#079: Satok Weekend Market

The start of the year was a busy period for me, work-wise. There was a big project that involved travelling to Kuching, Sarawak, a few times. It was in preparation for a delegation to attend the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (I will post a blog about that trip soon).

The few times I went to Kuching, I was always in touch with a local friend, Kieron, who has always insisted I stay longer to go on a photowalk. And on one of those trips in January, I finally got the chance to do so. Work ended late on Friday, and so I stayed an extra night in Kuching to explore something different the next day. However, as my luck would have it, it ended up raining all day that Saturday. The kind of rain in Sarawak that causes several floods in the outer city areas. Umbrellas weren't going to cut it.

I had a quiet night, walking along the waterfront on Friday, taking a few scenic shots in preparation for the exciting day ahead - oblivious to the weather chaos that was to come. I got picked up early Saturday morning by Kieron and his friend, another fellow photographer from Kuching, and the plan was to hit the local weekend Satok market and then explore other areas. It was a drizzle when we started, but it gradually got heavier and heavier as we got to the market, turning into a torrential downpour throughout the entire morning session that we were there. Needless to say, other photography plans we had for the afternoon were cancelled.

Thankfully, most of the market was under cover. Towards the end, we ended up having to sit out the rain at the market for a bit, and after a short break from the heavy rain, we ran back to the car, completely drenched. We got back to the hotel to do a quick change before we adjourned to a long session of afternoon drinks and photography talk. The only thing we could do until my flight back later that evening.

In those few hours that we were in the market, I managed to get a good feel for the market and the laid-back atmosphere of the locals. The Satok weekend market starts on Saturday and runs through Sunday. Just west of the main city area, vendors lay out their wares on tarpaulins and fold-up tables, produce brought in from the interior, from longhouses and kampungs deep in Sarawak's jungles. Things you won't find in any supermarket, and probably won't find anywhere else in the country, at least to my knowledge.

I'm talking jungle ferns, wild mushrooms, river fish still very much alive in plastic tubs. Sago worms, if that's your thing. And fruit - a wide variety of tropical fruit. It's the kind of market that reminds you how much of the natural world you've never encountered. It is not unlike Chow Kit Market in KL, but just a different vibe, something a little bit more natural and raw about it all. Definitely more low-key than the hustle and bustle of the KL markets. But that could also be attributed to the rain that day.

What makes Satok worth the early morning is the people. Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Chinese, Malay - everyone here, buying and selling side by side in that easy, matter-of-fact way that Kuching seems to do better than most places. It just is what it is. My photos are just a snapshot of what it's like there, and I probably need to come back when it’s not pouring down and during a more lively session to see it in full swing.

Nonetheless, it is great to see these local markets, something I always want to do when I travel. Kuching is a small city, but it is still a city, and I hope it maintains this character for as long as it can.

For now, though, it was completely worth my staying an extra day and getting up early for it, even in the rain.

Cheers.

The night before the rain.