The food tour that left me Hangry
Went on a biking food tour with Para Desa Borneo. There was very little food. I was hungry the whole time and kept expecting more food (which they said was coming) but half the places were closed or sold out. They promised 6 food stops but 1 was out of the main dish and two stops were "closed". We ended up eating free cake samples with a toothpick, a Malaysian donut, and split a small bowl of noodles between 3 people. And a single bite of meat pie. We got one cup of tea or coffee and after that just water. Such a lame food tour.
Recommendations:
If places are closed then pivot and go next door to a place that is open.
Don't go to a store with free samples for anyone who walks in off the street for your food tour. That is a bad look.
If a dish is out order another dish don't just say " Sorry, sold out."
The tour guide, Aaron, made us all order tea, coffee or soda. Then after we were served he said "I got a local Sarawak drink, which is delicious." We felt jealous cause we were never offered this local drink.
Give your guests more than just one cup of tea or coffee on a food tour. (And the generous free water you so kindly offered).
Lastly, many of the bike tires are in bad shape, either bald and need to be replaced, or losing air quickly. You should replace those.
This was such a a disappointing experience.
Reply from Paradesaborneo
Dear Mr. Mike Shoag,
Thank you for sharing your feedback here. We noticed you have posted this same review on Google and TripAdvisor as well. As you may not have seen our responses on those platforms, we are providing a summary here regarding the specific government-enforced situation that affected your tour.
We must clarify that the negative experience you described—specifically regarding the tour format and food selection—was entirely due to strict, unforeseen military restrictions imposed for the Governor’s birthday parade rehearsal. This event caused a complete traffic ban, including bicycles, in the main heritage area, which was beyond our control.
Regarding the Tour Format:
Because the police denied our guide’s request to cycle through the blockade, we were forced to extend the walking portion. To compensate, we utilized a sampan boat crossing and navigated a reverse route. Despite these hurdles, we ensured the promised 12km cycling distance was completed, extending the tour duration to 4.5 hours to accommodate the delays.
Regarding Food Stops:
The government-mandated lockdown prevented many vendors from entering the city, resulting in the sudden closure of our planned stops for Laksa, satay, and bananas. Our guide attempted to find replacements, but options were severely limited by the city-wide disruption.
Clarifications:
The cracker served was the local sago delicacy Tebaloi, and the specialty drink (Cham) was omitted only because the group declined milk, which is a key ingredient.
We regret that this rare security situation impacted your visit. We would be pleased to offer you the full quality of our tour free of charge on your next visit to Kuching.
JC Chua, Director