The birthplace of Sarawak’s petroleum industry and the second largest city in the state, Miri boasts of scenic sights and interesting local products and food.
Miri Tamu market
Native products can be easily purchased at the Miri Tamu or a market where the locals come and sell their products. From foodstuff to handicraft, there is something for everyone.
Shopping
Shopping is a breeze with the numerous shopping malls such as Bintang Plaza, Boulevard Shopping Mall, Imperial Shopping Mall, E-Mart, Miri Plaza, Miri Square and Wisma Pelita Mall, to name a few in this small bustling city.
Beach fun
Watching the romantic sunset from the Miri beach is a favourite pastime and a must for tourist as it offers beautiful photography opportunity. The beach is also a popular spot for locals on weekends.
Food
Miri is popular with seafood and there are numerous outlets with their own specialities such as Birds’ Nest, fish in any style and other sea slugs like snail-like Dong Fung Lor, steamed prawns that are sweet and succulent, oyster omelette that would rival those in the Peninsula, and the not-to-be-missed pucuk paku of Sarawak, midin, which is fried simply with garlic.
Grand Old Lady
This is Malaysia’s very first inland oil well. Located on top of Canada Hill, it is now known as Bukit Telaga Minyak. Built in 1902, this Oil Well No.1, which produced 660,000 barrels of oil over 60 years from 1910 by Shell Company, was shut down in 1972. The hill overlooks Miri city and there is a lookout tower nearby where visitors can view the city and the sea.
Niah National Park
One of the oldest human remains in South-East Asia was found in the Niah Caves in this park. Several chambers make up the Niah Caves and though eerie, with the makeshift huts in the Traders’ Cave, the caves exude a natural beauty one cannot discount when one sees them filled with bats and swifts that are busily building their nests several hundred metres high.
Lambir Hills National Park
Lambir Hills National Park, a 30-minute drive from Miri city, has many lovely mini waterfalls. The park has very diverse species of flora and fauna and is ranked as the 12th mega-biodiverse sites in the world.
City Parks
Miri has 14 public parks and one of the most popular is the Miri City Fan, which is a 10.4ha park right in the heart of the city. It was accorded Malaysia’s best-landscaped city park in 2001. For leisurely pursuits, Taman Selera is a family picnic spot while Miri Bulatan Park is a lake garden. Another good park to visit is the Luak Bay Esplanade, which is a park at the seafront.
Miri Taoist Temple
Miri Taoist Temple, or better known as the Lian Hua San or Lotus Hill Temple, is the biggest of its kind in South-East Asia. Its intricate sculptures and architecture have attracted tourists, especially those of the faith. The temple is located in the Krokop suburbs.
Saberkas Commercial Centre
The Saberkas Commercial Centre is popular during weekends with Bruneians, who come in droves to the Malay Pasar Tamu.
GETTING THERE
Flights to Miri, which is the third busiest airport in Malaysia after the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, from Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Sibu, Bintulu and other small towns in Sarawak.
Both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia operate flights from Peninsular Malaysia to Miri.
Miri is also accessible by road from Brunei’s capital, Bandar Sri Begawan, and other major towns in Sarawak by the Pan-Borneo highway.
source The Star sunday metro.
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