The Sunset in Kalimantan Borneo

I’m in Borneo, right now, and I keep having to pinch myself to make sure it’s real.

It takes two days of travel to get here, including a six hour flight from Sydney, a two hour flight from Bali, then another hour in the air to get from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun, which is where I am as I’m typing this. I’m currently curled up in the hotel’s air conditioning, so tired I’m not sure I can move again, ever.

Bali is hot and chaotic and the humidity hits like a wall as you disembark the plane, forcing moisture-rich air into lungs sucked dry by the planes air conditioning. Bali airport looks as though it’s been decorated in mid-Seventies laminex brown. The people are endlessly friendly, polite and smiling; and I’m glad I learnt the very basics of speaking Bahasa Indonesia before I came- being able to say “Permissi, terimah kasih!” for “Excuse me, thank you!” just makes me feel polite.

Everything here is richly decorated. Baseboards, lampshades, counter-tops and stairwells are ornate and carved, decorated with bright colour and gold leaf. The air smells of clove cigarettes and sweat, incense and satay. People whiz past our taxi on motorbikes and scooters, weaving in and out of traffic, whole families on mopeds. A tiny girl-child smiles at me from the back of one- she’s sitting between her mother, on the back of the scooter, and her father, who’s driving. Her mother is cradling a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket.

It’s alarmingly clean here. There seem to be a hundred people employed to do each job, especially cleaning. I no sooner butt out a cigarette (and you can smoke everywhere here… smoking inside is weird) when its gone again, the table wiped clean, ashtray emptied, cleaner smiling and nodding at me.

The flight into Pangkalan Bun- Borneo itself- was slightly terrifying. The plane is the oldest I’ve ever seen, and it rattles and creaks in the air. We are served lunchboxes with sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. I see the woman behind us laughing, watching these strange white women grimace as they bite into the banana leaf itself, not knowing to unwrap it.

Pangkalan Bun airport is tiny, crowded, not much more than a few small rooms. It’s pumping with people. This city seems to have established itself in the very center of the jungle. The heat. The greenery. The way the local foliage appears to be trying to eat everything in it’s path- thick green vines and tropical plants spill over onto cleared land, rise and snake between dwellings. Pangkalan Bun is relatively spread out, and from the hotel window we can see a smattering of blue roofed houses that concede themselves entirely to the jungle green growth beyond.

Borneo is a Muslim country. Alcohol is forbidden. I’m glad my mum reminded me to pack shirts with sleeves , rather than the spaghetti-strapped singlet tops I normally would have filled my bag with.

It’s a strange feeling. Unveiled. Anglo. In the minority. Out of my depth in both language and local customs.

The river that dissects Pangkalan Bun is teeming with humanity. Houses are built on the banks, hanging over the water, serviced by floating toilets that are really just a small wooden hut with no floor. There are floating fish farms. Men washing themselves off, brushing their teeth with the murky brown water. Women wash clothes. Longboats and the occasional speedboat leave the wake of the water behind them.

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Rainforest World Music Festival Performers line-up 2013

This is a 30-sec vignette announcing the performers that you may know or may want to find out more. The original festival TVC was produced by Channel News Asia in concert with Sarawak Tourism Board.

This will be the 16th edition of the Rainforest World Music festival. It has been awarded the SONGLiNES magazine '25 of the Best International Festivals' award for the fourth year running, dating back to 2010.

Details of the performers' bio can be found here

Source: Sarawak Tourism Blog
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Climbing Mount Kinabalu in a Day and Happy Birthday to Me

I woke up on May 19th 2013 in Malaysia (Borneo) to a card from Andrea for my birthday. To paraphrase she encouraged me to “get closer to the one who created you, to get closer to the one you helped create, and get closer to yourself”. Andrea always encourages me to be a better me, sometimes on purpose and sometimes without trying. I am lucky to have her as my wife. How many other women would encourage their husband to take his son and climb the highest peak in Southeast Asia on his birthday?

Jakeb and I woke up, ate a breakfast of bread pastries and was downstairs waiting for our ride to Kinabalu Park Headquarters at 5:30 am.

Mount Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Southeast Asia at 4095.2 meters or 13425 feet. It is normally climbed over the course of two days with a one night stay at the Laban Rata Resthouse at 3272 meters. For my 46th birthday I wanted to hike to the summit and back down with Jakeb in one day.

I had made arrangements with Amazing Borneo Tours to do the one day hard core Low’s Peak Summit hike. The main reason I booked a tour is because when I researched climbing Mount Kinabalu in one day I found that only four permits are issued a day and if you try to get one on your own you have to be at the park headquarters the day prior to your climb and there is no guarantee that you will even get a permit. But pay extra and book early through a tour company and of course your chances are almost 100% to get a one day climbing permit.

We arrived at the park at 7:15 am and the guy from Amazing Borneo got our climbing permits and introduced us to our guide Safree. Safree has run the Kinabalu International Climbathon from the trailhead to the summit and back in 2 hours and 44 minutes. He would be more than capable to take us to the summit and back down in a day no problem. Now it was just up to Jakeb and me to make it to the top. The permits we signed made it clear that to continue to the peak we would have to make it to the Laban Rata resthouse by 10:30 am and to Low’s Peak by 1:00 pm. And if the weather deteriorated we would be turned back.

The skies were clear as we started out from Timpohon Gate at 7:55 am. We were supposed to start by 7:30 but the tour bus had to pick up another couple which made us a bit late and me a lot nervous. Being late put me on edge but I also felt like God was saying, “I’m in control of this Tommy. You can’t change the timing. All you can do is hike. Stop worrying about it.”

We set off on a brisk pace with Safree up front, Jakeb in the middle and me behind. The uphill hike is mostly made of steps that are either carved in the hill or made from various sized rocks. There is never a consistent rhythm to the steps one takes because the steps in the mountain vary in size so much. As we continued on it slowly became clear to me that we were moving at a pace that was faster than I could maintain so we backed off a little.

Jakeb and I were both taking S-caps to maintain our salt and electrolyte levels and we were eating almonds and trail mix. We each had three liters of water in a camelbak and a one liter nalgene bottle. I was sweating like crazy but I always do.

The lower parts of the trail had the same sort of foliage we walked through in New Zealand. As we got close to Laban Rata we met people who were on their way down. One of the locals told us we would not have a problem making it to the top because we had the mountain runner as our guide. Just below Laban Rata I started feeling the beginnings of cramps in my quads from all of the pulling up the taller steps.

We arrived at Laban Rata at 10:18 and Safree told us to rest for 10 minutes and then we would continue the climb. Jakeb and I drank a cup of hot tea and ate some trail mix and then continued on. On the steps above Labal Rata my quads cramped for the first time. I had to sit down and elongate the quad muscles to stretch them.

Afterwards they felt better and we continued to climb. Jakeb’s muscles bother him a little too but not nearly as bad as mine. Right as we hiked above tree level the clouds got thick and we would get the occasional sprinkle of rain. I was worried we would get turned back but Safree kept charging ahead.

Then climbing up one section where we had to use ropes my quads cramped again. I stretched and started moving but I only made about 10 steps and they cramped again. I told Jakeb “I’m done. I am going to sit here while you and Safree go to the summit and then meet me back here.” He asked “Are you sure.” And I said “yeah” and I assumed my day was done.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Climbing Mount Kinabalu in a Day and Happy Birthday to Me

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Gawai Dayak good way to promote rapport among ethnic groups

BINTULU: Gawai Dayak celebration can promote rapport, understanding and national integration among the ethnic groups in Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole, said the organising chairman of Gawai Dayak Bintulu divisional level dinner, Francis Kallang.

He said each of the festive seasons celebrated in Malaysia is in line with the 1Malaysia concept and it should be given more emphasis.

Speaking at the divisional level celebration themed ‘Segulai Sejalai’ last Sunday evening, officiated by Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the Bintulu branch chairman of Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA) said all the festivals are the blessing to the country.

“I believe the joy and peace that we have today may not be felt by other countries in the world,” he said.

Gawai Dayak celebration is very important as it enhances the identity of the Dayak. Through this ethnicity good values can be nurtured towards promoting the 1Malaysia concept, he said.

Francis said each ethnic identity has its own culture and tradition, thus, government agencies in particular must be more proactive in identifying them for assimilation and respect by other groups.

Various activities and cultural performances were held during the event, namely cultural shows by invited group of ethnic Kajang from Belaga and other guest artistes. Kumang Gawai contest this year was based on Orang Ulu costumes and participated by 14 beauties.

At the same time, top students were also given cash incentives for their outstanding results in their respective examinations as an appreciation of their efforts and encouragement for them to continue to work harder.

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Famed director to shoot movie on Sandakan Death Marches

CAMERAS are to roll soon on the dark days of World War II in North Borneo.

The Sandakan Death Marches are the subject of a movie to be produced by award-winning director Roger Christian of the original Star Wars fame in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas).

The production is expected to cost US$5 million, according to Finas chairman Datuk Mohd Efendi Datuk Hamdan.

And for the production, an academy will be set up here to train the supporting crew, local actors and actresses, he disclosed.

The celluloid project has drawn kudos from a local scriptwriter Abdullah Yusuf Randiman who also hopes local talents will be considered as part of the film crew.

He pointed out that numerous war-time stories could be sourced from the local populace whose parents or grandparents may have had experienced first-hand the deprivation and suffering during World War II.

“The experiences of these elders can be used as the basis to flesh out stories on the war. Their recollections can go a long way to ensuring that the movie script is written and acted out authentically.”

Abdullah said his family has always lived at Mile 7 near Singai Kayu, quite close to the airport and a prisoner of war (POW) camp.

“The villagers, including my parents and their parents, had told us about what they had gone through during the war – and also about the atrocities they had seen committed by the occupying forces,” he said, adding that his mother – Sairah Mardi who was 16 then – had seen and been through the distresses of war enough to last a lifetime.

Relating what his mother had related to him and his siblings, Abdullah said: “Before the war, it seemed that a Japanese couple had arrived in our village.

“They lived on the Pamaguan Peninsula which was uninhabited. Villagers went there sometimes to collect clams and edible snails but there was no village there.

“The Japanese couple, however, was very friendly but seldom mixed with other people. They would usually attend weddings or some festivities, organised by the villagers. The Japanese man would always carry a notebook with him while his wife seemed very retiring and shy.

“Several months later, they disappeared and nobody knew where they went. And it was not long after that the Japanese landed in Sandakan and burned the seaside town to ashes.”

Abdullah said his mother told them the Japanese landed in Sandakan without any protest or resistance – it seemed they just landed and walked in.

“She also told us that two batches of prisoners were subsequently shipped in through Sungai Sibuga (Besar).

“My mother used to sell foodstuffs like bananas and tapioca to the POWs. They barter-traded with clothes, blankets, forks and spoons as well as other stuff until they had nothing on but loincloth.

“They were that desperate for food. At times, when my mother and her friends passed by to sell their wares, the POWs – all thin and hungry-looking – would shout ‘sugar, sugar’ or ‘salt, salt’. But, of course, the locals did not understand what the POWs were saying and were usually left to wonder what the words actually meant.”

Abdullah said his mother also related how she and her friends had to bow low to a big pole inscribed with Japanese writings. Those who forgot to do so would be beaten by the local ‘kempatais’ who were locals working for the Japanese army.

“My uncle, who used to work at the airport, said he saw caucasians working there, filling up holes and repairing the aerodrome.

“They were thin and tired, staggering while they worked. By mid-day, they would look like fried prawns and sometimes, one of them would collapse and be dragged to the side. If they died, they would be taken away and buried.”

Abdullah remembers his uncle telling him that the dead POWs were buried in shallow graves and at times, the boars would dig up the earth to get at the remains – flesh, bones and all.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Famed director to shoot movie on Sandakan Death Marches

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