Sibu

Sibu sits about sixty kilometres up the Rajang, the longest river in Malaysia, and it is a Foochow town: Chinese settlers from Fuzhou were brought in from 1901 under an agreement with the Brooke administration, and their descendants shaped the place, which is why the food is Foochow - kampua noodles, kompia bread rolls baked against the side of a drum oven, and red wine chicken cooked with glutinous rice wine. The town works as a port and a timber centre rather than a tourist stop. The Tua Pek Kong temple on the waterfront has a seven-storey pagoda with a view over the river, the central market is the largest in the state, and the express boats leave from here for Kapit and Belaga upriver, which is the main reason travellers pass through.

History

Before 1873 the place was called Maling, after a bend in the Rajang opposite the town, and on 1 June 1873 the Brooke administration set up the third division of Sarawak here; the name Sibu comes from the native pulasan fruit, buah sibau in Iban (Wikipedia, Sibu).

What's there

• A Foochow town - kampua noodles, kompia rolls and red wine chicken.
• The Tua Pek Kong pagoda - seven storeys over the Rajang waterfront.
• The largest market in Sarawak - jungle produce, fish and river goods.
• Express boats upriver - departures for Kapit and Belaga on the Rajang.

When to go

All year. A day.

Good to know

Sibu is a working port with few conventional sights - it is a stop, not a destination. The waterfront can be scruffy. Express boat times are early morning and fixed.

Nearby

Kapit is upriver by express boat; Mukah and the coast are north.

Key facts