Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
15
East Malaysia: Borneo
Borneo f or the past 2 c enturies
has been the epitome of adv enture travel.
While bustling ports like Penang, Melaka,
and S ingapore attracted early trav elers
with dollars in their eyes, Borneo attracted
those with adventure in their hearts. Today
the island still draws visitors who seek new
and unusual experiences, and fe w leav e
disappointed. Riv ers meander thr ough
dense tr opical rainfor ests, beaches str etch
for miles, and caves snake out longer than
any in the world. All sor ts of cr eatures
you'd never imagine liv e in the rainfor est:
deer the size of house cats, owls only 15cm
(6 in.) tall, the odd proboscis monkey, and
the endanger ed orangutan, whose only
other natural home is S umatra. I t's also
home to the largest flo wer in the world,
the Rafflesia, spanning up to a meter (3.3
ft.) wide. Small wonder this place has spe-
cial inter est for scientists and r esearchers
the world around.
The people of Borneo can be cr edited
for most of the alluring tales of early trav-
els. The exotically adorned tribes of war-
ring headhunters and pirates of yesteryear,
some of whom still liv e lifestyles little
changed (though both headhunting and
piracy ar e no w illegal), today shar e their
mysterious cultures and colorful traditions
openly with outsiders.
Add to all of this the fabulous tale of the
White Raja of S arawak, S ir J ames B rooke,
whose family ruled the state for just over 100
years, and you have a land filled with allur e,
mystery, and romance unlike any other.
Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Indo-
nesia hav e divided the island of Borneo .
Indonesia claims Kalimantan to the south
and east, and the M alaysian states of
Sara-
wak
and
Sabah
lie to the north and north-
west. The small sultanate of B runei is
situated betw een the two M alaysian states
on the western coast.
1
SARAWAK
Tropical rainforest once accounted for more than 70% of Sarawak's total landmass, pro-
viding homes for not only exotic species of plants and animals, but for the myriad ethnic
groups who ar e indigenous to the ar ea. With more than 15 national par ks and wildlife
preserves, Malaysia shows its commitment to conserving the delicate balance of life here,
despite extensive logging that has clear ed many other natural ar eas. The national par ks
located around the state's capital Kuching provide quick access to forest life, while longer,
more detailed trips to nor thern S arawak lead y ou deeper into the jungle, to explor e
remote for ests and extensiv e ancient cav e networ ks. A number of riv ers connect the
inland areas to the main towns, and a boat trip from Kuching to visit tribal communities
and trek into the surrounding forests is the most memorable attraction going.
The indigenous peoples of S arawak make up mor e than half the state 's population.
Early European explorers and settlers referred to all native inhabitants of Borneo with the
catchall term Dyaks, which didn 't account for the v ariations between the more than 25
different ethnicities. O f these gr oups, the I ban are the largest, with mor e than 30% of
the population overall. A nomadic people by nature, the Ibans were once located all over
the r egion, existing on agricultur e, hunting, and fishing. They w ere also notoriously
