Malaysia is said to be „Truly Asia“. I completely agree. Borneo is definitely one of the most beautiful and largest islands in Asia. You won’t find so many tourists here and if you want to experience even more of Asia, go there as soon as possible. What I was probably looking forward to most here was discovering the beauty and mysteries of the island empire of Borneo. It consists of the Malaysian and Indonesian parts. I was discovering the Malaysian part.
WHAT WILL YOU FIND IN BORNEO?
Borneo is a country with a perfectly developed system of parks, beautiful beaches, preserved indigenous culture, rich rainforests, beautiful beaches and great local cuisine. In Borneo, everything is bigger, more colorful, more fragrant, more dangerous and more surprising than anywhere else in the world. What will certainly surprise you is that, unlike other similarly beautiful landscapes, you will not meet crowds of tourists here. On the contrary, Borneo will captivate you with its almost contagious silence and tranquility. It is a true tropical paradise on one of the largest and most beautiful islands in the world with remnants of impenetrable jungle. It offers an amazing variety of various ethnic groups, religions, animal and geographical diversity. Terms such as Bornean orangutans, skull hunters and rafflesia are familiar to almost everyone. You will find representatives of unique flora and fauna here that do not occur anywhere else in the world. The entire island is surrounded by a beautiful, azure blue, clear sea with an underwater world full of incredibly vibrant colors.
CATS FROM KUCHING
Whoever expected me to tell you about local Asian women is mistaken. 🙂 My first stop is the city of cats, or Kuching. The cat is the symbol of this city. You will encounter cats everywhere here. Not the live ones, although you can sometimes catch a glimpse of them, but mainly the several-meter-tasteless monsters in the middle of all the roundabouts, and there are many in the city. Most often they smile pleasantly and usually greet horrified tourists with a raised left paw. The inhabitants of the city see it differently. They are delighted with their patron saints. They decorate them with brightly colored fabrics and bring them flowers.
The city is very peaceful and the Sarawak River divides it into two parts. The river is wide, but quite dirty. It is crossed by sightseeing boats, which are not particularly stable from a perspective. However, my adventurous nature does not allow me to do so and I go to try it out for myself. I choose an early evening sightseeing ride, when the sun is not shining so much. At first, a few people get on, and I am among them, but later the boat starts to fill up, until it is like being on a seesaw.
The boat interior is designed very economically. Just above our heads we have a low ceiling and about 6 to 7 cross planks. When I get on, I hit my head on one of them. The engine is located at the stern and the ferryman stands at the bow, where he corrects the direction with oars. To avoid having to always push people through to the engine, he controls it with a cord. We are such an unbalanced bunch on the boat. If anyone leans or moves, the boat starts to lean to one side. God forbid if someone wants to take a picture of something on the opposite side. Fortunately, we sail without an accident.
I was really looking forward to the city, the guidebooks describe it as a beautiful place. I wasn’t really that impressed. But it turned out to be a pretty good starting point for further trips.
HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE JUNGLE
You simply can’t go to Borneo and skip the jungle. It’s not as easy as it might seem at first glance. The jungle is not a spa promenade and breaking some basic rules is simply unforgivable. Never go there alone. It pays to have a partner or join a larger expedition. Clothing is also important. I was armed only with a raincoat. Remember to stock up on drinking water, because you simply won’t find any restaurants or mini water stands in the jungle. You’re in the bush.
And how to get there? Traveling by local public transport, which in a moment becomes a contractual transport. They are still a mystery to me. The price must be agreed in advance, because later you will not guess it. For the trip to the park I choose a taxi. I prefer comfort.
Taxis in Borneo are not cheap, but if there are more of you, this investment is worth it. The taxi driver is willing to return to the park at the agreed time, which I appreciate, because where can you get a taxi in the jungle, right? 🙂 Upon arrival at the park, I first have to register. I receive instructions on how to behave in the jungle and also a small map.
A walk through the jungle is amazing. No one should miss an encounter with the rainforest, to feel its power firsthand. It is unforgettable to stop for a moment and listen to the sounds of the silence of the wilderness. I enjoy the silence when suddenly it gets dark and raindrops fall on everything. And it keeps raining. I put on a raincoat. I am halfway through the expedition and I am deciding whether to continue to the waterfall or to turn back. My adventurous nature wins out and I continue to the destination. The downpour sometimes gains such intensity that the raincoat is not enough and unfortunately it does not seem to stop. It is wet everywhere and the slippery wooden walkway makes our journey unpleasant. I am also starting to feel very stuffy and streams of sweat are flowing from me.
Along the way I come across vines of all shades of green, mangrove swamps, colorful orchids, carnivorous plants and here and there I hear monkeys screaming from afar. Spider webs with spiders hang from the trees, the size of which can make some weaker natures faint.
You will also come across a special monkey here – the kahau proboscis monkey, which lives only here. Its head is very similar to a human, except for its huge and unmistakable nose. It is the lord of the local wilderness, even more endangered than the orangutans.
The beauty all around forces you to slow down and not rush anywhere. It is extremely exciting to let yourself be affected by the atmosphere of the wilderness, a perfect system in which everyone has a predetermined place. Not only animals, plants, but also people. After an hour of scrambling down the cliff and wading in the mud, we arrive with our expedition to our destination. The waterfall is beautiful and huge. It is just a pity that it is still raining so much. We are all completely sweaty and prefer to take the return course. Strangely enough, it goes to the top faster than I expected. The rain slowly stops, and at the place where I have to meet the taxi driver, there is no trace of the rain. I am all soaked and on top of that I am nervous whether the taxi driver is there. My heart is lifted when I see him. He is there. He looks at me strangely and says: “… did it rain?”
FOR THE LORDS OF THE FOREST TO
THE REHABILITATION CENTER FOR ORANGUTANS
The first thing that probably comes to mind when you think of Borneo are orangutans. Orangutans belong to the family of higher primates and as such are characterized by a number of almost human characteristics. Unlike us, however, they are on the list of endangered species. Females give birth to only one, exceptionally two, young, which they care for with touching care until they reach adulthood. I don’t miss a visit to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. It is a place where orangutans still kept in captivity learn how to live in the jungle. Orangutans can return here for days, weeks or months. And feed here every morning. Then disappear and may never be seen again. They gradually learn how to survive in their new environment. The whole place is surrounded by signs: “Please be quiet, do not scare the orangutans!”
We walk a few hundred meters into the jungle. Within a few minutes, however, I am barely breathing and wet as a mouse. I am standing in a crowd of tourists who have come to observe the “forest people“. Suddenly someone shouts: “Look!” At that moment, two orangutans begin to lower themselves from the branches. They slowly move from branch to branch, sometimes climb down the rope, bend down with their heads down to get bananas, quickly peel them and eat them. It seems that they are used to being fed. I learn from the guides that it depends only on them whether they decide to come during feeding time and take easily available food, or not show up for days and get their food in the jungle.
Their arrival triggers the clicking of triggers like a race. You wouldn’t believe how damn moving targets orangutans are! 🙂 Exhausted by the heat and waiting with shaking hands, I try to take at least one proper photo. It’s beautiful to observe semi-wild animals like this. Even the best-run zoo can’t compete with the view of the animals this offers – such a close and unrepeatable encounter. The center practically lives only from what it collects from the entrance fee from tourists. However, you won’t see such a large number of them anywhere else in Borneo. Although it’s still wilderness, this whole environment is very educational, pleasant and safe.
SARAWAK CULTURAL VILLAGE
I visit the Sarawak Cultural Village museum. It is essentially an open-air museum that collects examples of the cultures of all the peoples and tribes of Borneo. There are, for example, long houses of the Ibans – “Longhouses” and typical buildings of other tribes, examples of crafts and products of individual tribes.
Twice a day there are performances of traditional dances of individual ethnic groups. Of course, I don’t miss that. What I probably liked the most is the performance of the chief, who, using a two-meter blowgun, can hit his target with absolute precision from many meters away.
VILLAGE MONSEPIAD
My next stop for culture is the village of Monsepiad. The village is spread out on two banks. I want to see the other side and the only way to get there is to cross the suspension bridge. It took me a few moments of terror and dizziness to cross it. Not only does it sway and undulate, but above all, it is missing a few planks in places, which allows for a very encouraging view of the waters deep below my trembling feet. I am not a slob, so I grit my teeth and cross to the other side with clenched fists.
BAMBOO DANCE
Since this is a cultural village, the tour also includes a dance performance. I gather my courage and, with a bit of coercion, I participate in two dances. The most fun is when we dance the “bamboo dance”. Boys and girls hold bamboo poles on the ground, which they move closer and further away according to the rhythm. And we put our feet into the space between the bamboos while dancing. The rhythm gradually speeds up and the bamboos click. For a while I was afraid that they would snap my leg. So I cheated. 🙂
HOUSE OF SKULLS
The local skull house is also very interesting, where the skulls of Monsipiada’s enemies and objects that remind of local rituals are placed. Buying souvenirs is a must, so I have one skull with a bracelet at home too.
BRUNEI – JUST FOR A JUMP
Brunei is an oil-rich mini-state headed by a sultan who seems to have fallen out of an oriental fairy tale full of luxury. However, its museum reminds me a bit of footage from the movie “The Dictator”. Brunei has a slightly smaller population than Brno. I guess I was lucky and all my taxi drivers were women. I only plan to spend two days here. When I tell the taxi driver this, she just shakes her head and says: “Two days? Then you’ll be bored to death.” And she’s right.
Of all the countries I’ve ever visited, Brunei really struck me as the most boring and strange of all. On one side there’s an extremely wealthy sultan, on the other side there’s a lot of poor slums. The capital has wide boulevards without people and giant mosques. Brunei is under prohibition, so you can’t have any beer here.
KAMPONG AREA
THE LARGEST WATER VILLAGE IN THE WORLD
But what no tourist should miss when visiting is a visit to the largest water village in the world, Kampong Area. More than 30 thousand inhabitants live here in houses built on stilts above the water. There are many small motor boats on the river, carrying locals and tourists. The guidebook says that they will approach you even before you see them. And that happened.
Flying coffins, that’s what they call the motorboats, which ply the water like nimble taxis, because of their frantic speed and beautiful wooden paneling. Everything is here. A shop, a school, a mosque, a police station, a cultural center, and much more.
GIANT AMUSEMENT PARK FROM THE SULTAN
The Sultan, who simply owns the entire country, lets his subjects park for free. Perhaps this is a manifestation of his personal weakness for parking spaces. He himself has over 200 of the most luxurious cars at home. That must be quite a lot of parking. 🙂 However, the longest highway in Brunei is only about 20 km long. National parks would be more suitable for this tiny country than car parks. What also puzzles me is that despite the unmistakable number of slums in the country and the often striking poverty, the Sultan had a giant amusement park built for his people.
In terms of size, it could be compared to Disney Park. But no one goes there, so more than ninety percent of the attractions are still closed. I drove there for over an hour, but they were closed. So another hour back. The driver just laughs: “I told you, no one goes there.”
I really have mixed feelings about Brunei, but if you’re going the same way, I recommend not missing it. In short, you have to see it with your own eyes.
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