Bario (12-14 May 13)

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From Miri, LP recommended a detour southeastwards back towards the Limbang division of Sarawak state, towards the piece of land separating Brunei. Unfortunately, this journey can only reasonably be done by flight, as it entails crossing rugged terrain. Given my time and budget constraints, I had to choose between checking out the famous caves of Gunung Mulu National Park, and the Kelabit Highlands. As I already intended to visit the caves of Niah National Park, I decided on the latter.

And so it was a short 1h flight aboard a propellor "twin otter" MASWings plane to Bario, the capital and gateway to the Kelabit Highlands. Capital is of course only a technical term, as Bario itself has a population of barely 1000, and the panoramic greenery is only sporadically dotted by signs of human dwelling. At a moderate altitude of about 1000m, Bario is occasionally chosen by travellers seeking to escape from the oppressive heat of lowland Sarawak, and also to get away from it all, more generally speaking. The highlands offers great multi-day trekking opportunities, through minor villages and traditional longhouses. But as I only had two days to spare here, I spent my time just taking in the sights closer to town proper, already a rural delight.

Perhaps more poignantly though, I realised that my time here in Bario marked exactly one year since I started my Southeast Asian journey. It was on 14 May 2012 that I landed in Surabaya in Java, Indonesia, absolutely unsure about what would lie ahead the coming year. I remember having to take a rather expensive cab ride from the airport to Jalan Bongkaron, where I stayed at the not-so-inspiring Orchid Guesthouse. The city of Surabaya itself didn't seem like a great way to start my journey, and I was wondering if it was a sign of things to come. Well, one year on, and as I reflect back on the 90 (!) cities over nine countries that I'd visited in the interim, I can't help but feel filled by a mixed sense of wonder and achievement. There were certainly highs, and the lows, quite frankly, weren't that low at all (fingers crossed).

And I'm not even done yet! While on the last stretch of this particular trip, before I head back to Singapore briefly again at the end of the month, as things stand I still do have plans to head out again, to fill in some of the gaps that I've still missed here in my backyard of Southeast Asia, and also to possibly dip my toes into a new place, perhaps China. If all goes well, I might even be able to reflect in another year's time over yet another memorable twelve months..!

Stayed at Bariew Backpackers.

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Photos

Kelabit Highlands
Picture perfect

Wild Oriental Hornbill Spotted
It figures. I spend MYR40 for each boat cruise down the River Kinabatangan back in Sabah to spot these critters, and of course they show up free of charge first thing when I arrived in Bario.

Flight to Bario
The 18-seater Twin Otter MASWings plane that probably hauled more cargo than passengers.

Bariew Backpackers
Nice cozy true homestay.

Eager Poultry
The first time I've seen this happen. Ducks and chickens rushing towards me as I approached the gate. Reckon they thought I was there to feed them. I wasn't, of course.