Visitors taking pictures at the Lachau town monument with a couple of ‘geckos’. The town’s name is derived from the Iban word for these geckos.
YOU may want to think twice before saying the name of this town out loud.
Lachau is the name and the locals have always pronounced it without batting an eyelid.
However, visitors to this little town would do well to make sure that they get their pronunciation right, lest they raise eyebrows and incur the wrath of locals, as it takes only one letter to turn the name of this town into an offensive word.
Located 150km from Kuching, Lachau is a popular stopover along the Pan Borneo Highway.
In fact, it is one of the "must stop" areas for travellers heading east of Sarawak as it has much to offer such as smoked fish, traditional textiles, handicraft and other jungle produce brought in by nearby villagers.
Back in the 1980s, Lachau used to be a rest area for long-haul express buses but today, this small town with its quirky name is a weekend getaway for many.
Mohd Nasharudin Abas, 16, and his family frequently drop by this town while visiting relatives in Sri Aman, which is just 60km away from Lachau.
"We would stop here for a coffee break after the long drive from Kuching," he told the New Sunday Times.
Life in town begins as early as 6am. Villagers from nearby areas will begin arriving to sell their goods in the market or along the five-foot corridors of shops.
And by 8am, scores of visitors travelling between Kuching and other towns will start pouring in for meals, toilet breaks and to do a little shopping.
"Lachau is famous for its smoked fish. Though we can get them from Balingian in Mukah, people will still come here for the fish," said 44-year-old Magdalene Nanang.
Magdalene also sells colourful Iban costumes and accessories at her stall.
Many wonder why this town has a quirky name. Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tries to cautiously pronounce the name during his visits to Sarawak.
In one of his recent speeches, he said: "Sarawak has always intrigued me with the unique names of its places and people. I even gingerly pronounced Lachau when I went there for a visit."
The name comes from the Iban word for geckos, as these reptiles can be found crawling all over the trees in town.
Several years ago, road signs along the Pan Borneo Highway were almost non-existent. Today, there is a monument built and dedicated to these geckos at the entrance of town.
"The monument explains why this town is named Lachau," said Magdelene, who was born and bred locally.
She has seen tremendous change in this once sleepy hollow, which was only frequented by bus and truck drivers.
"During the Gawai holidays earlier this month, there was traffic congestion in town. It was literally a bumper-to-bumper crawl along our small roads," she said with pride.
However, on a daily basis, the hustle and bustle will die down by sunset.
By 6pm, the busy town becomes deserted and quiet, waiting for the next sunrise to bring in a new crowd.
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