__Traditional Ngajat Dance to welcome guest__

Longhouses - Visit at Home with The People of Sarawak

One of the most memorable experiences Sarawak has to offer is a visit to a longhouse, where you can observe a unique way of life and enjoy legendary Dayak hospitality. These thriving communities, whole villages under one roof, are not relics from the days of tribal warfare - they are the preferred way of life for a large percentage of Sarawak's rural people, particularly the Iban, the Bidayuh and the Orang Ulu.

Nowadays most longhouse dwellers are hard working farmers, and wear practical modern clothing for work and leisure. However, if you visit as part of an organized tour group, they will take great pride in wearing their traditional costumes and regalia and performing elaborate dances and welcoming rituals for their visitors.

The long covered gallery that runs the length of an Iban longhouse is called the ruai, and this is where you will be greeted. A miring ceremony is frequently conducted to welcome visitors, where offerings of food and drink are presented to the local deities to ensure their good will. After the miring, guests will be invited to sample a glass of tuak, a potent local rice wine, and drink to everybody's good health.

Visitors are then entertained with traditional music, dances and games. After the locals have had their turn, the guests are expected to join in the fun. Anyone who refuses will soon find themselves dragged to their feet by the young ladies of the longhouse and forced to take part in the dancing.

After the entertainment is finished there are a number of options, depending on how adventurous you are. Some tour operators arrange for visitors to eat a traditional longhouse dinner with their host family and sleep on mattresses in the ruai, according to Iban tradition. Others may put their guests up in a simple guesthouse nearby, with more familiar cuisine prepared by the tour guide, who is always an accomplished cook. For lovers of luxury, a few 'longhouse resorts' are now operating, managed by professional hoteliers and serving international cuisine in resort style comfort.

Visitors who stay more than one night can get to see Iban culture at first hand, visiting the rice fields and pepper gardens, and learning how the Iban make use of the rainforest for all of their everyday needs. Some tours can last a week or more, with visits to a number of longhouses and a fair amount of jungle trekking. Second and subsequent evenings are more low-key, with visitors sitting in the ruai, drinking tuak or coffee and chatting with their hosts. The Iban are very sociable people, and many can speak English, so some fascinating conversations are guaranteed.

The journey to and from the longhouse is a very interesting and enjoyable experience. After a ride in an air-conditioned bus, a short trip in a traditional longboat introduces you to the pleasures of upriver travel. These narrow wooden craft are safe and very sturdy, and the Iban are expert boatman.

There are four main areas for visiting Iban longhouses - the Skrang River, the Lemanak River, Batang Ai, and the middle Rejang River. Most tour groups will generally visit the first three, which are half a day away from Kuching, whilst independent travellers usually opt for the Rejang area around the town of Kapit, a half day's travel from Sibu.

A few specialist operators also visit Orang Ulu longhouses deep in Sarawak's interior, where visitors are seldom seen, although these trips require quite a lot of time.

Waterfront Kuching Sarawak

More than any other feature, the Waterfront epitomizes how Kuching has modernized itself without losing any of its charm.

Kuching is a riverine city. Its location on the Sarawak River was chosen not only for its strategic and commercial importance, but also for its enchanting natural beauty. In days gone by the river was the city's main highway. The river still retains its importance and picturesque charm in the modern era. Present day life is still concentrated on the waterfront.

A meander on the Kuching waterfront is a walk through time; from Kuching's humble, ancient origins, to its status as a modern city. No visit to Kuching would be complete without a stroll on the modern esplanade, or to sit, relax and experience a Sarawakian sunset.

There have of course been many changes since James Brooke's time, but there are still many landmarks that are legacies from the White Raj. For the first time visitor, it would be easy to imagine the scene in 1839 when James Brooke first landed in Kuching, and started a new chapter in the annals of Sarawak's history.

The Waterfront has of course undergone several transformations since the 19th century - from a small settlement with a few atop buildings, to a busy port with warehouses and wharves, to the landscaped riverside walk it is today. The Waterfront is now also home to modern sculpture, an open-air theatre and a musical fountain. 

Several buildings, originally built in the 19th and early 20th centuries to cater to Kuching's earlier development as a port and administrative center, have been restored to their former glory and are worth visiting, starting with the Sarawak Steamship Building.

Traditional Iban Food

The Iban tribe are from Sarawak, Borneo. Their traditional foods are called Pansuh food, which simply means the cooking of food or dish in a bamboo stem. It’s naturally clean, easy and simple. The food (meat, chicken, fish, vegetables and even rice together with the spices) will all be put together into the bamboo stem, then directly placed over an open fire to be cooked. The uniqueness of using the bamboo stem to cook is that the bamboo will give a special aroma and texture to the food where it’s impossible to have using other methods such as using woks.

Since they settled in the Malaysian state of Sarawak over 400 years ago, the Iban have made the surrounding rainforest their supermarket and hardware store, tapping the tremendous variety of plants, animals and raw materials for their food, medicines, dwellings and rituals.

Forest ferns have a special place in the diet of the people, with the two most popular ferns used as vegetables being midin and the fiddlehead fern (pucuk paku). Midin grows wild in the secondary forests and is peculiar to the state. It has curly fronds and is very crunchy even after it has been cooked. Rural dwellers have always considered the fern a tasty, nutritious vegetable and the jungle fern’s rise from rural staple to urban gourmet green occurred in the 1980s with the increased urban migration of the Iban. Aromatic leaves from trees, such as the Bungkang, are also used in cooking to flavour food.

One of the best known Iban dishes is pansoh manok (ayam pansuh), which features chicken and lemongrass cooked in a bamboo log over an open fire. This natural way of cooking seals in the flavours and produces astonishingly tender chicken with a gravy perfumed with lemongrass and bamboo.

A visit to the longhouse will usually see guests welcomed with a glass of tuak, a home-brewed rice wine. The brew has a sweet fragrance and is highly alcoholic – a small glass is enough to send the unaccustomed to euphoric heights.

The numerous riverine areas of Sarawak provide the state’s inhabitants with abundant fresh water fish, with the Tilapia being the most widely cultivated. There are sago grubs, bamboo clams and temilok (marine worms) to try. The bright yellow, round eggplants and turmeric flowers are also found in Iban foods.

Mount Santubong

Mount Santubong is a mountain in the Malaysia state of Sarawak. It is located about 35 km north of the state capital Kuching.

On a clear day, it can be seen from Kuching. The mountain and its surrounding area is a popular tourist attraction.

According to the Encyclopaedia of Iban Studies the original inhabitants of Santubong were the Iban. Si-antu-ubong means 'spirit boat' in the Iban language. Antu is hantu in Malay which means spirit or ghost. Santubong are boat like coffins made from a single hollow log designed to represent the vesell in which a dead person will travel from this world to afterlife. Following another theory, the name Santubong is derived from "san choo bong" in the Hakka Chinese dialect, meaning "wild pig king" or "king of wild pig".

Excavations of the surrounding area uncovered Hindu and Buddhist relics from the 9th Century CE. Song and Tang dynasty ceramics are also found, indicating that the area around the mountain was a trading port from the 11th to 13th century.

A legend often associated with the mountain is of two beautiful princesses of heaven, Santubong and Sejinjang. Santubong was an expert weaver while Sejinjang was an excellent rice tresher. When war broke out between two villages,Kampung Pasai Puteh and Kampung Pasai Kuning, the King of Heaven sent the princesses to keep peace in both villages. The villagers saw both beautiful princesses and stopped the war. After the war, both princesses taught the villagers their expertise and both villages began to trade and became prosperous. Many princes heard of them and came from the whole island to marry them, but all was denied by them. One day, a handsome prince came, and the princesses had a quarrel and exchanged blows because both of them fell in love with the prince. Sejinjang swung her tresher which hit Santubong's cheek. Santubong threw her weaver at Sejinjang, hitting her in the head. Putting an end to the quarrel, the King of Heaven cursed both of them into mountains. Santubong turned into Mount Santubong while Sejinjang was turned into Mount Sejinjang. It is said that both mountains resembles women lying on their back and a crack on Mount Santubong was the scar on Princess Santubong's cheek.

Sarawak Cultural Village

Known as the 'Living Museum', the Cultural Village was set up to preserve and showcase Sarawak's cultural heritage. Located at Pantai Damai, Santubong, just 32km from the state capital, Kuching, it is the perfect place to get introduced to local culture and lifestyle. 

Sprawled across 17 acres, there are about 150 people living in the village, demonstrating traditional daily activities from Sarawak's diverse tribes like the processing of sago and the making of handicrafts. They wear traditional costumes and also put on dances for visitors. 

The village residents provide information on their various traditional cultures and lifestyles. You can see replicas of buildings that represent every major ethnic group in Sarawak; longhouses of the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu, a Melanau tall-house and a Chinese farm house among others. 

The village also has a theatre, where you can enjoy multicultural dance performances. Besides this, there is a restaurant and handicraft shop. You can even get married at the Sarawak Cultural Village, in traditional Iban, Malay, Bidayuh or Orang Ulu style. 

The Iban longhouse has separate rooms placed side by side, all of which open to a long communal hall, used for leisurely activities like wood carving and basket weaving. 

Guests are often invited to attend nightly ceremonies and drink a potent rice wine, tuak, which the Iban make themselves. Comfortable guesthouses are also available for visitors.

Malay Traditional Attire

Traditional Malay dressing is strongly dictated by the Islamic dress code, though over the years certain liberties have been taken. But with the revival of Islamic consciousness among the Malays, Malay dressing has returned to its original accent on modesty and conservatism.

Traditional Malay dressing is strongly dictated by the Islamic dress code,though over the years certain liberties have been taken. But with the revival of Islamic consciousness among the Malays, Malay dressing has returned to its original accent on modesty and conservatism.

That is not to say that Malay fashion is boring; far from it. Malay women are faithfully observing the Islamic dress code while putting a dash of colour and flair. As a result, fesyen Muslimat (fashion for the faithful women) has become mainstream haute coutre.

Baju Kurung: The Malay traditional costume for women is called the baju kurung. It comprises a loose tunic, the baju, worn over a long skirt or the sarung. It is still worn in its original loose form, especially when attending funerals where the white baju is normally worn as a sign of respect.

On other occasions, the baju is worn is all shades and colours. Baju kurung is often worn on Fridays by female office workers, as a sign of respect for the day, even among those who opt for modern dresses on other days.

Baju Melayu: The traditional garb for the men is the Baju Melayu. It is a loose shirt worn over a sarung or a pair of trousers. The more elaborate ones will also don a kain samping- a piece of brocade (songket) tied around the waist, and trousers to match the shirt.

To complete their ensemble, a headdress called asongkok is worn. This is normally made of velvet. Headdresses are encouraged during prayers, and the songkok has become an indispensible part of the Malay man's costume.

Traditional Costume Of The Iban (female)

The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Iban are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Iban were renowned for practising headhunting and tribal/territorial expansion and had a fearsome reputation as a strong and successful warring tribe in ancient times.

Since the arrival of Europeans and the subsequent colonisation of the area, headhunting gradually faded out of practice although many tribal customs, practices and language continue. The Iban population is concentrated in Sarawak,Brunei and in the West Kalimatan region of Indonesia. They live in longhouses called rumah panjang.

Nowadays, most of the Iban longhouse are equipped with modern facilities such as electricity and water supply and other facilities such as (tar sealed) roads, telephone lines and the internet. Younger Iban are mostly found in urban areas and visit their hometown during the holidays. The Iban today are becoming increasingly urbanised while retaining most of their traditional heritage and culture.

We are going to show Iban traditional clothes. We called it "ngepan Iban"

This is the complete set of it. Usually the girl wearing ngepan is ready to ngajat, for her wedding or the gawai celebration itself.

"marik empang" made up of beads and threads.

We called the set of bracelets and silver belts "tumpa"

The tumpa is originally made from silver, nowadays it is really hard to find the original one. 

 

 

 

"sugu tinggi" 

    also made up of silver, nowadays the sugu tinggi that were sold on the streets most of it made up of steel or other fake materials.

bracelets a.k.a "Tumpa"

tumpa is pronounces as tumpo

''selampai''

silver belts with coins on their waist it is called tating kain

during gawai we're having beauty contest also. The girl that won the contest crowned as kumang gawai.

the skirt that they are wearing is called kain kebat.

Kuih Bahulu

Kuih Bahulu is a traditional Malay food is usually very popular especially on the feast day celebrations and. Even so, when these cookies kuih bahulu available in supermarkets at any time for a favorable response from the public.

Generally kuih bahulu consists of 3 types of kuih bahulu which bears small, and kuih bahulu sheeting,kuih bahulu ply rolls. Kuih bahulu sheeting and rolls quite scarce in supermarkets should be reserved for the traditional cake maker.

How to make three types of cookies kuih bahulu is quite easy and simple recipes that require eggs, flour, sugar, a bit of cooking oil / ghee and add TasteSpotting ply and roll jam or rich.

A perfect kuih bahulu is bake using the old-fashioned charcoal mould.but nowadays we choose to use this aluminium mould and bake in the oven.

The mould must be hot and greased so cake will not stick to the mould when removing them.

It is easy to use bamboo skewer to prick cake and lift out from the mould.

Gua Niah(Miri Sarawak)

Although it is one of Sarawak’s smallest national parks, it is certainly one of the most important and unusual attractions to visitors. What is most interesting about Niah is that one of the main claims to fame is the birthplace of civilization in the region.  The oldest modern human remains in Southeast Asia along with many other relics of prehistoric man were discovered about 40,000 years ago, making the park one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.

The park has a size of 3,140 hectares of forest and limestone karst areas.  It was first gazetted as a National Historic Monument in 1958 and on 23 November 1974 was gazetted as National Park and open to public on 1 January 1975.

In 1958, a discovery was made which confirmed Niah as a site of major archaeological significance.  Led by Tom Harrison, he and his team unearthed a skull at the West Mouth of the Great Cave, which was estimated to be 40,000 years old.  It was the skull of a modern human (Homo sapiens).  Apart from that, plenty of human settlements in the area like tools, cooking utensils and ornaments, made of bone, stone or clay were found.  These items found suggested that a long period of settlement reaching back into the palaeolithic era (the earliest part of the Stone Age).

Besides that, the Sungei Subis (Subis river) flows along the park's western border. Not forgetting a large, almost vertical limestone massif, Gunung Subis (Mount Subis), which rises from the plain little above sea level and covers about 60% of the area?  The limestone was originally formed as a coral reef in the Lower Miocene.  Later it was uplifted and modified by faulting and erosion. 

 The accessible way to the Caves is via a raised plank walk that winds through lowland forest vibrant with birds and butterflies.  Today the Cave is home only to bats, swiftlets and other specially adapted forms of life. However, a few locals still venture into the dark interior to collect guano (bird and bat droppings used as fertilizer) and bird's nest.

Apart from the Caves, visitors can explore several kilometers of forest trails to feel the richness of tropical rainforests, climb a 400m tall limestone ridge or visit an Iban longhouse located near the Park boundary. Visitors can also rent a boat or walk along the river from Park headquarters to Batu Niah town.

Fairy Cave

Fairy Caves in Kuching, Sarawak Borneo is located about 50 km from the capital and getting here is quite easy considering you take a proper tour guide with you. The caves are about 8km to the nearest town calledBau which used to be a gold mining town back in the day. The Fairy Cave is also known as Gua Kapor in Malayand is one of the very interesting caves to visit while here. My trip to the caves was very scenic where I passed various pepper plantations, local villages and lots of greenery. Make sure you stop at Bau Town to stock up on water and snacks as there is absolutely nothing there at the fairy caves. Also, make your toilet stop at town too as there are no toilets at the caves.

The caves seems to have been given a revamp as there are walkways and concrete staircases made for tourists or local who go there. I asked my regular guide Selvem why the Sarawak Government has not paid any attention to these caves here and even he did not know how to answer me. It is a unique cave within Kuching but is not promoted. Seems like the government made the signboards but never really followed up.

An amazing world of greens with the sunlight hitting part of the caves. Sadly there is no info on the Sarawak Forestry website on these caves.