Kuching

We are in Borneo—remember those pictures from National Geographic showing this as place where the most fierce people still practiced head hunting, the use of blow darts etc. etc. etc.? Well the island of Borneo is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia and very little head-hunting is still practiced!

We visited the town of Kuching, which is the capital of Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia,. They have a ways to go in terms of their development, but today boast a “5 star” Holiday Inn and the beginnings of a tourist trade. As in Singapore, the population there is diverse; the north dominated by the Chinese and the south by the Malay with native groups, Eurasians and Europeans mixed in.

Paul and I had hoped to visit an Orangutan sanctuary, but this time of year, fruit is plentiful in the jungle and sightings are rare. Also, the loss of habitat has contributed to the decline of these beautiful primates. Instead, we visited a Cultural Village (much like the Pioneer Villages we are familiar with) which is a museum where housing, lifestyle and crafts are demonstrated in the fashion of the various tribes that are native to this part of the world. We visited a number of long-houses (in effect a row of dwellings and a village street under one roof). Each represented a different tribe demonstrating art, music and day-to-day living. I was surprised to find that this area produces the majority of ‘Sego’ consumed locally and exported and that the local pepper (both black and white) is sold all over the world.

The best part of the visit was a live show depicting the various traditional dances of the Sarawak tribes.