The English idiom “curiosity killed the cat” has worked the opposite for us today as we managed to get interesting stories for our travelogue.
The first case was when we bumped into a group of pilots from the police Air Wing Unit at the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
Eyes in the sky
It was there that I first met a female police pilot whose name on her chest only revealed her surname as Teoh. I had told her that I would like to interview her as it was the first time that I met a police female pilot.
She was very obliging, but I forgot to ask for her contact number except that I remembered they would check out of the hotel at 9.15am.
So, I waited in the lobby for a while, and soon the police pilots arrived and we introduced ourselves officially.
However, we have a better angle for the story as she introduced her superior to us. His name is Superintendent (Supt) Narul Amir bin Ishak. He and his team consisted of Inspector (Insp) Yeoh Yee Chee and Inspector (Insp) Siti Nabillah binti Abdullah.
According to Supt Narul Amir, he has been posted to Sarawak since 2001 and has made Sarawak his home.
“I have been here in the past 25 years. I even married a Bidayuh girl from Kampung Prangkan Marung, Tebakang, Serian,” he told Kembara Ukas.
Supt Narul Amir speaking to Kembara Ukas
He disclosed that his main task as a police pilot is to provide intelligence to his colleagues working on land.
“Our main task is to provide intel for our fellow police personnel on the ground and at sea to prevent smuggling activities. Additionally, we also help during search and rescue operations as well as during floods,” added Supt Narul Amir, who flies a fixed wing aircraft.
He also shared that since his first posting here in Sarawak, he has seen tremendous development taking place especially in the past five years.
“When I first arrived here, there was only one KFC outlet. And soon afterward, there was also a MacDonald outlet soon followed.
“But now, especially in the past five years under the Premier (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Openg) we can see tremendous development taking place, especially the many bridges along the coast road.
“Now, from the air, we can see that the coastal road along the stretch from Daro to Dalat will soon be connected except for the two bridges at Batang Paloh and Batang Igan are still under construction. The completion of the two bridges will provide a more seamless and safe drive for motorists driving from Kuching to Miri and vice-versa,” he said enthusiastically.
Presenting the UKAS plaque and goodies to Supt Narul Amir and his colleagues at the hotel lobby in Mukah
And after presenting the pilots with some goodies which we have brought along, they departed for their duties in the sky.
While for us, we went to visit Daro and had a short stopover before we proceeded to Oya.
Crackers (keropok) and lekor
At Kampung Masjid, Oya, we met a cracker entrepreneur named Sanah Kesuma binti Usop. She, along with her daughter Siti Sahara, 31 and her husband Hardy Masor, 39, and six workers were busy to meet deadline for Hari Raya orders from customers as far as Miri and Brunei.
Sahara and her husband Hardy packing the crackers into a box at their house in Kampung Masjid in Oya.
However, she declined to be interviewed and asked her daughter Sahara and her husband instead.
“We have to be fast as Hari Raya is approaching,” said Sahara while packing the crackers into the box with her husband.
It has become their daily routine to prepare about a ton of raw materials consisting of flour and either fish, prawn of cuttlefish, to yield about 300 kg of raw crackers, in order to produce three different flavours.
“Now we can produce more crackers as we have the machinery to process the materials into ready-made crackers which we just need to dry under the sun before selling them,” said Sahara.
She hoped that their business could be expanded by getting a separate factory instead of operating from their house.
“That will be our hope for the next five years,” she said.
Sahara and her husband Hardy being assisted by one of their workers drying crackers at their house compound.
Kasuma and few of siblings are also involved in the business. One of her siblings whom we met at Oya was Suaipi bin Usop. He said they have been involved in the business for over 30 years.
Suaipi Usop showing how the crackers’ machine works.
Dalat’s icon terendak located at the town’s roundabout.
Conclusion
Honestly speaking, we have already experienced fatigue on the fourth day of our trip. But we must continue our Odyssey as it is part of our task to provide the latest information regarding the coastal road and related stories to share with our readers.
