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.
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