I've been contemplating how to write about the past month in Borneo. It's hard to summarize and articulate four weeks of jam packed exhilaration. I've had way less 'down time' since flying to Kuching earlier this month, definitely a good thing, but it certainly makes it hard to take the time and how amazing this time has been.
I saw a quote somewhere in the past couple weeks that I do think however, encapsulates this idea :
" Heaven is not a place we go when we die,
But the moment in life when we finally feel alive."
My journey in Borneo began in Kuching. Cat City and the gateway to Sarawak.
After meeting the Orangutang at the local rehabilitation/soft-release center
and exploring the awesome architecture of local indigenous groups at the cultural center, I geared up for a hike to the "Village in the Clouds". Named because of it's location in the hills, this Bidayuh village is literally nestled amongst the clouds at least until mid-morning everyday.
We trekked up the mountains on Day 1 to arrive in the village of 48 houses still living predominantly off subsistence agriculture. It's not accessible by road or boat. And each villager, up to our hosts 85yo parents regularly make the 4-5hour hike to the nearest road in order to visit family, receive medical care or take their kids to school. The local primary school is a 1+ hour hike from the village but the secondary school is a boarding only facility in the city, an hour's drive from the nearest road they must trek to!
Our hosts, Taya and his wife were brilliant! Nicer people are hard to find in this world! They shared a lot about their culture, history, amazing home cooked meals and insightful opinions on the dam project being built nearby that threatens to relocate the village and change their lives forever.
This particular village is also home to the last remaining "ring ladies" in all of Sarawak!! Similar to the long-neck Karen Hilltribe women of northern Thailand. These ladies begin wearing golden rings around the forearms and calfs from age 10-11 and if their health allows, wear them till death. There are definitely detrimental effects on muscle and bone development. This, combined with the awesome new access of young women in the community to education, means that it is a dying tradition. When the youngest of them, 69yo, passes it will merely be a memory.
I fell in love with this one lady in particular. She speaks no Malay only the local dialect so we obviously had a language barrier. But boy did we have a good time laughing, chewing beetle-nut and drinking warm beer. I asked my host why she like to laugh so much and he simply said there was no way to explain it except that she was a "happy person". Perhaps the beetle-nut and beer has something to do with it me thinks.
Upon returning to Kuching, I managed to link up with a killer group of people to explore Bako National Park. Spent the day hiking to waterfalls and explore extremes of a jungle climate with proboscis monkeys, among other things!
They travel in troops of about 20 monkeys with only one alpha male per group. The alphas have a massive nose like this big boy here. Nearby we caught three female proboscis attempting to break into the "Proboscis Lodge" near park headquarters. The irony was not lost on me...
"I can see those bananas! They're right there!!"
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