Up in the Kelabit Highlands : Bario - Final Part

So on Saturday evening, we had a light dinner at 6:30 pm as Tine said sometimes the ceremony drags on very long with speeches and what-nots and dinner can be served as late as 10:00 pm.

Then at 7:00 pm, armed with torchlights and aided by the bright moonlight, we made our way toward Pa' Ramapuh Atas, which is about 45 minutes walk from our place.

Along the way many other villagers were on their way too; on foot, on motorbikes and on 4WDs. We walked a steady pace while chatting and could smell the sweet smells of ripe taraps and bambangan as we passed by the trees.

We reached the longhouse before 8:00 pm and were welcomed by one of the village elders, the other group of tourists (our friends from the morning trek) also arrived at the same time and we were ushered right to the front row facing the small stage.

On the stage were three sets of families who are holding this name-changing ceremony, on the occasion that they have become parents and grandparents; this a unique Kelabit tradition.

I didn't want to snap a picture of everything so here's just some that I managed.

The families.

The ceremony had already started so we missed the earlier bits, when we arrived they had some speeches, ngajat dances, performances of church/spiritual songs and lastly a traditional Kelabit song performed by very old ladies.

There are only few ladies with the elongated earlobes left in Bario. Most are the older ones, the younger ones actually get their long ears 'cut' these days. The headgear for the ladies are beautiful, as are the necklace for the men which I did not take a picture of, sadly.

Food-wise, first we were given a packet drink, as well as some biscuits and snacks as light refreshment while waiting for dinner. Then they served coffee and tea. Dinner was finally served at just after 9:00 pm, starting with a serving of of pork fat that must have dumbfounded us outsiders that one of the village elders (and an uncle to the families) took to the microphone to explain to us the significance of this food; apparently once you take one you had to finish it. Stephen told us that previously the pork fat was one-foot long! Man that is one very greasy chow.

That's Tai's hand reaching out for the fat.

Our friends from the Salt Spring trek in the morning were there, too. The one in yellow is Joseph, who explained to us about the pork fat. In very good English.

This was then followed with some tasty porridge, then rice wrapped in leaves was distributed; followed by a skewer of meat! We estimated that each skewer (one per person) was probably at least 500 gms of meat, so between the four of us we had 2 kgs to finish!

That's a lot of meat.

The skewer.

After the porridge I was already quite full, but I though I'd try at least one piece of meat which I managed to and after that no more. Stephen decided to pack the untouched food and bring it home, a good idea I must say so that it won't go to waste.

An hour later as dinner wound down, guests started leaving and we thought we'd make a move too. We went around thanking the hosts and bade them goodbye.

The walk home was very good as we get to burn off our calories, we were joined by another local who was very chatty and we found out later that he's the only Kelabit with a criminal record, way back in the 80's when he was convicted of manslaughter and served time in prison. He now lives in Pa' Lungan (4-5 hours walk!) so he will stay the night at a relative's place nearby and walk back home the next day. To them, this is normal; no big deal.

After all that walking and eating, I slept soundly that night. The next day, got up at 7:00 am to pack, have breakfast and get ready to leave.

A nice clear Sunday morning.

Stephen gave us a piece of wood and materials to leave our message. Time to show off your creativity!

Some are really good I must say - like this one from an Italian couple.

My thank you plaque :). Er, didn't get my creative juices flowing.

Waiting for our flight on Sunday morning. That's Stephen with the backpack. Both of them came to see us off at the airport.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Bario - there is no rush, no distractions, not even loud noises. Life is so simple, yet I think the villages deserve some development especially basic infrastructure.

Our flight left Bario on time with only 3 passengers (!); the rest probably will go on the later flight as ours has a brief stopover in Marudi.

Things that are good to know :

(i) Before departing Bario, you are required to pay RM10 as service charge to the MasWings agent who's the appointed ground handler. Many people don't know this unfortunately and causes confusion sometimes. Tine explained that this is applicable to everyone, not just visitors and it's a shame that we were not informed earlier by the airline.

(ii) Do not bring big $$ notes; try to bring smaller notes like RM10 as it is not easy to get small change here. I ended up borrowing from Tai.

(iii) It can be freezing cold at night, bring your socks. And a torchlight. And ear plugs, if you are a light sleeper. Alarm clock not needed, there's a wake-up call at about 5 am ;) every day.

(iv) Handphone signal is very good, at least for 019 and 013.

(v) Airport transfer is RM10 per way.

Oh, it didn't rain the whole time we were there; Stephen said we brought the sunshine with us!

Up in the Kelabit Highlands : Bario - Part 1

Up in the highlands, it certainly felt like I was worlds away, in another place, where time probably would wait for you.

Last weekend I flew to Bario on MasWings via Miri - AND I was amused to find out that you have to be weighed in together with your luggage when you check-in, as we will be onboard a Twin Otter aircraft that fits only 19 passengers.

For the first ten minutes I must admit that being slightly claustrophobic, I was kind of nervous in that tiny plane. It seemed that everything functioned 'mechanically' - seated in the first row I could see whatever the pilot and first officer were fiddling with. The commander of the flight was Captain Mendoza, a friendly and smiling man ("Come on board, everyone ... it's all business class")

Captain Mendoza. Upon landing they enjoyed hot nescafe and instant noodles at the canteen ;)

Approaching Bario airstrip, ready to land.

Bario.

Nervous passengers? The guy on the right certainly was.

Unloading the luggage.

Bario means wind.

The place I stayed at is called JungleBluesDream, run by Stephen and Tine. It has I think about 5 rooms, and also doubles up as Stephen's art gallery.

Meet Stephen.

And Tine :)

The story of Stephen and Tine. Viking Girl meets Kelabit warrior :)

Can I just say that I LOVE my room. Simple yet comfortable. Warm quilt. The painted wall was lovely.

Look - isn't this lovely to look at? Love the details.

And I did something uncharacteristic, that is, I unpacked all my clothes immediately. I've never done that, ever.

It's always the most simplest of food that gives you most pleasure. Our meals were all tasty and yummy, in generous portions. Plenty of local vegetables, which I enjoyed very much. Tine's pumpkin soup is out of this world. As is Stephen's pumpkin puff. Oh and they bake their own bread too for breakfast :) Despite the long walks and treks I actually think I put on some weight.

Pumpkin puffs and bread.

Local veg and corn.

During the day it's really quiet all around. Gen-sets are usually only switched on from 1830-2130 hrs, after that it's lights out. The first afternoon, I caught up with another guest (Tai, geophysicist-turned-school teacher) and went for walk around Bario.

There are no roads in Bario. What is deemed as roads are rough, bumpy stretches of dirtroads that turn muddy when it rains. The only vehicles you see here are twin-cabs, which also serve as taxis especially for visitors. Most locals use motorbikes as well, even kids. The 'road' network is quiet good though. Using Stephen's hand drawn maps we could navigate the village easily.

They do have a 'town centre', three rows of small shops and eating places. Things are understandably pricey here - a can of Coke is RM3, a gallon of fuel is RM20. I wanted to buy some Bario rice but not much was available. There is also a basic Klinik Kesihatan and an Immigration Office; the new Klinik Kesihatan project looks like it's been abandoned, don't think it can be ready by January by the looks of it.

Oh and they have a police station too - but we were told that the two police officers have nothing much to do since it's such a quiet peaceful place, so they have 'setup' an alternative office at one of the coffeeshops. Haha :p

View of World Challenge View Point, behind SMK Bario.

We climbed and climbed and were rewarded with this gorgeous 360 view of the valley.

Wind turbines at a distance.

Carved signages like these are common. Nice.

In front of Idris Jala's family house, just down the road from JungleBlues. His parents were away that weekend, otherwise we were told that they welcome visitors anytime.

JungleBlues Dream is located in the village of Ulung Palang, up on a small hill. The longhouse has two other families; and is clean, spacious and airy. Stephen's creative works is all around, he's quite well known overseas and has buyers mostly from Europe. I saw a few newspaper articles on his works too, which are mostly modern interpretations of the Orang Ulu motifs and patterns, and some of nature. I wish I can own one original piece from him. Oh and I found out that his brother had designed parts of the Sarawak Cultural Village...artistic family.

Dining Area.

Wall near 2nd main door, Ground Floor.

Wall near entrance, 1st floor.

Living/reading/lepak area, 1st floor.

At the dining area.

1st Floor, where the guestrooms are located.

My favourite - in my room.

It felt good to be surrounded with creativity in the middle of nowhere :)

To be continued.

My Favourite Thing..

My favourite thing, too :)

Off for a short 'never-been' weekend.

Down in Turtle Land of No Turtles

The weekend was spent at Kampung Sawangan, Kuala Penyu. I woke early Saturday morning and took the 7:30 am bus from KK terminal to Menumbok, where I had arranged to meet with the sidekick.

The penyu roundabout. I am still not convinced the town got its name from turtles. The only turtles I saw were these.

Hot hot sunny weather. Arrived in Menumbok at a minute before 10:00 am. I was sorry to leave the bus as the onboard movie had yet to end; they were showing PotC : Dead Man's Chest. Yupp, nothing like watching Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom first thing in the morning :)

We left Menumbok after a quick drink and headed to KP. This is where we stayed:

Signage.

Our little lodge.

The owner plants various local vegetables in the backyard. We took some belimbing besi to make a simple appetiser.

There is a common kitchen just outside in the main house that is occupied by the owners. We decided to have BBQ for dinner instead. Arriving early afternoon we quickly settled in, had yummy pulut panggang bought in Menumbok for lunch, and took a nap. Easily fell asleep lulled by the sea breeze. Late afternoon was spent at the beach - bathing, seashell collecting, walking - till almost sunset. No pics though as I didn't bring the camera along. The beach was deserted save for one or two fishermen at the other end.

The seabed was rocky in some parts, sandy in some parts. Shame there's debris here and there on the beach. Well, at least the water quality was good and quite clear.

The common kitchen.

Dinner.. and er, drinks.

Supper.

Hammock. For me, the symbol of an unhurried life.

And of course I tried it out.

The next morning, after breakfast we went for a beach walk again however it was really hot and humid so bathing was out of the question. Back at the lodge, took a nap as it was nice and breezy. I read my book and managed to finish it. Decided to make an early move so we packed and left just after noon.

Reached KP town, I went walking around the shops while waiting for the ferry.

Soon, old shophouses like these will be sadly gone.

The only shops open in this row at that time were 2 sundry shops and a billiard saloon. I peeked behind the back of the shops and saw that the families still lived there, saw some ancestral altars and modest living arrangements on the ground floor. Furniture from 50-60 years ago I think.

I decided to forego the ferry and took a shuttle boat instead for 50 sen. It takes less than a minute to the other side,while the ferry takes about 7-8 minutes.

The ferry. Free of charge, can you believe it. Operates from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm daily. Takes about 6-8 cars per trip, depending on size.

The shuttle boat I was on.

I paid 40 sen as I didn't have exact change.

It was unmanned anyway. The horrible thought of not paying

did go through my mind very briefly, but I couldn't do it.

Wooden kampung house on stilts in Kg Palu-Palu.

I love it when they have a lot of plants and flowers,

no matter what the setting may be.

One of the small, almost hidden roads in Purun.

A peek at Binsulok Training Centre.

Brown selipar shot :)

I collected some nice seashells at the beach just before Binsulok. Then, we made a quick swing by Binsulok Training Centre, then the Borneo Golf Resort at Bongawan, then straight ahead to Papar, stopped by Beringgis for a late lunch and reached home at about 5 pm.

One of those lazy, do-nothing weekend; next time, another new place beckons.