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Howdy!
Updating you on the rest of our time in Borneo and beyond. It happened to be the Harvest Festival for many of the the tribes in Sabah so we took a bus to a small town called Tambunan to try to experience the real deal, rather than staying in the more tourist orientated Kota Kinabalu.
On first impressions it was rather quiet and didn't look like too much was happening and we were beginning to regret coming away from everyone else. On further inspection we found an area with 6 longhouses which had been constructed especially for the event and lots of local folk. The party is traditionally to celebrate the harvesting of the paddy fields. There are dances, music and ceremonies to give thanks for the harvest and to keep evil spirits away from spoiling the crop. In each of the longhouses six different families prepare traditional Malay food (one which looks like mud skipper yum!) and the important people like the Mayor and Ministers go from one house to another eating the food and making merry with Rice wine. Much to our delight, it is also custom to welcome visitors to join them! So, we tried lots
Down the hatch!
The stonger stuff, kept in a burial urn- niceof different and interesting foods for free. It seemed that whenever we turned around there was a lady offering us some rice wine or thrusting some food in our hands!The wine is kept in large bamboo barrels which is then put into smaller bamboo cups. These are tied togehter in threes, so it is a communal drink. At one point we met Joe Stanley, whose Grandfather apparently came from Newcastle. He gave us some Betel Nut which is meant to be chewed to induce hallucinatory feelings. He assured us that this was only for men, not ladies like Coll! After initial inspection, we've saved it for a rainy day because it tastes horrible. We thought the rice wine was pretty hallucinagenic anyway!
When we arrived back at the hostel , the owner told us we had just been on the telly. Pictured alongside some members of the parliament of Sabah on the news!Fame at last
We headed for a three day Jungle Trek on the Kinabatangan River. After a 7 hour drive into the jungle our first river safari produced some fantastic wildlife including Proboscis Monkeys, Hornbills and Crocs. We were also lucky enough to see an Orangutan
Joe Stanley
Up the Maccams! amongst lots of other animals. The jungle walks were rather wet which meant the leeches were out in their numbers and hungry for blood. One guy discovered, later on while we were having a sing-a-long, that he had 2 massive leeches sucking on his inner thigh! They had been there quite some time!! We were amazed at the amount of blood involved when they came off! Ashtoud, another trekker, remarked 'The bastards don't even bleed their own blood!" Too true.
We flew back to mainland Malaysia after having a few days relaxation after our jolly into the Jungle.Had a few days in Kuala Lumpur taking in the atmosphere, a few Teh Tariks (gorgeous tea made with condensed milk and lots of froth) and monkeys at the Hindu temple.
Now headed for the East Coast Islands for some more R&R and some snorkelling!
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Ang
Teh Tarik~
For your Information, Teh Tarik is a Malaysian All-Time Favourite!! Chinese, Malays and Indians in Malaysia love it as much as you guys! Cheers