UAP Brunei Travels to Miri, Malaysia

The much-awaited fiscal year-end trip to Miri, Malaysia was successfully carried out last 23 & 24 June 2018. The chapter members together with some of their family members traveled by chartered Bus to the State of Sarawak as part of the Chapter's camaraderie and unity program for the membership. The group excitedly departed the meet-up point at exactly 2:00pm and reached Miri by 5:30pm.

After a quick check-in at the Imperial Hotel, some of the members attended Mass at nearby St. Joseph Cathedral while some opted to stay put. All then moved on to Jalan Marina Utama, a new development that is located on a patch of reclaimed land in the South China Sea and consists of commercial areas and tourist attractions. The Chapter had prior Dinner reservation at King's Park-- a stunning Bistro and Pub with the best Acoustic live band, fine dining, and a wide selection of drinks. The members were very excited to chill out among themselves and spend the rest of the evening relaxing, de-stressing and having fun. Mr. Rozer, King's Park owner even joined the party in great appreciation to the visiting architects.

The next day was allotted for the architectural tour. First to be visited was the Grand Old Lady, the first drilling rig in Sarawak, Malaysia and the "Muzium Petroleum" which was built next to the Grand Old Lady. The site of the museum offers a breath-taking view of Miri town and its skyline. After few photo-ops, the Chapter then proceeded to San Ching Tian Temple, regarded as the largest Taoist temple standing in South East Asia. It is situated in the suburban neighborhood of Krokop, 3 kilometers northeast of Miri town center. Upon permission from the temple's staff/monk, the members grabbed the chance to take a closer look at the temple to see its design features such as like its intricate dragon carvings, wall paintings, grand roofing and majestic figures of the "Three Pure Ones". After visiting some of Miri's famous landmarks, the chapter went straight to Bintang Mall where the members had the opportunity to do some shopping and spend the rest of the remaining time prior to the scheduled return to Brunei.

Upon reaching PAVO Point Bandar at around 9:30 PM, Ar. Alan F. Filio, outgoing Chapter President thanked all the members for their enthusiastic participation with special mention to the Committee on External Affairs headed by its Director Ar. Christian Lester R. Serrano for a job well done in organizing the event.

The Miri trip proved to be a very welcome getaway and the participating members look forward to another architectural trip next fiscal year.