Serikin is situated about 80km from Kuching, takes about 1 and 1/2 hour drive. Located near the border to Kalimantan, Indonesia, traders from Indonesia flock to Serikin from Friday afternoon 'til Sunday afternoon. The best time to go there is on Saturday so you would have enough time to browse.. and of course, bargain. It's a big advantage if you can kalakah Saghawak.
No, I didn't buy this. But I did try some from the tester tray. Tasty, but nothing special.
Napi, sporting a cool goatee. But my abang's goatee is even cooler.
No, I didn't buy this. But I did try some from the tester tray. Tasty, but nothing special.
Napi, sporting a cool goatee. But my abang's goatee is even cooler.
My little cherub and I.So you see, Serikin is all about buying Indonesion stuff which would otherwise be 2 times expensive in Kuching (I bought several sarongs, RM13 each, and they are actually priced at RM24 in Kuching) and 4-5 times more expensive in my hometown. Or, they are not available there...
The famous tikar Sarawak.
These mats, woven from rattan and tree barks cost about RM25-250 depending on the size and also your bargaining skill. I've already got one at home, bought in Miri during a course there years before. It is still in tip top condition... I bought it for RM180. They are actually way lighter than they seem, and flexible too. Meaning to say, bringing them home is nothing. Had I bought it in Serikin, it would cost only RM45. Guess my hanging out with Sarawakians during my old school days really paid off..
You could also buy textiles at a very, very good price here. I bought a telekung set for RM55. The offered price was initially RM95, and in Sabah, it would cost RM175. Yes, I had checked out the same telekung at Gaya street and for the obvious reason, did not buy it.These mats, woven from rattan and tree barks cost about RM25-250 depending on the size and also your bargaining skill. I've already got one at home, bought in Miri during a course there years before. It is still in tip top condition... I bought it for RM180. They are actually way lighter than they seem, and flexible too. Meaning to say, bringing them home is nothing. Had I bought it in Serikin, it would cost only RM45. Guess my hanging out with Sarawakians during my old school days really paid off..
You may also find a variety kinds of textiles there, cheaper than at home. But I have to remember, we had a mission there. So I bought a set of organza fabric, of the latest design, price RM40 (WOW! It would be RM180 in KK), another telekung, sejadah, tasbih, etc-etc... Not for me, but for a certain girl there in Kuching...Stuff from Indonesia.
More stuff..
More stuff..I was told by a local, Serikin is not it used to be. She doesn't go there no more. Too expensive, she said. So, it's not that cheap there in Serikin? Nope, she continued, it's the non-local, especially West Malaysian's doing( I think she thought I'm Sarawakian). Since they've discovered Serikin, it's a must-go destination for them. And they rarely bargain, being overly excited to shop and when they do bargain, they are contented at a mere RM2 discounts.
Not me. When they gave me RM95 price for the telekung, I firmly countered 'RM40'. Kamek oghang sitok.. bukan oghang luar.. And looked directly to his eyes, hoping to hypnotise that poor guy into giving in. 'RM70, mok ptang udah kamek mok balit. Paling mughah udah tok'. Oh, no. 'RM50 sik dapat ka?'
Finally, we agreed on RM55 for that simple, but beautifully embroidered, thick but ultra-soft 100% cotton, telekung.While we were in Serikin, and waiting for Uncle Kiking who was MIA, we had a late lunch at a restaurant, nearest to the carpark. So, of course, I would want to eat something I had googled back home.Laksa Sarawak and Mee Kolok.
They tasted great.Laksa Sarawak is like the regular laksa with a strong flavour of blackpepper.
Mee kolok is really konlo mee.
The one... burrppp!
I'm saying here is that Serikin is really worth going. It is much safer than Tebedu. The Laksa Sarawak and Mee Kolok are the best I've had. See, I couldn't get enough of them so I compared... I did compare.
The Ayam Penyet near the Masjid Bahagian Kuching is also not bad.
All in all, Kuching is not a shopping haven like KL. Or, even KK. The town is not even tourist friendly. Getting to one place to another is a major problem, even for locals (so a local Kuching told me). Why? Because of the absence of road signs and unreliability of the town map and also, because of MEN who are very typical when it comes to asking for direction and their general view on map. That's why women must buy a mobile phone with a GPS function.
I was not really interested in shopping. I just bought a blue scarf (I would wear it with my old black jubah) to match with my abang's blue batik. Blue is our theme colour, so my father in law decided back home. And, souvenir t.shirts for the kids. Fridge magnet. Terubuk masin. Laksa Sarawak paste. Gambir.So, other than the Serikin trip and Sunday Pasar Satok, we spent most of our time there at a bridal and wedding accessories in Wisma Hopoh. Finding stuff is really a problem there. Once, I forgot to bring extra diaper for Baby Fuad. I didn't find it at Watson or Guardian in a shopping mall near Indian Street. I found one in a small shop, it was the last pack and size 'M'. Fuad is XL.Most shops are closed on Sunday.
The 'big day' was scheduled on Monday evening. Still, no sirih junjung.. But I did manage to find some sirih at Pasar Satok. So, that Monday morning, we rushed to Wisma Hopoh to get it done. They said we could take it by 3. But they didn't decorate it.. So I bought some glittery flowers (We could not find a florist and Kuching people are unfortunately not very helpful, or they really don't know. Go and ask any local for direction, they almost always consistently say 'sik tau o'.), blue and green butterflies, ribbons.. I just stuck the flowers here and there, and put 2 butterflies on top of it symbolising ahemmm 2 persons, promising to be together in the near future.. And Ta-Daa...
The Entourage.
With the glam girls from the neighbourhood.
Hantaran for Napi...
Hantaran-making is actually fun if you have ample time, but all these.. One sleepless night and another tense hour for the sirih junjung.. There was just no room for creativity. I hope they did not notice the lack thereof.. I hope nobody get injured in opening them... amin.
Mission accomplished. Alhamdulillah...
I will definitely go there again to do some serious shopping. Insyaallah.
Not me. When they gave me RM95 price for the telekung, I firmly countered 'RM40'. Kamek oghang sitok.. bukan oghang luar.. And looked directly to his eyes, hoping to hypnotise that poor guy into giving in. 'RM70, mok ptang udah kamek mok balit. Paling mughah udah tok'. Oh, no. 'RM50 sik dapat ka?'
Finally, we agreed on RM55 for that simple, but beautifully embroidered, thick but ultra-soft 100% cotton, telekung.While we were in Serikin, and waiting for Uncle Kiking who was MIA, we had a late lunch at a restaurant, nearest to the carpark. So, of course, I would want to eat something I had googled back home.Laksa Sarawak and Mee Kolok.
They tasted great.Laksa Sarawak is like the regular laksa with a strong flavour of blackpepper.
Mee kolok is really konlo mee.
The one... burrppp!I'm saying here is that Serikin is really worth going. It is much safer than Tebedu. The Laksa Sarawak and Mee Kolok are the best I've had. See, I couldn't get enough of them so I compared... I did compare.
The Ayam Penyet near the Masjid Bahagian Kuching is also not bad.
All in all, Kuching is not a shopping haven like KL. Or, even KK. The town is not even tourist friendly. Getting to one place to another is a major problem, even for locals (so a local Kuching told me). Why? Because of the absence of road signs and unreliability of the town map and also, because of MEN who are very typical when it comes to asking for direction and their general view on map. That's why women must buy a mobile phone with a GPS function.
I was not really interested in shopping. I just bought a blue scarf (I would wear it with my old black jubah) to match with my abang's blue batik. Blue is our theme colour, so my father in law decided back home. And, souvenir t.shirts for the kids. Fridge magnet. Terubuk masin. Laksa Sarawak paste. Gambir.So, other than the Serikin trip and Sunday Pasar Satok, we spent most of our time there at a bridal and wedding accessories in Wisma Hopoh. Finding stuff is really a problem there. Once, I forgot to bring extra diaper for Baby Fuad. I didn't find it at Watson or Guardian in a shopping mall near Indian Street. I found one in a small shop, it was the last pack and size 'M'. Fuad is XL.Most shops are closed on Sunday.
The 'big day' was scheduled on Monday evening. Still, no sirih junjung.. But I did manage to find some sirih at Pasar Satok. So, that Monday morning, we rushed to Wisma Hopoh to get it done. They said we could take it by 3. But they didn't decorate it.. So I bought some glittery flowers (We could not find a florist and Kuching people are unfortunately not very helpful, or they really don't know. Go and ask any local for direction, they almost always consistently say 'sik tau o'.), blue and green butterflies, ribbons.. I just stuck the flowers here and there, and put 2 butterflies on top of it symbolising ahemmm 2 persons, promising to be together in the near future.. And Ta-Daa...
The Entourage.With the glam girls from the neighbourhood.
Hantaran for Napi...Hantaran-making is actually fun if you have ample time, but all these.. One sleepless night and another tense hour for the sirih junjung.. There was just no room for creativity. I hope they did not notice the lack thereof.. I hope nobody get injured in opening them... amin.
Mission accomplished. Alhamdulillah...I will definitely go there again to do some serious shopping. Insyaallah.
