Kampong Sungai Peliau — a hidden gem

The shallow rivermouth of Sungai Peliau.

A typical kampung sundry shop-cum-home.

IN the past three or four years, much attention has been focused on the Kedayans, an ethnic group, found mainly on the sea coast between Miri and Bintulu.
Their ancestors, being  fisherfolk, were also well-known for making of belacan (shrimp paste) and salted fish.
Today, their villages are progressing fast with good roads and other infrastructures.
Much has also been planned for their future. Social and economic transformation can be seen as one drives from Kampongs Bakam to Sungai Peliau.
Indeed, many Mirians have been heading to these Kedayan kampongs to buy fish, camp out and even jungle-trek.

People from Ulu Niah also live in this part of the coast because like their seafaring forefathers, they entered the upper reaches of Sungai Sibuti through the rivermouth in the 1920’s by order of the White Rajah to mainly cultivate rice.
Today, while Iban longhouses dot the upper parts of Sungai Sibuti and the other smaller rivers, the Kedayans continue to live in the coastal regions.
The local Iban practice of coming to the sea coast and exchange rice for fish continues today albeit in a different manner.

Camping excursion organised by the Malaysian Nature Society. — Photo by Stephen Tay

Josephine (not her real name), her two sisters and her relatives recently travelled from Ulu Niah to hold Iban customary rites near Kampong Sungai Peliau.
“My relatives come to Kampong Sungai Peliau to commemorate the passing of a beloved member of the family,” she said.
“Many of our longhouses are in the upper reaches of Sungai Sibuti and Sungai Niah. So we come here to say our prayers and get together — away from the longhouse.
“The rites were conducted by our priest or catechist. Relatives also had the chance to come here from Miri, Brunei and even Bintulu since they could not make it to the funeral in the Ulu.
“In a way, we are ‘throwing away’ past grudges and finding ‘renewal’ through such a gathering,” she explained.

Kedayan handicrafts for sale

Josephine said the bereaved family showed their gratitude to their relatives by preparing a traditional meal by the beach, adding that it was a good way to remember the beloved departed.
The group set up their BBQ pits on the beach away from the kampong in a nice secluded area with plenty of shade.
The children swam in the sea, the young adults walked further down to Bungai Beach while the elders mingled and chatted. And soon the food was ready, everyone gathered around for prayers of thanksgiving.
Once the picnic was over, the group collected their garbage for disposal and even the spare wood to bring back home.
Francis Hii from Sibu said he and his friends recently camped out for at Kampong Sungai Peliau for two nights.
“The most enjoyable part was meeting the fishermen early in the morning and eating freshly grilled fish for breakfast and lunch,” he enthused.
The fishermen were eager to catch the ‘Blue Tears’ but the blue phenomenon did not appear.
The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Miri branch, led by Musa Musbah, often holds camping activities around Miri whenever they have the time. They always try to find good camping ground not too far from Miri.
During such camping trips, children and adults get to learn about nature.
Stephen Tay, an MNS member and a camping organiser, said: “Camping is a very healthy activity for the whole family.
“I’m an outdoors person and staying a few nights on the beach at Kampong Sungai Pe-iau is perfect!”
A lecturer friend who often goes camping with his Boy Scouts, chimed in: “It’s not easy to find a good place to pitch our tents along the Bintulu-Lutong coast. From my experience, it’s easier for a smaller group but harder for a larger group because we have to consider toilet and bathing facilities and even promixity to clinics in case of emergency.”
Kampong Sungai Peliau is near Bekenu town — about 10 minutes away — and the beach is lovely.
The friend said in the morning, they bought fish from the fisher-men who came in very early with their catch.

These fishermen’s stalls commence business as early as 7am at Kampung Sungai Peliau.

Kampong folk and even consumers from as far as Miri came to buy fish before 8 pm, he added.
Kampong Sungai Peliau has adequate bathing and toilet faci-lities, provided by the government for the kampong “Beach Park.”
A nearby community hall has other facilities, in case a big storm rages and the tents cannot withstand the power of the wind.
Bakar, a local fisherman and Kampong Sungai Peliau resident, remarked: “We like to welcome all picnickers and campers to our kampong. In the last few years, we had seen many people visiting our kampong and our beach. We like the social and physical development here and we thank the government for supporting us.
“We as fishermen continue to go out to sea and catch as many fish as possible. Our little stalls here have fresh fish most days with some fishermen coming in even before 6am. We sell directly to our customers.”
Aunty Mina selling fresh coconuts at Bungai Beach, said during weekends, she would get coconuts from the surrounding kampongs, including Kampong Sungai Peliau.
According to her, most tourists and local customers love the fresh coconuts at her stall.
She must never be short of the fruits. Sometimes, visitors from Brunei and Miri will buy more than 20 coconuts each — and other fruits — to take home.
During the fruit season, her business is even better.
She is happy there are more kampongs along the Bungai Beach area and Kampong Peliau is a welcomed addition for visitors, especially those who like to take photos or buy fish in the morning.
Malaysia has an abundance of tropical jungles and vast flora and fauna that we should really take the time to appreciate and explore.
If you want to experience what it’s like to live in the jungle not too far from the city, Kampong Peliau and Bungai Beach are highly recommended.
These are not entirely off the beaten track but are still con-sidered rare gems to city folk who like to get away from the city.
Peliau Beach, together with the adjacent Bungai Beach and Sibuti Beach are about an hour’s drive from Miri.
Those interested in bird-watching can quite easily spot Chinese egret, peregrine falcon, kingfisher, kentish plover and lesser sand plover.
Besides, many newspapers have been pro-moting walks from the beaches of Peliau to Tanjung Layang and Bungai.
And of course, Tusan is a big tourist attraction. The 45-minute walk from Peliau village to Tanjung Layang covers sandy beaches, cliffs, coral reefs, a waterfall, a stream and a cemetery of early Kedayan settlers and also passes Kuntum, Batu Berjanji, Batu Putih, Lubuk Kasau, Tanjung Batu, Kuala Jemaah and Batu Bandia.
Kampong Sungai Peliau has great potential for tourism, espe-cially nature lovers who like to camp out. In fact, everyone is looking forward to better facilities for campers and day trippers.

Reported By: Chang Yi

* Note: Newspaper cut from The Borneo Post who has the copy right for the above article.