COUNTRY: Borneo
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Environmental Conservation
WRITTEN BY: Richie Allchurch
We headed off next morning, saying farewell to our nice host family of Paul and his wife and two of their children. We headed off on another boat ride adventure and it was just as nice as all the rest, winding along with the river through the thick of the jungle. On the way to Long Laman on the utes we got some good views of Maunten Murut and Batu Siman, three big limestone humps sticking out of the jungle, in a pre-historic like manner, gleaming in their magnificence, waiting for us. Long Laman was a pretty looking village with a big field in the middle and the villagers welcomed us kindly into the community hall where we had afternoon tea of rice and meat and greens. We chilled there for a while until informed our boats were ready. We set off once more to Long Ajeng by boat although we had to get out and walk the rest of the way as the river was too low to go any further.
We ventured off the river for a shortcut and came across a friendly old Penan man who gave us rambutans and said ‘good day’ basically. It was a simple gesture but it was lovely to think that you are surrounded by hospitable people that are willing to help you out whenever. We were very fortunate to be spending time with the Penan, learning from them and thus viewing the jungle from an enlightened viewpoint. We eventually made it to Long Ajeng, not the prettiest of the Penan villages with houses close together, few trees and plenty of noisy dogs and roosters. The house that we stayed in was very old but we didn’t care too much; we were well fed by ‘old mate’ as Gus would say that spoke no English but smiled and nodded and helped us where possible in setting up our mosquito nets. I felt pretty drained that night, just the amount of travelling and the enormity of what we were going through was starting to get to me. We had a bit of a debrief about the trek we were starting the next morning to Batu Siman which looked incredible from the road and was Hollie’s favourite place in Borneo so, despite my exhaustion, I was looking forward to it immensely.
The next morning signalled the beginning of the incredible trek to Batu Siman! The first part of the trek was perhaps the hardest, about 30 -45 minutes up this steep, muddy slope that really got the heart pounding, forcing us to stop every 5 minutes. Some of us found this a bit much but good old Hollie was on hand to push us further into the jungle. We were able to view Batu Siman from a gap through the trees which looked more breathtaking than ever and made me feel pretty blessed to be going to a special, wild place such as this. We made it to the base of one of the formations and took shelter under the amazing limestone stalactites’ that hung down from the ceiling. We saw some hornbills fly over majestically with graceful wing beats reminding me that we really were out in the wilderness. The Penan kindly set up our camp in the rain next to a pretty river where we bathed in the shallows in almost pitch black before going to bed. Listening to the sounds of the jungle was incredible with the combination of rain, bird and insect calls, rain drops and our chatter creating a peaceful combination to lie back in our hammocks and drift asleep to.
Walking through the jungle in the morning to Batu Siman, was a stunning experience, with the air very fresh and the moisture from the condensation making the tall, green trees look healthy and grand. We heard some interesting calls from the jungle creatures including a red hornbill, a peacock, a gibbon and a rhinoceros hornbill which made a cool ‘brrrrrrrr’ sound. We reached the base of the centre of Batu Siman, and climbed up a tricky bit to where we would have lunch in a big cavern underneath the rock that stretched to the other side of it. The view of the jungle from the other side of the cavern was simply magnificent; the land was virtually entirely intact with undulating hills and valleys of jungle and mountain ranges in the background. The trees were abundant and very diverse in their sizes, shapes and colours, visible as far as the eye could see. The calm serenity of the place was astonishing with Indonesia apparently visible in the distance. I made out some hornbills and an eagle fly over which really depicted the true remoteness of the area we were in. We ventured round and into another smaller cave that was dark and the floor covered with bat poo – guano that we smeared on the cave wall, writing our names and the date that we were there.
I saw some more hornbills land in some trees when we descended down from the rock and one soar over which literally sounded like a glider plane whizzing by; amazing! We walked between the gap between two of the formations and that little patch of trekking was pretty magical with some amazing, wide girthed and buttressed trees and helicopter and Aywah-like seeds falling from the trees making us feel like we had found Avatar on planet Earth. We trekked onwards for a long time, getting down to the river and seeing the skin of a black and gold striped snake that we would be eating later that night. We got back to camp in the fading light, utterly exhausted but pleased with ourselves and the unreal day we had just had. I slept the final night in the jungle hut the Penan had crafted which was not very comfortable but quite an exhilarating experience opening your eyes to the beautiful jungle.
It was to be our last day out in the jungle the following morning which was sad but also satisfying knowing that we had been out into the wild, able to live in the jungle, in a unique area that only a dozen white people had previously visited. It was Caitlin’s 20th birthday this day so we all decided to do something special and that was collecting the helicopter seeds that were littered over the jungle floor and then throwing them up in the air when she walked by, looking like confetti. She was pretty chuffed with this, albeit a little emotional but I knew she was happy. We left base and trekked uphill for a bit, with the sun gleaming through the glistening jungle illuminating the rising mist and the moisture droplets on the trees that really was a sight to behold. It was nice to be back in civilisation and enjoy the creature comforts that came with it; a flat floor, a proper roof and easier access to the toilet but I knew I would miss the jungle and that humbling joy of being out there in nature’s wonderland which I knew some of the Penan, particularly the older ones, would love to be amongst too.
Saying goodbye to the jungle and the villages
Getting up the next morning in Long Laman was the last night time we would be waking up in the jungle. This was pretty sad to me as I had grown attached to it, almost a part of the enchanting landscape and beautiful people that resided there but the day had to come. Coupled with feeling exhausted and aware of all the pent-up emotions I had harboured over the previous 3-4 weeks, I couldn’t help but let out a bit of emotion, under the cover of my sleeping bag. It was the first time I had cried out there in the jungle but I thought it was an expression of how much I loved the place and how I appreciated everything I experienced out there. I looked out at Batu Siman one final time at the bus-stop, mystical and majestic partially shrouded in cloud and I thought what a spectacular place that was and in awe that we had actually been there. I was emotional again at the airport, the most I’d been for quite some time but when we took off and flew over inland Sarawak I knew it was not going to be the last time I would visit this beautiful area, but the first of many. I thought of what I could do personally to reverse the tide of palm-oil and logging in Sarawak and replace it with reforestation, sustainable initiatives and local development projects.
Final words of encouragement
For anyone that wishes to go to Borneo; do! It is an amazingly unique and different place with beautiful sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches and people that is a very simple yet rewarding way of life. The local issues will captivate you especially when you lay eyes upon the majesty of the jungle and the kind, caring people of the Penan. It is a wonderfully diverse environment and culture that is waiting for you to come and fall in love with it.
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