Sarawak, Borneo - The Place To Be
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whose water flow is being stopped by the damn at the
jetty. The reservoir will eventually take shape of a river, which will
gradually narrow down in size to a moderate stream as you reach the
Iban village. Throughout your boat ride upriver, you will experience
lush greenery on both sides, as well as natural sounds of the wildlife
in the jungle.
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The Iban are natives to the area, who have descended
from generations of headhunter. Now, they fish, and farm to live. As
you arrive at the Iban village of Nanga Sumpa, you will find a lodge
built for tourists with appropriate amenities including western style
toilets, although electricity is not available. The lodge has several
rooms, common bathrooms, a kitchen and a common dining/hangout area.
Crossing over the stream on a bridge, you will find the Iban “longhouse”.
This is a row of housing constructed by the village people for themselves,
which are connected to each other by sharing a common hallway type area
called a “ruai.” Here you can observe the Iban lifestyle
at ease, without having to worry about being a disturbance, amongst
these kind hearted people who will open up their homes without hesitation.
To spend your day, starting the next morning, you can
take a hike through the hilly ups and downs of the forest for as long
as you want, and then hike on down to the river to meet up with a longboat
which will take you down the river to your preferred destination. Besides
going back to the lodge, you might want to go see and enjoy a waterfall
nearby, or even arrange for a barbeque lunch at a pebble beach, where
the Iban people will prepare you some typical Iban food in Bamboo.
Getting back:
After spending a fair amount of time at the village, you must have enjoyed
more than enough and you might even be a little exhausted. So on your
way back to your home country, it is not a bad idea stop at Kuching
for a day or too, just to relax and get over all the adventure that
you have been through. The overall trip should be pretty relaxing. By
the time you get back home you should be fit for normal life again,
and your trip will have been a memorable experience.
