An engineer from Semenanjung recently relocated to Bintulu. Unlike most expatriates who often described Bintulu in a favorable manner, this peninsula expat without mincing his words literally said it is literally such a suck place.
Ouch! Hope Hj. Mohidin BDA General Manger read this post. Let’s quote him in verbatim.
1. Bintulu’s cinema costs me a ridiculous rm9 for that class. once i was not allowed to buy ticket because they have to have at least 4 persons for a show to be screened.
2. The house rental rate is as expensive as KL. Single storey may range from RM500-RM700 and double storey starts from RM700-RM1500.
3. There is no condominium / decent apartment being or has been developed in the past 4 years
4. The ratio of shophouses : shopping mall is 2000:1
5. There is no McDonald and good nasi kandar, let alone high end coffee shops
6. There is no bowling alley
7. There are only 2 or the most 4 sets of escalator in the entire town.
8. The road condition is bad, bumpy and full of potholes
9. Bintulu is an airway distance from hometown, so it is expensive to occasionally come back home
10. There is no specialist medical centre (but soon there will be not 1, but 3!)
11. There is minimal job opportunity offered in Bintulu for the spouses. This relates to the inexplicable policy by my Company. This is also why more and more cases of separated family are taking place.
We wrote him an email asking for interview – but he kind of reluctance and said he “feel unsafe answering interview questions via email.”
Meanwhile, we’re trying to get Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) Public Relations section publication manager Halim Mathew for his comment.
That person is right. Workers from Semenanjung do not have expats’ high end salary. Apart from that, all 11 points the person had mentioned are spot on, correct and beautifully said/written.
To be fair, the Bintulu locals are some of the most friendliest people. Easy to work with and very very polite.
Anyway, just in case Hj. Mohidin BDA General Manger, have read this. Thanks for some improvement on the main roads in Bintulu (Kidurong to port) and (Nyabau to Airport). We have visitors from all around the world visiting plants and port here so constant and effective maintenance of Bintulu roads and public amenities are much needed and BDA or JKR Bintulu should not wait until there is complaint or accident due to poorly managed roads.
That’s all.
Spot on. I worked in BTU for 3 years. BTU is really boring. If not because of its beaches and some of the waterfalls nearby I would not have survived the 3 years. But I have fond memories with friends in BTU.
i dont know why, but most people in bintulu rarely go to cinema.. most of the time , its almost empty.. even myself, living 20 years in bintulu, never know what does it feel to be in cinema or playing bowling.. until i further my study to semenanjung.. first time going for movie..
bintulu is not a place to enjoy, its purely a place to work.. and bintulu was actually small fishing village until when they opened those factory of gas..
about food, local people does not eat nasi kandar.. and there was mcd long time ago.. but went bankcrupt.. pizzahut same, but recently they reopen a new 1.. local people doesnt like to eat fastfood or hang in high end coffeshop..
actually population in bintulu is very low.. only 180k.. most of developer wont build big shopping malls with that small amount.. well, thats their excuses thats ive been hearing for so long.. but its kinda true..
and yes what this person saying is right, for a person from semenanjung..
for us locals, we have been living like this for so long.. look at the bright side, we are actually saving our money from those entertainment..
but theres a lot of new development happening now, we’ll see what will happen..
yeah we can actually save our money ahahha lol. so ya keep ur money pal, at least now u have savings for u to go somewhere else than bintulu.
u know what? u should just spend ur time doing someting else instead of going to cinema- i know!!! u should go exercise, fishing, and stuff. stuff that make ur heart rate goes up -_-”’ ahhaha lol ( my friend wrote that)
i love bintulu so much – nobody should insult them because they didnt do anything to u!!! u should be ashamed xD lol just joking ( im just bored)
ps have a great day ppl . miss bintulu ever since i left it T_T
Been staying in Bintulu for 20 years, love it here. Keep life simple…..fishing, prawning and enjoy the sunset…all of these are free, sure beats the movies. Cheers..
i love Bintulu as it was…and i dun really feel that all the ‘fun’ building will bring a whole lot of entertainment oso…it’s all about how u enjoy life (n_n)v ..bintulu is bintulu, quiet, peaceful and a lovely place to live =) ..and that makes it a unique place…we have efficient infrastructure and facilities here..just need to improve on certain things such as the road etc..but i have to agree bout the house rental..it’s quite expensive..but then, people alway says..Bintulu is rich and expensive hahahaa…anyway..Bintulu is well developed i’d say just that i have to agree those who love entertainment will feel devastated
i’ve been living in BTu for 1.5 yrs and i’m getting the hang of life here. if you are a nature lover, btu is for you. if u like shopping then i’m sorry for you. try to pick up activities like fishing, jungle trekking and you find life is more meaningful here.
say u stay at KL, shopping places everywhere, you’ll also feel bored wih shopping. why not save on shopping and have a meaningful travel to KL or singapore few times per year and really shop till you drop, then you’ll find it more pleasurable.
i’m a nature lover, not into shopping. i like it here.
Bintulu is quiet by day but quite loud at night. I was there late in January 2010. I wanted to explore somewhere new and I’m glad that I went there.
I stayed in Hotel Regency and there were only 2 occupied units on my floor during that weekend. There were a few other guests as well, and this I found during breakfast time. The hotel staff advised me to stay indoors after 9.00 pm. I understand why, because I heard street fights and loud music from the few karaoke lounges below us after 10.00 pm.
The weather was really hot during the day and the heat pierced into my skin. Wearing sunglasses doesn’t help me much.
I love the tamu. It was there that I found the ulat mulong and taped it. I cannot imagine swallowing it though.
I saw an empty KFC and I wondered if they are making any profit.
I saw cock fighting too, but I didn’t stay to watch. I feared the people’s stare.
There are many hardware shops but I wonder why there are so many shops selling bags?
The largest shopping mall is Parkcity, but the prices are stiff. Imagine my small toothpick fridge magnet that costs RM12.90! Something that small would be about RM2.50 here in KL.
Anyway, I don’t mind going there again and this time I must find somewhere nearer to the beach to watch the sun set.
i’ve been staying here in bintulu more than 4 years..
as yb said, i also confused why theres many shopkeepers sale bags especially in city point,.. i never been to a shopping mall where people can bargain the price and if u didnt buy their stuff after u asking the price u will be scolded in front of many people.
i also been cheated by shopkeepers here. i bought a reload coupon here and forgot to take my change.. they didnt returned me even they saw me walk out from the shop door. until i came back and asked my change they return it to me with smirking smile.
but i really love going to their village, they are warmth and love visitor..
i grown up in btu and found tat it’s worth of living there. however, plenty of activities can be done there like flying kites,fishing,hiking and bla bla bla….i think u hardly get it in kl unless u’ve 2 pay for it.
My wife from kl n she like 2 live here so desperately coz the lifestyle and ppl r friendly.
Well, the fact is salary range here is far 2 low from kl. but u can save some $$
Frankly speaking, cinema closed down few times as far i remember in 1980′s.
I remember there’s 1 in kampung (bankrupt) & another is the current location. it’s always empty since 20 years ago.
However,i’m still planning wat i’m gonna do there if i move back to btu….
i’ve been living in bintulu since 1999 with my family after i move from brunei-miri-kuching-btu. i still can remember the first time i step into btu, i really don like it at all, i really hate to be at hre coz it’s really a boring & small places. i thought tat i won’t be staying hre long. who knows?? i’ve found my best fren hre, i married to a btu ppl & i give birth to my baby in btu hospital. haha..! so i like this place just some of the area in btu i don like especially the road lanes at btu town got me blur.i think many ppl agree with it,so why don the government do something good to it? i like shopping too..but i like to save $$ more. i just can say although bintulu is not as good as other places but u will find it comfortable hre if u take a good look into it.
There is nowhere for you to go around in Bintulu except the greenery. Even all the greenery is fading fast to give way for more and more industrial area. Hence you are only left with the polluted, dilapidated dirty beach. BDA should do more to elevate the town status and give more for its citizen.
Stuffs in Bintulu is also more expensive i.e. daily necessities, rentals, property, etc. Hence, not a good place to save your money. Sometimes it’s depressing living here. Thank god to Streamyx and Astro.
BDA must improve the road condition. Most of the roads here are lacking in terms of road safety. The road conditions can also damage your vehicle.
Develop more recreational spots. I have ran out of places to go around here in Bintulu. At least bring Parkson or Giant supermarket in! Nuff said..
i grow up in bintulu..and i have travel around malaysia and oversea…sure bintulu is a boring place..but to think of it..where all the profit btu make??think of it first before talking about bintulu such a boring place..IF bintulu profit ONLY used in bintulu..i think bintulu is a richest place after miri and brunei…our corrupted G used all the profit to make other place better than bintulu.heh..than some semanjung engineer say rubbish..than where do they salary paid from??sure bintulu resources…i think that engineer haven seen outside world yet such as qatar..peru…philiphine…mostly over there is bintulu people…yes and i am one of them…hujan emas negara orang..hujan batu ditempat sendiri =) so think before you make statment…rubbish statment is not accept here..
if i use harsh word..i apologies..but its not my problem…its all to my cents.
nak beri komen pun agak2 lah….kontroversi siot…..kt org tak paksa pun org duduk kat Bintulu….klu xnak pun pandai2 lah belah….bikin gua panas lah pulak…..sik semestinya pa yg tmpt lain ada bintulu perlu ada….agak2…klu kita org yang ckp burok pasal ngr korang, pa korang rasa???? emmm…. berfikir sebelum br komen…..
Yeah…it can be boring sometimes…but hey, you wanna shop? sibu and miri is less than 2 hours away….plus driving is fun….
yes salary in the west is higher…but u spend more…
u cant find a job in bintulu? look harder…less pickier…its not that hard…
if you are good…job will look for you…stop whining lah…
Being a Bintulu native who’s now studying abroad, I have to agree with some of the points he’s included in the description. As much as I love Bintulu, the authority really needs to improve on providing better road maintenance, since the road in Bintulu are mostly wide but badly maintained, hence the potholes. There are also too many shophouses developed around the city, which is completely unnecessary, since these shops are going to be filled with similar kind of stores (some hardware/grocery/cheap clothes stores and coffeeshops). We’ve had too many of them around the city, so it doesn’t come to my wonder that some of such shops have to be closed down a few months after having been opened. BDA needs to build at least ONE decent shopping mall, complete with bowling alleys and a decent cineplex. Our mayor should come down to Australia and see how Bintulu-sized towns here are developed to get a clear picture on the infrastructures we need in Bintulu.
However, to say that Bintulu totally sucks is an overstatement. It’s not THAT bad, really. I rather live in Bintulu and enjoy the fresh air and gridlock-less roads rather than having to be stuck in traffic jam for hours everyday and breathing horrible KL air (i studied there for 2 years). If you want to have a retail therapy or anything, just get on a 2-hour flight and voila, you’ll be in KL and there you go! It’s as simple as that. Not that you have to go shopping everyday!
I brought some of my KL friends over to Bintulu for a few days in 2008, and they all loved Bintulu very much. One of them even compared Bintulu to Canberra lol. But yeah, we should be proud of our relative cleanliness (except for the older part of town, where it’s really dirty and dodgy at night) and order compared to those towns in Semenanjung.
And Bintulu people are relatively living more comfortably than most KLites. It has a high proportion of middle-class population, thanks to the oil and gas industry. The people are generally more prosperous and friendlier.
I agree that Bintulu is boring (I’ve lived in Bintulu for the past 17 years of my life). But maybe labeling it as “sucky” isn’t warranted. Where did all the money from the ONG go to? If it came back to Bintulu, surely Bintulu would not still lack a bowling alley, or high-end coffee shops or what not. But Bintulu has more than to make out for being insipid, as many have noted.
“Ouch it hurts..and yet its true…”
I’ve been studying in KL for 6 years..I miss home badly…back to the topic, what’s the person saying is true..
1. Bintang Cineplex should improve their facilities…I went to their cineplex in Miri one time..there’s one lady try to walk to the front seat…she’s using hills…man! that heal sound louder than the sound system…
2. The house rental..come on! where you can find house in KL for RM500…if you get it the house would look like Sebatang houses…where you can find house for rent on ground for RM500 in KL?
3. Yeah I don’t know why the Ironfist company don’t want to build condominium (back then) or apartment more in bintulu..Yet they build shop lots and let people build house inside the shop lots…that’s is not business…that ‘cheap’ money! People want to see good business environment…not some pants and ugly underwear and ugly bra hanging out the window…and the business should be more variety of culture not monopolized one race or gangster, thugz or mob…
4. The ratio is cool! it’s like you (the engineer) really have suck time! We try to create a more green area that bricks and metal building…greener is better!
5. McD..yeah why no McD…Anybody who has capital of half of a million or a million who willing to pay USD25000 franchise fee 4% royalty fee and 1% advertising fee…PLEASE TAKE THE OFFER!
Nasi Kandar…Who the hell eat Nasi Kandar in Sarawak! Yo Bro, Salah tempat laa~
High-end coffee shop – naah~
6. You think everybody in Malaysia play bowling…I wonder why they only discovered that girl who play bowling…erm..what’s her name?…do some other sports..soccer, baseball, futsal, fishing etc.
7. like I said..we prefered staircase…hahaha…just joking…ok what! healthy..see, bintulu’s people are less obesse…ratio 100:1 or 200:1 (nice!)
8. THE ROAD…yeah, totally suck!…I don’t know who plan the road too…damn! I don’t know what happen…it seem, it took like 2 big lorry to carry the people who make the road and only take 3 or 4 people who make the work done!…Owh, ambik OT buta…enjoy!
9. Dude you fly across the SCS you think it cheap ka?…even from Sabah also expensive oo~ don’t blame it on Sarawak or Bintulu people..blame it on MAS or Air Asia laa…
10. Yup you got it right!
11. Yes it true..same laa like KL..always do like ‘Chinese Only’, ‘Female Only’, ‘Faget Only’…even though there’s a lot option in KL…but yeah Bintulu suck in job..everybody thinks MLNG, SHELL, BDA, MURPHY, SCHLUMBERGER etc..why can’t…XXXX Music Shop, XXXX D.I.Y Store, XXXX Pro Audio, XXXX Autoshop, XXXX Dining Restaurant…
What I like to say I’ve been staying in Bintulu for more than 2 decades…some of what this engineer said is true, some are not and some are – take time to develop…even KL is not ‘that’ kind of place back then…I don’t know this Hj. Mohidin do..but he need to be more innovative in developing a city, fight for the rights to what Bintulu deserves to get…Thank god Colin found the beaches…What Local and Sumily say is true “bintulu is not a place to enjoy, its purely a place to work”. What you see in Bintulu is to support the survival of daily routine of the locals and foreign workers…Treasure really treasure the peace of Bintulu…”Feel you dude” (hoping you are male)…You see Jeremy is like a true Bintulu-ians, who love green environment…yb, I don’t what’s going on with you…hahaha..but sounds like you have some fun…Veron! “Bintulu people also don’t get it!” we don’t even know who sell the bags HAHAHAHA…VC “Home Sweet Home babe”….Sopity “I heard you girl” (hope you a girl) yes our beach suck, dirty and no beautiful fish and coral…damn! hate it!…why other people can have good beach..why can Bintulu people have one! BDA save the beach!
SkyRock…There you go boy!..Where’s the G’s…Why Bintulu people don’t get it?…Why the same person?…Election! Election! Election!…
Fiyya…sik apa biarkan nya…~biarkanlaaah~…bagus pakey org bintulu juak…sak kita sama2 boleh ngubah pemikiran org bintulu and sak org s’jung dpt bfikir dgn lebih bagus – iboh sombong gilak~
Shekinah…agreed! why you (the engineer) can drive in KL more than two hours on traffic jam to go to a place where you can see from your car…and why not driving 2 hrs to go to Miri…Sibu~ Miri better laa…
Faizal…our so-called mayor ~ ~ ~ problem laa..I don’t know…Election anybody? the older part of town, where it’s really dirty and dodgy at night…I don’t know why…The authority seems to close their eyes and make money from it..everyday people meet the pusher for drugs..the prostitution is there..what you want-it’s a complete ugly place…
that’s all I can comment for now…hope to see bintulu develop early than 2020…2020 is not a good idea to be a develop city…faster, faster…2020 for a develop city…it’s too late…Tooooo late!
How dare he said like that..huhu.Go back to smjg lah if bintulu is boring.I rather stay in bintulu rather in crowded city like kl..i’m not so excited just because i got the chance studying far from bintulu.here is worst than bintulu.weather, pep (selfish),n bla2..bored bored..can’t wait to go back to bintulu!!!!!!!!!!!!!
F**k and s**k your on @%&*#!#@ my friend. You go back to semenanjunglah. Do you think we local like you to be here. The road or other infrastucture is not good because all the Bintulu money are send to semenanjung to developt your poor state there. if as what you said you just go back to semenjung. What a suck man you are. We Bintulu never want you semenjung to be here. Buat menyusahkan orang Bintulu sahaja.