We spent a few days in Sibu last year. At that point, the plan was to come back, and travel upriver to Kapit and Belaga. We still want to do that, but we've postponed it until such times as we're cumbered with less stuff. So this time round, we're just here en route to Miri.

As we discovered last time, the best and quickest way to get to Sibu from Kuching is by boat (which takes about five hours).




I like Sibu very much, and really think it deserves more attention.

It's a bastion of the Foochow people (from Fuzhou, in southeast China). Notable Foochow communities also exist in West Malaysia (particularly in Sitiawan, Perak), but Sibu is the granddaddy, the "New Foochow".

So we did our best to make our only full day in Sibu a Foochow day.

Breakfast: Ding bian hu, a Foochow delicacy. This is made from a rice paste, produced by means of a stone grinder. The paste is spread in a thin layer on the side of the wok, where it fairly quickly cooks. The pieces of cooked paste are then pushed down into the soup in the main body of the wok.

We bought ours from Chop Hing Huong. The lane off Jalan Tukang Besi where this shop can be found is easily recognizable from the mural (at the top of this post). Here they serve the soft rice-paste pieces with broth, fishballs, mushrooms, and various other tasty things I can't identify. They hand you a pepper pot so you can do your own seasoning.

This stuff is absolutely delicious. Must Have Again.



Right next door is Xiu Long Confectionery. Here they make not only the most fantastic kuih bahulu (simple sponge cakes, delectably eggy), but also amazing Foochow pastries. And you can afford to indulge. Three kuih bahulu cost MYR 1, and two pastries were a further MYR 1.40.

I must point out that we didn't eat the cakes right after breakfast, but went for a second trip down this most productive lane in the afternoon. I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression of us...

A quick Grab ride gets you to Sungai Merah and the Wong Nai Siong Garden. This commemorates the landing of the first pioneers from Fujian in February 1901.


A short walk from here is the Hoover Memorial Garden, established in 2003 to honour James Matthew Hoover, the first Methodist missionary to work with this new immigrant community, and "the head of all the Sarawak Foochows", according to Rajah Charles Brooke's designation. He undertook developmental as well as religious activities, and planted the first rubber seedlings (making him the Sibu counterpart of Thailand's Phraya Ratsadanupradit, I guess).




Lau King Howe was an exemplary Foochow pioneer, who gifted a hospital to the people of Sibu and environs.

The Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum is the only remaining bit of this establishment, which opened in 1936 (the new hospital is about 10 km east of the city centre, and took over in 1994). When the original hospital was marked out for demolition, it was decided to preserve a remnant as a memorial. As the guy manning the desk pointed out to us, "Probably half the town was born here."

Forget Lonely Planet's offhand description ("rather bizarre"). This place is definitely worth a visit. It's a wonderful record of social history.

Random facts: Breast-feeding was out of favour until the 1990s; back in the days of the new Malaysia, rural Sarawak had a number of health problems to deal with, including contagious diseases like cholera and a marked lack of medical provision; kits of baby powder and other paraphernalia were offered as an incentive for mums to have their babies in the safer environment of the hospital; much of the equipment came from Britain (Vickers was a prominent name); people used to bring their own bottles, in various states, to collect their medicine. And so on.









And of course a Foochow day has to include kampua mee, a pork-and-noodle dish that you can get from the Central Market (one of many sources) for MYR 3 a bowl. As I noted last year, this dish is similar to Kuching's ubiquitous kolo mee. Here is one of the clearest descriptions I've come across of the differences: "Kampua has a stickier consistency, probably due to the lard. It is also much chewier as opposed to Kolo Mee, which is brittle in comparison... And for some reason, Kampua is served with chili sauce whereas Kolo mee comes with chopped chili in vinegar."


Aside from this major theme, there have been other pleasures. The Tua Pek Kong temple is always a beautiful Sibu place to hang out.




And a couple of sophisticated cafes are also noteworthy. One is Upstairs Coffee. First time round I got avocado (shake) when I'd ordered affogato (coffee). But it's easy to see where that mistake came from, and the avocado made a nice change. The coffee is also good, and the big space and retro decor work very well. The Ark Cafe is right by the river. A dish of "ikan bilis and big onion" (dried anchovies, onion, peanuts, chilli, and lime) makes an awesome accompaniment to a bottle of Tiger; they have impressive bears; and the sunsets are great -- what more could you want?








So, Sibu, we hope to see you again next year...