Flawed-Democratic Federation of Malaysia
Malaysian Borneo
Sarawak aka Land of the Hornbills
New Hong Kong Hotel +6084319168
Clean double room with air-con for MYR 40.- or US$ 11.30 per night.
Laundry: MYR 1.- per item.
Click below for an interactive road map of the New Hong Kong Hotel in Sibu and for directions:Meeting up with our friend Tan Tack Chiang, the long-time caretaker of the more than 100-year old Malaysian-Chinese Tua Pek Kong Temple, who explained his slightly data-mining interpretation of Taoism in lavish detail to us, and thereafter scaling together the adjacent seven-storey Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) pagoda to get an excellent view over Sibu and the muddy Batang Rejang as it makes its way seaward.
Leaving our backpacks at the New Hong Kong Hotel in Sibu, crossing the Batan Igan by means of a rugged local ferryboat (one-way ticket MYR 0.60 per person), taking a van (MYR 5.- per person) to the 18th-century CE Iban longhouse settlement of Bawang Assan, about 30 km downriver on the north bank of the Batang Rajang, meeting relaxed local Iban people in the longhouse Rumah Michael Ancho (a dwelling for dozens of families embodying a communal lifestyle of mutual reliance and responsibility), being shown around and sharing a few glasses of the legendary home-made tuak, a potent wine of fermented rice.
Taking the worn Khai Kiong express boat (one-way ticket for MYR 10.- or US$ 2.80 per person), whose powerful 1000-hp diesel engine broke down c. five minutes after the lift-off, literally jumping boat, in the middle of the river, from the Khai Kiong express boat to the Laris Mass express boat which came to our rescue and continuing uneventfully our 45-km upriver cruise on the mighty, almost one kilometre wide Batang Rajang to Kanowit.
Click below for more blog posts about Sibu
14 Aug - 16 Aug 2009 Sibu
27 Jul - 28 Jul 2009 Sibu
Click below for more blog posts about our longhouse visits in Borneo
13 Oct - 14 Oct 2009 Kudat
17 Aug - 18 Aug 2009 Nanga Mayeng
10 Aug - 14 Aug 2009 Kapit
08 Aug - 09 Aug 2009 Nanga Bangkit
03 Aug - 06 Aug 2009 Kanowit
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
14 Aug - 16 Aug 2009 Sibu
27 Jul - 28 Jul 2009 Sibu
Click below for more blog posts about our longhouse visits in Borneo
13 Oct - 14 Oct 2009 Kudat
17 Aug - 18 Aug 2009 Nanga Mayeng
10 Aug - 14 Aug 2009 Kapit
08 Aug - 09 Aug 2009 Nanga Bangkit
03 Aug - 06 Aug 2009 Kanowit
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
