Kanowit of Borneo

August 8, 2010

I've just returned from a small town called KANOWIT,  whose origins started in the early 19th century as a fishing settlement at the confluence of the rivers of Kanowit, and the Batang Rajang River, the longest river at 563 km in Borneo, and even in the whole of its country, of Malaysia. Kanowit the town is named after an ancient tribe of people of the Melanau natives, whose language and people have since been assimilated into the major race, the Iban of Sarawak.
      As the town is sited just beside a scenic river, it is a fine place to spend an idyllic weekend to just escape the hustle-and-bustle of city life and just to stroll along its quaint little town, soaking up the smells and sights of this place which seems to come out of a page of the 1960's....such is the aura of this unpretentious fishing town in the tropics, with too few buildings and a handful of inhabitants,  that if you walk around the town, you tend to feel that this town is your own little town...

   There are only three rows of shophouses in the town centre along the waterfront, and most of the shops are either old-style coffee shops or sundry shops...no fancy boutiques here, nor any Kentucky or McDonalds outlets. No laundry shop, no cinema, nor even a cybercafe. Yet this town is a complete administrative town, where the District Office, Public Library, Muzeum (an 1851 structure called Emma's Fort , which has a Mermaid statue beside it), town park, Market place, Handicraft centre and Waterfront area with its 3-row of shops are all within walking distance (5 minutes each) of each other!

          To reach Kanowit one can take an hour's express boat ride from Sibu town (Sarawak's third main town) or take the hour-long bus ride from either Sibu or Sarikei. There are two hotels along the waterfront, the Kanowit Hotel and the Harbour View Inn, and only one bank (RHB) in town, so travellers are advised to bring along cash beforehand. A visit to the local muzeum (Emma's Fort) settles all the history and information one needs about what this town was in the colonial times, and what to do while staying here. I took a walk to the local bazaar (Pasar Tani) one day where they were selling skinned foxes ("Musang" in the  Malay dialect), the ubiquitous wriggling Sago Worms (Rhinoceros Beetle larvae), and some palm-sized frogs, besides the usual fish, chicken and an assortment of vegetables and jungle ferns, among others.