From one day to the next...

I did mention chilly, Northern Europe in my post yesterday. Well The Netherlands didn't let me down, this is the view from the house this morning.

Food & Drink, Wildlife and Christmas

When Kay was here we took the opportunity to try out a number of new restaurants, great fun and some interesting experiences.. For instance I am not quite sure what I ordered when this spider crab type dish arrived. It was quite nice but boy, for Miri, it was expensive.

Alongside all the rich food you have to try to balance your diet, ordering a fruit juice to accompany the meal is generally a good way to accomplish this goal. In a local Thai restaurant this plan didn't quite work out as you can see the fruit juice is generously layered with thick, whipped cream ;-)

I have to get hold of a book on local wildlife, there are some super birds in the area plus some absolutely magnificent insects.

And finally Christmas is here. Even though it is 30+C outside all the trappings of Christmas are here. There are endless carols on the PA in the shopping malls; Christmas trees in profusion, like this one at Bintang Plaza mall complete with the Disneyesque animatronic Santa Claus.

And finally Pantomime, what would Christmas be without Panto. We went to Brunei last weekend to see the pantomime, the director was Carol Farmer ( who directed Sleeping Beauty in Assen when I played the king ). Great fun was had by all, both at the show and then at the after show party.....

Now back to cold, dark Northern Europe for Christmas, Brrrrrr

On the River

Howard took me up the river on the barge from the club on Saturday morning. We only went for a couple of hours but it was great fun. Went much faster than we could with our boat in Voorschoten! There are 2 x 60 HP engines on the boat, but only one of them has got any real power - in fact it is new. So we turned the old one off and had great fun speeding along (on the plane, James!) with the new one.

This is the boat launch area - the boat is taken from the club on a trailor for us:

The first half of the trip is around the edge of the city, so there are kampungs along side the river. Lots of various styles of fishing boats:

Once out of the city it is mostly tree lined river with interesting vegetation and wild life to spot as you go.

And Howard thought that this was an interesting juxtaposition - the offshore lifeboat escape training centre which is representative of the oil industry heart of Miri with the Mosque representing the spiritual side of the city.

And finally, for fun, here is a video of us speeding along..

In the house....Taman Bayshore

It’s Friday and I am sitting here listening to 5 Live on the internet. Its late night radio in the UK but it’s my morning entertainment! Thank goodness we have internet. It took a couple of days to sort out but having it has helped with feeling "connected". The satellite TV man has just arrived and is in the process of adding a satellite dish to the house, so we are well on the way to getting back to "normal"!

I’ve taken some photos of the (quite empty) house, with only the loan pack of furniture. There are 2 single beds upstairs for Howard and I, and downstairs a rattan suite and a table and chairs. The TV and DVD player works fine and we are awaiting a washing machine and table lamp. The lamp would be good as the only light so far is the 3 sets of neon lights set in the very high ceiling!

Anyway I’ve taken some photos inside and out so have a look …..

It’s all looking very empty of course. I’ve been looking at tables and chairs to buy and we might order them this week. There is only a limited selection on offer. Teak, imported from Indonesia, has a very rough and ready look and I am not be sure it comes from a renewable source either…. I think we are going for the ubiquitous rubber wood, much to the disgust of the shop assistant!

I must also go and look at rattan furniture today. It is locally made in a tin–roofed factory run by a Chinese lady called Jennifer who seems to rule with a firm hand! Anyway, you choose what ever you like. Turn up with a photo or something from the Argos catalogue and it will be made! (Consequently the furniture stores here say “No Photos” presumably to stop folks getting copies made!)

Rain

I was driving yesterday when it decided to rain heavily – the first time since I have been here. All I can say is I am happy Howard has bought the Prado – it is scary when that amount of water comes out of the sky all at once!

First Impressions!

Arrived on Friday after a relatively easy journey from Schiphol. Thoroughly enjoyed the warmth and sunshine after departing a grey and cold Netherlands. It has been a steady 30 since I arrived with lows of 25 overnight!

Howard has been really eager to show me the sights so on Saturday we explored Miri City - shops, supermarkets and cafes. All very different but familiar too – all this exciting Chinese goods but familiar food as well of course – even Marmite, Claire! The street filled with Chinese pots is only a small indication of what is available.

I think I might find driving a challenge though. Although our Prado is easy to drive there are some interesting manoeuvres by other drivers you have to look out for!

The hunt was on for bedding for our house as we are due to move in today (Sunday). The furniture is minimal but we should manage until our own stuff arrives – hopefully in February.

This is being hastily created on our last morning in the Marriot as we leave for our new house today. Internet won’t be available for a day or two (finger crossed). Howard has been here a month but we mustn’t feel too sorry for him…..

This is the hotel...

And this is where we played tennis last night...

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