COVER STORY
RAJANG RIVER I am ready to embark on the next leg of my itinerary and, after a short flight from Kuching, I join the Orient Pandaw. Docked in the market town of Sibu, it is here I will meet my fellow guests. There is a large German-speaking Swiss contin- gent, all excellent hikers who have their own tour guide; a British couple from
TRIBAL PEOPLE
For the native people of Sarawak, there is a complicated system of tribal, state and federal law they abide by. Many tribal IBAN people still live in traditional family units such as longhouses, which offer
accommodation side by side under one long roof.
In the case of the MALANAU, they construct houses on stilts, while the PENAN tribe, considered to be the original people of the island, are still hunter-gatherers, living in moveable accommodation. Native families are given a coconut
tree, rubber tree, pepper vine and cocoa bean bush in order to produce cash crops and, hopefully, discourage hunting. Families also grow rice (not in paddies but on hillsides) which flourishes with a little help from slash and burn agriculture.
driver and tour guide, Selvam, arrives to take me to the Semenggok Sanctuary to see orangutans in the wild. Semenggok is located in primary forest, 40 minutes from the city, and there is a nominal entrance fee of 3 MYR (Malaysian Ringgit) or about 65p. The orangutans may have been born in captivity at this sanctuary but soon afterwards are released into the surround- ing jungle. It is their choice to come back to the feeding platforms for daily breakfast offerings, or not, often travelling many miles if they decide to do so. If you are lucky, these wonderful animals stick around so you can watch them eat, observe their unique behaviour and snap copious photos. I am thrilled to see several juveniles munching away on fruit and swinging from tree to tree. The next day I have a chance to visit the Matang Rehabilitation Centre, where injured animals are treated and released back into the wild. There are deer and hornbills, as well as orangutans, on view in spacious enclosures.
20 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011
Penang; several other Brits who are experienced cruisers; an Australian; an American father and son and two Japanese passengers.
Before we board, there is an opportunity to look around the big Central Market. With native stalls offering jungle fern, fresh chillies and bananas, a fish market where catfish squirm in large buckets and a vegetable market, the amount of goods on display is staggering. We are all shocked to see live chickens completely wrapped in newspaper, with their bound feet and heads visible. Only 10 ringgit makes for a tasty dinner. We are soon ready to cast off and sail into the jungle interior, stopping first at Durin Bridge to anchor for the night. If the water levels are high enough next morning, we will manoeuvre up a large tributary named Kanowit and visit a native farmhouse before returning back to the Rajang River.
But first, I settle into my comfortable, well-apportioned en suite cabin decorated with dark wood panelling. There are
Photo by Vicky Khoo
Photo by Vicky Khoo
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100