Flawed-Democratic Federation of Malaysia
Malaysian Borneo
Sarawak aka Land of the Hornbills
Baram
Marudi
Victoria Hotel +6085756067
Clean double room with air-con and river view for MYR 45.- or US$ 12.90 per night.Friendly staff; reasonable English.
Click below for an interactive road map of the Victoria Hotel in Marudi, which we would recommend, and for directions:Strolling through the town centre of quiet Marudi, provisioning for our upcoming trip to the remote Kelabit Highlands and meeting Hii Su Ming, the owner of the Lucky Restaurant, who taught us many subtle distinctions about the complexities of the Chinese names; many thanks, Ah Ming.
Flying with MASwings (“Connecting the World to Sabah and Sarawak”), Malaysia Air's Borneo branch, in a well-worn 18-seater turboprop De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter from Marudi Airport to Bario, the main settlement in the Kelabit Highlands, for all inclusive MYR 73.- or US$ 20.- per person, one way, including a rough pancake landing (Theo Cowan: "There is nothing safer than flying; it’s crashing that is dangerous...”), meeting again our friends Christina & Liau at Bario Airport's fairly agricultural arrival/departure lounge, later hitching a rough ride, free of charge, in a battered 4x4 Suzuki Samurai jeep on the 3-km long dirt track from the airport to the village of Pa’ Ukat and then walking together with our friend, host and guide Nabun on a water-buffalo sledge track through 8 km of dense jungle and heath forest aka kerangas with orchids, rhododendrons and carnivorous pitcher plants (they eat insects trapped in chambers full of enzyme-rich fluid) from Pa’ Ukat to the remote village of Pa’ Lungan which has no road link to the rest of the world.
Click below for more blog posts about carnivorous plants
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
Recommended books - click below for your Amazon order from the United States:
