Sibu Cherry Blossom 2009

From BorneoTip blog:

The cherry blossom trees along the Brooke Drive bloom almost annually. Last year they had full bloom in June. Somehow this year those trees bloom a bit later, somewhere in late August.

I find last year bloom are more beautiful than this year. Most of the cherry blossom here are pink and white in colour.

Some close up photos of the cherry blossom. It might not as beautiful as the one in Japan or Europe but the local folks should learn to appreciate it.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Sibu Cherry Blossom 2009
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Annual ‘tagal’ fishing grand prix next in Sabah?

PENAMPANG: Sabah Anglers Association (SAA) is toying with the idea of organising fishing competitions at all ‘tagal’ rivers across the state as part of its effort to promote the activity as an eco-tourism product.

“We have over a hundred ‘tagal’ rivers in Sabah and beginning next year, we can probably start to organize competitions periodically and rotate them between different rivers. This is just an idea but we are looking into it seriously,” said its president Datuk Wilfred Lingam.

Another interesting idea, he said, is to combine series of tagal fishing competitions to be included as part of an annual grand prix tournament.

“If we do this we plan to come up with a Tagal Calendar which lists the dates and venues of ‘tagal’ fishing competitions throughout the year.”

Lingam added that if the idea would materialize it would also help generate income for villagers who implement ‘tagal’ system in their areas.

He said the idea was encouraged by the success of yesterday’s Babagon Tagal Inland Fishing Competition. The first-time event, held in Kg Babagon, attracted over 50 anglers and inland fishing enthusiasts from as far as Tamparuli and Keningau.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Annual ‘tagal’ fishing grand prix next in Sabah?
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How to party in Borneo

Rainforest music festival highlights the sounds of cello-beating, hurdy gurdies and mouth organs.

SARAWAK, Malaysia — Nestled at the base of Mount Santubong, in a land made famous by the head-hunters, who only decades ago still fought here for honor, a Kenyah elder holds a dagger in his right hand and a hand-carved wooden shield in his left. He moves quickly, genuinely shocking his foe, a bare-chested Maori warrior, who moments earlier was intensely focused on the crowd in front of him.

Bats fly overhead.

Matthew Ngau is an artist and sculptor who rarely leaves his forested Borneo home and Te Hira Paenga is in training to become an Anglican minister, when he's not performing the Hakka and other traditional arts.

Only on the stage of the Rainforest World Music Festival is it likely that these two men would cross weapons. Cross-cultural surprises and jam sessions define this three-day festival, created 12 years ago to introduce Sarawakian musicians to the world and world musicians to Malaysia.

The festival also likely presents the world's best showcase of indigenous instruments.

“I'm looking to excite, amaze, enjoy, have a good time and also educate a little bit,” says artistic director and festival co-founder Randy Raine-Reusch. “This is a voyage of discovery for the audience. I want concert-goers to say `WOW, I've never seen that before!'”

Continue reading (incl. pic & video) at: How to party in Borneo
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The last of their kind: the nomads of Borneo

LONG NEN, Malaysia — In the language of the nomadic Penan there is no word for forest, it is simply their universe, and its destruction is snuffing out the ancient lifestyle of this tribe who are among the world's last hunter-gatherers.

Wielding spears and dressed in loincloths, one small band who emerged from the Borneo jungles to tell their tale said that encroachment by timber and plantation firms has made their already hard life impossible.

They said they are ready to stop roaming and settle in villages, giving weight to fears that the 300-400 Penan thought to still be nomadic may all be heading this way, or even that their way of life is already extinct.

"Our problem is that there is just not enough to eat, there are no wild boar to catch any more," said Sagong, the headman of the group.

"The companies logged all the teak already, and now they are going to clear the land for palm oil plantations," said the young chief, who brought 15 of his people to a blockade against the timber and plantation companies.

"If that happens, we lose everything, we cannot survive this," he said.

"Yes it is sad to leave this life of roaming. But what can we do? We have to strive for the best for ourselves. It is our fate to face this challenge."

A lean and muscular man aged in his 30s, Sagong said their last hope was to join the anti-logging campaign which has escalated recently in Sarawak state, on Malaysia's half of Borneo, an island shared with Indonesia.

"I came here to man the blockade and safeguard the land," he said at one of the barriers built of logs and bamboo, among seven constructed in the region in recent months to force the timber trucks to a halt.

The Penan of Sarawak, who are estimated to number around 10,000, had mostly abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in villages by the 1970s under the influence of Christian missionaries.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: The last of their kind: the nomads of Borneo
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Dining Out in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah: Stone Bridge Galley

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