Sarawak and the Ibans - goodbye Malasia!

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It's Sunday the 15th and its my last day in Malaysia- its been an interesting time!!!! . Kuching, in the Malay language means" cats" originally it was called Sarawak , the first White Rajah James Brook when he arrived in the early 1800's took a liking to the cats he saw in the town and re named it!! Now that information is for Jenny!!!

I took a river cruise the first afternoon and this gave me a feel for the city and its history. It went on into the early evening when the crew gave us a dance demonstration from a number of the tribes! the following day my guide Lesley, and he was my guide as i was the only one on this tour, took me to the local places of interest museums galleries and old colonial buildings, like other places in malaysia , there is a huge mix of people, here it is Chinese and Indian and the Brits, ofcourse, had a great influence on the buildings culture and systems, some still evident today ie english car number plates!

The highlight of the few days here was the trip to batang Ai 280 kilometres up country and well into the jungle to visit the ibans the ex head hunting tribes. We were away for two nights and on route we stopped at a second orang utan centre where i really got up close and personal to these wonderful animals. We visited markets , a pepper farm and stopped at a Chinese village for lunch. It was here it began to rain for the whole two days and only stopped momentarily !!! needless to say wet and bedragled are the words . We stayed at a rather upmarket lodge, built on traditional long house style on the edge of a river which was flooded to a lake in the 1980s when a dam was built. With long houses there is a verander and communal living areas in the front and the individual rooms for the families and us are in the back. So the fantastic views of the lake and surrounding countryside are not visible for the rooms - shame but i do understand the concept!!!!

Getting into the longboats that were to take us upstream in the pouring rain was an experience in itself!! But when i saw the track leading up and up to the longhouse itself , i nearly died it was so steep and muddy and slippery and it wa still poring with rain. Lesley had said i woulnt need my walking pole so I didnt bring it -what a mistake that was . As some of you might know its not the getting up thats the problem, its the coming down and it worried me all the day.As it turned out lesley was a real star since he only had me to look after he helped me both up and down so all was well!!

The Ibans were extremly welcoming and while ofcourse they are playing host to sopping wet tourist all the time they were charming . About 30 families live in each of the longhouses each governed by a chief. The women and children look well and now all kids have to go to school usually boarding as they cant get to and from the lake easily. The younger mums and their mums cannot read or write but they do embroadery to die for. I was invited to sit with one of the families and i showed them a picture of my kiddies and that was an instant bond , they wanted to know how old , can they read what were their names!! So georgie ,jess miles ruben and Alex the Iban tribe in borneo know all about you!

I was shown round the chiefs kitchen where lunch was being prepared and low and behold my need to help overcame me and i gestured that i would like to join them and so there i was sitting on the floor still wet, preparing jungle fern for the pot - you just cant keep me out of the kitchen!! Interestingly I was the only visitor to sit with the families or help in the kitchen , maybe thats because i was on my own and may not have done it had i been in a group ,

Well folks that is it for this part of the world Tomorrow it is singapore and on Tuesday the indonesian island of Bintan to meet up with my sis dav and pete.

So final thoughts on malaysia, while there is poverty no one goes hungry there is so much food, fruit and vegetables , the markets are overflowing with produce that this fertile land grows. We have stayed in the most fantastic places and seen views to remember for ever

so bring on the next episode!
much love caro
xxx

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Comments

[Jenny Tedd]

Gingie
This all sounds wonderful Caro - despite downpours. Really like the look of those markets. And, I think I've met Gingie - this morning, when I looked in the mirror, after a rather late night!! Enjoy Bintan xxx Gingy