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.