Blogs from Sarawak, Malaysia, Asia - page 10

Many of our fondest memories of our travel life seem to revolve around boat trips. Whether sailing on a felucca around Elephantine Island on the Nile, launching small, candlelit offerings while watching the Arti festival near Varanasi on the Ganges River, rounding a corner and watching hundreds of wintering egrets take flight from the dense green foliage on the banks of a tributary of the Amazon In Peru or arriving at the hidden Mayan ruins at Yaxchilan after a short ride up the Usumacinta River on the border between Mexico and Guatemala. We often remember walking along a hand-crafted dock after our boat crossed the Mekong south of Saigon and finding a jungle restaurant that serves the best fish I’ve ever tasted in my life. It seems that our best trips have been close to or ... read more

Borneo, to most people, conjurs up images of lush rainforests, exotic creatures, rare animals and tales of jungle treks. Well, this is exactly what we encountered whilst in the region of Sarawak, the largest state on the Eastern side of Borneo-Malaysia. We chose the city of Kuching to base ourselves in for our stay here as it was both convenient and easy to get to most places that we wanted to see. Originally when we had planned the Borneo part of this trip, we had intended to travel across to the Sabah area and take in Kota Kinabalu for it's famous mountain trekking, Sepilok for nature and wildlife and Sipadan for diving, but due to serious political problems and reports of violence and terroism there we just didn't feel 100% sure about going so decided to ... read more

Semenggoh Wildlife Centre Semenggoh Wildlife Centre was established in 1975 to rehabilitate injured, orphaned, or confiscated illegally held wild animals. The centre is situated just south of Kuching, in Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo, in the small Semenggoh Nature Reserve. The reserve covers about 6.8 square km of rainforest and is really beautiful, but really small. Semenggoh centre has cared for over 1000 endangered animals of all types but it is best known for its work with orangutans. There are currently 27 semi wild orangutans living in the park, 11 who were rescued from captivity or were orphaned, and 16 of their offspring. 5 of the adults are now completely wild and you probably wont spot them, but the others often swing by for the feeding sessions in the morning and afternoon to snack on fruit and ... read more

Just back from a two day trip staying at Kurakura Homestay, a guesthouse in the upper Sarawak river - a tranquil jungle paradise surrounded by Borneo rainforest. This is a longhouse built by themselves four years ago. Lars (Norwegian), Liza (from Bidayuh tribe), their 3 year old daughter Froya (who we named "Macaque" during my visit), two wonderful cats and three chickens surrounded by wildlife and wilderness. An absolutely wonderful trip. The family, together with Liza's cousin, Phyllis, made me feel so welcome and allowed me to experience a perfect place to stay with culture, local life and food. If you ever have chance to stay in this area this trip is a must. Although, selfishly I would like to keep it a secret. A 5 star trip advisor report truly deserved. The jungle guesthouse takes ... read more

Where oh where has the sun gone? It has been raining here for last 48 hours, giving me time to catch up on some reading. I have read quite a few books since being away but only one to recommend so far - Therapy by David Lodge. Following a second massage, at last I can walk down steps without having to side step! My legs finally feel part of me again and the climb will soon be a distant memory. Obviously never forgotten. Ahhha! Thinking my English had failed me, I have finally solved the Tiger Beer mystery - three or four as part of a promotion for 12 ringgit (just over £2) or Happy hour - 2 for price of one. This became clearer last night when I visited Ruai, an Iban bar, before dinner. ... read more