Bintulu trip report

btu niah cafe

I went over to Bintulu, which is about a 50 minute flight from
Kuching, for a business trip. This time, the presentation was only due
late afternoon, so we had the whole morning to while away. We had the
option of eating at the Bintulu airport (which uses the same template
as KLIA) or going into town to find some place to eat.

btu seaview

We chose the latter. Sea View Restaurant (BTU) is supposed to be the
liveliest place for breakfast around town, due to its locality. It’s
situated right in front of the river, and the incoming cool breeze made
in clear why it’s said to be the most popular place for breakfast
around Bintulu. I had some fried kueh tiaw, which was mass produced (it
came out within a minute) but tasted good nevertheless.

btu riverfront

I took a walk down the riverfront (or wharf), which was quite
polluted due to Bintulu’s industries. It was a cloudy day in Bintulu,
but at least it wasn’t raining like Kuching. Bintulu is well known for
being an LPG gas processing town, but they do some sawmill work as well.

btu old town

The old part of Bintulu town flanks the waterfront. Bintulu isn’t as
big or well developed like some other Sarawak districts but it does
offer some measure of old town charm that’s lacking in the other more
developed parts.

btu wooden plank

Walking further along the river shows the quaint wooden planks that
serve as a bridge for some passenger boats. Bintulu town seems to be
divided into two parts – one on each side of the river. The other side
of Kemena River lies Kampung Jepak, the fisherman’s village, which we
also passed by on the winding trip from the airport.

btu esplanad

The riverfront centers on the Bintulu Esplanade, which is a commons
for the people and lies adjacent to the Bintulu Tamu and main market.

btu esplanad me

Here’s the obligatory “I was here” shot…and before you ask, yes, I only have one suit. :p

bintulu main bazaar

Bintulu town seems to center around the Main Bazaar and Pasar Tamu.

btu chinese temple

There is also a Chinese temple along that road which was thronging with people…

btu pasar utama

Pasar Utama Bintulu (Main Bintulu Market) is the central market
which sells various fresh produce like vegetables, meat, fish and so
forth. The “unique cone-shaped roof” is supposed to reflect Bintulu
Terendak (Bintulu headgear).

btu bananas

I know that there are a lot of bananas in there…

btu more bananas

Hell, it seems like Bintulu is Banana Town. πŸ˜‰

btu bda hq

I supposed the BDA HQ conical shape is also supposed to represent
the headgear, I had been wondering about the seemingly high-maintenance
architecture.

btu coastline

The high vantage point of the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA)
headquarters (its up on a hill) also allows scenic views of the sea.
The coast at Bintulu is not as renowned as the ones in Miri, but it’s a
beach nevertheless.

btu bda inside

The inside is no less impressive, with several floors of ever narrowing spheres tapering off to a point.

btu city point

Bintulu’s largest shopping mall is City Point, with a staggering three (!!!) stories of retail space.

btu angel paper

The Christmas decorations still hasn’t been taken down – there is a paper mache angel hanging from the ceiling…

btu angel upskirt

…which disturbingly shows a blatant up-skirt shot of the angel when descending down the elevators…

Our flight back took about an hour to fly to Kuching from Bintulu
due to bad weather conditions, but before going to the airport, I just
had to stop and take a picture of this:

btu smallest barber shop

Behold! The smallest barber shop in the world!

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4 thoughts on “Bintulu trip report”

  1. Hello,
    I liked the information you provided. I have a very good friend now working in Bintulu and I wondered how this town look like. I am from Suriname, South America, and I always wanted to know more about Malaysia.
    It was lovely to be able to see this all especially when our ancestors came from Indonesia.
    Best Regards,
    Diana Christina

    Reply
  2. diana christina wardi: Greetings! Bintulu is a very small town, but relatively close to Miri (which is a bigger coastal city). πŸ™‚

    Reply

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