Right in the moment when Christian and me stepped into the plane in Frankfurt we felt like we already had left Europe and entered a whole new world with a new culture. We directly noticed the music, the flight staff and the guests who all sounded and appeared in a different way. The great thing about having a lot of travelling experience is the way you can quickly accommodate yourself to somehow familiar situations. In this way I followed a kind of routine to make myself more comfortable in the plane: First I turned off the tornado coming out of the air ventilation system above my head, took my shoes off, spread out the blanket and switched through the video-on-demand system in the little screen in front of me. A few movies, Malaysian flight food, power naps and some reading later our plane landed in Kuala Lumpur (or KL, like the cool kids say). We had about an hour to get our connecting flight, so we directly went to the customs, got our bags and checked in again for the flight to Kuching. The staff at the counter were a bit surprised that we still wanted to check in but were super helpful to get us to the gate as quickly as possible – about 10 minutes later we were lifting off.
On the airport in Kuching we directly met Linda, a very friendly person working for the UCSI university - our university for the semester abroad starting in January. From that moment we entered a very smooth process and quickly got Malaysian SIM-cards, saw the university, visited our workplace from our first internship (Masama JS Adventure Tours) und also met Julia (one of the two interns who will be replaced by us). We continued our drive to our apartment and got a tour of our new place which pretty much blew my mind! It’s a two-storey apartment, provided directly for the interns and barely 5 minutes walking distance to the city centre. What’s more is that the living room itself is basically bigger than my flat in Denmark.
We didn’t waste much time sitting around (because we would have probably lost the fight against the jet lag), so we just dropped off our bags and went to the city. Julia showed us around and we made a break in her favourite kedai kopi (Coffee Shop). Christian and me weren’t really sure how to behave in such a kedai kopi, so we just followed Julia’s lead and ordered a Teh O Peng – a cold Earl Grey Tea with Sugar, Milk and Ice Cubes. Considering the humid and hot weather conditions, this drink was definitely the right choice in order to get some re-hydration.
Later on the same day (I still managed to not fall asleep so I would adapt faster to the time difference) we went out with Julia and Leonie (the other intern) to get some food and drinks. At some point when we were sitting in the bar and surrounded by around 7 new people Christian and me suddenly felt like we’ve been already here for a solid 3 weeks. We could really feel the open attitude of the Malaysians and the friendly and personal way you normally just have a in a conversation with friend you have known for some time.
At this very moment it’s really been about 3 weeks since we arrived in Borneo and a lot has happened since. On the first weekend, Christian and me went kayaking with the girls on the Sarawak River and were amazed by the massive trees leaning over the water. I actually think we were more looking around and watching the scenery than moving forward with the boat.
The internship at Masama directly started on the first day and we already got a good insight into the office life (e.g. Booking system) as well as the products being sold. To elaborate on this, Christian and me were split up and distributed on the various tours offered by the company.
Last week I went on a tour to the longhouse Ngemah of the Iban tribe. For anyone who is interested into the culture of Malaysia and wants to get a better understanding of how the tribes have been living for over a hundred years, I can definitely recommend a trip to the longhouse. We reached the Iban longhouse by a longboat where I could directly notice the major skills of the Ibans to operate long boats. From time to time, however, we had to step out of the long boat because the current was pretty strong and some parts of the river quite shallow.
At the longhouse we first had to take our shoes off before we got welcomed by a glass of Tuak (Rice Wine). After that we had to present ourselves to the chief who welcomed us to his house. Before we had dinner (very delicious, everything spiced with chilli and eaten on the floor) I walked around and greeted every Iban. Most of them didn’t speak any English, so I used body language which surprisingly works pretty well for most of the conversations. Some kids were very fascinated by my big white hand and I almost had a hard time to continue my stroll in the longhouse as I was occupied for some time giving little High-Fives to all the happy kids. An encounter with the chief followed where he said jokingly (I think) that he would like to wrestle me. I declined politely which he agreed upon before he started to laugh.
What’s to say about Ngemah is that it was not build for tourism purposes unlike other longhouses. It still serves as a place to live for the Ibans who sometimes return from the city in the holiday season or for the weekend in order to meet the family again and follow old traditions. As guests we were lucky to see one of these traditions and got a dance performance in the night. It ended up in a big circle and we all got invited to dance with the Ibans in the circle. I wasn’t really sure how to move but noticed at one point I must’ve alternated the traditional moves slightly as I looked around and a happy Iban behind me was imitating my dancing style. He started to laugh, I started to laugh and we kept on dancing in the circle. After a little more dancing, Tuak and Langkau (Rice Schnapps) I retreated to my bed which was a mattress covered with a mosquito net.
The next day we stopped with our longboat on a riverbank and made a traditional meal consisting of rice and chicken cooked in bamboo above the open fire. For this the ingredients are packed into banana leafs (or similar trees) and stuffed into the bamboo. In this way the food is heated above the fire for a good hour which cooks the rice and the chicken in a slow and super delicious way.
Besides visiting Ngemah I got one more favourite place so far being the Bako National Park. I was lucky to follow 3 Day-Trips to this park which might not be the biggest of Sarawak but definitely one of the most diverse: in seven vegetation zones you can walk on 17 different trails and see 37 species of mammals, 24 of reptiles and 184 of birds. One of the famous animals of Bako is the proboscis monkey with the quite… expressive nose. If you’re a patient and calm person, you can get a good look at these primates.
The second time I was in Bako we were a group of about 9 people when one of the two guides said he had heard some Proboscis monkeys in the forest. If we would act very patiently the monkey will come down to the beach in the mangrove forest. There was low tide and the afternoon sun was burning down on us when suddenly one, two and then about 10 Proboscis monkey came out of the forest for a stroll on the beach. Between the older ones there were little monkey kids playfully climbing up trees only to jump down again and run after the older ones who were heading towards the sea. There are really amazing moments like this one which directly make me realize I arrived on another part of the world. I’m looking forward to the next moment.
Keep on rockin,
FS
Sometime ago I was doing the usual tour and explaining some exotic fruits for my small tour group. When I reached the area with the fishes, I suddenly realized that I was walking alone. I went back to my group to see why they were not following and was surprised to then see the contents of a few plastic bags on one table. The reason for the trader to cover up the Python meat when seeing me or a tourist making pictures is quite simple: There’s a hefty fine and jail time to hunt, kill and sell protected species in Sarawak. Although I have to admit that I was quite curious about the taste of Python, I’m also quite okay with knowing that it’s supposed to taste a bit like chicken.
From time to time, the routine kicks in (mostly for Breakfast and Lunch time) and we walk to the next Kopitiam, the Dim Sum Café. As I mentioned before, sometimes you have to adapt to your environment – over here this is especially true when it comes to food. Unless you are in a major Hotel it’s quite unlikely to find a traditional European breakfast. So for breakfast I’m usually having Kolo Mee: Noodles mixed with vegetables and chilli and served with slices of Pork. At first I was a bit sceptical about it, but now I’m almost feeling that I lack something when I didn’t get my rice, noodles and chilli of the day. Maybe getting used to the food is like eating with chopsticks – you just have to try out new things and adapt a little. Maybe you will even gain some new insight, for example that Noodles can be actually quite yummy for breakfast!
