Is 20 months a long time?
Depends on the context… maybe.
Memories do fade…. exponentially.
Tinkering of the brain… sometimes failed to bring out the keys to the past.
Lucky there are photos to bring some of them back. Bits of memories.. to be pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle.
I do still somehow miss that place. And the people that dotted it.
It’s really time to take another dip into the pond.
But somehow, its hard to take the first step.
Just a series of photos of Kuala Dana beach, which is within walking distance of my place of work cum residence. If I have the will, I can watch sunset by the sea every single evening. Now this is actually quite a plus point of Mukah. Anyone want to join me here? ^^
And yes, I’m now back in Kuching for a whole week =).
Of coconut trees, chickens and stilted houses.
That’s how we picture them, and also how we drew them in our younger days. And in actual life, they do look like that. Of course nowadays, these houses are dotted with the ubiquitous Astro dish, as well as the scenery scarring electric poles.
For city dwellers like me, kampung life is the epitome of serenity and relaxation, characterised by the fresh morning air, lazy afternoon heat and the calling of the azan at dusk.
But of course Mukah is far from one dimensional. There’s a hint of New Zealand there - flat green grass and low lying shrubs spanning as far as the eyes can see.
There’s also a whiff of Australia - deserted straight roads flanked by courtesy-ing trees.
It’s sort of a place where you expect to see cows appears from around the corner, calming ruminating the grass while training an watchful eye on you. And actually that was the case the other day.
And then there is THE BEACH
which was so mesmerising during sunset that it warrants a whole post by itself. Real soon.
Welcome to Mukah =)
And so I was here for one month already. I felt that it had passed by quite fast, so it must be a good thing.
One month since I took the miniscule droning machine to this place, although I must say the view from that low flying plane is spectacular.
I had sort of settled down to a daily routine. 7am wake up. Facebook, brush teeth, wash face, bath, prepare and eat breakfast. Dressed up. Out of the door 755am. Reached office 7.56am.
Out of office 12.50pm-ish, back to cook, read news online, eat lunch, 10 mins power-nap. Office bound by 2.00pm.
5.10pm reached home, go for a jog, cook and have dinner at 7pm. After that, its either chatting, reading or watching drama. Sleep at 11pm-ish.
Welcome to district life, when you have only yourself for company. Most of the time, that is. Luckily I had cooking as a solace. Been trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, hence most dishes I eat now are vege-themed. New dish I had invented: Umai salad topped with belachan cecah. Western dish with a local twist. Not bad tasting.
Pharmacy-wise, it had been quite okay. Trying to set up a few things. Organising the pharmacy to make it orderly as possible, and adding a few distinct personal touches.
Discovered that actually educating people is on the top of my priority as a pharmacist. Didn’t really realise that. First thing I did was to do a series of colourful brochures teaching patients how to take their medications correctly. The brochures was located outside the pharmacy dispensary, and the response had been great.
Another thing I started was an initiative to keep my staffs updated with the latest news with this “berita terkini perubatan” notice. The latest posts are on the current FDA deliberations on rosiglitazone and also the new drug dapoxetine which should hit our shores soon.
And of course I need to help update the 5s.
All my staffs are old-hands and are well-versed on the job. They are friendly, hardworking and helpful . My boss is good too. Just yesterday we had a new young penolong pegawai farmasi (pharmacy assistant). And it is a Chinese girl from Penang. Mukah is a lucky place. Only 3/45 of this current batch are Chinese and one is posted here.
The patients are nice too, they tried to be helpful and assist me translate instructions to patients who can’t understand me. Most of them wait patiently, and they smile. Especially the old ones. And Melanau babies are cute. They have real big eyes.
Well the conclusion is, even though it is a bit boring at times, I shouldn’t be complaining. I have been luckier than most of my peers. Mukah is a good place, and to think I got here all thanks to a mistake.
During a not-too-hot looks-like-its-going-to-rain-in-the-evening type of afternoon, I embarked on another 25 mins walking journey to the heart of Mukah town. Mukah town is divided into two main part: the old town and the new town.
Here is a Chinese temple in the old town. It faced the river, hence must have quite good fengshui. Alas, no mountain nearby.
A chimney, the remnants of a sago factory, an artefact of a once flourishing sago trade. Now it is just a part of history and a place for parasitic plants to grow.
A fishy symbol to tell everyone that the seafood in Mukah is a must-try. The ‘batang Mukah’ or Mukah river is just behind the petrol station. You can imagine how fresh the fishes are…
Hmm, maybe the colour of the river will make you think twice. But I’m pretty sure they caught the fish in the south china sea not very far away.
Part of old Mukah. Well manicure shrubs, clean roads and colourful buildings.
Of course then there is the kampungs also. Just a reminder that Mukah is just being developed…
This is the boulevard that sort of separates Old from New.
The I believed ‘was once beautiful’ garden parallel with the boulevard. Like many things in Malaysia, it was a victim of poor maintenance and left to flounder at the mercy of an unrelenting Mother Nature.
A quite big sized mosque with the hat-like top. A lot of buildings in Mukah have this kind of top. Most probably a symbol of this town.
A minaret/tower in the middle of a roundabout in front of the mosque. Mukah does not have a traffic light and no rush hour traffic.
But they do have a big KFC and also a Sugarbun.
That’s all for an overview of the place I am going to stay for at least 2 years…
There is this saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Assimilation is by no means easy, especially when I am now at a place where the people are predominantly Melanau. To my untrained ears, Melanau might as well just be an exotic foreign language. Ironic, to think in Sarawak we can find Japanese classes and not the Mother tongue of our local brethrens.
Today I made my first foray into the wet market in search of local delicacies. Tasting what they eat, I felt, is a good first step of understanding their culture. The market was situated next to the river, coloured a muddy yellow and dotted by wooden boats of various shapes and shades. Here fresh fish were found aplenty; once hauled abroad dry land they were deftly dealt with skilled knives and packed into transparent square containers. This is the famous local sashimi, fondly known as umai.
A teary old man stood nearby, chopping onions into uniformed shreds. A younger one packed them into small plastic bags with a few slices of chilli, and tied it together with another plastic containing limes. This, together with a small jar of belacan, is a DIY umai kit. Not cheap too, the whole set costs me RM18.
Back home, I prepared the umai as instructed by the fish monger. This is the result:
Fish sashimi with belacan enjoyed with my bittergourd fried rice.
The taste? Heavenly. Succulent and chewy, with the natural taste of the sea. Comparable with the fresh salmon I had in Australia. Wonder why we all still go to sushi kings eating defrosted salmon rather than indulging in fresh fish available from our own backyard. Surely there exists tremendous market potential for this?
Anyway just to show you all where the pharmacy is relative to my house:
The pharmacy as seen from the doorstep of my house. Literally just a stone throw away.
Vice versa, my house as seen form the front of the pharmacy. I lived in the top left hand corner of a quartered bungalow.
The out-patient pharmacy
My shared office.
Looking forward to my second week in Mukah. Next step, learn the language. No, I’m not leaving here as the same whole pebble thrown into the stream as I’m now. By the time I leave, I vow, there will be ridges and crevices to hold the rich memories of the place.
And so I moved from the relative luxury of Kingwood Hotel
to this:
Moved into my quarters at last. Been busy the last few days buying things to make it liveable and also cleaning it.
Still only half done but here’s a few pictures of my new abode. Even though not as nice as Kingwood, it is not bad for RM125 per month with free internet. =p
Living room where cleaning is still in progress
Kitchen with the sink and stove
Food cabinet and fridge
Toilet
Another bedroom. I got it all for myself =)
And here’s my first ever self cooker dinner here. Life is not bad in Mukah… what’s left to deal is TV, Astro, aircond and a car..
Here’s some mukah pics. Just a sneak peak. More specific and in-depth posts in the two ensuing long years.
Mukah airport:
Kingwood Hotel, where I’m currently living comfortably in:
Modern concrete shop houses
Juxtaposed with quaint kampung houses: one for the human;
One for the sparrows.
My place of work,
and the facade of the 1 divided into 4 bungalow where I will be staying soon.
Mukah is, better than expected.
