I backpacked alone this December as I could not persuade any of my usual travel companions to join me on an adventure into the heart of Borneo.
While many South Africans visit Malaysia, they usually confine their journeying to such popular destinations as Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi. The really well-heeled jet to Pangkor Laut, an exotic island resort near the Straits of Melaka.
So what were my reasons for wanting to visit Borneo? The obvious response was that I had not been there before - but it goes deeper than that.
As a child, I was drawn to the large picture book in the reference section of the Durban children’s library about people and places in the world.
Most Saturday mornings saw me sitting crossed-legged on the floor in the reference section, thumbing my way through this tome. The pictures that fired my imagination were of so-called primitive tribes.
One Saturday a black and white picture of a fierce looking Iban headhunter in full-feathered kit caught my attention. From that time on, I was set on paying a personal visit to a longhouse belonging to these warriors who decapitated and then shrank the heads of their unfortunate enemies.
The first part of my adventure took me into the slow-paced river town of Kutching (city of cats) in Sarawak. I loved the feel of the place.The old part of the town is compact and easily walked - which is, in my opinion, the only way to get to know a city.
A fast diminishing habitat
Rows of shops line the river front, selling all sorts of things, especially Borneo craft. The town boasts vibrant Chinese and Indian sections of the town. Open markets are filled with fresh produce brought in from the sea and the country and there are so many local eating places that tourists are spoilt for choice.
My original plan was to spend a few days in Kutching, then head for Kapit, hire a boatman and sail on the Batang Rejang. However, unusually heavy monsoon rains had rendered this area a disaster zone, with lives and possessions being lost.
The Zen of travelling is about adaptability, so I caught the last flight out of Kutching the day before Christmas and headed instead to Sabah to see the orphaned orangutans in the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre close to Sandakan.
I also intended to spend some time chilling on a tropical island off Kota Kinabalu. After all, I needed at least one picture of myself lazing on a white coral beach to send home to envious friends at work.
The plight of the orangutans is typical of that of many endangered animals - a fast diminishing habitat. The baby orangutans require seven years of socialisation to survive in the wild, and the success rate of returning them, and their surviving, is slim.
Which is why most of the rescued animals stay in and around the centre where their two meals are provided.
I could not leave the centre without parting with my diminishing supply of Malaysian ringit. This left me eating bananas for a few days on the exotic island resort of Manukan, which was overrun with domestic and international tourists. It reminded me of South Beach in Durban on Christmas Day.
Mosquitoes arrived in squadrons
A few days later, I flew back to Kutching and allowed myself a day to recover from the festivities of Christmas before heading to a longhouse on the Lemmak River. I organised a driver and accommodation with a local travel company, who said I could not go it alone.
Seven hours later we were in the middle of the jungle waiting to be collected by the boatman who was to take us up river to the longhouse. The boatman was late so my driver climbed a nearby tree with his cellphone in hand to call him.
Two hours later a skinny man appeared in a leaky longboat. The driver and I and our supplies were then unceremoniously packed into the boat, and we set off at high speed down river. It took 45 minutes to reach the longhouse, which is occupied by a community of 26 families living off the land.
Each family has a room off the main communal area.The locals have opened their homes to tourists to generate extra income, and visitors are required to bring a gift for the chief and his large family.
My loot of sweets was soon demolished by the swarm of children who had gathered to see me and then dashed off to watch cartoons on television.
The guest accommodation is separate from that of the families, and is basic and clean. My driver doubled as a cook and prepared the evening meal - it was simple and delicious, and I deliberately didn’t ask what it was.
Later that evening, I was summoned by an elder to the main house, where I was invited to drink rice wine and dance (wildly) with the Iban head hunters. This was a dream come true - something right out of the picture book from childhood.
The chief head hunter was so hungover from Christmas that his deputy, an octogenarian with a chronic cough, stepped in and did the sacred dance, usually performed by warriors before engaging their enemy.
I had to use a lot of imagination here. Was this the same man who had his enemies’ heads in woven baskets at the entrance?
After copious cups of rice wine and loud singing of warrior battle songs, I made my way back to my quarters with the help of the driver. It was just as well my mattress was under a net because mosquitoes arrived in squadrons. After breakfast, the medicine man gave me a demonstration on how to use a blow pipe. Pleased with my newfound skill, I wondered how I could use this in the corporate environment.
I agreed to join the medicine man on a few hours’ trek into the surrounding jungle where I was shown how to set traps, tap poison from bark and identify animal tracks. When I finally emerged, I felt like an explorer and was covered with leeches to prove it.
The journey into Borneo was on my “bucket list” of things to do before I died. But even if you are not very adventurous, you can be rewarded with special experiences in Sarawak and Sabah without too much discomfort or hardship.
Getting there…
Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines.
There are numerous travel agencies in Kutching that can organise your land arrangements.
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