The land of the White Rajahs

Malaysia | Anno 2016

 

Wednesday 30 March | Kuching

Thursday 31 March | Bako National Park

Friday 1 April | Kampung Mongkos

Saturday 2 April | Kuching

 

 

Wednesday 30 March | Kuching

At Kuching International Airport Edgar is waiting for us, together with bus driver Jef. For the next three days they will guide us through Sarawak, the Land of the White Rajahs. Both of them belong to the Bidayuh, a tribe that inhabits the hills between Kuching and the border, but also resides just across the border in Indonesian West Kalimantan.

You can still find traditional longhouses of the Bidayuh there, Edgar explains as we head towards the centre of Kuching. The day after tomorrow, we will visit one such longhouse. Ancient traditions are still honoured there, but the modern era has also made its mark. Therefore, a Mercedes or a Ferrari standing next to a longhouse, shouldn't surprise us, he adds jokingly.

It’s overcast and damp, but luckily it’s no longer raining. With nearly 700,000 inhabitants, Kuching is a prosperous city brimming with life. The contrast with the serene tranquillity of the rainforest in Mulu this morning couldn’t be greater. Moreover, this is a distinctly Chinese city. Ethnic Chinese largely shape its appearance and dynamism. But Indians and especially Malays are also noticeable in the streets.

The fact that kucing means cat in Bahasa Malaysia is eagerly used to market Kuching as the Cat City. There are cat statues galore. In our eyes, they seem to compete with each other in terms of kitsch. The city even proudly boasts a dedicated cat museum.

 

Kuching – Sarawak River, Parliament Building, Fort Margherita

In the centre of the city, right on the banks of the wide Sarawak River, we find our spot for the next three nights. With the sun in the west signalling the last hours of the day, the view over the river and the historical buildings on the opposite bank is nothing short of magnificent.

It's already nearing five o'clock when we head down to the Waterfront. About a decade ago, the Promenade was renovated, and now it's a pleasant walk along the quay, the small parks, and the occasional food stall. Downstream, a small dam was even built to keep the water at a constant level.

 

Kuching – Dewan Undangan Negeri Serawak (Parliament Building)

Kuching is the capital of the province of Sarawak. The impressive building on the other side of the river is the Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak – the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building, in other words. Distinctive and contemporary, with a clear Malaysian influence, since its establishment in 2009, it has become the icon of this self-assured city.

The white, somewhat weathered building next to it is Fort Margherita. Even its five-story tower pales in comparison to the immense parliament building. Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah, had this fort built in 1879 in an attempt to put an end to pirate raids against Kuching.

The reign of the White Rajahs in Sarawak was a remarkable period

That period – the rule of the White Rajahs in Sarawak – was a remarkable one. In 1839, a rebellion in Brunei had gotten a bit out of hand. The sultan struggled to defeat the rebels. James Brooke, a wealthy Brit who had a boat and some weaponry, lent a hand and defeated the insurgents. As a reward, the sultan granted him Sarawak in full ownership.

From then on, James of Sarawak and his successors would personally govern Sarawak as hereditary monarchs. It was a bit like how Leopold II of Belgium personally ruled over the Congo Free State for nearly a quarter of a century, except that the Brookes managed to keep it up for over a century and the local population benefited from their rule. James involved the tribal chiefs in governance, fought off pirates, discouraged European immigration, and prevented rubber magnates from destroying large parts of the jungle to establish plantations. He respected local customs, with one exception – headhunting. However, it would take more than 150 years before his ban had the desired effect. In 1946, shortly after World War II, the last White Rajah ceded the territory to the British government.

He respected local customs, with one exception – headhunting

We continue strolling along the promenade through the little park. It's lightly cloudy but very sunny. There's no sign of rain anymore. A beautiful traveller's palm catches our attention. Its broad leaves form a lovely flat fan. It's named for the water that can be found in the axils of its leaf stems, which is supposedly drinkable – provided you don't mind the presence of mosquito larvae and leaf debris. A little further on, there's a statue of… playful cats. Or what did you expect?

 

Kuching – Charles Brooke's Palace

The timeless charm of the Astana, the white palace that Charles Brooke had built across the river in 1869, is undeniable. For those who might miss the point, the name of the palace is spelled out in giant white letters in the neatly landscaped garden. The Governor of Sarawak still resides there today. In the foreground, a bot tambang glides over the water – a partially covered water taxi adorned with the image of a large hornbill on the bow.

There are cat statues galore. In our eyes, they seem to compete with each other in terms of kitsch

Kuching, Cat City

Ready for the festivities

Red lanterns with wish cards decorate Tua Pek Kong, a Chinese temple on a small hill behind us. Every so often, small trucks appear in the street, filled with young people dressed in colourful costumes. Their outfits are mostly red, which, for the Chinese, is the colour of joy. Something is clearly brewing, but what exactly, we have no idea – for now, at least.

 

Chinatown – Arch of Harmony

Jalan India, Kuching's shopping street, turns out to be difficult to access due to renovation work. So, we turn back towards the Arch of Harmony, the gateway to the district once known as Chinatown. Two soldiers discreetly keep watch there.

Temples also function as a kind of social redistribution system

Hiang Thian Siang Ti

The traditional wooden houses with nipa palm roofs that once lined both sides of Jalan Carpenter are long gone, having been destroyed in the great fire of 1884. The current facades look rather dull until, but suddenly, the small Hiang Thian Siang Ti temple appears, somewhat squeezed between its neighbours. Originally built in 1863, it too was completely consumed by the flames in 1884, and the current version dates back to 1889. It's a typical Chinese temple, with exuberant depictions of dragons on the roof ridge, green glazed tiles, red pillars, and gold-leaf calligraphy.

 

Hiang Thian Siang Ti

There are no visitors, and the incense urn stands lonely and abandoned. It's a bit strange because, usually, in a Chinese temple, there are always some devotees seeking urgent help. They appeal to the temple deity or their ancestors – a remarkable blend of Buddhism and ancestor worship.

 

Hiang Thian Siang Ti – Dragons on the roof

The founding of Hong San Si commemorated

Yet, the temple's role extends beyond the religious. The offering tables are filled with food, drinks, fruits, sweets, and large sums of money are sometimes donated. These funds allow the temples to assist the needy, functioning as a sort of social redistribution system. It’s a win-win situation for both the rich and the poor – the wealthy hope to secure their spiritual salvation, while the poor benefit from their generosity.

The crowd is steadily growing now. The Hong San Si temple, at the end of the street, turns out to be the epicentre of the festivities, celebrating its founding on the 22nd day of the second lunar month, which happens to be today.

Loudspeakers blare above the heads of the spectators, with drummers adding to the noise. The sidewalks are packed with onlookers, almost all of them ethnic Chinese, along with a handful of Westerners.

 

Float with acrobatic dragon dancers

A procession has not yet formed, but more and more floats are making their appearance. Sometimes they depict classic motifs from Chinese mythology, sometimes young men perform acrobatic dragon dances on meter-high poles.

 

Float with mandarin

Float with princesses

Canopies, specially erected for the festivities – rainfall can never be ruled out here – largely obscure the view of the temple facade. We can just make out the grotesque dragons, phoenixes, and other mythical creatures that populate the roof ridge. The temple likely dates back to 1840, but had to be completely rebuilt after the great fire.

Over time, Kong Teck Choon Ong has become a kind of patron saint of the local Chinese

Portable altar of Kong Teck Choon Ong

Hong San Si – Offerings

Under the canopies, six men in white silk shirts with dragon motifs and blue trousers are beaming with pride. In a moment, they will have the honour of carrying the altar with the deity Kong Teck Choon Ong at the very front of the procession. This seems to be a relatively young god, with a flushed red face. However, it is not an actual deity, but a deified mortal, born in Fujian in 923. That is the Chinese province from which most ethnic Chinese in this city originally hail. Over time, our Kong Teck Choon Ong has become a kind of patron saint of the local Chinese.

Not only on the street, but also inside the temple, it is incredibly busy. Apparently, everyone wants to offer something on this day. Hence the exodus from other Chinese temples.

 

Hong San Si – Offerings

The offerings are piled high on the altars. Everyone is busy with incense sticks, trying to attract the attention of the one who must grant their request – the deity, or their ancestors. Some have even invested in extra thick and extra long sticks for this special day.

 

Hong San Si – Symbolic burning

Offering candles

While they wave the burning sticks in front of their foreheads, they murmur their prayers and state their requests. After that, they let the sticks smoulder upright in an urn. These incense sticks barely spread any fragrance. After all, it is not the aroma that matters. It is the smoke. Some do not hesitate to light candles while holding a phone in one hand to have a conversation.

That we are the only visitors in the Taoist Tua Pek Kong temple no longer surprises us. This is the oldest temple in Kuching. It originally dated from 1823, but like all buildings in this area, it was destroyed in the 1884 fire. What makes it special, however, is its location on a small hill, with a view of the waterfront and the Sarawak River. Its feng shui, its harmonious integration into the surroundings, is unmatched. Chinese people find that extremely important.

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Thursday 31 March | Bako National Park

Kuching may be nearly a million-strong city, but the rainforest is still within easy reach. Specifically, in the form of the Bako National Park on the Muara Tebas Peninsula, just 37 km to the north. That will be our destination today.

With lunchboxes in hand, we board Jef's bus. The thick cloud cover that had the city in its grip when we woke up has given way. The sun now gleams sensuously through the gaps, giving us ample opportunity to appreciate the city's qualities, with its wide avenues and green plantings. Around the Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple, calm has returned.

Economically, multicultural Malaysia is doing quite well. It wasn’t always this way. After World War II, it was the defeated Japan that led the way in economic growth in the Far East. The prohibition on Japan maintaining a military meant more funds were available for its economy. Soon, cheap Japanese products found their way to the world market.

Inspired by this success, Taiwan and South Korea followed suit. Especially Made in Taiwan would reach great heights in Western Europe. As countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia joined the ranks at the bottom, the leaders specialized in high-tech products.

By mid-1997, the bubble burst

Malaysia was on the rise. Factories were built, farmers became workers, wages increased, purchasing power grew, and credit was carelessly extended. The country was living beyond its means. By mid-1997, the bubble burst. Along with the Thai baht and the Indonesian rupiah, the Malaysian ringgit plummeted. Where you once received 18,000 ringgit for one U.S. dollar, it was now 3,000 ringgit.

Thailand and Indonesia sought and received billions in aid from the World Bank and IMF in the form of loans. Not so in Mahathir Mohamad's Malaysia. He refused any loans and ensured that the country recovered on its own. Politically, it paid off for the father of Malaysia.

Today, Malaysia’s income comes from timber, tourism, textiles, and automobile assembly, among other things. But that is mostly in the big cities. In the countryside, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, people still provide for their own needs.

Meanwhile, a dense cloud cover has banished the sun. Nipa palms slide past the window. It seems as if they are neatly planted along the wide avenue, but that’s not the case. They are remarkable trees, apparently without a trunk, with lush green palm fronds that can reach up to nine meters high. A muddy substrate is the nipa's favourite spot. In it, the nipa develops an underground horizontal trunk. In the past, nipa leaves were used to cover the roofs of longhouses.

 

Stilt houses on the Tabo

It's a quarter past nine when we reach the fishing village of Bako. They call themselves the gateway to the national park. And that’s true, because you can only reach the park by boat from here. Rivers are important traffic routes here.

 

Bako on the Tabo River

Fishing boat

With four fast boats, we travel down the muddy brown Tabo, heading towards the calm waters of the South China Sea. Along the coastline, we then head almost due north. Mangrove forests, densely wooded hills, and limestone cliffs pass by in the distance. The sun occasionally breaks through the clouds.

It’s the oldest national park in East Malaysia, established in 1957, and is widely praised for its biodiversity

South China Sea

Just before ten, we land in Telok Assam, the bay of Assam. The small pier is just a stone's throw from the park's headquarters. With 2,727 hectares (6,739 acres) the park isn’t very large. But it is the oldest national park in East Malaysia, established in 1957, and is widely praised for its biodiversity.

 

Bako National Park

Pandanus (screw palm)

A large pandanus rises next to the boardwalk. The blade-shaped, slightly serrated leaves spiral out from the root. Because of this, the pandanus is also sometimes called a screw palm, although it has as much in common with palm trees as it does with sugar cane or corn. Its ripe, orange-red fruit consists of small stone fruits that cling together, somewhat resembling a pineapple.

High in a tree, a small monkey with an orange-brown coat keeps a sharp eye on us. A little later, the mother appears, with the typical silver-grey crest and fur of the silvered leaf monkey. She immediately begins grooming her young. At least, it seems that way. But more likely, she’s picking tasty salt flakes from between the young one's hairs. Occasionally, she casts a suspicious glance at us, far below on the ground.

 

Silvered leaf monkey (young)

Female with young

Pushing and pulling over the young

A second silvered leaf monkey comes to interfere in the situation. After some skirmishes, it manages to pull the young one towards itself. In turn, it begins to enjoy the salt flakes. The young monkey remains remarkably calm.

A bit further along, another monkey sits quietly on a branch, high up in a tree. But this is not just any monkey. This is a proboscis monkey. This species is found nowhere else but in Borneo, making it one of the local top attractions.

As if fully aware of this, the young adult male looks down at us confidently – with his reddish-brown fur, grey legs, and white tail. He's somewhat hidden among the foliage, but with a bit of patience, we catch a glimpse of the nose that gives him his name and fame. It's a whopper, about ten centimetres long, with the tip dangling somewhere around his chin.

This species is found nowhere else but in Borneo, making it one of the local top attractions

Proboscis monkey

Malayan flying lemur (colugo)

This bizarre result of sexual selection shows that males with such impractically large noses are apparently more attractive to females, as they seem healthier and stronger, potentially providing better offspring.

The bulging belly is characteristic of both males and females. They owe this to their diet. A male can weigh 20 to 25 kg, while a female weighs 12 to 15 kg. It's not easy living high up in the trees with that weight. The juiciest leaves, found at the ends of the branches, remain out of reach. They have to settle for tougher leaves, which require a large digestive system to process. Proboscis monkeys even have to partially chew their food again.

Orang belanda is what the Malaysians have come to call the proboscis monkey, meaning Dutchman. For in some respects – thinking of the nose, but also the belly – the resemblance to the Dutch colonists who appeared on the scene in the early 17th century was quite striking, they thought.

An amorphous mass hangs motionless against a tall tree trunk. From the brown fur with irregular white spots, at first, we can't make out head or tail, but it turns out to be a Malayan flying lemur, also known as a colugo. Between its neck, limbs, fingers, and tail, it has a gliding membrane. It can glide up to a hundred meters with it. It strongly resembles a flying squirrel, except it lacks the long, bushy tail.

You wouldn't call them the prettiest, with their scruffy pale beards on their funnel-shaped snouts

Pit viper

Bearded pig

In the yard of an abandoned hut, a few bearded pigs are rooting around, searching for nuts and seeds. You wouldn't call them the prettiest, with their scruffy pale beards on their funnel-shaped snouts. Fortunately, they are tame animals because a wild male would skewer you with his tusk before you knew it.

Officially, they are classified as fish. Yet they spend most of their time on land

Mudskipper

Fiddler crab

Fiddler crab

A small stream crosses our path, bringing us to a completely different habitat. A dark blue spotted fiddler crab stands at the edge of its burrow, ready to dive in. With its eyes perched high on stalks, it observes the surroundings, but it's the vibrations in the sand that warn it of approaching danger.

As with all males, one of its claws has grown to monstrous proportions – sometimes almost half of its body mass. It uses that orange-red claw with a white tip to impress females or to teach a rival a lesson. It can't eat with that claw; it uses the smaller claw for that. Every time it brings food from the ground to its mouth, it seems to be stroking the smaller claw over the larger one, like a bow over the strings of a violin. This is how it earned its nickname, the violin crab.

Even stranger creatures are the small mudskippers. Officially, they are classified as fish. Yet they spend most of their time on land, in the brackish transition zone between wet and dry, as long as water flows over their gills to provide them with oxygen. They waddle across the sand with their pectoral fins, but if necessary, they can arch their backs and make a jump of about half a meter – to catch prey or to find another pool. Unfortunately, we don’t get to witness that trick.

We make our way through the mangrove thicket to the north side of the bay. Bare trunks of dead trees rise ghostly above the water. A light blue fiddler crab watches us boldly, its large claw at the ready, while the grey female quickly disappears into a burrow.

There have even been reports of a hermit crab wrapping itself in a soda can

Hermit crab

A hermit crab trudges laboriously through the sand. It protects its soft abdomen with a large, horn-shaped shell, but walking with it is not easy. Moreover, such a shell occasionally needs to be exchanged for a larger one. There have even been reports of a hermit crab wrapping itself in a soda can.

 

Dragonflyl

A scarlet dragonfly sips nectar from a flower. A snake hides under the leaves of a plant.

 

Snake

It's a quarter past eleven when we leave the mangrove thicket behind and begin the one-and-a-half-kilometre hike to Telok Paku, a bay on the other side of the hill. It’s a bit of a scramble, over slippery roots, rustling leaves, and slick rocks, interspersed with easy sections of boardwalk, wooden stairs, and small bridges. We’re huffing and puffing in the humid, tropical atmosphere, quickly reminded of the purpose of our eyebrows.

We’re quickly reminded of the purpose of our eyebrows

Among the foliage beside the path, a proboscis monkey is munching away. We don't see much more than his indifferent eyes and his colossal nose. He calmly continues nibbling, unbothered by our presence.

 

Proboscis monkey

It doesn’t take long before the green tunnel opens up onto a paradisiacal little beach nestled between two cliffs. Sun, sea, sand, and towering palm trees are all present. The high tide has passed, and the sea is slowly but surely receding. Rocks full of potholes, eroded by small pebbles, are now exposed.

 

Telok Paku

In the bay, three small boats are patiently waiting. The skippers rightly suspect that there will always be hikers who are not keen on returning over the rocks.

 

Crab-eating macaque with young

In no time, lunch packs change ownership – whether or not with the original owner's consent

 

Just as patiently, crab-eating macaques sit on the rocks, waiting. They know all about lunch packs. As soon as we bring them out, they spring into action. A male leads the charge, and soon after, a female with a young one clinging to her belly tries her luck. In no time, lunch packs change ownership – whether or not with the original owner's consent.

These crab-eating macaques with their long tails seem to prefer lunch packs over crabs today. A crab should feel safer here than a packed lunch. They are far from shy and are known for hanging around villages, where there’s always something to scavenge.

 

Telok Paku

Quicker than expected – since we’re getting used to it now – we head back along the path to Telok Assam. After a short break, we continue our journey to Telok Delima, a bay about a kilometre from the park headquarters.

We have to be cautious, as waterlogged sand can turn into quicksand

Telok Delima – Mangrove forest

A sturdy boardwalk leads us southward until we encounter another ridge. But this turns out to be easy to traverse. We descend to the beach and find ourselves amidst a mangrove forest along the coast. It’s a unique vegetation, with trees that manage to thrive in the salty waves of the sea. But we have to be cautious, as waterlogged sand can turn into quicksand.

 

Telok Delima

Mudskipper

It’s low tide now. Along the waterline, a few crabs can be seen, but it’s the mudskippers that seem to thrive here. Under the trees, hundreds of aerial roots stick up like sharp spearheads about thirty centimetres from the mud. These breathing roots enable the mangrove trees to transport oxygen through an underground root system, a typical feature of black mangroves.

 

Mudskipper

The importance of such tidal forests cannot be overstated. They protect the coast against erosion, storms, and even tsunamis. The biodiversity also benefits, as birds and fish prefer the safety of these tangled roots and branches to reproduce.

Dropping seeds in such an environment, hoping they will grow into new trees, is futile – they would be washed away immediately. That’s why natural evolution has equipped the seeds of these mangrove trees with a kind of spear. As soon as it detaches from the tree, it immediately pierces straight into the mud and takes root to withstand the tides. Immediately in this case means within half an hour, as the water will soon return.

Immediately in this case means within half an hour, as the water will soon return

Shortly after half past two, we call it a day. We stroll back to Telok Assam and wade through the water to the waiting boats. Along the coast and via the Tabo River, we return by boat to Bako, and then by bus to Kuching.

It’s not far to go for dinner. Top Spot Food Court is little more than a stone's throw from the hotel. It’s a surprising location, living up to its name – literally, as a dozen restaurants are located six stories high on the roof of a parking garage.

Yet, on that concrete tower, there’s a contagious ambiance. Hundreds of guests are chattering away on the covered terraces. There are hardly any empty tables.

When we sit down, dishes arrive at an unstoppable pace – crabs, squid, prawns, shrimp, mussels, beef, pork, ferns, vegetables, mushroom soup, and melon for dessert.

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Friday 1 April | Kampung Mongkos

Heavy rain clouds hang low over the city upon waking, but it isn’t raining anymore. Last night was a different story, as a severe thunderstorm swept over Kuching.

A promise is a promise. Today, Edgar will take us to Kampung Mongkos, in the homeland of the Bidayuh, the tribe to which he himself belongs. Shortly after half past eight, driver Jef sets off for a journey of approximately 110  kilometres.

We leave the city southward along a broad avenue with beautiful plantings and three lanes in each direction. Gigantic slum areas, as seen in many other Southeast Asian metropolises, are still absent here. Every now and then, a resident flaunts a blue roof – a sign of prosperity.

The road is wet, and there is a light drizzle. If you were to schematically depict the road network of Malaysian Borneo, it would resemble a fishbone. Almost all smaller roads connect to the Pan Borneo Highway, the lifeline that crosses the country from north to south – from Sematan in the far southwest of Sarawak Province to Serudong in the extreme northeast of Sabah Province. In between, this AH150 highway passes through the provincial capitals of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, but also runs through the Sultanate of Brunei.

Occasionally, the sun breaks through the clouds, while there seems to be no end to the lush green nature sliding past the window. There are no open spaces; trees and plants appear to exist only in XXXL sizes.

Trees and plants appear to exist only in XXXL sizes

Gradually, the rain subsides. The dry road surface did not prevent a small truck from overturning completely and plunging into a deep ditch. A crowd of onlookers has gathered around the fresh wreck. There is no trace of the driver.

 

Serian – Market

Just before ten o'clock, we arrive in Serian, the largest city in the area, with 90,000 inhabitants. Two-thirds of them are Bidayuh. They are also known as Land Dayaks, even though they live close to the sea.

 

 

Also prominently represented in the streets are the Iban. Strangely, they are called Sea Dayaks, even though these notorious head hunters once lived deep in the interior. Their side job as pirates undoubtedly plays a part in this. They were not averse to setting out on raids far out at sea. Some say that nowhere can you find better Dutch antiques – particularly Delft Blue – than among the Iban deep in the interior of Borneo.

 

Snacks

For most other peoples, such as the Penan and the Berawan to which Petrus, whom we met in Mulu, belonged, the general term Orang Ulu is used – people from the interior.

The most exotic vegetables and fruits make their way to the city, and the market is overflowing

Jambu bol or Malay rose apple		Unripe fruit of the nipa palm
Bamboo shoots		Soursop

We cannot skip Serian. It is the beating heart of this incredibly fertile region. The most exotic vegetables and fruits make their way to the city, and the market is overflowing. Outlandish fruits immediately catch our attention – the Malay rose apple or jambu bol with its bright red bell shape, the turnip-like roots of taro, the small, unripe fruit of the nipa palm, the pure white, thick shoots of bamboo, the pink flowers of ginger, the green, pear-shaped soursop with flesh like that of a durian but without its foul smell…

The pale yellow longan immediately reminds us of a lychee – and it tastes like one too, as we soon find out. It is sometimes called dragon’s eye because the peeled fruit resembles an eyeball with a black pupil.

The brown, scaly skin of the salak looks like a piece of snake skin. Underneath, there is a crispy, fairly dry fruit.

The red, scaly dragon fruit has become the national fruit of Vietnam, although this pitaya actually comes from the New World. The white flesh is speckled with black seeds. Even beans come here in XL size – half a meter long.

 

 

In transparent bags filled with water, live fish await their fate. Among them is the arowana, a popular aquarium fish. The gold-coloured variant is considered a status symbol among the Chinese.

Another noteworthy fish is the fighting fish. The name is fitting because if you place two males together, they will immediately fight until one is defeated. Betting on these fights is popular in Malaysia. The fighting fish is also a bubble-nest builder. It uses its labyrinth organ to extract oxygen directly from the air. During breeding season, the male blows air bubbles just below the water surface to create a foam nest, and attaches the fertilized eggs produced by the female to the bubbles.

Behind their food stalls, women are busy rolling dough, preparing dishes, frying snacks, and shooing away insects.

In a large container, slippery catfish wriggle over each other. Nearby, snakehead fish are being sold. These voracious creatures are known for consuming frogs, carp, and occasionally even rats. Nevertheless, they are an important food source for the local community.

The open jaw resembles human teeth, which is quite striking

Pacu

Snacks

The pacu, a vegetarian relative of the piranha, usually resides in the Amazon Basin and feeds on nuts. Its strong teeth are designed for cracking nuts. The open jaw of a pacu resembles human teeth, which is quite striking.

 

Squids (left)

Releasing pacus into the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea in 1994 was intended to replenish the fish stocks and provide a new food source for the locals. However, the pacus were unable to find their preferred nuts and instead, acting on their natural instincts, began attacking the genitals of local men who bathed naked in the river.

With a respectful detour, we sidestep the stall with pacus – even dead, they give us the creeps – and encounter a bizarre selection of snake meat. Fist-thick reticulated pythons are sold, cut into twenty-centimetre chunks. The white, red-veined meat contrasts eerily with the beautiful blue and gold patterns on the silver scales.

 

Reticulated python

Lobsters

Meat Market

With still over forty kilometres to go, we leave the Pan Borneo Highway behind. As if driving through a green tunnel, we head southwards, with abundant, almost impenetrable nature on either side. There are no fields or plantations. Here and there, a few houses with modest yards break the overwhelming presence of the jungle. The excellent asphalt road leads us towards Tebedu, one of only two official border crossings between Malaysia and Indonesia.

As if driving through a green tunnel, we head southwards

But we don’t reach it, as Jef soon turns left and heads east on yet another excellent asphalt road. Evidently, the government is working to make the longhouses of Kampung Mongkos, which they sponsor, easily accessible. Tourism is an important source of income for Malaysia.

 

Kampung Mongkos – Longhouse

Just before noon, we reach our sunny destination. Only two kilometres away, just over the hills, lies the border with Indonesian Kalimantan, if the lone sign is to be believed.

The longhouse is covered with an unattractive mix of rusty brown, grey, and blue corrugated iron. But as we climb the steps to the stilt house, we find an environment that has largely maintained its authenticity. In our stocking feet we shuffle across the veranda. Both the walking and sitting areas are made of bamboo. Two elderly people sit cross-legged, chatting contentedly.

 

Drying Peppers

It is a fairly large longhouse, with 24 doors leading to as many family residences. It is managed by a chief who can be re-elected twice. He does not have a political affiliation – In principle.

Animism and Christianity go hand in hand among the Bidayuh

Above or beside each door, there is invariably a small cross, often flanked by a figure made of bamboo sticks. This is to ward off evil spirits. Animism and Christianity go hand in hand among the Bidayuh.

 

Longhouse – Veranda

About two hundred years ago, the first missionaries arrived in this area. They began their mission in the countryside because the population there was the easiest to convince. Nowadays, the majority of the population of Sarawak is Catholic, except for the Chinese, who practice Buddhism or Taoism. Edgar himself is Anglican. It was his grandparents who converted to Anglicanism. He describes himself as a third-generation Anglican.

Bullet holes in the wooden walls testify to battles from the 1960s

The peace and quiet that now prevails on the veranda is a contrast to the past. Bullet holes in the wooden walls testify to battles from the 1960s. About thirty people were killed during an infiltration from Kalimantan.

 

 

Indonesian President Sukarno had set his sights on the Malaysian part of Borneo. Equipped with Soviet-Russian weaponry, his troops invaded Sabah and Sarawak. This confrontation lasted four years, from 1962 to 1966. In classic Cold War fashion, British, Australian, and New Zealand forces came to Malaysia's aid. In the end, Sukarno was defeated.

 

 

As we stroll back along the rear of the longhouse, it becomes apparent that the structure is not only very long but also very wide. Each residence is a series of narrow rooms arranged perpendicular to the building’s length. Each occupant has arranged his space according to his own preferences.

 

 

Green and black peppers are laid out to dry on mats on the ground. Not only the peppers are dried, but also the stalks they grow on, which will later be used as fertilizer. Rice is also drying. Rice is not only hulled, removing the outer husk, but also polished, removing an additional layer. Unfortunately, this process removes important nutrients such as vitamin B.

At precisely one o'clock, we remove our shoes and settle into a room set up as a library. Not for reading – though antique publications like Netscape 2 and Windows 95 immediately catch our eye – but to honour a richly laden table. As an appetizer, we sip coconut water through a straw, while a spread of local dishes covers the table: chicken, bamboo shoots, two types of green ferns, noodles, white rice, and sticky rice in bamboo tubes.

Kek lapis is the Sarawak's specialty – a layered cake, made with wheat flour, butter, and eggs, featuring different colours for each layer, depending on the flavour added

For dessert, we are served watermelon and bright red rice cakes, as well as the colourful kek lapis, Sarawak's specialty. This layered cake, made with wheat flour, butter, and eggs, features different colours for each layer, depending on the flavour added – melon, strawberry, blueberry, almond, mint, and so on.

 

 

 

The heat lays over the village like a leaden blanket. Outside, children play in the water behind a small dam in the river. We stroll into the forest and stop at a tree. If you make a small incision in the bark, white latex oozes out, as our guide shows us.

So this is a rubber tree. Actually, it's an immigrant, as this tree has its roots in the Amazon region. Setting up rubber plantations there was challenging. They had to rely on the trees found in the wild. Indigenous people were enslaved to move from tree to tree collecting the latex – a time-consuming and inefficient method.

 

 

It was later discovered that while the rubber tree could not be cultivated in the Amazon, it flourished in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) because the soil there contained more nitrogen. The tree also thrived elsewhere in Southeast Asia, notably in Indonesia and Malaysia. The prosperity of Brazil's Manaus, once the rubber capital of the world, was gone forever, with only an opulent opera house serving as a reminder of its former glory.

 

A pepper plantation

Pepper berries

A bit further on is a pepper plantation. Pepper berries hang like green berries on the climbing plants. Here they have three harvests a year, with another harvest due next month. White pepper is produced by drying the peppers while they are still green, black pepper is made by drying them once they are ripe.

One of the trees next to the field is a teak tree. This wood is of excellent quality – durable, weather-resistant, and non-corrosive. However, high-quality teak is only obtained in the subtropics, not here. The dry and wet periods must alternate to make the wood sufficiently strong. Here, in the tropics, the tree grows too quickly, resulting in wood of lesser quality.

 

Forge – Placing the blade in the fire…

…and cooling it quickly in water

On the edge of the village, a blacksmith is at work. A young boy with a hand blower stokes the fire, in which the blacksmith heats a knife blade until it glows red. He then quickly plunges it into cold water to harden the metal.

 

Kampung Mujat – Longhouse

A few minutes from here is Kampung Mujat. That’s a longhouse we want to visit too. Getting permission turns out to be no problem. Off come the shoes, and we can step onto the brown-red plank floor of the veranda.

 

Veranda

Stripping peppers

Behind one of the doors lives Patrick, a man in his sixties. With a broad smile, he invites us inside. Images of Jesus Christ and Pope John Paul II hang against the wooden wall, along with various family photos, including a youthful version of Patrick.

We descend the high stairs to the kitchen and living room. Patrick proudly shows off his machete, with a handle and scabbard intricately carved from wood. Then homemade rice wine is served. He generously passes the bottle around. Soon after, tuak, an industrially made palm wine, follows. All the while, Patrick's wife is scrubbing clothes on the bathroom floor at the back of the house – seemingly out of place.

 

Patrick…

…with machete

Just after three, we set course back to Kuching. A cocoa plantation along the road catches our attention. This plant is also an immigrant from Central America.

Here and there, chimneys emit dirty smoke. Palm oil seeds are being burned there. This idyllic region is not exempt from mining. We spot, among other things, a limestone quarry and a coal mine. These are typically open-pit mines since the layers being mined are usually at the surface.

Coal does not play a significant role in Malaysia’s energy supply. Nuclear power plants are also absent from Borneo. Hydropower plants account for most of the electricity production.

Ten thousand people were displaced, corruption ran rampant

But that's a controversial story. For instance, in 2011, after decades of bickering, the Bakun Dam in central Sarawak was commissioned. It stood 205 meters high, creating a reservoir of 659 km². Ten thousand people were displaced, corruption ran rampant, the plant struggled with excess capacity, and after a few years, the acidic water had damaged the turbines.

A brief stop at the gas station reveals that Malaysia is doing well when it comes to petroleum. A litre of gasoline costs here 1.70 ringgit – 38 euro cents. Malaysia extracts its own oil in Miri, just south of Brunei. Through pipelines, some of it makes its way to Vietnam and Thailand.

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Saturday 2 April | Kuching

A dense cloud cover completely blankets Kuching. The wet pavement suggests it rained last night. But it's dry as Jef takes us to the Jabatan Muzium Sarawak shortly after nine. We will be flying to the province of Sabah soon, but first, we want to explore the peoples, fauna, and flora of Sarawak.

It was Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah, who built this museum, but it was Alfred Wallace, Charles Darwin’s great rival, who convinced the governor to make this investment. A colossal wooden totem pole marks the entrance of the museum. It's beautifully carved with plant motifs and monstrous faces. Not an easy task, as this dark ironwood is extremely hard. It's said that this artwork took five years to complete.

It's said that this artwork took five years to complete

Kuching – Jabatan Muzium Sarawak – Totem pole

Totem pole

Such totem poles can be found inland, above the grave of a nobleman. When someone of such status dies, the body is hung in a tree. Animals gnaw the flesh off, after which the bones are collected and thrown into a pit. Four slaves are bound and also thrown into the pit – alive, of course. Finally, the totem pole is erected above the grave.

At first glance, the aquarium seems a bit outdated, but seeing all those creatures we’ve only seen prepared for the market, now swimming around in tanks, is rather enjoyable.

Of course, the pacu, the nut-cracking cousin of the piranha, makes his appearance once again

Of course, the pacu, the nut-cracking cousin of the piranha, makes his appearance once again. As does the arowana, the Chinese status symbol.

The swordtail fish fertilizes and hatches its eggs inside the mother’s body – what’s known as ovoviviparity.

The longnose gar, with two rows of teeth in its upper jaw, resembles an alligator. It's a living fossil, having swum in these waters for over a hundred million years – not in this tank, of course.

The bull shark sometimes swims up large rivers like the Amazon, the Mississippi, or the Zambezi from warm coastal waters. He feels at home in both freshwater and saltwater, earning him the nickname Zambezi shark. But you’d better not encounter him, as he can be quite aggressive.

Another unique case is the giant oarfish. It's like a ribbon with scales, but greatly enlarged. It can grow over ten meters long and half a meter wide. In 1996, a giant oarfish washed ashore on the Californian coast. The iconic photo of fifteen soldiers holding the oarfish in their arms went viral worldwide.

Our eyes are immediately drawn to a watch and a human set of teeth. They were once found in the stomach of a crocodile

We quickly browse through the wooden cabinets and glass displays. Our eyes are immediately drawn to a watch and a human set of teeth. They were once found in the stomach of a crocodile, but their owners couldn't live to tell the tale. A warning to anyone who dares to swim in the rivers.

There are mounted specimens of various species of hornbills. Among them is the great hornbill, a bird with an enormous white beak topped by an orange-red casque that appears to curl backward. The black band on its white tail makes it easy to distinguish from its relatives.

Hornbills typically nest in the hollow of a tree. After mating, the female settles in, and the male seals the opening – leaving only a small slit through which he can pass food. If something happens to the male, the entire family perishes with him.

 

Iban longhouse with human skulls

There is also space dedicated to a rumah panjang, an Iban longhouse, albeit a modest version with only two doors. True to tradition, it’s constructed entirely from traditional materials, primarily wood and woven rattan mats. A wreath of real human skulls adorns the ceiling of the veranda – said to be those of Japanese soldiers. Jungle sounds add to the cosy atmosphere.

Later, we find ourselves aboard a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800. MH2806 promises to be a smooth flight, and we feel reassured by a message that appears on our TV screens just before take-off, written in Arabic script. It's the doa sebelum perjalanan, the supplication that the Prophet Muhammad would recite to Allah before setting out on a journey. A prayer that is always answered, or so it is believed. One might wonder if it was also answered for those two other Malaysia Airlines flights in 2014, namely MH17 and MH370.

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Jaak Palmans
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The man of the forest