At work and play in Borneo

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One of the perks of studying tropical forestry are the field trips! So we headed to Malaysian Borneo, the state of Sarawak to study land use change in the small Kampung Sebako. We spent 2 weeks interviewing locals, samping soil and water, walking through the adjacent jungle, rice paddies, oil palm plantations and rubber plantations. The community was very welcoming to us and really made us feel at home and were so helpful in their eager participation in our study. We arrived just in time for the start of the rice harvest and were invited to participate in numerous rice ceremonies, where the new rice is wrapped in a large leaf and cooked in bamboo. Copious amounts of Laingkao (rice whiskey) are consumed by the men as they role around drunk on the bamboo mats at 3 in the afternoon - quite a spectacle! Of course I participated in a couple of shots and dancing to Malaysian karaoke, it just would be a participatory observation if I didn't ;-) We slept in a guest home, under mosquito nets covering our mattresses on the floor. We showered with a bucket, and because of the heat and humidity, at least 3 showers a day was the norm. The high rice diet and my internal plumbing did not get along, and kind of amped up my grumpiness, but the problem was solved eventually... Among the more interesting foods were oil palm shoots, ferns from the forest and a 15kg python. Not to mention the daily fish heads and chicken feet. Nothing went to waste.

Prior to the study, Marie and I went scuba diving on Mabul Island in Sabah. The diving mecca of Sipidan is about 45 minutes by boat from Mabul, but they only allow a certain number of divers per day, and though we were on the wait list, we didn't get to go. I'm not disappointed though, the diving around Mabul was fabulous. We did 8 dives in 3 days, lived in a luxurious bungalow and ate very well. A very nice introduction to Borneo. So many sea turtles, sting rays, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, eels, etc.

After fieldwork, Luke and I went to the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area for some jungle trekking. It was quite out of the way, and is a very new conservation area. This translates to very few tourist visits to date, poorly maintained trails and huts. This however was exactly what we were looking for because we didn't want to do the normal tourist thing where they pretty much have a sign that says look up to see Jimmy the Orangutan scratching his armpits. Our guides were very over-protective, not letting us venture anywhere on our own, but I guess our frustration was rooted in our naivety of the dangers of the Borneo jungle. We heard sunbears growling, saw wild boar mud pits, swung from vines like Tarzan, and followed a trail of pygmy elephant dung - but the high light was watching the courting of two red-leaf monkeys swinging through the canopy as the male was trying to catch the female (at least this was our interpretation. I had my blood sucked from umpteen mosquitoes (no signs of malaria so far) and peeled one slimy centipede off my belly, but apart from that remained unscathed and even more in love with the jungle. I have a feeling I'll be back.

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Photos

bbc camp
where bbc stayed during their borneo expedition

Comments

[Eric]

I really enjoyed your Borneo post. I have always wanted to go there. My blog is looking for travel photos. If you have the time, email us some at [e-mail] and check us out at dirty-hipppies.blogspot.com. Continued fun on your travels, Eric

[Christine]

All your photos are amazing, beautiful sight that you will never forget.

[Christine]

I love this picture Shauna.. Beautiful and sharp.