Well, They Don’t Call It A SUN-forest, Do They?

Whenever I travel, I always keep a diary. I inevitably get behind. This has now happened with our blog as well... But I'm still trying to post every 3-4 days, it's just that there's so much! Plus, I'm kind of going in thematic order rather than strict order of time.

On Saturday, August 23rd, we headed down the Sarawak River from Kuching for Santubong, a rainforest-blanketed penninsula to the north. The name “rainforest” was certainly applicable based on the weather, which alternated between light drizzle and hard downpours.

Mount Santubong rising above the Sarawak River

We spent a couple of much-needed days resting at the Permai Rainforest Resort, an eco-resort tucked into the rainforest above Damai beach. It’s a beautiful place, and was a perfect break within our trip. It was rustic without being nasty (we’ve had plenty of nasty already; did I mention our disgusting place in Kuta?), and we had a lovely treehouse that was a great place to sleep in, hang out, and read and write.

Our tree-top castle

With our batteries recharged, we did venture into the rainforest for a strenuous and very drippy (from sweat -- even when it isn’t hot, it’s so humid you still wind up drenched) hike.

Don’t look down, just keep moving!

”Honey, we’re gonna need a bigger bottle of wine...

The Santubong penninsula is also home to the Sarawak Cultural Village, an outdoor folk museum where they have assembled traditional tribal longhouses from all over the area.

The Sarawak Cultural Village

We really love these kinds of places, and it was a very enjoyable afternoon (in the rain, again) checking out the various artistic styles of the Iban, Bidayuh, and other local tribes, who live in communal dwellings where each family has a room that opens onto one long central common area. Nowadays, they are mostly constructed with tin roofs and satellite dishes, of course, but the traditional wooden ones at the Village were fascinating.

Various longhouses

They also have costumed staff who describe their native crafts, as well as a dance show that mostly cool and only a bit cheesy.

Iban woman demonstrating cutting bamboo strips for weaving baskets

Iban dancer, with characteristic tattoos

Now in Kuching, they actually run tours to the real longhouses that the Dayak tribes still live in. You can go upriver and visit the longhouses, and even stay there overnight. We were going to do that, but we only had time for a daytrip, and the closest one where they all go sees a lot of visitors, so we ultimately decided against it. We got lazy and just settled for the "culture in a can" route at the Cultural Village.

As is so often the case after a rainy day, the sun broke through just in time for a beautiful sunset -- just before we left.