For those who watched Julia Roberts' memoir movie star, “Eat, pray, love,” it would be nice to know what I meant, Pray, Eat, Stay, in Jing San Yen (Green Hill Temple), also called “Czech Sua” in the Hokkien dialect, located in Muara Tebas, Kuching, Sarawak. This, of course, is not the same sequence or scenario, but rather close to it, as experienced during the day go to the fishing village of Malay, located at the mouth or mouth of the Sarawak River, and are called Kampung Muara Tebas in Kuching, Sarawak.
Prayer is done in the Green Hill Temple, Kuching, if you are a Buddhist or you pray to the temple deity, Buddha Shakyamuni and other Chinese deities such as the Sea Goddess Macho. If you don’t, don’t be embarrassed, as visiting this 200-year-old Chinese temple was in itself a special event because of its history, design, panoramic view and intriguing inconsistency of a thriving Chinese temple established among the Malay fishing village.
Occupying an ancient 2.5-hectare site at the top of a hill, 120 feet above sea level, Hamil Kuching Green Hill Temple stood like a quiet but watchful sentry overlooking the fishing village of Malaya below and the distant South China Sea. In past centuries, sea travelers respected and thanked in the temple for the safe crossing of the South China Sea to and from the then thriving commercial port of Muara Tebas. They will also receive blessings for good health and good luck.
My family and I went to Hil Kuimin or to Che Sua in the middle of the morning, and it was a quiet, relaxing trip to Kampung Muara Tebas, about 35 kilometers and 30 minutes from Kuching, Sarawak. When we went to a regular weekend, and not on the first or 15th day of the lunar month or in the Chinese New Year, where hundreds or even thousands of fans and devotees will flock to the Green Hill Temple. There was enough parking space; and no parking fee or entrance fee. Otherwise, a nominal fee of RM2 to RM3 will be charged by local boys in the village to help you care for your car.
At the foot of Kuching Green Hill Temple you must be ready to take a long flight and walk a few steps to reach the main entrance guarded by fierce left statues and commanders of celestial deities. By the time I reached the top, I was completely out of breath, but the view was stunning and took your breath away. The green hills and the blue sea are surrounded by natural tranquility. It was a great feng shui!
The temple, which underwent major renovations and improvements from 1994 to 2000, glowed bright and attractive under the sun. It was an impressive sight: white walls, columns and structures contrasted with colorful patterns, images and artifacts of dragons, fish, colors painted in red, green, blue, yellow and every shade of rainbow. The Green Hill Temple covered an area of about 10,000 square feet, encompassing the main hall with a medium chamber and two wings left and right; vegetarian dining; two public toilets; decorative enclosing wall; beautifully landscaped garden; fountain; and a pair of huge footprints of Buddha or Buddha, on which 108 golden auspicious signs or symbols were inscribed
After they climbed these steps and walked along the Green Hill Temple, admiring the temple, I was ready to eat at the foot of the temple. You can taste the fresh seafood that the Moire Tebas is known to today.
The food was held in the Lim Yong Seng Seafood restaurant, one of two seafood restaurants in Kampung Muara Tebas, Kuching. The other is Sin Soon Lee Seafood Restaurant, which I have yet to try. What a gastronomic dinner we had with the catch of the day: parried drunk shrimps, steamed crabs, steamed head, steamed oysters, lobster sashimi, fried ferns with belacany (spiced shrimp paste), fried kangkok manes (local vegetables) with eggs accompanied by steamed white rice, and they are all washed out with coconut pandan drinks. Fresh seafood should be steamed, without excessive heavy seasoning or deep frying, in order to actually taste its innate sweetness and freshness. Although the dinner was not cheap, considering the seafood dishes that we ordered and consumed, it was worth spending money.
After a delicious meal, we rested, and we continued to sit and relax in a rustic setting, looking at the swinging boats, standing near the coastline and the pier, listening to the tidal tides and appreciating how the sea breeze comes to the restaurant's cool interiors, but rotating fans around the outlet also helped with the cooling effect. We left the Green Hill Temple and Kampung-Muara-Tebas, who were satisfied, and the rest continued on the way to the city of Kuching, as well as to remind you of the day during sleep, for me, at least, after such a hearty meal.
