Sago Worms & Sidewalk Gold Smith

The nature of my work takes me to lots of places all over the State of Sarawak and at these places, there are always interesting things to discover.
Look at what I discovered during my recent visit to Mukah Division, located at the central part of Sarawak. We took the plane to Bintulu, drove south then east for about 4 hours to reach Mukah, the divisional administration center of Mukah Division.


This is the most interesting part of my visit. Eating the Sago Worm. A popular delicacy in Mukah as well as Sarawak in general. These worms live in the Sago Palm but you can easily find them in the market. Fat little creatures and taste like fried prawn....Yummy! Full of protein :D
Want to try? I took/tried one only........:) but before that, take a look at the close-up pix!


Look at the fern as well. This fern is known as "Midin", a type of fern famous all over Sarawak (this is not Paku Pakis mind you). I have never seen such "fat" fern in Kuching but you can find them in Mukah and Selangau. The last pix on food (bottom right) is just a close up of the fish eye, one of my fav.....:)

These pix above were taken in Mukah and Kuching. The road (top left) is part of the coastal highway which was recently completed.....very quiet...no traffic. And wow! look at that longhouse. This is considered as a very long longhouse. I didn't count how many doors/units, but I reckon it is not less than 60 units. This is also a very modern looking longhouse. Maybe I can take some pictures of more traditional longhouses next round.

These are two bazaars that we visited while in Mukah - one is Oya and the other one is Balingian. Like other settlements in Sarawak, both are located along the riverbanks, as river transportation still plays important role to transport people and goods to marketplaces like these two centers, especially in places where road is not available.

Finally, look at what I discovered in Balingian. This man is from China and he is operating a mobile goldsmith stall along the sidewalk of the shops. Notice that thick chain next to the hand holding the torch? (bottom left). How much do you think that piece is worth?
Take a look at his tools as well. Interesting! I would have love to stay back and watch how he does his work but it was not possible as it was getting late and we need to drive back to Mukah.