Last week, when school was closing for the holidays, I had to drive all the way to pick my daughter from her school in Selangau and bring her home so I grabbed the opportunity to stop by the market in that little town along the way as the previous weekend, I wanted to buy some of the exotic meat usually available there but there was none that day.
One thing that impressed me a lot at the market was the public toilet there…
*20 sen per entry*
For one thing, it was really very clean – no smell at all which would be more than what I can say about many of the toilets in the big towns and cities in the country.
The other thing would be the fact that everytime I went, there would not be anybody holding the fort but amazingly, everyone using the toilet would leave the money on the counter and even the money in the basket could be left there just like that…
I do not think it would be there for long if it had been one of the toilets in those bigger places.
Well, I did manage to get hold of some of the meat that day so I was able to cook it and give to papakucing for him to enjoy…
This one is slow-cooked with soy sauce, garlic, pepper and sugar added. I did not cook the soup one as it would be hard to bring when travelling by air. That will just have to wait till the next time he comes over to Sibu, I’m afraid.
While I was in the town, I did stroll around to have a look at the stalls where they were selling all the ethnic handicrafts…and also those sold by the ladies sitting along the pavement outside the shops. Normally, you would not get to see them but the Gawai Dayak Festival was coming, so there were quite a few around. I bought this miniature ajat…
– their traditional basket/backpack usually made of rattan but this one was made using beads. I thought it looked very nice and could not resist grabbing one and taking it home.
I also saw these bead necklaces…
– I’ve long admired those traditional beads of the ethnic races and I’m sure many would agree with me when I say that they do look very pretty. There are those made with genuine antique ethnic beads but those would cost an arm or a leg – these are a lot cheaper…and never mind that it is not the real thing, I still feel that they look really great.
I don’t know how much they’re selling these things in the souvenir shops in the town…
…but as far as I’m concerned, it does not really matter. I have the feeling that not many people would stop and buy these nice things from them so I hope in some small way, I had contributed a bit towards their celebration of the auspicious occasion.
When I was at Melissa’s school, I saw these bamboo tubes…
…that someone had got ready probably to cook the lemang or the pansuh for the feasting and merry-making in the longhouse on the eve which, incidentally, is tonight…as they herald the coming of the Gawai Dayak Festival Day that falls on the 1st of June.
Well, I guess it is only right and fitting to end this post by wishing all my friends and readers celebrating the Pesta Kamatan, the Harvest Festival in Sabah, today…and all those celebrating the Gawai Dayak Festival tomorrow, Selamat Hari Keamatan and Selamat Hari Gawai. Cheers!!!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
That basket you bought is just lovely and those beads… On my, How very pretty. http://www.myjourneywithcandida.com/
I just couldn’t resist buying one – only around US$7…so cheap for something so nice. Must be quite a chore to make that.
i always wonder those fruit stalls selling at the road side in sabah and sarawak, sometimes they just leave their cans for the money and goods on the table yet ppl won’t anyhow take it away…
CleverMunkey
Haven’t seen those around here but in Auckland in the early 80’s, they buy newspapers by taking from the rack themselves and dropping the coins in a container (locked though) and for milk, you leave your bottle by the roadside with the coins inside – the milkman would come and take that and leave a new bottle of fresh milk there for you. They do not do that anymore – times have changed…but somebody told me such practices may still be found in some small suburban towns there.
Great attitude. I wonder whether it can be practised in town area.
Ooo.. I love pansuh.
Dream on. Town people are selfish, inconsiderate and not civic-minded, not at all…despite the fact that most are highly-educated and supposed to be more civilised. Really a disgrace.
Those beads are very pretty. I would also buy if I see them 🙂 And the soya sauce meat looks good. I want to try that with regular pork. Don’t think I can get wild boar over here.
Call your relative, say minta sikit… Hehehehehehe!!!! Pork also nice…but bau not the same.
i don’t actually like the idea of paying for public toilets, but then when i really need that i hope that the toilet i paid to use would be clean, well not squeaky clean but at least hygiene…
The payment is actually for the cleaning and washing…but they sit there like stones, collecting the money. One goes out, they should go in to clean already. The town council selects applicants to take care of the toilets and I hear their payment is the money they collect…and those in busy places like the market would earn a lot. Too bad they do not bother about doing the work properly. KLCC got high-class RM2 toilet, right? Bet that one is very clean, cheapskates don’t use and these are the ones who do not know how to use the toilet properly…
Hari Gawai is on 1st June Anay, if you read clearly.. you read this post last night and forgotten that it’s past 12am and the “tomorrow” in the post means Saturday and not Friday~~ blur sotong!! 😀
Today is Hari Kaamatan, the Harvest Festival in Sabah…and tomorrow is Gawai in Sarawak. Two states, not the same…don’t get confused. LOL!!!
nice miniature beads basket and necklace, so colorful and so ethnic.. hmmm, i wonder how big is the basket and what you may use it to store?? roll a couple of pieces of RM100 notes and slip it inside and then pass it to me, muahahahahaha!! 😀
Perfect suggestion. Too bad I’ve already given it away. Hehehehehehehe!!!!
Happy Gawai Day!!! =]
Tomorrow…and I’m not celebrating – only the Dayak communities. Have a nice weekend.
Well, I really admire the pretty miniature ajat and the bead necklace. I have a handbag made of rattan with the dayak design, very nice. The wild boar meat looks great and papakucing will surely enjoy every bit of it.
I hope he did – a bit burnt at the sides as they burnt the skin on the outside to remove the hair…so a bit of smoked kind of smell or taste. I wish they would not do that…just leave to me to remove the hair myself.
The bead basket is so nice…
It is!
I dont mind paying if the toilet is really clean and nice.. we should pay them for their efforts to keep it from “smelling”.. 🙂
Enjoy yourself tonight with the others… heard there is a Big Bloggers’ Meet-up.. so nice!!
Big in terms of size? Don’t think so…all very small…except me. LOL!!!
My girl has one miniature ajat made by my MIL’s friend. Very traditional looking. See if I got time I post about the ajat as Gawai is tomorrow! 🙂
In small town the people is very friendly and everyone know everyone. You will safe and so even the public toilets were not manned, everyone will show courtesy and put the 20cents coin in. 🙂
I lived in Kanowit for 5 years…and I loved the way of life of small town folks, so warm…so nice.
happy holidays to the east malaysia folks . janice is on holiday today too, yet i am at work.. 😦 ..
hey i love the vibrant colours of that bead thingy.. I really like the fact you manage to snap photos on the go and think of using those everyday images to blog on. Want to be just like you soon. 😀
I guess that’s what blogging is all about – sharing experiences, views and thoughts in and about life…or at least, to me. Thing is my life centres a lot around food…and hence, the numerous food posts in my blog. 😛
aiyo, did anyone see you taking pictures at the 20 cent coins in front of the toilet? LOL
Dunno. Didn’t cross my mind that anyone would be interested.
Happy Holiday to you and your family.
Same to you. Too bad public holiday on a Saturday, no long weekend.
I like the bead necklace too.
Nice eh? When I was in Kuching recently, I saw my friend wearing…with her black t-shirt/blouse and I was admiring it then. That’s why when I saw it that day, I bought it without any second thought.
looks like all the people there is very honest… leaving the coins there…
Country folks – very simple, very nice.
20sen per entry, consider quite cheap already. Here, public toilets also need 50sen, and mind you, it’s not that clean only =_=
The bead basket looks nice!
50 sen!!! Good grief! The cleanliness or lack of it certainly says a lot about the difference between the attitudes of the people in the cities and these rural places.
Buying handcrafts items are like appreciating their hardwork and creativity. 🙂
Yes, very tedious work, should show a bit of appreciation even though these things may be pretty common for us locals.
Hi, what exotic meat is that? Venison or wild boar? Perhaps even more exotic than that? Haha!
Wild boar. Hope to get some, come September…and cook for you. 😉
Twelve years ago when I was on Europe tour after our graduation, they charge EUR0.50 per entry to toilets. We could buy a plate of chicken rice at that time. Imagine that in order to save money, we would ‘tahan’ until reaching maximum limit and would go to toilet just before we needed to get on our bus for the next long journey. We were still students so could not bear to part with money so easily.
Aiyor…cannot tahan like that, especially men…or so they say! LOL!!! UK was 20p in 1994 = 1.20 now. Thankfully it was around 70 sen only then.
Hi, your soya sauce meat look so appetizing, I need extra rice to go with this delicious dish. 🙂
The bead necklace looks very pretty and elegant. Love the beautiful color.
Have a nice day.
You too. We love the meat cooked this way or as a soup dish. Very very nice. Ya, I love those ethnic beads too…very exotically classy, very nice.
ooo, a nice inspirational short story about honesty and integrity! i think i’ve seen a few public toilets many years ago where coins were left like that, but i guess it’d be difficult to practice it in most places =) nice colorful handicraft! looks like a lot of work went into them 😀
The thing is urban folks always look down on the rural people especially the ethic native races. They will make degrading remarks like “kana lakia” = well, looking at how people use and treat their toilets, one may want to question as to who the “lakia” is now… Really disgusting and disgraceful how people cannot seem to keep the toilets clean and use with care…and I’m afraid this kind of situation situation even includes teachers in the schools. I bow my head in shame!!!!
The basket/backpack & the bead necklace are very colourful. 🙂
Nice, very nice. Didn’t hesitate to buy.
Amazed at the honesty of the people there! Love the beaded bag…so beautiful!
Food for thought – a good example to emulate, I would say. Yes, I love it too!
Lots of trust there with the money just left there! Certainly quite a bit of honest ppl!
Yes, hard to find these days in our modern societies.
well that’s interesting huh, a lot of honest people huh,
it reminds me of this town, or basically an island here who does that so,
everything they found that wasn’t theirs was returned to the lost and found and the
stores there doesn’t need any cashier, they come, pay and go by themselves
That’s so nice. Wish everyone, every place could be like that and the world would definitely be a much better place to live in.
Hmm…I’ve always passed by Selangau but never knew they had such nice nooks and crannies until now.
The pork looks really good but why is the garlic white instead of caramelized with the rest of the pork?
That was at the beginning. After turning the meat a few times and basking everything in the juices and soy sauce, the garlic would turn black or brown like the rest.
Love the beaded ajat and necklace. How much are they? Wonder if I can get in Kuching.
The beads, my friend, Vivien, was wearing a string of those and she said she got them from an artist friend, can’t remember his name. The palm-sized ajat…1st time I’m seeing it myself.
yummy oink ooink…Those beads and the basket very expensive leh…saw one tiny banner type (i think about 10cm long and 3-4cm wide) that hangs one the wall at the Sibu big market was selling rm30 plus
Not really, less than 30. The oink oink more expensive. LOL!!! 😀
ah..the lining up coin are so cute and everyone so honest!!
Love the bead ajat and that necklace, very very nice and pretty.
Ya, but I don’t see anyone selling during ordinary times – just for the Gawai, it seems.