Bintulu To Kota Kinabalu – Stop Over In Miri

We started our journey to Kota Kinabalu by road from Bintulu in the evening of Tuesday 19th December 2006. Both Shaffik and Mini were working that day, so we left after office and headed first for Miri, which is about two and a half hours drive away. We have done this route a couple of times previously, hence there was nothing new. The regular apartment that we always stayed in when in Miri was full for the night and we had made alternative reservation at another smaller (read cheaper) hotel close by. We know that this hotel is also popular with families visiting Miri. Anyway, we were staying overnight and just needed a reasonably comfortable place to sleep. The hotel was sufficient.

7.30 am Wednesday morning, everybody was ready to go. The children were very excited. We left at that time and headed for Brunei. It was about 30 kilometers from Miri to the border. There was already a queue of cars at the immigration checkpoint. We had our passports chopped at the Malaysian side of the border followed by the Brunei side a few metres away. Then Shaffik had to register his car for entry into Brunei. The maid, holding an Indonesian passport, had to have her passport checked and chopped in the office proper. Shaffik went with her into the office to assist. They took quite a while to come out and we wondered whether there was any problem. We found out later that there was no problem at all. All the officer did was look at the passport photo, looked at her, viewed the written forms cursorily only and then chopped the passport. But ……. Why so longggg? Ah-haaa…. It appears that if its time for the immigration officers to go for a drink, all others can wait…… and there were a few of them. All of them decided to rest and have a drink, chit chat together? and in the view of all their waiting customers too!! That seemed to be the attitude of the officials, who had some form of ‘power’ in office!! Speaks much about good customer relations doesn’t it?

While waiting for the maid to get her papers done, I felt the urge to visit the rest room. At the entrance was a prominently displayed saying in Malay translated as “Wash your hands, look after your health”. My immediate thought was “Ahhhh, good, they initiate thoughts of cleanliness to the public. A good move on the part of the authorities”. But when I got into the rest room it was exactly the opposite. It looked as though the place has not been cleaned for a while……. days maybe……. The toilet cubicles ? Yak yak yak! The floor was wet with stagnant water here and there and the walls dirty!! No signs of cleaning utensils anywhere let alone sign of or presence of cleaners!

1st checkpoint formalities done with and off we went on our journey, wondering in our minds what else we will encounter on our way to Kota Kinabalu………

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya