Bye Bye Borneo

Wow the time has passed so quickly.

I managed to squeeze a few days at Bako Nationl Park. I had originally thought 1 night would be enough, but my usual experience with local buses, there are three on this routes but two appear to be permanently broken down and just as I wanted to go the last one had a broken windscreen; this is not Africa and they repair these things here!

I managed to negotiate a half price minivan, still 10 imes the bus price, and managed to hold it togethr to get there, and assist with the directions, he was more directionaly challenged than me and missed tow turnings. I don't think he was 'official'.

I eventually managed to find a boat with some people I had met on my previous bus journey, the only way in to the park is by boat.

. My knee has improved tremendously and I was sorely tempted to try going back to Bario to do some long house treks, glad I didn't as I had a wonderful time here. I saw proboscis monkeys, pit vipers, pythons flying lemurs, macaques, who stole my lunch, silverleaf monkeys, many beautiful sounding and plummaged birds, butterflies, frogs, and frog like insects and comical mudskippers on the beach.

Although not far from Kuching it is a fabulous place. I really enjoyed the fact that the trails were well marked with direction and distance covered. It means you can plod about on your own, which I did. It has the added attraction of often having a secluded beach at the end of the trails,

We had a great night walk again seeing birds asleep a python and frogs. Oh and one of these, no idea what it is. We had a great night walk again seeing birds asleep, frogs and a python. 

The following night me and my room mate went on our own and found another much meaner looking snake, she wouldn't hold the camera whilst I photographed it. Not surprising as it coiled itself and raised its head ready to pounce. 

 You can vaguely see it here I am still trying to identify it.

I returned to Kuching as I had expected to go on a bash. However I discovered it is very macho and requires carrying bikes up jungle trails, which is possibly marginally easier than actually riding them. I decided even with my superfitness from walking many jungle trails that I should not attempt to cycle them particularly on a borrowed bike. A little disappointing as I would have had time for longhouse trekking.

Every cloud has a silver lining as I went to Saraway Cultural Village with brings together people fromvarious tribes and there indiginous architecutre, crafts, food, music and dance. 

 I was somewhat sceptical of this tourist attraction but perhaps this is the way to help preserve the traditional cultures. On an everyday basis of course everyone wants the modern conveniences of transport, communication, education etc but these require cash and therefore paid employment and thus less time to maintain traditional culture. Many travellers report disappointment in visiting longhouses where everyone is sitting around the tv or playing computer games and not play the sape and gongs dancing and drinking tuak every night for there 'guests'.

I really enjoyed my visit talking with weavers, cooks, dancers and musicians who were doing what they wanted to do.  There is a cultural school on site which enables all the skills to be passed on, developed and kept alive.

So finally it came time to leave. It is a beautiful place of amazing natural and cultural resourse.  Of course it is being eroded at a spectacular rate, it is vast but not unlimited. I believe that there are many living here who are working hard to maintain enough to sustain for future generations, I can only hope that they are able to resist big business over riding monetary interests or better still persuade big business that sustainability is in everyones interest. I don't think it is my place to preach afterall we got rid of our forests centuries ago, our land is cultivated using incredible amounts of energy and chemicals and we consume limited resources of food, energy and land for houseing at an unsustainable rate, we don't even make enough tangible products to pay for it even if it does come down to money.

Miri to Kuching and Beyond

I decided to go for the overland trip which was an nine hour bus trip to Sibu on the mighty Batang Rejang and then an express boat to Kuching. The first part was a a useful day of reflection, catching up on sleep; the Miri Minda guest house is blessed by a mosque with enthusiastic call to prayer behind and karaoke club to the front, so not much sleep there. The second part was quite exhilerating to start with, amazing to see the legendary 'coffin' boats going up river and I was glad to be going down stream.  

Sibu is also famous for its sweetest pinapples and the fish market is pretty impressive.

Kuchin is the capital of Sarawak, with many colonial buildings and museums. I arrived late on Saturday afternoon when most had closed and so could get much information on my next trips. I did notice a cultural concert in the evening but there was an almighty cloud burst as it was about to start.

I had a hair raising experince in the Sarawak museum which has an exhibition of traditional dwelling of many of the tribes. I was walking through one when I felt something tickle my head (I am reletively tall here) and looked up to be greeted by many heads hung in a mobile with straw. I caused much amusement to other visitors with my reaction. I knew that they had some relics of headhunting days but didn't expect such a close encounter.

I decided to go to the Gunung Gading national Park anyway on the offchance that there would be a carniverous Raffelasia in bloom. I cought a local bus and met up with some others who had heard that there was, so exciting.

We got there and our guide took us towards the bloom site but we knew we were close by the strong smell of rotting flesh. It was magnificent, about 60cm across. They only bloom after a 6 month budding process and then only for 4 to 5 days. I was really pleased to find one. 

 I had hoped to stay overnight but there was no food on site so I had to make do with a quick trail up to the waterfalls. 

 I had a swim at the top one, I had taken my bikini but as I was the only one around and the rest of my clothes were already wet from the climb I didn't bother. There were many amazing butterflies and I saw a giant squirrel on the way down. 

 I also smelt another Raffelasia but couldn't see it, I didn't venture too far from the trail, I mentioned it to the ranger at the bottom and he thought that there was one up there and it was likely to be much bigger as the growing conditions are better higher up.

As I couldn't stay at the park I decided to go to almost the furthest tip of Sarawak at Sematan.  A fabulous beach which I had amost to myself, apart from the odd army battalion going through their parade duties. I took me a while to find the right spot, there are crocodiles in the estuaries.

 But someone took me on the back of his bike and offered to come back for me. I wandered back into town for dinner and was invited to join the local english teacher and is friends. I was a bit dubious as they had all been drinking since my arrival but couldn't refuse.  They offered me beer and fabulous steamed river crab, steamed fish and then great sex! I refused the latter, made a hasty retreat to my not so salubrious hotel. Not sure if this accommodation was reflected in my previous invitation!

It took a little while to negotiate a lift to the nearest bus stop but sure enough someone eventually turned up, he drove like the wind, There were four of us in a very small car, I noticed he had a go faster steering wheel, and it certainly wasn't a standard engine, he managed to chase the bus and it stopped for me, I might add he was at least 60 even accounting for the anti-aging lifestyle here! 

Kelabit Highlands

Back to Malaysia with renewed visa and into Miri.

Not a great deal to do here but did find another good, if painful massage, and the best butter prawns and crab meat ever. Even better as I was offered some steamed crab by the table next to me occupied by a taxi driver and his wife. He was also insistant that I should share his beer. They got up to leave before me, I was just finishing my beer and returned to say they had paid for my meal too. This is another amazing example of malaysian hospitality.

Off to the airport the next day for my flight to Bario in the Kelabit Highlands. The Kelabit fled to this area after the last skirmish with Indonesia in 1963. It is about 1500m above sea level and I was looking forward to some cooler air.

The flight over was amazing in a little twin otter plane, flying quite low and so able to see the extent of the forest, rivers. logging roads and incursion of the ever present palm oil.

Bario is they centre of of number of villages, it is famous for the best rice, sweetest pinapple and salt springs. I can attest to the deliciousness of all.  The food is quite distinctive, even here in the melee of asian cuisine. 
 I had sweet and tender smoked wild boar in many forms, pinapple curry, sweet sticky rice in banana leaf for packed lunch, jungle ferns and fish from the paddi fields.






The Homestay I was at was run by Scot the youngest son of father who is at least ninety and still woodworking and fishing and mother was is into her eighties and still planting paddi and running down the steps to pull the drying rice in from the rain, she moves better than me as I was trying to help her.

I decided to test out my leg with a walk up Prayer mountain and mine surely were answered as I managed to get up to the top and down again, thank goodness for the rope as it was very steep and slippery, to the most unprepossesing church more than half way up before the rain came.  My two companions a 26 yr old pilot and german who was planning a jungle trek, gave up at the church.

I was sorely tempted to go on the jungle trek but for once sensibly dcided not to head even further away from civilisation in case my leg gave up.

The next day I took a guide, along with Edmund the pilot to see the megaliths, it is strange how so many cultures have expressed them selves in this way, not much is known about the significance of these stones, but one is thought to be a head count, literally of those taken by a particular group. The one below was cleaved by an angry warrior.
 I also got to the salt springs from which the Bario salt is produced, it is highly prized for its taste and medicinal value to new mums and children.  It is a very muddy trek in and out of the jungle to get it, Edmund decided to wait it out at the bridge.

My final trek was up to the ridge beyond the Penan villages. The Penan are semi nomadic although the government is encouraging them to settle. I met one young woman who was keen to practise her English. She was staying at this village to look after her younger brother who was attending the school, so this nomadic existance is changing. She wants to get a job in the town too, she had the most amazing hair, which she had recently cut to below waist length from about ankle length, it was exquistintly knotted at the back of her head.  On my return I walk through the settlements and the dwellings were very basic and did not look too permanent the residents kept inside and so I didn't stop to take photos. I did see one man returning with his parang, blowpipe and small daughter, so some traditions are still kept.  I was also accosted by another friendly butterfly, one of many up in the jungle

Bario has a number of longhouses although many do not appear to be occupied.  I think many of the Kelabits are working elsewhere and come back for festivals etc.  Those that are occupied have many modern conveniences. There have been a number of initiatives to provide power, currently the government subsidises diesel for transport and generators. There was a hydropwer station installed but it ran for 45minutes and 7 seconds before the resevoire ran dry, there are also some wind turbines carefully sited in the valley and sheltered from the wind! The new clinic is incorporating soler panels into the new building, hopefully the designer has learnt a few lessons from the past initiatives.

I also visited the longhouse/art gallery of Stephen Baya a nephew of my host. He is apparently exhibiting in Cambridge at the moment, a colaberatin of illustrated cultural tales collated by an anthropology researcher from University of Sussex, I am waiting to hear if Ruth knows her.
 It is a small world after all.