Walk down the old alley in Sibu Town.

Walking down the street of Sibu feeling like one of the town’s folks.Why Sibu? It’s not really a tourism destination, not really the kind of place you would choose to go on vacation. If you ask me, I would say if given enough time and money, I would definitely pay my visit to every town in Malaysia that include Sibu my home town of 60's ,70's and 80's

 

Walk down the old alley in Sibu Town,,if safety is your concern don't do this at night.After walking for few hours with some interesting back alleys's to look into I found out that Sibu Town have many interesting shop or street vendor along back alley's of every street.

 

Firefly Airline : Johor Bahru to Kuching.

Technorati Tags: Airline,Budget Airline

The big ticket items in most trips involve airfares, accommodations and ground transportation. These things can be very expensive, but budget travellers can shop on the Internet for the best deals on these and other high cost expenses.Airfares rise and fall like stock prices. Buy at the right time and you can save a lot of money. Know the rules, find the Web sites with last-minute deals, use your credit cards or debit cards to snag free air travel and be certain your baggage doesn't cost you more money.In Malaysia for example try log on to fireflyz website 

FIREFLYZ.COM

Making Senai Airport a hub may also help spur the airport and the Iskandar Malaysia region.

The media & social media was invited @ Inaugural Flight KCH/KLIA/KCH on 15 January 2011.

Photo by Justin KC YAP media from The Borneo Post.

The three social media (blogger) invited ,in blue shirt Kuching's Daily Photo,with white T is

A Delicious Trip and black T is the founder of Sarawak Blogger Community CYRILDASON.com

Thank You to fireflyz.com and also

Tourism Malaysia  and as a social media we are very happy indeed to support our local low cost carrier and to promote Malaysia as tourist attraction..

 

 

Airline Firefly launches new hub in Iskandar Malaysia region

Malaysian local airline Firefly has banked on the Iskandar Development Region, launching a fifth hub in Senai. The area was currently an “ugly duckling” that would soon blossom, and is far cheaper than having a base at Singapore’s Changi airport, said the company’s managing director Eddy Leong.

Firefly aims to have nine aircraft flying by the end of 2011, including seven 737-800 and two 737-400 aircraft, the latter to be based at the new Senai hub. Leong stressed that his company didn’t intend to use Senai to compete with Changi, but to complement it. Transport services along the Singapore-Johor Bahru corridor are expected to improve in future, making Senai a practical alternative to low cost carriers.

Firefly also announced new flights from Johor Bahru to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu to begin in May/June, and is applying to operate flights even further afield to Bangkok and Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung. The airline plans to carry 3.5 million passengers this year from Senai and its four existing hubs at Kota Kinabalu, Subang, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Penang.

The Senai segment of the Iskandar Malaysia special economic region is growing fast, and within five years it should see mega projects constructed such as a new private hospital operated by Columbia Asia, a branch of the UK’s Marlborough College Malaysia, plus shopping malls and theme parks.

source & article: The Edge Malaysia

My first flight with fireflyz was on the 15th January 2011 from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur.Only a short month, firefly has proven  as a successful business model that has achieved many important milestones in the aviation industry.A new milestone add new route from Johor Bahru to Kuching (JHB/KCH/JHB) starting 19th of May,2011 for fireflyz.

Johor Bahru was once merely a conduit and brief stopover for tourists travelling to or exiting out of Singapore. Today, however, it offers a cornucopia of attractions of its own, luring sand, sea and sun-seekers, eco and agro-adventurers, shoppers, golf-crazies and, last but not least, the dining and drinking crowd. This fortuitous transformation occurred only recently, in the 1980s and 1990s, and coincided with the intensive development of its natural allurement and the growing disparity between the value of the Malaysian ringgit and the Singapore dollar.Johor Bahru sits right next to the national boundary between two inseparably linked countries and has all the blessings and blemishes to show for it. Nowhere else in Malaysia better displays the differences between two intertwining streams of history. Today, the city becomes known as a 'half-price bazaar' for everything from groceries to golf to thousands of Singaporeans, enriched by a strong currency.

My last trip to Johor Bahru was in the year 2009 and  I'm yet to explore many tourist spot in JB to name a few let us go to Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque

"Perched upon a hill-top, the mosque combines the neo-classical Western and Islamic architecture, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful mosques in Malaysia."

The Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is regarded as one of the most beautiful mosques in Malaysia, with its amazing combination of Western neo-classical and Islamic architecture. 

This mosque can accommodate about 2,000 worshippers at any one time. The mosque is strategically located on top of a hill on Jalan Abu Bakar, overlooking the Straits of Tebrau.

Sultan Abu Bakar mosque was named after the late Sultan Abu Bakar, the "Father of Modern Johor", who laid the foundation stone in 1892. Construction of the mosque was completed in 1900, a few years after his death. Today, the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is listed as a protected heritage monument by the Department of Museums and Antiquities.

 

 

Photo credit to http://www.johortourism.com.my

I have listed places of interest in JB in my list: Danga Bay, Abu Bakar Mosque, Johor Zoo, Sultan Abu Bakar Royal Museum, Johor Bahru Chinese Temple, Sultan Ibrahim Building and City Square (a shopping center)..Danga Bay, around 8 km away from city center, might be a good place to spend a night- hawker center, restaurants, Marine Club (left and middle), circus, Danga Bay Cruise and amusement park, most of them start operation at night.

Source & article: Credit to http://bettyandlingshing.blogspot.com/2010/09/johor-bharu.html

Kuching to Johor Bahru by fireflyz log in to this website 

fireflyz.com

Citizens of Sibu .

I made another photo-walk along the Sibu Town street.This time I try using long lens that I seldom use in my photographing project.My focus was on the people.

The sadness of life in busy Sibu Town.

 

The busy Sibu street ........

 

 

A happy street vendor on his way home with his empty crate ..sold out perhaps.

More photos on my next post..Thank You.

Walking Down Memory Lane in Sibu.

This building used to be a cinema before I left Sibu 25 years ago.To-day its a shop.

So long ago we didn't have any money to go to the movie,so we did try to see the movie free.This is where the Lido cinema in Sibu and its the Hotel now.I still remember sneaking into the cinema for free movie.

The old Rex Cinema.

Yeah...I miss the old cinema those day 0.50 cents for a movie for front row seat.

Cathay Cinema .Now its Star Cineplex.

Life during school days are full of mischievous fun....Skip class and go to the cinema in school uniform to watch Hindi movie.Those were the days of 60's & 70's.

Sibu Town-Dolphins vs Swan.

Recently I walked onto Sibu Town and I see this shiny stainless dolphins sculpture opposite to Sibu central market.The existence of dolphins certainly brought my attention because all this year local council keep promoting swan mascot as Sibu Town landmark.Anyway ,the existence of this Swan sculpture had added more color to the swan town,SIBU.

Perhaps the symbol of Dolphins bring good luck.

Local Delicacy.

Hey everyone,I'm back !!.You probably noticed that I haven't posted anything since last Wednesday.So what,the picture to-day.You want to know about the picture? Oh...it's just a seafood of clam family.This is some sort of clam or snail that requires a toothpick to dig out the meat or flesh.The flesh taste good dipped in chilli sauces.

Another local delicacy and this one they chop one end of for sucking ,then counter suck from the other end to get the flesh out.

All this perhaps belong to clams family,It's just like eating clams,mussels or stuff like that.Same texture but different size and same taste .

Photo Documentary-Town Development..

Photo snap on 12/12/2009

The last Malay Kampung(village) in Sibu Town...as seen from the Sibu waterfront .

As for this ruins like local kampung houses, whether its last occupants are refusing to leave or waiting "patiently" for its last day to come, I really don't know. But I was just stunned by the scene - its 'human life' has amazingly outlasted its both economic and physical life...

My World Tuesday-A Short Trip to Sibu Town.

To Tour other part of the World click HERE

My trip to Sibu Town is just for few hours as I have a very tight schedule.Well, Sibu was busier and more crowded then I tought.The locals from nearby village & small town along Rajang River come to Sibu on weekend for their shopping and outing.(Photo above is express boat terminal & jetty).

Sibu shipyard and old Malay Kampung as seen from Sibu waterfront along Igan river.

The sunset from the mighty Rajang River and the longest river in Malaysia.

The old bus at Sibu Town bus station or bus terminal.

Sibu central market is the largest wet market in Sarawak.It's clean and airy.

It was very interesting walking through it on a busy Sunday morning and checking out the local produce.Local fighting cock also on sale(Photo above).

The 'Buah Dabai' seem to be sold in every corner,it must be in season.Buah Dabai looks like a big olive.Just washed the fruits clean,then dunked them to soak inside warm water for at least 15 mins for buah dabai goes soft.I can't describe the taste because it's so mild.In Sibu buah dabai is cheaper,the most expensive were sold at Rm12.00 per kilo and the cheapest at Rm3.00 per kilo.

Local women are hard working person in Sibu.I can see most small time vendors at the market are women.They sell local forest vege and fresh fish from the river and are much cheaper in Sibu.

Sibu Town has a lot of motorbike and a few old vintage bicycle .Bicycle are legal and have licence to be on the crowded road.(see photo her licence or permit is issue by the Town Council plate # 03507)

Perhaps it will be more adventrous to take the express boat to other places, village and places in the interior along Rajang & Igan River.

SkyWatch Friday-Sunrise over Sibu Mosque.

Join other skywatcher by visit this site SKYWATCH-FRIDAY

Picture taken few month ago.

I'm on my way driving back to Kuching  from Sibu,I stop over Sibu Town Mosque to perform my Suboh prayer. This is the view of SkyWatch,sunrise over Sibu Mosque.

SkyWatch Friday-Visit Sibu Year 2009.

There are many dedicated sky-watcher out there, join them by visit this site SKYWATCH-FRIDAY

SIBU SUNSET.

10,000 brochures to remind tourists about Visit Sibu Year

SIBU: Datuk Tiong Thai King, chairman of Sibu Municipal Council said they would distribute 10,000 brochures through Sarawak Tourism Board, hotels and tour agents to remind tourists about Visit Sibu Year 2009.

He said that 18 events slotted for this year were contained in the brochure, and called on the local community to come together to play a role.

“We may not have beautiful beaches and scenic mountains, but we have an extremely rich ethnic history, cultures, traditions and a cohesive community spirit to make the event an unforgettable one for tourists.”

He said the mighty Rejang River, the longest in the country, had vast potential in cultural and eco-tourism yet to be tapped.

“We are truly excited with the launch of Pandaw Cruise on July 1. This will make our dream to have a cruise on Rejang River come true.”

He said when Pandaw Cruise was launched earlier this year, it initially raised sceptical views, but booking was now so overwhelming.

Tiong also regarded the tourism event an opportunity to boost the local economy.

He said it would create spin-offs to benefit sectors like hotel, transportation, logistics and eateries.

On the role of the people, he said their hospitality, smiles and their bit in keeping the town clean were all simple gestures to contribute towards success.

Sibu Market.

Sibu Sentral Market.the largest wet market in the whole of Sarawak.

Like any other wet market,Sibu wet market offer verity of fresh vegetable,jungle product,local & import fruits etc.etc .

But to me Sibu market is unique, just look at this vendor (photo above).This is how farm fresh chicken are sale in Sibu market.