Hari ini, 12 April 2009 (Ahad), setelah selesai dengan tugas-tugas rasmi, aku berkesempatan untuk berjalan-jalan sekitar Bandaraya Miri ini. Oh ya, Miri ini Bandaraya Pelancongan, tapi aku tak sempat 'explore' semua, mungkin di masa akan datang, aku harus ke Mulu, Lambir, Niah atau sebagainya.
Kali ini, disebabkan kekangan masa dan keadaan cuaca tidak mengizinkan, aku hanya berkesempatan untuk ke Muzium Petroleum Sarawak, yang terletak di atas Bukit Kanada (iaitu bukit yang terletak latar belakang bandaraya Miri ini). Dari atas bukit ini, nampaklah permandangan sekitar bandaraya Miri. Di dalam Muzium Petroleum ini, dapat lah belajar dan mengetahui sejarah penemuan petroleum di Miri serta hal-hal dan perkara-perkara yang berkaitan dengan Petroleum. Sedikit maklumat mengenai Muzium Petroleum:
PetroleumMuseum was built next to the Grand Old Lady of Miri and the name Canada Hill was changed to Bukit Telaga Minyak in 2005. This is a museum-cum-information centre, a joint venture between Sarawak, Shell Malaysia and Petronas. The museum was opened on May 20, 2005 by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, and the opening coincided with Miri being accorded city status. Plans to construct the PetroleumMuseum were made in 1992 and the ground breaking ceremony in 2003.PetroleumMuseum give opportunity to the young generation to understand and appreciate the history of oil and gas exploration activity that has become the foundation of development for MiriCity.The PetroleumMuseum was built through cooperation between the Miri City Council, the National oil company Petronas, Sarawak Shell Berhad and Sarawak Museum Department."
Tidak perlu dilepaskan apabila berada di Bukit Kanada ini, iaitu berhadapan dengan Muzium Petroleum ini terdapatnya Telaga Minyak No.1 Miri , yang juga digelar The Grand Old Lady.
Sedikit fakta mengenai The Grand Old Lady:
"The Grand Old Lady on Canadian Hill -Malaysia’s first inland oil drilling platform and one of Sarawak’s most important historical monuments. This landmark is about 30 meters high, next to a museum-cum-information centre joint ventured between Sarawak, Shell Malaysia and Petronas. Grand Old Lady stands majestically perched on top of Bukit Telaga Minyak, (Canada Hill) overlooking the town of MiriShe witness rapid development which had taken place over the last 100 years.Grand Old Lady is not a frail figure of an old woman but Miri's Number 1 oil well, the first cable-tool oil well in the country, a 'mother' who milked a poor country to a prosperous nation ."
Selepas berlegar2 dan pusing-pusing di dalam Muzium dan sekitar Bukit Kanada, aku meneruskan aktviti bersiar-siar di sekitar bandaraya Miri ini dengan mengunjungi Miri City Fan. Taman ini memang berbentuk kipas (sila rujuk gambar berkaitan). Sedikit maklumat mengenai Miri City Fan Park:
Miri City Fan is a unique fan-shaped urban civic park. This City Fan is designed to create civic consciousness by the embodiment of several symbolic parks. The garden is well-managed and clean. Stone crafting images are distributed over the compound. The 2 seahorses in the middle of Chinese pond is Miri’s mascot. What to find in Miri City Fan :1) Promenade 2) Amphitheatre 3) Musical fountain 4) Library 5) Cultural centre 6) Various ethnic gardens"
Seterusnya setelah puas menikmati permandangan sekitar Taman ini, aku meneruskan semula ekplorasi di Bandaraya Miri ini dengan jalan-jalan, hingga lah hujan turun dengan lebatnya. (He he). Eksplorasi aku berakhir di sini, dan mungkin di masa akan datang, aku akan terus menjelajah dengan lebih lanjut, bandaraya ini.
Jumpa lagi.
Keterangan Gambar: Atas Kiri: Permandangan Bandaraya Miri dari Kanada Hill, Atas Tengah: Repilika Pekerja Kat Grand Old Lady, Atas Kanan: Depan Muzium Petroleum, Sarawak. Tengah: Replika Tembikar di Miri City Fan, Tengah, Tepi: The Grand Old Lady, Bawah: Miri City Fan Map, Maskot Kuda Laut di Miri City Fan Park, Bangunan Muzium Petroleum
