Miri, Sarawak - The oil town of Malaysia

After our Guah Niah trip, we were too tired to do anything else except head to the hotel to check-in. But on the way to Miri city centre, looking at the map, I realised that the road leading up to Canada Hill was just opposite our hotel area.

Malaysia's first oil well (Miri Well No. 1) is situated on top of Canada Hill, a limestone ridge overlooking Miri City. Now affectionately known as the Grand Old Lady, it began production in 1910 and produced 660,000 barrels of oil until it was shut down in 1972. I figured then that we should make a quick detour just to see this monument that was instrumental in according Miri as the oil town of Malaysia. After all, we still had the rented car.

Canada Hill in the evening was full of locals exercising - jogging, cycling, playing football. The area around the Grand Old Lady was deserted though. We spent a short time there taking photos of the monument and the Nodding Donkey next to it. To be fair, there was nothing much else to do as the Petroleum Museum (which we had planned to see) was closed.

Walking towards the oil well monument

The Grand Old Lady - Malaysia's first oil well

Replica of oil driller

We then walked towards the back of the museum where we found a vantage point overlooking Miri city and the South China Sea at the distance. The sun was setting, a good way to end our day in Miri.


Watching the sun set over Miri city

Finally, we headed to the hotel which was only 5 minutes away. Let's just say that there's nothing boutique about M Boutique Inn. This hotel is part of a row of shoplots. The room that we got is best described as no-frills. The cleanliness could be improved, especially when there was a large spot of damp and mould stain on one of the walls which I tried to block with  a chair. I was too tired to ask for a change of room.

But we couldn't really complain as it cost only RM129 for a room with 1 double bed and 1 single bed. We were looking for a budget hotel anyway.

Entrance to our hotel

Its redeeming quality is the close proximity to Bintang Megamall (3-minutes walk away) from which you could buy food from one of the many fast food joints or kopitiams. Especially useful when all you wanted to do was to have a TV dinner in the comfort of your hotel room, and then curl up on the bed nursing your aching feet.