A day trip to Sri Aman for Tidal Bore Festival 2013 (Pesta Benak)

There were four of us in a group attending this annual festival in Sri Aman. The tidal bore is one of Sarawak's natural phenomenon which the locals call it 'Benak'.

We started our journey from Kuching at around 8.30am, stopped over at Serian for breakfast. From there, we travelled another 150 km on sealed road with beautiful countryside and longhouses along the way to reach 'Pekan' (bazaar) Lachau.  'Pekan' Lachau is known locally as a 'Cowboy Bazaar'.  Lachau Bazaar Market is always interesting as you can find fresh jungle produce sold by the Iban women, as well as local crafts and fresh river fish.  We had lunch at one of the Chinese coffee shops located next to the market. Great food we might add!

Moving further toward Sri Aman Town, we visited the Mount Hosanna Chapel or they called it the healing church.  There are 100 over steps up that you need to climb to reach the chapel. Mount Hosanna Chapel is eye-catching with its unique architecture of three large white candles on top of a hill.

From Mount Hosanna Chapel, we traveled another 45 minutes to reach Sri Aman town where the Tidal Bore Festival were held.  It is a very special experience for us to witness this rare phenomenon.  

Pesta Benak is one of Sarawak's iconic events and celebrated on a grand scale.  Activities such as longboat paddling competition; tidal bore surfing; water sports, food and trade fair were held during the festival.  A strategic place to view the Tidal Bore is at 'Taman Panaroma Benak' (Tidal Bore Panaromic Garden). Below the view point deck is an exhibition gallery on... you guess it... tidal bore.

The Tidal Bore reached the jetty point at 5.15pm, this was the highlight of the event.  

 

 Before we wrapped up this trip, we grabbed some souvenirs as part of our special remembrance.

Video: Riding the 'Benak' - tidal bore - at Sri Aman, Sarawak 

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo...where adventure lives

Written by: Angela & Erivina

Sarawak Tourism Board wins PATA Gold Award 2013

The Marketing Media – Print Advertisement category was awarded to the Board for our re-imaging campaign. You can sample some of it in this blog’s masthead above. 

Our CEO, Dato Rashid Khan (2nd-R) accepted the award the day before the annual PATA Travel Mart 2013 held in Macau from Sept 16-17. 

 

Incidentally, Malaysia bagged another award - the Eco-Walk and Training at the Frangipani under the Environment – Educational Programme category rounding off a successful outing for our country.  This award was received by the owner of the Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa, Anthony Wong. 

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Santubong Nature Festival 2013 Programme

The festival will consist of talks, walks, workshops, outdoor activities and entertainment to keep nature lovers occupied and children captive. Held from 9th to 10 November 2013, each activity will either be led or presented by an authority of the subject matter.

So, if you are into natural and historical heritage of significant regional and global value, this activity-packed festival has something for you. Admission is free for all except the firefly night tour which costs RM50 per person. Registration is required for some of the activities.

Here are the programmes for the two days. You may want to zoom your page display for better clarity.

Saturday, 9th November 2013

Sunday 10th November 2013

source: MNS Kuching Branch

The Santubong Nature Festival, an annual event, takes place in the scenic peninsula of historical Santubong. The skyline is dominated by the legendary Mt. Santubong with the South China sea washing its shoreline. The festival will be centered in the Permai Rainforest Resort It is organised by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNSKB) Kuching Branch.

The peninsular has plenty of wildlife, rustic villages, resorts and the award-winning Sarawak Cultural Village. Historically, the peninsula is where the famous 19th century British naturalist, Sir Alfred Russel Wallace wrote 'Sarawak Law' paper, the precursor to the theory of evolution.

To register for some of the events, this is the email contact.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Food and rafting and adventure in Padawan, Kuching

The Padawan sub-region is fast becoming a new destination in Kuching for its varied tourism experiences. The clean rivers found there are popular with day-trippers for kayaking and rafting. This video gives a good insight of the unique dining and river experiences one can have. Heard of a floating buffet? Watch the video!

The longhouse at Annah Rais has long been a popular tourism attraction. There are a few village-stays and home-stays that give visitors a close-up experience with the Bidayuh community found in this region. 

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives 

Asia Music Festival 2013 Line-Up | Sarawak Malaysia Borneo

Here is a musical genre brief of the thirteen (13) bands and artistes who will perform at Asia Music Festival.

The style of music is essentially fusion; combining elements of tradition into main stream.

	Anthony Dassan  Chennai, India Contemporary Tamil Folk songs and dances
	Bob Yusof Malaysia Malay Pop
	Boy Thai Band  Bangkok, Thailand  Classical Thai with modern sounds
	Fakhrul Razi Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam Indie
	Foxy Girls Jakarta Indonesia R & B Malay Pop
	Hevance Sarawak Malaysia Iban Rock
	Melissa Francis Sarawak Malaysia Iban Pop and Ballad
	Soesah Tidoer Yogyakarta Indonesia Fusion of dangdut – keroncong – rock
	The Starlets Band Sarawak Malaysia Modern, Pop, Rock and Ballad
	The Mountain Wind Band  Sarawak Malaysia Country music with Sarawak Highland roots
	Tritha Kolkata, India Hindustan trip-hop, mixing traditional and contemporary sounds
	V. Star featuring Kamal Musallam Seoul, Korea Traditional-Fusion with a K-POP twist

Here are the festival key details:

PROGRAM

Day 1 – 4 October 2013 (Friday)

4.00 pm to 5.00 pm                 -           Starlets Band (Malaysia)

5.15 pm to 6.15 pm                 -           Hevance (Malaysia)

6.15 pm to 7.15 pm                 -           Bob Yusof (Malaysia)

7.30 pm to 8.30 p.m                -           Soesah Tidoer (Indonesia)

8.45 pm to 9.45 pm                 -           Tritha (India)

10.00 pm to 11.00 pm             -           Bembol Rocker (Philippines)

11.15 p.m. to 12.15 pm          -           V. Star Band (Korea)

Day 2 – 5 October 2013 (Saturday)

4.00 pm to 5.00 pm                 -           The Mountain Wind Band (Malaysia)

5.15 pm to 6.15 pm                 -           Melissa Francis (Malaysia)

6.15 pm to 7.15 pm                 -           Starlets Band (Malaysia) 

7.30 pm to 8.30 p.m                -           Fakhrul Razi featuring the Camouflage (Brunei Darussalam)

8.45 pm to 9.45 pm                 -           Boy Thai Band (Thailand)

10.00 pm to 11.00 pm             -           Antoney Dassan Yen Party (India)

11.15 p.m. to 12.15 pm          -           Foxy Girls (Indonesia)


TICKETS
RM30 (Adults)
RM15 (Child or Student (aged 3 to 18))

Tickets are available for sale at:

Sarawak

• Sarawak Tourism Board, 5th Floor, Bangunan Yayasan,  Kuching, Sarawak
• Visitors’ Information Centre Kuching
• Visitors’ Information Centre Sibu
• Visitors’ Information Centre Miri
• Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club

Brunei (Period of sale valid until 26^th September 2013)

• Anthony Tours & Travel Agency
• Continental Tours & Travel

Want to know more? Please visit Asia Music Festival website.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives