On the road to Beliong … 
Boarding the sampan to get across Batang Samarahan to Beliong
After crossing Batang Samarahan by ferry; we have to cross it once again, but this time by sampan and with our bicycles on it to get to Beliong – our destination to begin our cycling adventure and exploration.
Getting our bikes onto the sampan
Happy passengers on a sampan - Mr. Sim senior & junior (Khian Hui)
Beliong used to be a thriving small town in the heydays when the prices for coconuts products were high. But that was decades ago and sadly it’s more like a semi-deserted small village now. A single row of double storey wooden shophouse is the only structure that bears testament to its importance as the center for the coconuts trade and where a number of Chinese used to lived. Most of the former residents of Beliong had long left to find a better living elsewhere.
A single row of wooden shophouses in Beliong
The main and perhaps the only reason the Chinese come to Beliong these days is to visit the famous ‘Tokong Fuk Teck K’ung’ temple there. In fact they are building a new pagoda as an extension to it which is currently under construction.
Altars @ Tokong Fuk Teck K’ung, Beliong
Parking our bikes in the shade outside the temple’s compound
As Sim senior and junior are Buddhists, we dropped by the temple for a short while to pray and asked for blessings and safe-passage for our cycling trip. Mr. Sim was born in Beliong but left when he was only 14 to find work in Kuching. He still has a 13 acres coconut plantation that he used to help his parents work on. Sadly the plantation had long been abandoned. Mr. Sim was a building carpenter before he retired and this trip back to Beliong is full of childhood memories and recollections for him. I was just as excited for him as he was about going back to his childhood place.
Fixing the loose chain with tools borrowed from the temple’s caretaker
After the temple visit and a minor adjustment to Khian Hui’s bicycle whose chain had came off; we eagerly set out on our way to look for Mr Sim’s coconut plantation and old house. His last trip there was decades ago … and we were as excited as boy scouts on their first field trip!
Crossing our first bridge (this was the widest!) and we were well on our way!
Mr. Sim gives pause to reflect on life since he left Beliong at 14; and he had few regrets if any.
Entering a magical place on the waters on a Sunday, 9th December 2007
