In the island of Borneo, world's third largest island that shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. In Indonesian part of Borneo, Kalimantan.. A forest fire is not something new because its often happen due to illegal logging and deforestation.
A female orangutan was found dead with spear wounds in her chest after a suspected attack by loggers in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province, a conservation group said today.
Activists from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation found the body of the 15-year-old orangutan, an endangered species, in Kapuas district on Saturday while trying to relocate primates to a conservation area, according to foundation spokesperson Nico Hermanu.
“It appeared that she was stabbed with a spear through her heart and there were machete wounds in her body,” Hermanu said.
“We suspect she was killed by illegal loggers because it was far from a residential area,” he said.
Since November the foundation has rescued 39 orangutans who lost their natural habitat and were deprived of food after the area was destroyed by last year’s massive forest fires, Hermanu said.
The World’s Longest Zip Line is available in Sabah Malaysia and has been in operation since May 2014. This is also a bigger-scale version of the flying fox that enables users to traverse from the top to the bottom of a cable attached to a moving pulley that will give the thrill of literally sailing from the air from one island to another at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park just minutes by boat from Kota Kinabalu city. Stretching across the channel that divides Gaya and Sapi Island, Coral Flyer Zipline is an amazing 250m (820 Feet) of thrilling ziplining that will give you an amazing view of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park from a birds eye view. Coral Flyer is also operated under the company Rope Skills, a renowned Sabah-based rope rigging and safety company who has a tried and tested record of reliable safety, ensuring that you’re in good hands throughout your flight on Coral Flyer.
Coral Flyer Zipline allows, in ideal conditions, blazing speeds of up to 65 km/h, zooming from Gaya Island where it starts, down to Sapi Island where it ends in perfect safety, thanks to high-tech break technology supplied by ZipStop from the USA. The Sabah zip line enables visitors to cross the narrow straits between both islands in about 30 to 40 seconds. Ropeskills Rigging director Simon Amos said the starting point of the line was atop a hill at Pulau Gaya, about 45m above sea level, and riders gradually descend to a 8m-high platform at Pulau Sapi. “The ride is an adrenaline rush. You’re seeing the sea and having the experience of flying,” he said, adding that it took his company about six months to build the zip line.
For safety, the company practices top safety procedures where staff working here are either ARAA (Australian Rope Access Association) qualified as professional rope technicians or hold the SEACF (South East Asian Climbing Federation) Ropes Course Instructor qualification (level 2). The zip line operates between 10am and 4pm daily but the company could operate after these hours upon request. The company previously earned a reputation for providing rigging during Prince William and Kate Middleton’s visit to the Danum Valley, 83km southwest of Lahad Datu, in 2012, and for renowned British naturalist Sir David Attenborough’s filming of Sabah’s wildlife at Gomantong Caves, outside Sandakan, earlier this year.
For the adventurous, you can opt to do some jungle trekking from Gaya Island Base Camp to Padang Point on Pulau Gaya, then zip line to Sapi Island. Tickets for the zipline is also available at Padang Point. The structure of Coral Flyer is made of stainless steel high-strength cables that can hold 12 tons (26,000 lbs) of weight. The harness and attachment have a strength of 2.2 tons (4,850 lbs) at the weakest point, so it can even zipline a horse across the sea without problem. The estimate construction and operation cost of Coral Flyer is about RM500,000.
Coray FlyerZip Line Ticket Prices and Information
Zip Line Price: RM50 (USD$16, not including island entrance fee and boat transfer from/to Kota Kinabalu) Opening hours: 10am to 4pm daily Maximum Weight: 120 Kg (265 lbs) Minimum Weight: 40 Kg (88 lbs) Age: No limit Ticket Counters: Entrance of Sapi Island and Padang Point on Gaya Island Website: Coral Flyer
Reog Ponorogo is a mystical dance from Java specifically from Ponorogo, East Java (Now is a part of Indonesia)
This dance once was involved in a controversy, some Indonesians believe that this dance belongs to Indonesia and only Indonesian has right to own it while this dance has spreaded to Singapore and Malaysia by Javanese immigrants. Malaysia never claims Reog Ponorogo is from Malaysia, but Malaysia trying to preserve the dance of Reog Ponorogo in Malaysia by Javanese People from slowly vanish from time to time.
It is true, that in Malaysia (a country with 30 million population) from Malay populaton is Javanese which is 4.3 Million in total. They are called Malaysian Javanese. The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia is also Javanese from Kulon Progo. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Zahid_Hamidi)
The Javanese Malaysians consists of people of full or partial Javanese descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia. According to Malaysian law, most of them are considered Malays by constitutional law. They form a significant part of Malaysia's population (Malaysia is home to the largest Javanese population outside Indonesia).
The majority of Javanese Malaysians originated from Central Java, via migrants from the Dutch East Indies looking for new opportunities in British Malaya. They live predominantly in Johor, Perak and Selangor.
Most Malaysians of Javanese descent have assimilated into the local Malay culture, speak Malay as a native tongue rather than the Javanese language of their ancestors. This occurs through usual assimilation, as well as intermarriages with other ethnic groups. This qualifies them as Malays under Malaysian law. The situation is identical with the Javanese in Singapore, where they are considered Malay.
The origins and cultural ownership of the Reog Ponorogo dance have been the subject of a dispute between the neighboring countries of Indonesia and Malaysia, whose ethnic, cultural and religious histories overlap and share many similarities. Mostly because there is numerous descendants of Muslim Javanese immigrants in Malaysia, some who have been serving with Sultan of Malacca, before moving together with the Sultan, especially in Johor state to form Johor Riau Kingdom. And some of the immigrants brought many Javanese-origin artforms such as Wayang Kulit Jawa, Barongan (Similar to Reog but with Islamic element injected into it) and Kuda Lumping. To avoid further controversy with Indonesia, all promotional revival on Barongan have been discontinued by the government of Malaysia, which contributing to further decline of Barongan in Malaysia. However, Malaysian government continue to promote other ethnic culture like Portugis descendant, San Pedro Day, Indian Thaipusam, Chinese's Chap Go Mei and etc.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT REOG PONOROGO?
Singa Barong mask
The Reog dance of Ponorogo involves a lion figure known as the singa barong. Singa Barong is a large mask usually made from a tiger's or leopard's head skin, on the mask is a large fan adorned with real peafowl feathers. The Singa Barong mask is notoriously heavy and the dancer of the Singa Barong has to carry the mask of about 30 – 40 kg in weight and is supported by the strength of their teeth.
A single dancer, or warok, carries the heavy lion mask by his teeth. He is credited with supernatural abilities and strength. The warokmay also carry an adolescent boy or girl on its head. When carrying an adolescent boy or girl on his head, the Reog dancer holds weight of up to 100 kilograms in total. Holding the heavy big mask by biting, the warok relies on the strength of his jaws, neck and shoulder muscles. The great mask spans over 2.5 meters with genuine tiger skin and real peacock feathers. It has gained international recognition as the world's largest mask.
Dance performance
The leading figures in Reog Ponorogo performance includes:
Klono Sewandono, A man in regal attire wearing a mask with a proud and pompous dance and plays the role as the King of Ponorogo
Bujang Anom are rough youthful men wearing red masks, they perform acrobatic dances and sometimes also involve trances.
Jathil, the youthful and handsome men riding horses made of weaved bamboo, similar to the Kuda Lumping dance. Today, Jathil is usually performed by female dancers.
Warok, plays as the Singa Barong, the mythical creature. The one who is allowed to perform this dance is called warok. Awarok is the honorary title of the local hero or strongman of the village who possesses both exceptional spiritual and physical strength. The dance itself is a demonstration of physical strength.
Reog Ponorogo usually consists of three sets of dances; each dance is performed by several dancers:
The first dance is the opening dance, performed by Bujang Anom, male dancers who wear black costumes. The costume describes rough men with intimidating moustaches and other masculine symbols.
The second dance is the Jaran Kepang dance performed by Jatil; it is originally performed by a gemblak, a handsome and youthful teenage boy wearing colourful costumes. Today female dancers usually play this role.
The third dance is the main attraction of the show; it is performed by all the Reog dancers. The warok as the main male dancer, wearing the large and heavy lion mask, dances in the centre of the stage while the other dancers dance around him. To demonstrate the warok's extraordinary strength, the Jatil rides on top of the lion mask and is carried around.
Culture and traditions of Reog Ponorogo
Reog dancers in Ponorogo, ca. 1920.
The dance describe Klono Sewandono the king of Ponorogo on his journey to Kediri to seek the hands of Princess Songgo Langit. On his journey he was attacked by a vicious monster called Singa Barong, a mythical lion with peacock on its head. Historians trace the origin of Reog Ponorogo as the satire on the incompetence of Majapahit rulers during the end of the empire. It describe the innate Ponorogo liberty and its opposition on centralist Majapahit rule. The lion represent the king of Majapahit while the peafowl represent the queen, it was suggested that the king was incompetent and always being controlled by his queen. The beautiful, youthful and almost effeminate horsemen describe the Majapahit cavalry that have lost their manliness.
In society, there is another version about the origin of the reog. History of Reog Arts began the revolt of Ki Ageng ticks, a man of Majapahit Kingdom in the 15th century, where at that time the Majapahit Kingdom under the rule of the King of Kertabhumi Bhre last Majapahit Kingdom. Ki Ageng Kutu wrath against the corrupt behavior of his King, he saw that the powers of the Majapahit Kingdom soon will end. He left the Kingdom and founded a College of martial arts in hopes of raising seeds which can be held as under. Aware that the army was not able to compete with the Majapahit army Political messages of Ki Ageng Kutu were submitted through the performances of Reog. Performance of Reog utilized Ki Ageng Kutu to build resistance to the Royal Society. In art performances Reog was shown the head of a lion-shaped mask called "Singo Barong", Kings of the forest that became a symbol of Kertabumi, and it plugged up to peacock feathers to resemble a giant fan that symbolises the strong influence of the governing Chinese pronunciation of peers over all. Jatilan, played by a group of dancers a gemblak horses-shaped became a symbol of the power of the Kingdom of Majapahit into comparison contrast with the power of warok. Red clown mask that became the symbol for Ki Ageng Kutu, alone and support the weight of the mask singo barong that reaches over 50 kg using only his teeth. And finally reog Ki Ageng Kutu attacking the college, causing kertabumi an uprising by warok quickly resolve, and forbidden to continue teaching will warok. But the disciples Ki Ageng Kutu remain continue secretly. However, artistry reog itself is allowed to staged performances because has become popular among the people but the storyline having a groove in which the characters of new added folktale ponorogo kelono sewondono, namely dewi songgolangit, and sri genthayu.
Reog Ponorogo dancers traditionally performed in a trance state. Reog Ponorogo displays the traditional Kejawen Javanese spiritual teaching. Next to physical requirement, the dancers—especially the Warok—required to follow strict rules, rituals and exercises, both physical and spiritual. One of the requirement is abstinence, warok is prohibited to indulged and involved in sexual relationship with women, yet having sex with boy age eight to fifteen is allowed. The boy lover is called Gemblak and usually kept by Warok in their household under the agreement and compensation to the boy's family. Warok can be married with a woman as their wive, but they may kept a gemblak too. This led toWarok-Gemblakan relationship that similar to pederastic tradition of ancient Greece. Anybody who is in touch with the traditional way of life in Ponorogo, knows that there are these older men called warok who, instead of having sex with their wives, have sex with younger boys. What Warok and Gemblak did is homosexual act, yet they never identify themself as homosexuals.
Many Warok and Gemblak were massacred by Islamic groups during the anti-communist Indonesian killings of 1965-1966, their heads placed on pikes for public display. Today the Warok-Gemblakan practice is discouraged by local religious authorities and being shunned through public moral opposition. As the result today Reog Ponorogo performance rarely features Gemblak boys to performed as Jatil horsemen, their position were replaced by girls. Although today this practice might probably still survived and done in discreet manner.
Reog Ponorogo today
Today, Reog Ponorogo is often held on festive special occasions; such as the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, anniversary of Ponorogo Regency, Independence day carnival on 17 August, to opening ceremony of sporting events. Today, reog troupe performances can be seen in various countries brought by Indonesian workers. Such as in the United States (Singo Lodoyo Washington DC), Korea (Singo Mudho Korea), Taiwan (Singo Barong Taiwan), Australia (Singo Sarjono), naval expedition Indonesia (Reog Dewaruci), Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia (Sardulo Gugah Ponorogo, Sri Wahyuni, Gamalasari).
Reog Sunda
Reog Sunda is very different from the Ponorogo one, since Reog Sunda did not incorporate a large lion mask adorned with peafowl feathers like Reog Ponorogo, and did not incorporate a trance state. The Reog Sunda performance combines comedy, joke, music, and funny comical movements and dances of the performers.The performers usually consist of four personnel, one called dalang directing the shows, similar to dalang in wayang performance, one called wakil or vice-dalang, the other two were the performers that interact and do the order of the dalang. Each performers carrying and using musical instruments such as dogdog, beungbreung, gudubrag (types of traditional drums), andkecrek (similar to maraca) or tambourine, other instruments such as kendang, gong, kacapi might also used. The performance usually took one hour to one and half hour of music, dance and jokes, filled with social messages or religious wisdom.
Sarawak is Malaysia's largest state. It lies in East Malaysia and shares the island of Borneo with the eastern state of Sabah, the separate country of Brunei and theIndonesian provinces of Kalimantan.
Kuching - Sarawak's capital, the City of Cats is located at the western tip of the state
Belaga - Jumping point to many of inner Borneo's indigenous tribes and long houses
Miri - Sarawak's northern city, capital of the state's oil industry
Sibu - gateway to the hinterland of the Rejang River, Sarawak's and Malaysia's longest river
Sarikei - "food basket" for the Land of the Hornbills
Sri Aman - little town along the Batang Lupar, popular among local and foreign tourists especially during the annual tidal bore phenomenon 'benak' in April.
Mukah - a coastal town in Central Sarawak where the sago-eating tribe (Melanau) are found.
Kapit - one of the stopover along the Rejang and gateway to interior Sarawak. Only accessible using express boats from Sibu
Bintangor - former name is 'Binatang' meaning animal. Famous for greenish skin orange.
Simunjan - a tiny town located between Serian and Sri Aman, site of some colonial era coal works.
Other destinations
National Parks
Bako National Park - home to the bizarre, obscene-nosed proboscis monkey
Bukit Lambir National Park - approximately 30km from Miri city. Known for its beautiful water falls and tranquility.
Loagan Bunut National Park - home to the friendly community of Orang Ulu people known as the Berawan whom are mostly fishermen in this part of Sarawak. The largest freshwater lake in East Malaysia.
Kubah National Park - massive sandstone ridge with its three mountain peaks – the 911m high Gunung Serapi and the slightly smaller Gunung Selang and Gunung Sendok.
Tanjung Datu National Park - smallest of Sarawak’s National Parks, at just under 14 sq km, but it is also one of the most beautiful
Talang-Satang National Park - was established with the primary aim of conserving Sarawak’s marine turtle population
Batang Ai National Park - part of the region’s largest trans-national protected area for tropical rainforest conservation
Similajau National Park - its coastline, a chain of golden sandy beaches, punctuated by small rocky headlands and jungle streams, and bordered by dense green forest
Niah National Park - one of Sarawak’s better known national parks, important for its archaeological remains such as a 40,000 year old human skull, prehistoric cave paintings, and the birds nest industry. The caves are home to large colonies of bats and swiftlets.
Nature Reserve
Semengoh - home to a famous orangutan sanctuary and rehabilitation center
Wind Cave Nature Reserve - is part of the Bau Formation, a narrow belt of limestone covering about 150 sq km of Southwest Sarawak
Sama Jaya Nature Reserve - the first multi-purpose urban forest park in Sarawak
Beach Resorts
Damai - Sarawak's premier beach resort on the Santubong Peninsula
Others
Bario and the Kelabit Highlands - the vast highland plateau in the interior popular for trekking and serene Orang Ulu villages.
Rejang River - the mighty Rejang River, Malaysia's longest river, is the main "highway" connecting little towns and longhouses in Sarawak's hinterland.
Understand
Sarawak is the largest and, certainly in terms of visitors per square kilometer, least touristed state of Malaysia. Nearly as large as peninsular Malaysia, the interior is covered in a thicket of impenetrable jungle and mountains and the great majority of the population lives near the coast or along rivers leading to the sea.
History
James Brooke, the first White Rajah
One of the stranger episodes in Sarawak history began in 1841 when James Brooke, an English adventurer armed only with a single ship (the Royalist) and diplomatic skills, was made Rajah of Sarawak by the Sultan of Brunei. James and his nephew and successor Charles expanded their private colony to cover much of the state. The third Rajah, Vyner, continued to develop the colony but fled from the invading Japanese in 1941, ending the Brooke dynasty after precisely 100 years. After the end of the Japanese occupation, Vyner returned to Sarawak in April 1946, but ceded the colony to the British in July of the same year. Sarawak joined together with Singapore, Federation of Malaya and North Borneo (today Sabah) to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
Culture
Even by Malaysian standards Sarawak has an extraordinary mix of peoples: the largest ethnic group is neither Chinese (26%) nor Malay (21%), but the Iban (29%), who gained worldwide notoriety as the fiercest headhunters on Borneo. Back in the bad old days, an Iban lad couldn't hope for the hand of a fair maiden without the shrunken head of an enemy to call his own, and bunches of totemic skulls still decorate the eaves of many a jungle longhouse. Fortunately for visitors, headhunting hasn't been practiced for a while, although some of the skulls date from as late as World War II when, with British support, Iban mercenaries fought against the occupying Japanese. Other tribes of note include the Bidayuh (8%) and the Melanau (5%), as well as a smattering of Kenyah, Kayan and a group of tiny tribes in the deep heartland known collectively as the Orang Ulu (Malay for "upriver people").
Talk
Speaking Malay in Sarawak
Please notice some basic communication terms in Bahasa Melayu Sarawak.
Kamek - I
Kitak - You
Auk - Yes
Sik - No
Igek - Piece
Kamek Mauk Pergi Jamban Dolok - I Would Like To Go To The Toilet
Kitak Dari Siney? - Where Are You From?
Nyaman Juak Makanan Tok - This Food Is Quite Tasty
Kamek Ngupok/Mupok Dolok - I'd Like To Make A Move
Nama-Name
Maok-Want
Jamban-Toilet
Duit-Money
As elsewhere in Malaysia, Malay is the official language, but English and various Chinese languages are widely spoken. The Iban language is the largest linguistic group, with many local variations. The majority of Sarawakians are multi-lingual, a necessity in such a multicultural society, and Malay or English will stand you in good stead in most places. Knowing some phrases in Iban, Chinese or other local dialects however will greatly impress your hosts wherever you go. For travels to the Upper Baram region, some knowledge of Penan may be useful.
The Iban Language: This mostly and widely spoken language of Sarawak is a very unique language which is quite similar to Malay. With some of the vocabulary which is totally the same as Malay, but it is hard to understand as the slang is totally different. It is also known that the Iban community in Sarawak is divided into various different division ranging from Kuching to Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Bintulu and all the way up North to Miri. This also trigger the different accent of the dialects. Some useful Iban Words: English-Iban You-Nuan/dik/kuak I-Aku/kami(also stand for plural form of us) Eat-Makai/empuk Not yet-Bedau/apian speak-jaku cheers(drink)-ngirup nice-nyamai beautiful-bajik(bajiek)
While standard Malay is well understood, the local dialect, known as "Bahasa Melayu Sarawak", is different enough to be legally categorized as its own language. Malays from coastal part of Sarawak, especially the one from Sebuyau, Kabong, Saratok, Betong, Sri Aman and the surrounding areas speak different dialect called "Bahasa Orang Laut". Malays from Sibu and Miri speak similar language with Kuchingites Malay, but they have some terms unique to their dialect, for example "Pia" in Sibu (in Kuching, they called it "Sia", which means "there"), "Cali" in Miri (in Kuching, they called it "Jenaka", which means "funny").
The origin of most of the Chinese community here in Sarawak is Southern China, in particular Fukkien province. Therefore, the most widely spoken Chinese languages here in Sarawak are totally different from those one hears in most of the Chinatowns in the world, which is Cantonese. The languages used here are normally either Fukkien, Foochow, Hakka or Teo-chew. Don't bother trying to speak Cantonese here, as there is only a small Cantonese community here. Mandarin Chinese,the official language of China, has been introduced over the years through the educational system and is now widely used.
Get in
Alone among Malaysia's states, Sarawak maintains an autonomy on immigration control, mostly so mainlanders cannot freely immigrate and swamp the thinly populated state. Even if coming in from elsewhere in Malaysia, Malaysians need to bring along their ID and are restricted to a stay of 90 days at a time. Other foreigners need to fill out a second immigration form.
Still, for most travellers this is just a formality and an interesting extra stamp in their passport, as anybody who does not need a visa for Malaysia can get a free 90-day visit permit on arrival. If you do need an advance visa for Malaysia, you'll need one specifically for Sarawak, so be sure to state this when applying at the Malaysian embassy.
By plane
Most visitors arrive in Sarawak by plane. The largest gateway is Kuching the state capital, which is about 1.5 hours away from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. There are also a few direct international flights from Indonesia (Pontianak, Bali and Jakarta), Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei and Macau as well as Singapore flying in twice or thrice weekly. China's Xiamen Airlines offers direct connections from Xiamen.
Other airports with domestic connections to Peninsula Malaysia on both Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia include Miri, Sibu and Bintulu. MASWings serves flights between cities and rural areas in East Malaysia, including Sarawak and Sabah. AirAsia also operates an international flight from Miri to Singapore four times a week.
By land
Sarawak has land borders with Brunei, Indonesia and the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Brunei
There are several land crossings between Sarawak and Brunei. They are at Sungei Tujuh (on the road between Miri and Bandar Seri Begawan, Tedungan (on the road between Limbang and Bandar Seri Begawan), Pandaruan (a ferry crossing on the route between Limbang and Brunei's Temburong district) and Labu (along the route from Temburong district to Lawas).
Indonesia
The main crossing between Sarawak and Indonesia is the Tebedu-Entikong checkpoint which lies along the Kuching-Pontianak road. There are many other crossings between the two countries although the legality of these crossings are questionable and are mostly used by locals living in those areas. It is also possible to legally cross the border in the Kelabit Highlands between Bario and Long Bawan. See the Kelabit Highlands page for details.
Sabah
As Sarawak controls its own immigration matters, there are checkpoints at border between Sarawak and Sabah at Merapok (Sindumin on the Sabah side) nearLawas.
Sarawak is big and, by otherwise high Malaysian standards, its roads are poor, making planes the most convenient way of getting around. For example, it's about 1 hour from Kuching to Miri by plane (full fare RM164), but a butt-numbing 14 hours by bus (RM70).
The rural air service is operated by MASWings, which took over the network from FlyAsian Express (FAX) in 2007. Flights use Fokkers and Twin Otter aircraft. Fokker flight cover Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Limbang and Mulu National Park while Twin Otter planes link Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Lawas with rural towns and longhouses like Mukah, Marudi and various settlements in the Kelabit Highlands like Bario, Bakelalan, Long Seridan, Long Lellang, Long Banga and Long Akah.
By bus
Most cities in Sarawak are now linked by express buses although travelling times can be long because of the distance. Companies include Vital Focus Transportations Sdn. Bhd., which operates Suria Bas, PB and Borneo Highway express buses, and Biaramas.
By boat
Express boats run from the coast inland along Borneo's larger rivers. They are generally faster than buses and cheaper than planes. Popular routes include Kuching-Sibu (4 hours) and Sibu-Kapit (3 hours).
Local transport
Most cities have local buses and taxis serving not only the city centres and their surrounding suburbs but also adjacent rural districts.
See
Sarawak's highlights include the caves of Gunung Mulu National Park, which are some of the largest in the world, and the orangutans of Semengoh. A visit to the longhouses and indigenous tribes in the interior of Sarawak is a must.
Do
Visit the Sarawak Cultural Village, some 45 minutes' drive from Kuching. Entrance fees are RM60 per person. It is a living museum of different tribes and architecture spread over a lovely green area at the foot of Mount Santubong. You will be able to see how Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, etc. tribes live, work and cook in the longhouses, each with its own identity. It is also best to visit this place during the annual Rainforest World Music Festival which happens each July. The festival is held on the grounds of the Sarawak Cultural Village, hence you don't need to pay the entrance fees (festival fees include entrance to the Village).
Rainforest World Music Festival [1] has been around since 1997 and its popularity is growing from year to year. Accommodation around the festival grounds are snapped up as soon as bookings open so be quick. Good places to stay are Holiday Inn Damai Beach and Damai Lagoon, both a few minutes' walk away from the festival. Alternatively, you can stay within the heart of Kuching city and take the daily shuttle to the festival (RM10 each way). The three-day world music festival brings together some of the best world musicians for workshops and nightly live concerts. Tickets for the three-day festival in 2010 are RM300, or RM110 for daily entry.
Iban Longhouse. Take a tour to an Iban Longhouse. One longhouse provides accommodation for visitors. The facilities are very basic, but tolerable for one night and an interesting insight into the Iban culture.
Bidayuh longhouse] Visit one of the very old Bidayuh longhouse such as Annah Rais Longhouse, which is nearer to the Kuching.
Tattoo, Borneo Head Hunters Tattoo Studio,]. Sarawak Borneo is also well-known for it's artistic tribal tattoo design. Minimum charge is RM 350. A three to four hour tattoo cost RM1500).edit
Buy
Various tribal handicrafts are the most popular souvenirs from Sarawak. Particularly notable are pua kumbu, double-weaved fabrics woven by Iban women and illustrated with hypnotic, surreal patterns, wood carvings and bead handicraft by the Kayan and the Kenyah tribes, and Bidayuh baskets and floor mat or kasah, woven from rattan. Black pepper from Sarawak (far more potent than the bland stuff sold in the average supermarket) is also a worthwhile buy.
Eat
Umai
Variety of Sarawak delicacies
While the Malay, Chinese and Indian favorites covered in Malaysia#Eat are widely available in East Malaysia as well, there is also a broad selection of local ethnic cuisine.
Indigenous dishes
Manok Pansoh. Manok Pansoh is the most common dish among Iban. It is a chicken dish which normally be eaten with white rice. Chicken pieces are cut and stuffed into the bambo together with other ingredients like mushrooms, lemongrass, tapioca leaves etc and cooked over an open fire - similar to the way lemang is cooked. This natural way of cooking seals in the flavours and produces astonishingly tender chicken with a gravy perfumed with lemongrass and bamboo. Manok Pansoh cannot be found easily in all restaurants and coffee shops. Some restaurants require advanced booking of Manok Pansoh dish prior to your arrival.
Umai. Umai is a raw fish salad popular among various ethnic groups of Sarawak, especially the Melanaus. In fact, umai is a traditional working lunch for the Melanau fishermen. Umai is prepared raw from freshly caught fish, iced but not frozen. Main species used include Mackerel, Bawal Hitam and Umpirang. It is made mainly of thin slivers of raw fish, thinly sliced onions, chilli, salt and the juice of sour fruits like lime or assam. It is usually accompanied by a bowl of toasted sago pearls instead of rice. Its simplicity makes it a cinch for fishermen to prepare it aboard their boats. Umai Jeb, a raw fish salad without other additional spices, is famous among Bintulu Melanaus. However, it is rarely prepared in Kuching. You can try umai when you eat 'Nasi Campur' during lunch hours in Kuching. Most coffee shops, especially Malay or Bumiputera-owned one, served umai daily for 'Nasi Campur'.
Midin (originated from Sarawak). The locals greatly indulge in jungle fern such as the midin (quite similar to pucuk paku that is popular in the Peninsular). Midin is much sought after for its crisp texture and great taste. Midin is usually served in two equally delicious ways - fried with either garlic or belacan. You can try Midin when you eat 'Nasi Campur' during lunch hours in Kuching. Most coffee shops, served Midin daily for 'Nasi Campur'.
Bubur Pedas (originated from Sarawak). Unlike many other porridge that we know, Bubur Pedas is cooked with a specially prepared paste. It is quite spicy thanks to its ingredients, which include spices, turmeric, lemon grass, galangal, chillies, ginger, coconut and shallots. Like the famous Bubur Lambuk of Kuala Lumpur, Bubur Pedas is exclusive dish prepared during the month of Ramadan and served during the breaking of fast. So don't expect to eat Bubur Pedas at anytime you want!
Nasik Aruk (originated from Sarawak). Nasik Aruk is a traditional Sarawakian Malay fried rice. Unlike Nasi Goreng, Nasik Aruk does not use any oil to fry the rice. The ingredients are garlic, onion and anchovies, fried to perfection with very little oil and then the cook will put the rice in. The rice must be fried for longer time (compared to frying rice for Nasi Goreng) for the smokey/slightly-burnt taste to absorb into the rice. It is a common to see Nasik Aruk in the food menu list at Malay and Mamak coffee shops and stalls.
Linut/Ambuyat (originated from Brunei, but widely consumed in Sabah and Sarawak). Linut (in Sarawak) and Ambuyat (in Sabah) is a sticky porridge-like type of food, made from sagu flour. It can be eaten raw, or dipped into spicy sambal belacan. Normally, linut or ambuyat is eaten during high tea or night supper.
Sarawak laksa is the local spin on the ubiquitous noodle dish. It's sweet and coconutty like Singapore's laksa lemak, but gets a unique zing from heavy spices (notably sambal belacan, a mix of chili and shrimp paste) plus toppings of prawns, chicken and egg.
Kolo mee is a simple but popular Sarawakian noodle dish, consisting of dry egg noodles tossed in oil and served with slices of roast pork.
Tomato kueh tiaw is a variation of the popular fried kueh tiaw (thin, flat rice noodles), with tomato gravy, meat (usually chicken pieces), vegetables and seafood (usually prawns). It is particular to Kuching.
Kek lapis Sarawak or Sarawak Layer Cake is an elaborately baked cake with multiple layers which has a unique and delicious taste.
Foochow bagel (kompia). This pastry can only be found in Sibu where ethnic Chinese of Foochow clan formed a majority.
Drink
The local firewater, served up in prodigious quantities if you stay in a longhouse, is known as tuak and is distilled from rice, sago or any other convenient source of fermentable sugar. For those who want a stronger dose, langkau or Iban whisky can be sourced from longhouses in the interior. You can buy commercial tuak (The Royalist) at most supermarkets in Kuching. Great as a souvenir for friends! The commercial rice wine/tuak is rather pleasant to drink too, and none of that home-brewed murkiness either.
Stay safe
Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are very common in certain parts of this region and great care and caution should be taken when entering water, especially brackish areas like Batang Lupar. A visit to the local crocodile farm; Jong's Crocodile Farm is recommended. Active headhunters no longer exist in Borneo and have not for at least 50 years, thanks largely to the Rajah Brooke's effort to pacify waring tribes and peace-making.
