At the party I met Byron's mother, a very smart Malaysian lady and during our conversation about my travels she mentioned Bario. This is the most remote village in Sarawak and is well worth a visit, it is only accessible by plane though, some 50 minutes from Miri.
When I got back I 'googled' Bario and quite quickly decided that given how relatively close it was, I would like to visit. I discussed the possibility of taking Ross with me and it was agreed. We were to visit at the beginning of January.
Bario is the unofficial capital of the Kelabit Highlands. Bario (population 900) is isolated from the rest of the world and you can only reach it by plane. It takes one hour by air from Miri on a MAS Twin Otter 19-seater aircraft. Despite its geographical barrier, there are many infrastructures such as an airport, internet access and computer services, police station, two schools, churches, clinic, shops and various offices manned by skeletal staff. The children recently started playing computer games and doing their English lessons on PCs.
The Kelabit Highlands are on a picturesque flat plateau in the north-eastern corner of Sarawak.
It is 1,000m to 1,100m above sea level. All roads on the plateau lead to Bario.
The Kelabit Highlands is the homeland of the Kelabit. This is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Sarawak. Like other inland groups, the Orang Ulu all live in longhouses, although they may vary slightly in design from group to group.
"Orang Ulu" is a collective term meaning "people of the interior". It is used to describe a number of inland peoples including the Kelabit.
Approximately there are still 5000 people, but there are about 1800 people living in 355 families at the Highlands.
The others have moved elsewhere in Malaysia; younger people have left for large cities to further their studies, while others married outside their community and never returned. Many have landed well-paid jobs overseas and have settled there.
The Kelabit have their own language, although most of them have learned to speak English or Malay.
However, its remoteness has been no barrier to locals, some of whom have become academic high achievers. The Kelabit have one of the highest ratio of professionals. Among them are an Associate Professor, medical specialists, lawyers, engineers and corporate high flyers who have travelled widely.
The Kelabit live in the highlands at the head of the Baram River, until recently a very inaccessible area. The Kelabit are also notable for being very tall and large of build, and they built many megalithic (large stone) monuments.
Over a century ago, the Kelabits were involved in head hunting raids, not so much for ritual purposes but as a means to prove one’s courage, bravery, guts or valency, and to get even with their enemy. However, things have changed. Today among other things, the Kelabits are well-known for the friendliness and hospitality. The Bario Highlands were first visited by Australian Christian missionaries many decades ago.
The Kelabit embraced Christianity during the 1940s through the influence of Guru Paul, also known as Nimang Tepun.
There is very little to do there other than walk. I decided that it would be a good idea to take my 10 year old nephew, Ross out there for a weekend out in the wilds.
There is really only one option to get there, fly. So on Friday we arrived at Miri Airport for the 50 minute flight on the MAS rural air service. The airport at Bari is very small with a tiny runway. Consequently the only plane that can land there are the really small ones.
As we were checking in we handed over our luggage and had ourselves weighed. A really friendly Bario got chatting, asked if we had anywhere to stay (she had a home stay that took in guests) as I had booked our accommodation we did not need to take her up on the offer. Her next question was to ask if we would check in some of her luggage as the limit per person was 10k and we only had 8k between us. I agreed. It only dawned on me later that this was probably not the thing to do remembering the 'has anyone tampered with your luggage or given you anything to carry on the aircraft' question we are all so familiar with.
Drug runner or aiding and abetting terrorists...... I could see the headlines.....
The plane we were intending to travel on was the De havialland twin otter. By far the smallest aircraft I had ever travelled on. Ross was sat just behind the pilot and could have read the instrument panel.
I'm not the best flyer in the world and did get a little anxious when the pre flight check resulted in the engines being switched off and a whole army of technicians coming over to the plane. This actually happened twice before the pilot turned around and said that the plane was very old and they were having technical issues... I was obviously filled with confidence. We all (all 8 of us) got out of the aircraft and headed back to the terminal building. After a short wait of 30 minutes another 'twin otter' arrived, we paraded out, got in and we were off again.
It was a new plane (or newer) only 8 of us on it plus cargo which consisted of provisions from Miri. Including a few cases of coke.
It was a short, 50 minute flight to Bario. Sitting just behind the pilot and watching every manoeuvre was fascinating. The views were spectacular too. Crossing over the jungle hills gave some brilliant views, it was a bit hairy as we came into land and we got a pilots view of the runway on our steep decent.
Bario airport, as expected was tiny, there is quite a lot of construction going on close by as the village is in the middle of a big project to install concrete roads in the actual village and connect a number of the outlaying villages. This will probably mean that in years to come Bario will be less reliant on the numerous 4wd vehicles.
As we came into the 'terminal' building, I had to smile as we walked past the 'control tower' the signage was written on a piece of cardboard and pinned to the door.
Ross and I were staying at one of the few lodges in Bario that catered for visitors and hardy trekers. I asked at the counter how we would get to our guest housevand was told that 'Douglas' the owner was on his way. Sure enough, 15 minutes later a big 4WD pick up arrived and after introductions we clambered in. The De Plateau lodge was only 2km from the airport but such was the state of the unmade roads due to the recent rain, that it took about 20 minutes to pick our way through the ruts in the mud.
We arrived, had a drink and familiarised ourselves with our home for the next couple of nights. Quite spookily, the first thing I saw in the very spacious lounge area were two table cloths pinned on the wall depicting Derbyshire, both had the local sights such as the crooked spire in Chesterfield, Chatsworth House, Matlock, Bakewell etc.... It is uncanny that I have travelled halfway around the world to what is the most remote village in Borneo and see tea cloths from my home town. Not one, but two......
Ross and I decided that we would walk into town to check things out and try and get something to eat. We had brought along 4 pot noodles, just in case. Douglas was going into town so we got a lift, planning to do a bit of investigating then walk back.
In the centre of the village is a small area with a few shops and eating areas. I quite fancied trying out the famous 'Bario Rice' but unfortunately the place we stopped at was right out so we had to settle for something not dissimilar to 'Pot Noodles' it was quite tasty. Everyone we met in the village was friendly, saying hello, some stopping for a chat. One particular lady suggested we walk up the hill to the village art gallery. We followed her advice, it was not disappointing. Stephen Baya was a local artist and had taken full advantage of a government sponsored initiative to introduce ICT into this remote village. The initiative had brought broadband Internet connection to Bario and Stephen was using this to sell his artwork. He had sold throughout the world.
The art gallery was facinating, using acrylics on canvas, Stephen has quite a portfolio. Together with his Danish wife they also ran a guesthouse. Rather than the traditional guest book, Stephen had provided each of his guests with a 10 x 4 inch piece of wood on which they were invited to design a piece of art and add a few words reflecting on their stay in Bario. Very inventive and effective. I chatted for a while and told Stephen that I also sold art on the Internet. We swapped web sites. When I finally get home I may suggest we have reciprocal links from our respective sites as our work is very similar.
After our little expedition we headed back to our lodge. The De Plataue was about 2pm out of town along a dirt road, just as we arrived the heavens opened. Lucky!
The De Plataue lodge had a guest book, Ross and I spent a couple of hours reading through it. Without exception everyone commented on the excellent hospitality and food. I had asked one of the sons ofbthe owners if we would be able to have dinner, "yes" was the answer, "when?" I asked, "don't know was the reply. We were both getting a little hungry. At 7.00pm Douglas turned up and at 7.30 we sat down to some chicken in a sauce and rice with 'jungle roots' it was OK but just OK.
Quite exhausted we were both in bed by 8.00.
I had asked Douglas if it would be possible to hire a guide to take us out the following day. He kindly organised that and we were to be met at the lodge the following morning. I had no idea if breakfast would be provided. We got up at 7.30 and sat around for a while. There was no sign of life so Ross, feeling pangs of hunger tucked into one of the four pot noodles that we had brought with us in case of an emergency. As he was just finishing the last mouthful Douglas appeared with a plate of rice and eggs together with some rather unpleasant cake that tasted although it had been made with jungle mud.
Our guide arrived at 9.00 and I ran through what we wanted to do during the day. Lian organised a brilliant day, the roads were shit as it had rained most of the night. This might alter what we had planned to do due to the muddy roads.
As we left the lodge a van with 6 small dogs in the back passed us. Lian explained the dogs were used to hunt Wild Boar. Following the van was a 7th dog, it had obviously overlaid and missed the pick up. As the van sped into the distance the dog was chasing it, not making great progress but not giving up.....
As we reached town Lian explained there was a Sunday Market going on. This, despite the fact it was Saturday. There was a lot of peep around, quite a lot we had already met on our walk the previous day or at the airport. Everyone said help and we had a few photographs taken.
One of the traditions on Market day is the 'Poco Poco' dancing, various people had pledged money and the idea was that the village 'elder' offered money for people to stand in line outside the Market and take part in what can only be described as a Bario version of 'line dancing' quite few of the locals took advantage of the 5 ringet offer and very quickly there were around 30 locals dancing in the with big wide smiles.
Moving on through the village Lian gave us a running commentary on everything we say. It was great. He was clearly very knowledgeable and wanted to share that with us. His English was perfect and he did his utmost to ensure that we had a great time.
Bario is the most remote village in Sarawak. In the last couple of years a road has been cut through the jungle to Miri, it's an arduous 15 hours, I had noticed that most of the vehicles in Bario were new 4WD. This is down to the road. Prevously vehicles had to be flown in after being partly dismantled. Lian suggests the building of the road may spoil the village, my view is that in many respects it probably already has. Progress is not always a good thing!
As we were treking through the rapidly drying out roads we came across the oldest man in Bario .This 97 year old going was in search of his water buffalo which had escaped during the night. He was equipped with his rope lassoo. I'm really not sure what he was going to do with it when he found it. He could barely stand..
Our next stop was a Long house. The long house is typical of village accommodation. As the name suggests it is a terrace of houses an extended family. With a large corridor down one side, the living quarters in the middle and kitchen areas in the back. All covered with a single roof.
While I was researching the trip i read that there were a significant number of high achievers. In the in one we visited outside every single house there were photos of people at graduation ceremonies. Every house had a person who had gained a degree, masters or Phd. The minister for immigration, the guy who brought Malaysian airlines from the brink and a number of significant others has lived in Bario. Interestingly the Chief Gynochologist, from Bario was also the guy who led the singing at Emily's christening.
On the way back we visited the local school and then stopped at the market for a soft drink before heading back to the lodge. It was a brilliant day, made so by the expertise of Lian.
Once back we chilled, read our books and Ross munched his way through another Pot Noodle, I'm so glad we brought them.
Dinner that evening was a Bario speciality, braised wild boar. It was very tasty too. Once agin served with rice and jungle vegetables from the 'jungle supermarket'
It was another early night. Up at 8.00 in the morning to breakfast of chips, (of the jungle variety) eggs and beans.
Douglas and his wife gave us a lift to the airport. Lian was also there to see us off. We also saw Stephen the artist and his wife who were meeting other artists from Miri who were staying with them for a painting and trekking holiday.
Departing on time we arrived back in Miri. Finlay came running across the airport and flung his arms around me.
"uncle steve" he said, "you smell like an animal"
Forgot to say, there was no running water so not only had we not had a shower, we had not had a wash in three days.
All good clean fun..........
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