boost the commercial sector called for the Oil Town to be elevated to a city status  the first city in Malaysia to do so. My dear friends Anyati Orcullo and Judy Merusin decided to take me for a spin in Anyati’s newly acquired 12-cylinder BMW 850, thus we cruised along the impeccable highways from nearby Bandar Seri Begawan to savor the sumptuous seafood delights of the resort city of Miri. A seafood paradise and the best place to enjoy fresh prize catches like fish, prawns, crabs and squids  the Miri Waterfront is the ideal dining haven. From there, we proceeded to the Marriott Miri Resort and Spa, a five-star full-service haven located in the Miri Resort City. We marveled at its deluxe amenities with a first-class spa called Mandara, and exceptional restaurants that offered warm and personalized service. Director of sales and marketing Subramaniam Vathsala graciously toured us around the luxurious property sprawled majestically over 20 acres of lush tropic gardens just two minutes from the city center. She excitedly shared that 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the independence or merdeka, thus "Visit Malaysia Year 2007" is an invitation to the world to come and join in their festivities. The city’s "Miri International Year 2007" brings a variety of special events like Marriott’s 80th anniversary for all Marriott Hotels and Resorts worldwide.
We had the ultimate spa pampering at the Mandara Spa at Miri Marriott Resort and Spa as we sampled the signature Mandara massage performed by two therapists working together using a unique blend of four different massage styles  shiatsu, Thai, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Balinese. The exotic aroma of spices and fragrant blooms, the gentle sound of soothing music will bathe your senses and lull you into a state of exhilarating bliss.
Tourism has also become one of the major contributors to the local economy. For the tourist who has a penchant for natural beauty and jungle adventure, Miri is the place to be. Miri’s natural diversity offers visitors a wide range of attractions including the Gunung Mulu National Park, home to one of the grandest national parks of Malaysia and is one of the only two World Heritage sites in Malaysia. It boasts of immense caves and jagged limestone pinnacles. Mulu’s various show caves include the Wind Cave, Clearwater Cave, Moonmilk Cave, Deer Cave and Langs Cave. The rainforest, rivers and caves of Mulu housed different varieties of plants and animal species. No wonder Mulu is the prize treasure of Sarawak, gaining the status "jewel in the crown."
The "Grand Old Lady" is a must-see for all visitors to Miri. Historically, Miri is a town founded upon oil and nothing captures this relationship so well as the Miri Oil Well No. 1, fondly known as "Grand Old Lady." It is situated on top of Bukit Telaga Minyak (Oil Well Hill) formerly called Canada Hill (the old folks said that there was one Canadian who lived there and his main business was to recruit foreign and local workers to work in the oil fields around this mountain). Oil Well No. 1 is the first oil well in Malaysia to be drilled by Shell Company in 1910. After a productive six decades and an estimated 660,000 barrels of oil, it was shut down in 1972. It was eventually declared a national monument.
Miri has long stretches of white sand beaches that are frequented by locals and visitors alike on weekends. The Luak Bay esplanade has become a popular meeting spot for kite enthusiasts. The beaches of Bungai and Peliau, less than an hour’s drive from the city center, offer breathtaking scenery. For the night owls, entertainment outlets, restaurants (for both Muslims and non-Muslims) and roadside cafes along South Yu Seng and North Yu Seng roads abound.
In addition to this, Miri is also known for its exquisite handicrafts that attract many tourists and locals at the Miri Handicraft Center on Brooke Road. Stroll down this avenue and relive their history that has enriched this land of favor and promise.
There is a fascinating world waiting to be explored, whether in far or distant lands. Our attitude ought to be to expect nothing but the unexpected. I encourage you to travel and discover while you can, as I truly agree with Horace Mann, Father of American Education, who wisely enthused: "Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with 60 diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever."
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