BANKING
Euros, American Dollars and traveler cheque's can be exchanged at
Kuala Lumpur International airport. There are also ATM machines
accepting VISA, Master card and other bank cards(e.g. cirrus logo
on back) at Kuala Lumpur International airport, making this the
easiest way to get hold of Malaysian currency. (You may need Malaysian
ringgits to pay for a taxi from the airport.)
Neither Kuching nor Miri airport have any currency exchange facilities.
The ATM machine at Miri airport accepts VISA card only (no Master
card!). Several ATM machines in Miri town accept VISA, Master card
and other bank cards(e.g. with cirrus logo). There are a number
of exchange booths in Miri town but they deal mainly with exchanging
ringgits for Brunei dollars. US dollars can always be exchanged
for Malaysian dollars but getting hold of US dollars can be difficult
("Sorry Sir, out of stock!").
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SHOPPING
There are several department stores and supermarkets in Miri offering
a wide range of goods of varying quality. Some carry only groceries,
others also carry clothing, hardware, medicines, toys, plants etc.
Many shops do not have a steady supply and tend to stock different
products and different brands at different times. People tend to
stock up on their favourites when they find them.
Some expatriates who meet the Brunei visa requirements shop regularly
in Kuala Belait (Brunei), an hours' drive from Miri. The Supasave
supermarket there tends to have a bigger selection of western food
items, particularly cheese, pork products, good-quality beef, lamb,
baby food, bio-products, imported biscuits, Dutch/English products
and chocolate. The supermarkets in Miri, though are upgrading their
selection at a steady pace.
Markets in Miri now stock a relatively wide range of local and
imported vegetables and fruits. Fish and seafood is available at
some supermarkets and at the local fish market.
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Stationery and basic art and craft supplies can be found in specialist
shops and in some supermarkets, department stores, haberdashers
and other shops around town.
There are a lot of bakeries in Miri though most expatriates find
that baked products contain too much sugar, even the whole wheat
breads. Selection of specialist bread (like continental-style breads
such as wholemeal, multigrain breads, etc…) is very limited.
A lot of people use a bread machine at home to make their own. Bread
flour and yeast are available, as well as a certain kind of wholemeal
flour. Organic wholemeal flour can sometimes be bought at the Supasave
supermarket in Brunei. A lot of bakeries make special occasion cakes
to order. The Piasau Boat Club makes fresh continental style whole
wheat bread on Tuesday and Friday evenings but you need to order
in advance. You can also have bread and bread dough delivered at
home. Consult the “Miri Information Guide” for more
details.
There are many beauticians around town and a lot of the products
they use are comparable to what is used in Western countries. A
facial treatment by appointment can take up to two hours as it often
includes a head and shoulder massage. Prices are low (two-thirds
of Western prices) to very low (half of Western prices), depending
on the location and products used. Use the word -of -mouth to get
to know the good ones or consult the “Miri Information Guide”.
Foot reflexology and massages of all types are offered widely in
Miri.
Hairdressers in Miri are inexpensive and a haircut normally includes
a head-and-shoulder massage. There are few hairdressers (Alan
& Serina, Imperial Mall) that follow the Western styles closely.
They tend to be a bit more expensive.
Low quality, heavy, mountain-bike "type" children's and
adult bicycles are inexpensive in Miri and readily available. Better
quality, dutch-style children's and adult bikes are not available.
If you need a large size bicycle, bring it with you because you
will not find it in Miri.
Good quality, expensive, adult mountain & racing bikes are available
or can be put together to order. Individual parts can be ordered
from a specialist catalogue and be assembled here. There is also
a good mountain bike shop in Kuala Lumpur from where you can order
spare parts. There are a few reliable repair shops that are inexpensive.
Miri has a number of bookstores that carry titles in English, Bahasa
Malaysia or Chinese. Foreign newspapers are difficult to find and
may be a few days old. There are two local English dailies (The Borneo Post) and a national newspaper (The
New Straits Times); they can be delivered to your house. Foreign
subscriptions and books ordered through the Internet are delivered
fairly reliably through the Malaysian postal system.
Most clothes, shoes and socks are made to fit Asian sizes, so don't
be shocked if you go up two sizes when shopping for clothes in Miri.
Many people have clothes made (casual and formal wear) as there
are plenty of good and inexpensive dressmakers. There is a good
choice of fabric, but 100% cotton or and linen are not always available.
The dress code in Piasau Camp is (very) casual, with occasional
formal events (like St. Andrew's Night) when a cocktail dress or
black tie is worn.
There is a wholesale cold storage (Borneo Food Land Cold Storage)
that specialises in frozen beef (mostly from Australia and New Zealand),
lamb, cold cuts, etc. They will also sell chilled or frozen high-quality
steaks and tenderloins. Cold cuts like salami's etc, as they are
known in western Europe and the US, are not very popular in Miri
and only available occasionally.
The availability, off-the-shelf, of computer hardware and licensed
software is limited, but if you know what you want you can order
it for a very competitive price. Delivery is often within a few
days. Computer peripherals are widely available although better
quality brands sometimes need to be ordered as well. Pirated software
can be found in Miri: buyers beware!
Brands available in some of the shops include: Electrolux, Kenwood,
LG, Toshiba, National Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, Indesit, Toshiba.
Small electrical goods are also available in most department stores
and specialised shops. There is a Sony repair and sales shop and
a shop that is an authorised Blaupunkt auto radio dealer.
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Mr. Shah, the local oriental carpet salesman
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There are some very nice furniture shops with wooden furniture
such as dining tables, sideboards, cupboards, chairs, etc…in
teak, rubber wood or other hardwood. In general though, the choice
of modern and good quality furniture is limited compared to Western
standards. Teak furniture from Indonesia is, of course, considerably
cheaper than in the West. Rattan patio furniture can be ordered
and made on request.
Local beds are only 6 feet long so you may want
to bring your own or have them made here. There is a large choice
of mattresses, even orthopedic ones, and you can even order them
to size.
Curtain rails, curtain material, wooden and bamboo
blinds, plastic blinds, etc are readily available. There is a wide
range of materials available in Miri for covering sofas, making
curtains and blinds and so on. The selection of cottons and linens
is limited. Tailor made items are reasonably priced.
Lighting is widely available but perhaps not
the latest designs.
Houses in Miri have either hardwood floors or tiled floors. Rugs
are a good thing to bring although some stores in Miri do sell factory-made
rugs. Piasau Camp is also frequently visited by a carpet salesman
who goes door-to-door with his trunk full of Oriental handmade rugs.
A large selection of kitchenware and bed linens
and towels is available.
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The pharmacies are well stocked with prescription and non-prescription
drugs; many prescription-only drugs can be bought over the counter
(be wary of counterfeits). Homeopathic drugs are difficult to find
so it is best to bring your own.
Mosquito repellent is available but you might want to buy some that
gives sun protection and is water-resistant at the same time. Bring
your own if you have a delicate skin and need a special formula.
Body suits for bathing and playing on the beach are highly recommended,
especially for children. They are not always available in your size.
There is a wide range of shops selling musical instruments and many
offer music lessons, either at home or in on their premises. High-quality
music systems are available but the choice is limited.
Music shops carry the latest popular (and not much classical) music
CDs and cassettes, mainly in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese.
Sunglasses, spectacles and negative contact lenses (hard, soft,
disposable, tinted) are readily available and quite inexpensive.
Positive contact lenses are not available.
There are many shops around town that develop and print photographs
(from negatives and digital media). Most places use Fuji paper,
but there are some that use Kodak paper. Slide film is hard to get
and has to be sent to KL for developing and framing. Analogue/digital
cameras and other photographic equipment are available but the off-the-shelf
selection can be limited. If you know what you want though you can
order nearly everything, and prices are not bad.
Passport photos can be obtained at many of the photo processing
shops.
Leather shoes/sandals for men are available but leather shoes/sandals
for women tend to be more difficult to find and tend to be of the
fashionable rather than the "healthy" style. The selection
of good quality children's shoes is very poor but there is a wide
range of sports shoes available for all ages.
Sports equipment for tennis, squash, golf and diving is sold locally
but don't ask for anything too specific or fancy.
There are two specialised toy-shops in Miri and a number of department
stores that have a toy section. A fair selection of toys is available
but the choice is very limited when it comes to classic toys like
Lego, Knex, Meccano etc. There is no shortage of cheap plastic toys
and knickknacks but you might want to stock up on the old time favourites.
You may want to bring extra toys for Christmas presents, birthday
presents, etc…. The availability of garden toys is limited
and the known brands are very expensive; many people buy second-hand
from families that are leaving. Children's videos, CD games, Nintendo/Sega/Play
Station/Game Boy games and units are sold everywhere.
Wine and liquor, mostly from Australia and occasionally from France,
Chili or the USA are readily available. Prices are 2 to 5 times
higher than in Europe. A lot of people use the Duty Free Shop at
the Kuala Baram Bridge on the Sarawak side of the Baram River near
the Brunei border (around 20 minutes drive from Piasau Camp). It
has a wider range of wines, liqueurs and spirits than in Miri and
prices are generally lower than in Miri. Other shops are located
in town.
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