SIBU: The much-anticipated day for the visit of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah to the town has finally arrived tomorrow.
The people of Sibu have put in a great deal of effort to warmly welcome the Royal Couple and their entourage during their ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ tour, especially at the locations they are scheduled to visit.
One of the places on Their Majesties’ itinerary is Suraya Café and Farid Iskandar Café at Sibu Central Market, where they will enjoy breakfast on Sept 12.
Preparing food for the Royal Couple is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially in Sarawak, a place without a Sultan. The excitement and joy are palpable on the faces of the food vendors at Sibu Central Market as it is set to become the breakfast stop for the Royal Couple.
Sabtuyah Omar, the owner of Suraya Café, expressed her excitement at the prospect of hosting His Majesty and Her Majesty for breakfast.
“I feel grateful and excited because His Majesty will be coming to Sibu, and my stall will be their breakfast stop. This is the first time in my life that I am visited by such renowned individuals like His Majesty and Her Majesty,” she said.
When asked about the menu for the Royal Couple, Sabtuyah mentioned that they will be serving a variety of Sibu’s popular local dishes.
“We will be preparing various special dishes such as pulut panggang (grilled glutinous rice), kompia (stuffed bun), penyaram (savoury pancakes), and mee kampua (a local noodle dish),” she said.
Meanwhile, another food vendor near Sabtuyah’s stall, Jenny Lee, shared her excitement even though Their Majesties won’t be dining at her stall. She is preparing to welcome the Royal Couple by decorating her stall.
“I am very happy and excited about His Majesty’s arrival. This is the first time he is coming here, and it’s something new for me.
“We have made various preparations, including decorating our stall with flags and lights, and ensuring that our shop is always clean.
“This is to ensure that the stalls here always look neat, clean, and beautiful when His Majesty and Her Majesty visit,” she said.
Their Majesties will be here from Sept 11 to 12 as part of the King’s ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ tour from Sept 3 to Sept 13, starting in Tawau, Sabah, and ending in Telok Melano, Sarawak, covering a distance of 2,154 km.
On Sept 11, the Royal Couple will arrive around 4 pm at Yu Lung Tian En Si Temple, a Chinese temple situated at KM26 of the Sibu-Bintulu Road, which is renowned not only in Malaysia but throughout Southeast Asia as it stands out as the largest temple of its kind in the region.
Next, the Royal Couple and their entourage will be attending a dinner at Malay Union Club (MUC) in Kampung Bandong at 8 pm.
On the following day, His Majesty will tour the iconic Sibu Central Market, which is the country’s biggest market with 1,183 traders, and have breakfast there before continuing their journey to Sri Aman and Kuching.
