Uluness Revealed!!!

First off, before I get on to my usual rantings, I would like to wish all my darling friends who are celebrating this festive occasion, a very SELAMAT HARI RAYA and MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN!!

Harap maaf jika ada silap kata, or if I treated you badly. Love you my darlings, and have a good one this year!!

I am back in Kuching now, yes I know. Ulululu...

I have no idea why, but recently I have been conforming to my friends teasing me about Kuching being ulu and all. I even told Alep that here in Kuching, we do not have cars, but we get around by attaching wheels to our sampan and kayuh-ing it on land. And that during my trip back here to Kuching, my mission is to spread the word about civilisation to all you ulu Kuching people. Alep would be very much delighted to know that people here have discovered Mad TV on youtube and are enjoying it! SPOTLIGHT!!!

Anyway, during my last trip back here in Kuching, I took some photos of Kuching's Uluness in the olden days during this exhibition that went on near the Stadium last month. So this kind of one month late. Hehe

That is a picture of a rumah panjang, back in the olden days. One long house can fit about 60 families, if I am not mistaken. These houses are built raised off the ground on stilts and are divided into a more or less public area along one side and a row of private living quarters lined along the other side. This seems to have been the way of building best accustomed to life in the jungle in the past.

The houses built by the different tribes and ethnic groups can differ from each other. Houses built by the Bidayuh have wider verandas and extra buildings for the unmarried adults and visitors.

Nowadays it is very hard to find an authentic rumah panjang in most kampungs as they now use bricks to build their houses, like my kampung. But if you go to those remote areas here in Sarawak, you just might be able to find one.

Burung Kenyalang

Sarawak is also known as "The Land of the Hornbills". No, we do not have hornbills flying around Kuching and perching on top of lamp post like what the crows do in PJ. That would be very very scary! Imagine driving down a road when all of a sudden, SWOOSH!! a hornbill zips across right in front of you! Those birds are HUGE, so trust me, as majestic and beautiful as they are, you do NOT want a flock of hornbills residing in the middle of your city.

The Iban people hunted hornbills for the tail feathers, which they use to decorate ceremonial headdresses, and also to decorate those things that the females use for dancing. A single group of dancers may use as many as 400 feathers on their headdresses, for which they would have to kill about 40 birds. But that's over now, so fret not!

Not only is Sarawak known for its pepper, which according to JB-ian Yvonne, has a unique smell/taste to it compared to other peppers found elsewhere, it is also known for its pottery. I guess the main reason as to why this is is because of the unique tribal designs that are crafted onto the pots and stuff.

Apart from Sabah, Sarawak has alot of indigenous groups such as Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Penan, Orang Ulu, Lun Bawang and so on. This photo below is that the exhibition people using little kids as a coy to show racial harmony here in sarawak cute little kids dressed up in the many traditional outfits from the many tribes that can be found here in Sarawak.

Sarawak DOES come up with its own products, and its quality is of no difference compared to the stuff that comes from West Malaysia.

Some of our local products

That is a picture of the best canned drink that has ever been created on the face of this earth!! Dumb KL!! Why do you not have this??? It is soooooo nice!! It is not carbonated, and taste much better than some of those stupid orange juices that are sold in cartons.

Penang is not the only place in Malaysia where you can find yummy local food. IMHO, Kuching local food is the best.

Char Kueh Tiaw

The char kueh tiaw that they sell in KL is wet. This is dry, kind of like the famous Penang Char Kueh Tiaw.

Tomato kueh tiaw from Sarawak Club

That is the best local food EVER!! Tomato kueh tiaw!!!!! I love you..... Kueh tiaw swimming in sweet tomato sause... MMMmmmm

I am shocked that Semenanjung people have never heard of tomato kueh tiaw. They even find it weird that we serve kueh tiaw in tomato like that. And they think it will taste weird. Oh no no no... If you ask other Sarawakian people that are currently in West Malaysia right now about tomato kueh tiaw, do not forget to prepare a pail for them to drool into!

There was this one time when Joshua brought Jie Jie, Wen Chiat and I to Uptown to eat in this Sarawak shop where they serve something very much similar to kolo mee (but disguised in another name). Of course nothing can beat the original kolo mee from Kuching, but it was ok. Digestable. Hehe

Authentic Kuching noodles. Nothing can beat the original: mi soup kiaw from Ta Wan Kung, Kuching

Jie Jie told me that she was surprised that the noodles had taste, and a rather nice one too, since the noodles were white in colour. White coloured noodles to them is pressumed to be tasteless I think, so I guess that is why they put kicap in their wantan mee. So yay!! Power to Sarawak food!! Lolz.

While walking around Carpenter Street with my mum yesterday, I found some really cute key chains of the indigenous groups found here in Sarawak.

Female Bidayuh outfit

Male Bidayuh outfit

That is what my Bidayuh people's traditional outfit looks like. I have worn it before once during kindergarden. No one dresses like that anymore though. No one wears it as casual dressing too, unlike the Malays with their Baju Kurungs and Baju Melayus.

The female and male Orang Ulu traditional outfit

ZOMG so cute kan the Orang Ulu outfit?

That is all about Kuching's Uluness for now. More to come, next time. When? I do not know.
XD