"The Bounty of Ba'Kelalan" mountain bike exhibition to promote cross-border tourism

By George Francis

MIRI - 'The Bounty of Ba'Kelalan' to be held from Aug 30 to Sept 2 is the first ever mountain biking exhibition to the highlands of Ba'Kelalan, Sarawak and the neighbouring Indonesian village of Long Bawan.

Organised by the Miri Mountain Bike Club (MMBC), the journey covers a distance of 170 kilometres where 24 cyclists will enjoy the myriad sights, sound, colours and cool mountain air of the valleys of Ba'Kelalan and the Long Bawan plains.

The event, also called Ba'Kelalan Mountain Biking Expedition (BKMTB) 2007 is co-arranged by the Borneo Jungle Safari with the support of Sarawak Tourism Board (STB).

STB northern region executive, Michael Lu said, Ba'Kelalan and its surrounding areas offer diversity to the State's range of tourism products.

According to him, a promotional video on the exhibition will be produced by Virtual Malaysia.com, the official e-tourism portal of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Sandra Tagal, a director of Borneo Jungle Safari said the exhibition provided an opportunity for the development of cross-border tourism under the BIMP-EAGA Joint Tourism Development Cluster Programme.

Among the place the riders will cycle through is the Meligan Corridor crossing Demering which is over 4,000ft above sea-level where they can view both Mount Murud and Batu Lawi, and enjoy the therapy of the natural spa of the Merarap Hot Springs in the Trusan valley.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin