By D’Drift Team
KUCHING, July 13: ‘Kopi o’ (black coffee) and ‘kopi o peng’ (iced black coffee) in Tatau and Samalaju are by far the most expensive among the eateries visited by the D’Drift Team across Sarawak this year.
During the 10-day trip, we listed down the prices of hot and iced black coffee sold in coffeeshops, or better known as kopitiam in Kuching, Engkilili, Betong, Jakar, Sibu, Tatau, Samalaju, Bakun, and Lachau.
In Tatau and Samalaju, the standard-size ‘kopi o’ cost RM2.50 each, which is the same for their ‘kopi o peng’.
The cheapest ‘kopi o’ was found in Engkilili, which was priced at only RM1.00 each. The second cheapest was RM1.50 per cup sold in Jakar and Lachau.
In Betong, a cup of hot black coffee is RM1.60, in Sibu and Kuching RM1.80, and in Bakun RM2 each.
As for iced black coffee, other than the highest price of RM2.50 in Tatau and Samalaju, the same drinks in eateries in Kuching, Engkilili, Betong, Jakar, and Bakun were all selling for RM2 each.
Only the eateries in Sibu and Lachau we visited priced ‘kopi o peng’ at RM1.80 each, the most affordable price encountered by the team so far this trip.
In Engkilili and Sibu, coffeeshop owners said they had not increased the prices of their drinks for several years now, even with the worsening inflation in the past year.
Conversely, up north in Bintulu, locals said the cost of living is “crazy” high. If basic kopitiam drinks like ‘kopi o’ and ‘kopi o peng’ are priced as such, just imagine the daily expenses of those residing in Bintulu.
It is however worthy to note that the prices mentioned in this article are limited to only the coffeeshops that the team has dined in. They may not represent the entirety of coffeeshops in respective towns or districts.
Dozens of bare towers without ‘kuali’
Along the way, we noticed numerous bare telecommunication towers—towers not fixed with satellite dishes. Balai Ringin, Engkilili, and Sebauh were among those places.
Truthfully, “ada tiang, tak ada kuali” (have tower, no satellite dish) is a real problem in Sarawak. With only the towers and no infrastructure to obtain telecommunication signals from telco providers, the towers are just good-for-nothing.
In the era of digitalisation, Internet connectivity is key. The poor and inconsistent telecommunication network coverage in Sarawak, especially some rural and remote areas, must be rectified urgently to bring forward the digital economy.
For almost half of the D’Drift 2022 trip, such as in Lusong Laku and Nanga Ukom, the team had to move about with little to no Internet access and line reception. Phone calls and WhatsApp messages were out of the question.
To us journalists in this journey, no Internet connection may be just a pain in the neck and a temporary nuisance. But to the locals and those residing in these areas, they are completely cut off from the outside world.
The access is not even there, much less talk about digitalisation.
Thank you from Dayakdaily
Today marks the last day of the 10-day D’Drift 2022. DayakDaily wishes to first thank Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and his ministry for the sponsorship and continuous support of our annual trip.
For the book donation of over 1,100 children’s books to SK Lusong Laku, we would like to again express our sincerest thanks to Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) chief executive officer (CEO) Amelia Roziman, Sarawak State Library acting CEO Tuan Japri Bujang Masli, and Pertubuhan Wartawan Bebas Kuching (Pewarta) chairman Peter Sibon, for their kind contributions.
We would also like to give special thanks to Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton and his team for making all the arrangements at Similajau National Park and Batang Ai National Park to ensure we had comfortable and fruitful visits.
To Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and TVSarawak representatives who were with the D’Drift Team all the way from Kuching to Bintulu and back, we greatly enjoyed your company and thank you for giving us the helping hand whenever we were in need of it.
Finally, to all the D’Drift fans who have been following our adventures and reporting since July 4, thank you for your unceasing support and feedback. We’ll see you again next year. — DayakDaily
Related articles:
Travelogue, Day 1 – Anaconda hunt in Engkilili
Travelogue, Day 2 – Engkilili’s century-old red temple — ‘1/15 Fraction Company’
Travelogue, Day 3 – Let Sibu Street Art be world-renowned like Penang’s
Travelogue, Day 4 – Found in Tatau: Any guesses on what these trees are called?
Travelogue, Day 5 – Checking up on wild boar Robin, and testing Jendela’s WiFi Hotspot in rural areas
Travelogue Day 6 – Four-hour intense ‘bull ride’ to Lusong Laku
Travelogue Day 7 – Traditional Sarawak-Japanese cuisine fusion: Wiggling sago worms on sushi
Travelogue, Day 8 – Japan, South Korea use manganese slag by-product to build roads, but Malaysia calls it waste
Travelogue, Day 9 – ‘Karau’ the sweet boy from Batang Ai National Park HQ
