06-Jun-2023
I mentioned in my review of May that we'd especially wanted to be back in Sarawak in time for Gawai, that quintessentially Sarawakian celebration of the harvest.
So what has Gawai meant for us?
-- Doing longer walks while the roads are quiet. It has actually been a five-day weekend over here, what with the two days for Gawai plus the weekend plus yesterday's public holiday for the Agong's birthday. Public holidays mean less traffic, so aside from our trip to the transforming kampungs, we've also done some more of our favourite longer routes:
The "peninsula" circuit. Here's a chicken tree
And a little cat practising his hard stare
The "left bridge" circuit. You STILL can't walk across the Satok pedestrian bridge, making that one experience back in September 2021 even more of a red-letter day... Still, the lights are nice, the moon that morning was wonderful, and it's always pleasant to walk back through the riverside kampungs
The mynahs -- united -- will never be defeated
-- Being invited to the Gawai open house organized by a Bidayuh/Kiwi family we know. There was food (of course); there was tuak (of course); and it was interesting to see video footage of the way Gawai is traditionally celebrated at a Bidayuh longhouse.
-- Enjoying the decorations.
The Big Padungan Cat is looking dapper in his Gawai jerkin
Not specifically erected for Gawai, but gets you into the spirit of the thing
-- Taking the opportunity to try new eating places.
An excellent bowl of Xing Hua noodles (Xing Hua and Heng Hua are, I believe, the same thing) from the Bormill Food Centre, which we happened upon when our favourite lei cha place (the one that rounds off our Rock circuit so nicely) turned out to be shut for Gawai
A friend took us to this place today, and their Sarawak laksa has shot to the top of my list of favourites. Nothing to do with Gawai, really, but then again: Gawai = Sarawak, and Sarawak laksa = Sarawak
Definitely a good time to be here.