Fan and Chee (left) with a local guide visiting the Siniawan night market in Kuching during their globetrotting visit to Sarawak.
HAVING set foot in Sarawak, Fan Yu Hu from Shanghai, China, finally gained a better insight into the state.
“I heard that in Borneo, including Sarawak, people live in trees. But what I heard is not what I see now.
“I see people living in modern homes. There are also high-rise buildings in the towns and cities,” he said.
Fan and his wife Gloria Chee Shin Yu, from Johor Baru, have been on the road for 215 days as of April 15.
They are aiming to break a Guinness World Record by visiting 100 countries on six continents over 800 days.
Their journey started in September last year in their electric vehicle, taking them to Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Canada, Alaska in the United States, and Brunei so far.
The globetrotting couple arrived in Sarawak from Sabah on Feb 14, the fifth day of Chinese New Year.
Their first stop was Miri before heading south to Bintulu, Sarikei, Sibu, Sri Aman, and Kuching.
They then had to make their way back to Sabah, where there was a ferry to transport their electric car to Singapore.
Fan and Chee found that the cost of living is lower in Sarawak compared to Peninsular Malaysia.
“As we are on a long journey, we need to be thrifty with our spending. In Sarawak, we did not have to spend much as food was cheaper.
“For instance, in Sibu, we could find a plate of kampua (Foochow dry noodles) for only RM2.50,” Chee said.
Fan also found that roads in Sarawak were environmentally-friendly as they were lined with trees.
“Almost everywhere we went, we could see trees planted by the roadside. It’s sort of green everywhere. The state looks more beautiful and environmentally friendly,” he said.
Another thing that caught his attention was the trilingual road signs in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin.
“As I am more familiar with Mandarin, I find it easier to move about here,” he said.
Chee, who previously came to Sarawak 20 years ago with a church group, was amazed by the rapid development taking place in the state.
“I can see that Sarawak is much different compared to 20 years ago. I have no problem speaking to the people here in three languages,” she said.
The couple vowed to come back in two years as they felt that they had not seen enough of Sarawak.
According to their local guide Roy Ting, their adventure in the state would not be complete without visiting Iban longhouses and the world-renowned Mulu Caves.
“We will go to other countries first according to our schedule.
“After that, in two years, we will come back to visit longhouses and also the Mulu Caves,” said Fan.
The couple also pledged to promote Sarawak on social media, like what they did with the other countries they have visited.
They have over 100,000 followers on YouTube, Facebook, and Chinese social media platforms Douyin and Xiaohongshu.
