Sayang Sarawak - part 3

1. I met an old friend who I haven't seen in more than a decade, Emy. We were neighbours back in college days and although we used to belong to different group of usrah, we got along fabulously well. It was amazing how even after more than ten years passed us by, once we met, there was almost no feeling of awkwardness that one would normally expect in such reunion.

2. We chatted all night long, filling on each other's development since we last met in Glasgow in winter 1996 or 1997. We went out for dinner in Satok and after that Emy's husband, Azhar drove all over Kuching so that Emy could play tourist guide as she pointed out and described places of interest, assisted by her lovely 8-year-old daughter. Meeting her 8-month old son helped to alleviate my missing Baby Haniyya a bit. I'm touched to have Emy and her family coming all the way from Samarahan to Kuching just to take me out to dinner - and it felt really good to be back in touch with her.

3. I was supposed to meet up with another old friend who I haven't seen in ages and who shares similar birth date with me - Syafiq Anas. As it happened though, Syafiq was too busy with work and then with Christmas (he is a Muslim revert, and his family is Christian, so he goes back to Bau for family get-together during Christmas). Maybe next time...

4. I didn't plan on meeting her but was so glad to meet Kak Jasmine Andrew just as I finished Kek Lapis shopping in Kampung Gersik. Turned out her car was parked right next to our host's car. She had already reversed her car and was set to move away when she noticed me at the road side and honked at me. I was surprised by the honk, of course, thinking "what? what did I do wrong?". She re-entered the parking lot, parked her car, pulled down her window and exclaimed "Hey! What are you doing here?". We were so excited to see each other as we jumped and hugged each other. Must be quite a sight for the passerby - a 30-something tall Malay hugging and jumping with a 40-something not-so-tall Bidayuh, hehehe.

5. Kak Jas is currently on study leave, doing her PhD. Turned out that she was in Kampung Gersik to order some food for Christmas. She invited us - hubby and all his friends as well - over for lunch at her house on Christmas, but alas we could not fulfill her invitation as we had to return back to KL that day.

6. Also made some new friends -

• Puan Habibah and her family - the 'sponsor' who invited hubby and co for the 'assignment' and invited me over to one of the all-week-long-nightly solat hajat at her home where I tasted ambal (bamboo clam) and cempedak masak lemak for the first time;
• Nor, Puan Habibah's daughter, who fetched me from the Airport and sent all the entourage to the Airport on the last day. A single mother, raising a 7-year old son Amirul, she seems to be very strong and positive in facing life's many trials and tribulations;
• Salimi and Jais, who had been very accomodating in driving us all over Kuching from 360 Hotel in Padungan/Pending area to places we wish to go - Satok, Gersik, Gambier Road (to witness the row of 7 shops in a historical area which burned down while we were there), Pasar Tamu, Petra Jaya, Water Front, Riverside Shopping Mall, Semariang etc;
• Dr Jamal's team for the assignment - Azizul, Razlin, Abang Jai, Azzyzul and Aza Faizal. Granted, hubby and I got teased (often in 18SX tones) mercilessly sometimes, but they are good people to hang out with.
• Nor, Salimi's elder sister, and her husband, who hosted a lunch for us, took us out to Pasar Tamu to buy freshly-salted ikan terubuk masin, taught us how to eat buah Dabai and introduced Mee Jawa Sate to us. They used to live in Putrajaya, and we invited them over to Presint 11 should they come and visit Semenanjung.

Pictures will be posted later, insya Allah.