Tiger Tales

6 Slices of Sarawak

STU LLOYD heads into the heart of Malasyan Borneo starting from Kuching to discover one of nature's last great tropical playgrounds

1 EGG ON A BABY TURTLE

For an island that accepts just six visitors at a time, Talang Talang Besar has plenty of rules: “No collecting of shells, no swimming after 5:30pm, and no noise,” barks Ambrose Saran Nalo. With a glint in his eye, he adds: “But singing is OK.” Jokes aside, Ambrose takes his job of turtle conservation at Talang-Satang National Park very seriously. In the 1950s, more than three million turtle eggs were laid each year on the island, but that number is down to less than half a million now. And out of 1,000 eggs laid, only one turtle will reach maturity.

The island is especially magical at night, when the turtles – many over a metre in length – exit the water and drag themselves up the beach. With a flurry of flippers, a massive crater is soon dug, and up to 100 eggs at a time are deposited in the hole and covered. Volunteers like myself then dig up the soft eggs during the two-hour window when the embryo won’t be harmed. These are then reburied in holes inside a fenced-off sanctuary where they’ll hatch after a week.

The next morning, we release hundreds of matchbox-sized hatchlings at various locations around the island to avoid attracting predators. And off they paddle on a journey that will take some of them as many as 3,500km through the South China Sea. Nevertheless, they’ll find Talang Talang when it comes time to nest. This tiny piece of paradise is imprinted on their brains with inexplicable GPS precision.

2 STAY AT A LONGHOUSE

Few things say Borneo like a stilted wooden longhouse – lines of homes joined together and featuring communal verandas and balconies. Some stretch on for what seems like kilometres, housing as many as 400 people, with each new resident being added by marriage. Many longhouses are visible along the rivers of Sarawak, while others are found at more inaccessible locations inland.

At Gawai Festival time each year, everyone returns home. “It’s the best part of being Sarawakian,” says driver Salihin, referring to the fact that Sarawak is home to 24 ethnic groups all of which have dedicated public holidays. Each May, the anticipation builds for this all-night party where potent tuak (rice wine) is consumed like water, several toasts to the harvest are made and a chicken is symbolically slaughtered. Then it’s time to dance like there’s no tomorrow.

Unfortunately there is a tomorrow and perhaps with bloodshot eyes, visitors witness the Palan Gawai blessing of the rice fields, where women in retina-searing batik costumes shake rice, chant and down yet another shot of rice wine while blessing the harvest with yelps of “Ooooooh-tuck!”

Tourists are welcome at many celebrations and are advised to engage a guide who can arrange access and facilitate introductions or homestays in a kampong (village) like Mongkos.

3 MEET LADIES OF THE FOREST

Among other creatures, Semmenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre is home to orangutans, whose DNA show that they’re humanity’s close relative. “Watch out for Dulima, she has a history of attacking people,” warns tour guide Khalik. Indeed, females have the strength of five or six men while 110kg Richie, the lone male, could handle at least 10.

We quickly disperse when Richie decides to investigate the path we’re on. This 6.5sqkm park is his domain, a safety zone for orangutans since 1975. He howls his mating call, waiting for females to respond. “Mating season is shoot and go,” laughs Khalik. “After two months the male is free to go with no responsibility.”

There are about 24 orangutans in this centre, many living up to their reputation by sitting around eating bananas and swinging on ropes – delighting onlookers.

4 SPOT CROCS & DOLPHINS

The Permai Resort at Santubong only uses boats with four-stroke motors. “They leave no oil trail, they’re quieter and are less polluting,” explains the hotel’s general manager, Rahim Bugo.

We’re off to spot crocodiles in the mangroves of the Salak River, off the South China Sea. In the late afternoon sun, the yellows, pinks, blues and greens of the painted houses in Salak village provide a stunning backdrop.

Soon we spot a proboscis monkey at the top of some trees. Then two. Then dozens. An uneasy feeling comes over me as the tide goes out and darkness descends, leaving exposed muddy banks perfect for crocs. Crickets and mosquitoes provide the soundtrack for this brooding horror-flick scenario.

Khalik sweeps his powerful lamp from bank to bank, looking for telltale red-eye reflections. There! It turns out to be a 30cm baby. “You think if you see a baby, the mother must be around? No, when one hatches the mother takes it to the water and let’s it go free.” A splash nearby just about gives me a heart attack but the red eyes along the bank disappear with a stealthy slide into the water.

The next morning, we head to the same area in hopes of spotting endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. Soon enough the call goes out – three dolphins are spotted languidly making their way south. A flotilla of speedboats suddenly appears. Cue cameras. “If you look for a fisherman throwing bits back into the water, you can see them jumping,” advises Rahim.

5 GO WILD WITH BAKO’S BIG FIVE (OR MORE)

We speed over emerald green water towards Bako, population 5,000. “The government won’t build a road here because once they do, it’ll be spoiled,” explains Khalik. At 52 years old, Bako is one of Malaysia’s oldest national parks and covers 27 sqkm. “It is one of the best for variety of wildlife and vegetation.”

We are excited to see Bako’s “big five”. Khalik rattles them off: proboscis, silver leaf, macaque, wild boar, wrangler pit viper, flying lemur, monitor lizard and orange flying lemur. Hold on – that’s more than five! “There are also 105 species of birds in Bako,” he says before leading us on one of 18 graded walks through the park, some designed to suit the half-hour ambler, others the eight-hour over-achiever.

The Paku Route is thankfully one of the shorter ones. “The jungle is our supermarket but you don’t pay for anything,” says Khalik, likening mangrove leaves to “Viagra for proboscis monkeys”. Unfortunately, they do nothing but dry out my mouth and leave a guava-like after-taste. Tongkat Ali is another supposed stimulant. A tall tree with gnarled roots is the Aetoxylon, the source of a perfume which fetches about US$120,000 (S$168,000/AU$135,000) per litre in the Middle East.

As we squeeze through rocks to reach a secluded beach, there are signs that the proboscis is nearby. But today, nary a sighting of the park’s 200 or 300 big-nosed signature creatures. I remind myself it’s not a zoo – this is nature.

6 TAKE A RAJANG RIVER JOURNEY

Kapit’s place in Sarawakian history was cemented when Fort Sylvia was built in 1880 to stop the pirate-like Iban from roaming upriver and plundering the other settlements. Now the bustling little timber trading town – reachable only by boat after a three-hour trip from Ringgit to Sibu – is a staging point for trips further up Malaysia’s longest river.

There is a more stately way to explore the river, on the RV Pandaw Orient cruiser, but for adrenalin junkies, nothing beats riding atop an express boat – long vessels resembling something from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea driven by 1,100hp engines that thunder along at up to 27 knots.

The highlight is the Pelagus Rapids, 272km inland, where the river ploughs over volcanic rocks. “We don’t believe in compasses or depth sounders,” explains Andreas from upriver Belaga. “Just watch the rocks and the water current. It changes every day.”

He regales us with stories of how these rapids claim lives each year. But we’re in good hands with driver/ pilot Saging, who’s been up this river every day since 1986. That makes about 7,200 journeys. He executes a breathtaking three-point turn in the face of the tireless torrent and gets us home high and dry.

WHERE TO STAY

Permai Rainforest Resort (Pantai Damai, Santubong, tel: +60 (0)82 846 487, www.permairainforest.com) is an eco-oriented resort with treehouse suites available.
Borneo Highlands Resort (Jln Borneo Heights, Padawan, tel: +60 198 280 790, www.borneohighlands.com.my) is an upmarket property with a golf course.
Mongkos Homestay (tel: +60 19 88 81 838, www.right.sarawak.gov. my/Homestay/Kampung_Mongkos) organises Gawai Festival visits.
Greenland Inn (463-464 Jln Teo Chow Beng, Kapit, tel: +60 (0)84 796 388) is a backpackers’ lodge.

GUIDE TO SARAWAK TRIPS

To participate in the Sea Turtle Adoption Program, contact Masama JS Adventure Tours (tel: +60 82 348 991, www.masamaborneo.com).

Day trips to Bako, including boat and guide, start from RM190 (S$70/AU$62) per person. Two-day, one-night trips start from RM395 (S$161/AU$129). A three-hour tour of Semmenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (www.forestry.gov.my), including park fees and guide, is RM60 (S$25/AU$20) through Masama.

RV Pandaw Orient cruise (www.pandaw.com) offers nine-day, eight-night cruises up the Rajang River, with twin single cabins from US$3,255 (S$4,562/AU$3,669).

Boat trips with Mangrove Sunset Cruises at Santubong cost RM240 (S$98/AU$79) per person, including transfer from Kuching through Masama JS Adventure Tours.

Dolphins and Mangroves day trips at Damai start from RM310 (S$126/ AU$102) per person, including van and boat, equipment and guide through Masama JS Adventure Tours

For information on express boats to and from Kapit, visit www.kapit.net.my/transportation.