Miri oh Miri

I spent my Chinese New Year holiday with my family at Miri recently. It is a very warm town. Literally. As the city was surrounded by the sea, it is moist and heaty all the time. It reminds me alot of Penang, minus the char keow tiao and the seas of people of course. 

Not many people knew much about Miri, except the fact its the birthplace of Malaysia's petroleum industry. Since the day the Hollanders set their drills at the coast, Miri has grown phenomenally into a buzzing little city. Do you know that the first oil well (The Grand Old lady) was drilled by Shell in 1910? Gosh, that's like 102 years ago.

My sister married her college sweet heart who is a Miri-an 3 or 4 years ago. Since then, the small town has become a place she called home. I cant speak for my sister, but sometimes, I still find it hard to accept the fact that the home I grew up in in Kuching is no longer my first home. Both my sister and I left the home that was full of our childhood fond memories at early age to study at the cities that was completely foreign to us. Over the years, we slowly get used to the new environment and build our life around it. However, our little home in Kuching always have a special place in my heart, its a place where I can forget the fact that I'm a manager and whine like a 12 years old; its a place where I have to hid all my love letters under my bed from my curious parents; its a place where I wrote most of my songs with my faithful old friend named guitar under the moonlight....

Although I have so much love for my home in Kuching, however I enjoyed my Chinese New Year holiday the best when I was in Miri with my family.  It was when time like this when we were having our sweet reunion again, it makes me feel so much loved and homey, and the physical place no longer seems to be important.

Anyway, just sharing with you some of the picture taken during the trip at Miri.

This is a small cove very near to our hotel (like 5 mins walking) which leads to the sea. The sky was so blue in the morning, and the fishermen sells fishes freshly caught from the sea at the docking platform.

The food we saw at the local coffee shop. We tried laksa only (which was so so and cost a bomb) since we were stuffed. But the rest looks tempting - The red wine fried rice (This is the first time i saw this), the famous Tomato sauce noodle and Roti kahwin. According to my brother, it means butter and kaya toast, perfect marriage!!

The famous seahorse - icon of Miri.  

Dinner with my relatives. Our first ever picture with my grandmother. She is so old (nearly 90s) which I don't think she recognizes me anymore. 

Well, that sums up my Miri trip. Hope to visit the town (and see my dear nephew) again soon!