Johannes Simbolon, The Jakarta Post, Miri, Sarawak
Welcome to Miri, where oil in Malaysia was first found. Facing the South China Sea, the city may be less known than other tourist destinations in Malaysia, such as beach paradises Langkawi and Sipadan-Ligitan or gambling center Genting Highland. But, the area has seen foreign arrivals since the first Malaysian oil well was found there in 1910.
Previously a sleepy fishing village, Miri has become a booming oil town, the second largest city in Sarawak, which not only attracts oil workers but also tourists from many parts of the world. It is now the gateway for tourists to explore the beauty of nature as well as the exotic life of the tribes living in the northern part of the Malaysian state.
With a population of 300,000 people, Miri is indeed a small city. The tranquility is one of the reasons people from crowded and big cities such as Jakarta like to visit the city.
On Saturday and Monday, the city is a bit crowded due to the arrival of people from Brunei who love to spend their weekend in the city, which is about a two-hour drive from Brunei Darussalam.
Most days, however, the city is quiet.
The city has an excellent range of hotels of all price categories. Star-rated hotels include ParkCity Everly Hotel and Miri Marriott Resort & Spa. There are also a number of budget hotels and inns that offer rooms for 35 to 60 Malaysian ringgit (US$10 to $17) for inns (excluding breakfast) and 90 to 220 Malaysian ringgit for budget hotels (including breakfast), according to tour guide Nawi Spid of Borneo Mainland Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd.
Lunch is relatively cheap, with prices ranging from 5 to 7 Malaysian ringgit for local food.
""Many people from Europe come here. June and July are the best months to come because it is the fruit season. Tourists love to taste the fruit,"" Nawi said.
According to Nawi, fruit is one of the main attractions offered by the city to tourists and the area has a wide range of tropical fruit that is also available in Indonesia.
Sarawak borders on Indonesia's West Kalimantan province. Some Dayak ethnic groups in Sarawak have fellow tribespeople in West Kalimantan and trade between both areas is reportedly flourishing, with the Indonesian province legally or illegally exporting many types of goods, particularly staple food, to the Malaysian state because it is much cheaper. That's why there is a lot of Indonesian-made merchandise available in Miri.
The Jakarta Post found a bag of coffee in Miri's marketplace that read ""Indonesian coffee packaged in Sarawak"".
Tourists from Indonesia are recommended to drop by Miri's traditional marketplace in the center of the city. Many items sold there are similar to those sold in traditional Indonesian marketplaces. The difference is that the Miri market is much cleaner and has a better layout.
One of the main tourist attractions in Miri is a ridge known as Canada Hill, where Malaysia's first oil reserve was discovered. The fondly called Grand Old Lady has been turned into an oil museum. Aside from visiting the museum, visitors go to the hill to see the breathtaking view of Miri from a distance.
Other attractions surrounding Miri include Gunung Mulu National Park, Niah National Park and Lambir Hills National Park, where tourists can enjoy a beautiful panorama, the sight of tropical flora and fauna and go trekking.
Gunung Mulu and Niah have several magnificent caves. Gunung Mulu, for instance, is famous for its limestone cave system, including the Deer Cave and Clearwater Cave. The Deer Cave is said to be the largest cave passage in the world with a length of two kilometers and a width and height of not less than 90 meters. The main chamber of the cave is 174 meters wide and 123 meters high. Meanwhile, the Clearwater Cave is Asia's longest cave measuring about 10 kilometers in length. It has subterranean water, part of which is navigable by boat.
Visitors from Indonesia should feel at home staying in Miri and surrounding areas because many of their fellow countrymen live there as housemaids or workers in the oil, logging and palm oil industries.
""Indonesians are part of the backbone of our economy,"" Karambir Singh, program director of Miri's IBS College, told the Post.
Note: Miri can be reached by plane from Kuala Lumpur or from Sarawak's capital of Kuching, which can be reached from West Kalimantan's capital of Pontianak by bus or plane. Adam Air has daily flights from Pontianak to Kuching.
