"Miri" Miri by bernice_28

Miri (????) is a city of 239,600 people (year 2000 census) in northern Sarawak, eastern Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It is capital of Miri District (4,707.1 square kilometers) in Miri Division. Miri was elevated from town to city status on May 20, 2005, and it is thus the 10th municipality to receive city designation in Malaysia. It is also the second largest city in Sarawak.

Miri is the birthplace of Sarawak's petroleum industry, which remains the major industry. The first oil well was drilled by Shell in 1910, and is now a state monument and one of Miri's tourist attractions. Shell also built Malaysia's first oil refinery in Miri in 1914. Recently, a vast oil reserve was discovered just offshore northeast of the city. The oil and gas industry may yet see another revival.The City has grown phenomenally since oil was first discovered in the early 1900s, burgeoning into the modern and dynamic business, commercial and educational centre it is today.

The city's other major industries include processed timber, oil palm production, and tourism. Gunung Mulu National Park(????????????), a half an hour flight from the city, is one of the favourite ecotourism destination. Miri is also the main tourist gateway for the Loagan Bunut National Park(?_????????),Lambir National Park(??????????????) and the Niah Caves National Park(????????????????).

The city has created artifical lake gardens, theme parks and the largest open-air stadium in Malaysia as part of its efforts to make a more attractive environment for residents and tourists.

(Adapted from Wikipedia )

The Grand Old Lady

The Grand Old Lady - the first oil well in Malaysia and located on Canada Hill

A must see for all visitors to Miri. Historically, Miri is a town founded upon oil and nothing captures this relationship quite so well as the "Grand Oil Lady" or Miri Oil Well No.1 (????????????).
Situated on Canada Hill, this is the first oil well in Malaysia to be drilled by SHELL Company in 1910. After a productive six decades and estimated 660.000 barrels of oil, it was shut down in 1972. It was eventually declared a national monument.

A lookout tower near the monument ensures the hilltop site's popularity. It offers one of the best views of Miri- the hinterland to the east and the townscape in the other direction.

The Grand Old Lady is accessible through narrow bypasses from the town center area and from the other side of the hill. A petroleum museum is being built here.

(Words adapted from Wikipedia)

• Pros:simple...and friendly people,nice food
• Cons:public transport is consider as "just ok"
• In a nutshell:If u want a peaceful and simple holidays,this is where u want to be.