As promised, a recap of our Mukah escapades.
Arriving at Kuching International Airport bright and early, we debaters set off with the resolve to win the state levels and proceed onto the nationals.
Before that, luggage check-in was due as well as the inquiry of our own respective weights. Like, WTF?? They had to ask for our weights to get onto a plane?? Weird. However, MAS Wings were kind enough to let us on board without much of a hassle.
Then again, looking at the sheer size of the plane that we were supposed to board, it made me think that yeah, they had a good reason to inspect our weights before we got on board. Wouldn't want that tiny little plane to crash just cuz' I lied a few kilograms off my weight. Hehe.
The plane only sat 16 people, and the friggin' cockpit was in clear sight, with no partitions to separate us and the pilots. Wow! Buttons and knobs were everywhere!
All in all, the plane ride was rather smooth, except for the taking off in which the temperature in the cabin was like, a walk in the Sahara Desert. The plane flew at a pretty low altitude, rendering much of the ground below visible to our
sakai eyes.
Upon landing at Mukah Airport, I was met with this sight:
I lol'ed. Wow, never before have I seen such a small airport. FYI, for the record, Lapangan Terbang Mukah didn't qualify for such a small airport. Rather, Padang Terbang was a more befitting term to describe the airport.
Luke makes good camwhore material
Soon after, we were whisked off into the centre of the Old Mukah Township; situated along the riverbanks where our lodgings lay waiting.
Now, for those of you who think that Mukah was like a place where civilisation and development eluded it, and that the people here still live in long-houses, think AGAIN.
Hotels and inns were aplenty in Mukah, owing to the town's rapid development. We were booked to stay at King Inn Hotel, a nifty little hotel located at the edge of the old township.
Glad to say, the hotel lobby looked quite homey and welcoming. Sure la, it's nothing like the 5-star, ritzy hotels that you'd find on Astro's Channel 707, but it was at the very least; home.
In terms of the rooms, they were very clean albeit lacking in decorations. The room had cable television, a hot shower, and a fully functional air-con! Best of all, each and every room in the hotel had friggin' WiFi connection!
Soon, we got unpacking and with 4 boys cramped into one room, it was as messy as hell.
After having lunch and a well-deserved afternoon nap, we set off to explore the entire town. Our first stop was a walk around the Old Township.
The old township was reminiscent of other small towns like Sarikei, Bintangor, Sri Aman and such, with the various buildings and constructs reflecting the age of the town. Lots of small shops around selling an assortment of knick-knacks to household goods.
At first, we thought that was all there is to Mukah. We were wrong though, the New Township located further inland had much more installed for us. Thus, we headed there too.
The New Township can best be described somewhat like Kuching's MJC. Developing rapidly with shophouses popping up all over the place, it'll soon blossom into a full-fledged city. Plus, there was quite a nice park called Taman Boulevard Setia Jaya that snaked its way across the middle of the New Township.
As night fell, we debaters got busy and practiced for the next day. Each of us took our turns in delivering our speeches while the rest POI'ed till kingdom come. Kudos to the hotel guests who were kind enough to endure our late-night arguments.
Bright and early the next morning, we frolicked over to Dewan Suarah (coincidentally just around the corner) where our debates competition was held. We were up against Samarahan today, and had high hopes for a good fight.
The lots were casted and again, for the 4th time running, we took upon the mantle of the Opposition. The motion was "This House Believes That Peer Pressure Is More Beneficial than Harmful". We as the Opposition had to say that peer pressure was simply, in fact, very very BAD.
Our team looking good in green
The Samarahan team looked quite formidable at first
And so, the debates commenced with both sides delivering their speeches and answering the opponent's POI. It was quite an amusing debate I must say, where the opponent had a slip of her tongue and accidentally blurted out in BM.
Plus, Narnia was brought into the fray and clearly, our opponents were bemused as well. I must say, all our debaters did great but it was not as good as compared to our debate against Kuching High back in Sematan.
Post-debates, the adjudicators decided upon the results as we anxiously waited for the announcement. Not to be bragging or anything, but I thought the result was as clear as day. We did less blunders than the opponents who:
1) Used BM in an ENGLISH debate
2) Had their 3rd speaker bringing up a new point (a definite no-no by the rules)
3) Didn't answer our POI's properly
4) Used World-style in a PARLIAMENTARY style debate
Results were out and lo and behold, the Government won. That was a heart-wrenching moment then and there. The results really took us all by surprise. How can it be, that we lost a fight as clear cut as this.
Most of us broke down into tears and came on the verge of crying. We were frustrated and disappointed not that we lost to a better team, but losing to the decision of the adjudicators. Plus, these adjudicators had no experience whatsoever in debates and yet, they came to adjudicate our match.
When asked for excuses of why we lost, feeble reasons met our ears which angered me more.
After much consoling, we've put our loss behind and concentrated on what lied ahead. Right now, we put our all into giving Ryner moral support for his Public Speaking competition.
Come dinner time, we discovered a small restaurant by the riverbanks and had dinner there.
Oh boy, words cannot describe how good the food tasted there and at a high price too. Best of all, it was the first chance I had to feast on
umai; a delicacy known only to the people of Mukah. Basically, it's raw fish seasoned with lime juice as well as lots and lots of onions and chillies.
Man, that really hit the spot! I would really recommend all of you to try this dish, provided that you have an iron stomach.
Umai!!!!
Next day, we set off bright and early (by that I mean 9 o'clock) to Menara Pehin Setia Raja where the Public Speaking competition was held. Us, being the naive tourists that we were thought that the tower was a good 5 minutes walk away from the hotel.
I insisted upon a taxi, but oh well, I went along with the decision of the others because well, how far can the place be?
Worst. Decision. Ever. Period.
The friggin' place was more than a 20 minutes walk from our hotel!! And under the sweltering heat of the day, it ain't no walk in the park!
The place costed us a minor heatstroke, sweaty shirts and aching feet to get there!
Then again, it was for a good cause cuz' we would brave blistering colds and blazing heat just to give our moral support to Ryner.
Ryner and his speech; Love.
Once the impromptu speeches in the afternoon had completed, we headed back to the hotel by taxi this time around to prepare for a walk on the beach.
Wow, the beach was the most relaxing place to be. With gentle breezes, soft sands, and the waves lapping at your feet, it was the best place to be the calm our nerves down.
The expanse of the beach knew no bounds and the coastline was as far as the eyes could see. Indeed, a magnificent place to be.
Feel free to use this as a wallpaper XDWe camwhored somemore on the beach, role-played as Tom Hanks in Castaway and did some stupid scene out of a Bollywood movie. Lol. I could still remember the time we caught crabs for a free taxi ride back to the hotel. Priceless!
FYI, for the record, (you know who you are) gave me permission to upload this ya? 
All in all, it was a rewarding experience for all of us and more importantly, I will forever cherish it as a memory of the times well-spent together with the best of friends. Along the way, I've somewhat discovered and understood myself a little better.
With that, I would like to dedicate this entry to Cikgu Anita, Cikgu Low and Cikgu Theresa for always being there for us, for giving us this opportunity, and most of all, for realizing the impossible.
Thank you so much, teachers! God bless!
