COVER STORY
Borneo to beWild
Lynn Houghton reports on an
adventure with a difference in the company of
Pandaw Cruises
the RV Orient Pandaw and am looking forward to my journey into pristine jungle along the Rajang River. The Rajang is the longest waterway in Borneo at 640 miles, with this being the third largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea. Sarawak, on the Malaysian north-west side of Borneo, is also famous for its orangutan sanctuaries. My first few days will be visiting these animal rehabilitation centres. Located only 5 degrees north of the equator, the leftover monsoon rains thankfully lower the temperature slightly. Daily temperatures are a sweltering 35°C, with humidity levels of about 90 per cent.
F
Capital city Kuching is within close range of the sanctuaries and is also a multi-cultural Mecca. Colourful Buddhist and Chinese temples reside across
lying over Borneo after departing Kuala Lumpur, I am struck by the vast, ubiquitous green of the landscape below me. I am arriv- ing ahead of an eight-day river cruise on board
from my accommodation and the Divisional Mosque, in front of the India Street market, is also nearby. The wet climate ‘stains’ this otherwise attractive city with black smudges and streaks running down nearly every cement building. Carefully lain criss-crossed brick sidewalks have been ripped up by rain; only the lush foliage planted along the roadways flourishes in this damp environment. Rivers and water are the life-blood of Borneo, and this city is no exception. If you turn your back on the markets, omnipresent Chinatown shop fronts and high-rise hotels, you become entranced with the Sarawak River. The river has jungle encroaching to the edge of its
banks. And along the bank are monuments, such as the Astana Palace, that pay homage to the Brookes family that ruled Borneo for more than a century. The Grand Margharita Hotel, my accommodation, is on this riverfront where I watch Sampans float by. Just a few steps away, there is a beautiful promenade where townsfolk walk in the early hours and commune with nature. The city awakens at 5.30am with the call to prayer and I stir as well. Soon after breakfast, my trusty
18 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011
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