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.

Beautiful Brunei

Here's the real thing.

Because of its seemingly unlimited oil wealth Brunei hasn't had to deplete its natural wonders which is why I chose to come to the Ulu Temburong national park., I wanted to experience a long boat ride and virgin rain forest.

I visited via Sumbiling Eco Village which is located in and staffed by local Iban people. The (short) longhouse is four doors where Agilla, our guide, and her family live. I stayed in a tent by the river.

The journey there was thrilling on a local speed boat which joins the two parts of Brunei, to Bangar, and then a short road trip to the village.

We had a night walk after dinner which was magical, the birds just carry on sleeping through our photo shoot, the stick insects are huge and the leopard gecko waited until we had his best side, the chameleon kindly refrained from chaging colour so we could get good contrast.

Agilla then took us to her home and showed us her Iban ceremonial dress,  I am not sure we did it justice, her school photo was much more elegant. She also let us see her grandfather's machete which he used fighting the japanese in WWII. The guide books tell us that head hunting was renewed during this period so who knows what action this saw!
We also had a go with the blow pipe, we managed to shoot all the balloons so we were allowed breakfast.

I had a wonderful nights sleep in the forest by the river, waking to the sound of frogs and barking crickets.

The next highlight of my trip was a trip by long boat to the national park, the only way in. It was fantastic, who needs disney world with this transport, I have video of some tof the journey but haven't worked out how to upload it yet.

There has been a lot of rain recently and this has unfortunately led to the closure of the both the hanging bridge and canopy walk due to falling trees, I am glad I wasn't on it when it happenned. 
However every cloud has a silver lining and ours was being able to go to one of the biggest waterfalls as the water levels were so high. I had another fabulous massage here. This is really a rain forest idyll of bathing clear waters in the forest, everywhere else the waters have been murky brown due to land erosion. I thought I found some beautiful rust and cream coloured river washed stones, but the found they were easily broken, they were the washed clay soil from the forest which has been able to keep shape in this environment, our boat man must have seen me looking at the pebbles and presented me with a more solid heart shaped one, this will be my most appropriate reminder of my trip here.

I was sad to leave but my companion Jenni sold me on getting up to the Kelabit highlands despite my leg, so I need to get back to BSB book my flight.

Brunei is an object lesson on what can be done with enough money and autocracy to protect this natural wonderland, BSB is spookily quiet but every thing does work.

Goodbye to Sabah

I really enjoyed Kota Kinabalu and I don't often say that about a city. It is very manageable as the centre is squeezed between the waterfront and the hills behind so all is easily accessible on foot, even if you only have one good one. It is also blessed with friendly hostess at Lucy's Backpacker who really looked after me recommending a fantastic masseuse, Edna, if ever your are in this part of the world they are both a must. They are both a year or so older than me but look at least 10 years younger, there must be something about the lifestyle here. I should have visited her straight away not just so I could get back on my two feet but to fit in another session, she said I needed if I wanted to look as good. She did give me some magic soap and lotion so you can judge he effectiveness by the time I get back!

It is very civilised, good food, good climate, nice cooling see breezes and wonderful snorkelling on the beaches of the near by islands in The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, easily accessible and with good discount from Lucy. Although not as spectacular as Mabul particularly in its coral, it was fantastic just to be able to snorkel off the beach and feel as though you were swimming in and huge fish tank, so many varieties of fish in colour, shape, size and behaviour, all doing their own thing, chasing each other, forming mixed shoals to feed, it is weird to hear them munching away at the coral. And every time I turned around I had my own little entourage following me! They seemed to be as curious as me. Oh and I did find Nemo and the rest of the family, I spent ages just watching them in their anenome home.

It was a shame I had booked my flight to Brunei as I would have loved to spend more time here.

But onwards and Brunei is quite a contrast even from KK which was quite sensitively developed. Brunei is very well organised (except at the arrivals hall where you have to haul your luggage up steps in order to find an ATM so be able to pay for your journey into town, and haul them all back down, i will need to find another masseuse now).

Although beautifully manicured, it is very quiet on the roads, streets, restaurants, malls which I would expect to enjoy in a city but actually it doesn't feel quite real.

I must apologise again for both the lack and quality of photos, my point and shoot techniques results in a high rate of attrition. I try to edit them but the changes are lost when I upload them on to the blog. I am currently loosing my battle with technology as my phone has also expired now.