Sarawak

Sarawak is Malaysia's largest state. It lies in East Malaysia and shares the island of Borneo with the eastern state of Sabah, the separate country of Brunei and the Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan.

Cities

• Bintulu - dreary oil and gas industry base
• Kuching - Sarawak's capital, the City of Cats is located at the western tip of the state
• Miri - Sarawak's northern city, capital of the state's oil industry
• Sibu - gateway to the hinterland of the Rejang River, Sarawak's and Malaysia's longest river
• Sri Aman - little town along the Batang Lupar, popular among local and foreign tourists especially during the annual tidal bore phenomenon in April.

Other destinations

National Parks

• Bako National Park - home to the bizarre, obscene-nosed proboscis monkey
• Bukit Lambir National Park - approximately 30km from Miri city. Known for its beautiful water falls and tranquility.
• Loagan Bunut National Park - home to the friendly community of Orang Ulu people known as the Berawan whom are mostly fishermen in this part of Sarawak. The largest freshwater lake in East Malaysia.
• Gunung Gading National Park - where you can try to spot a Rafflesia, the world's largest flower
• Gunung Mulu National Park - with mighty Mount Mulu and the world's largest cave system
• Semengoh - home to a famous orang utan sanctuary and rehabilitation center

Beach Resorts

• Damai - Sarawak's premier beach resort on the Santubong Peninsula

Others

• Bario and the Kelabit Highlands - the vast highland plateau in the interior popular for trekking and serene Orang Ulu villages.
• Rejang River - the mighty Rejang River, Malaysia's longest river, is the main "highway" connecting little towns and longhouses in Sarawak's hinterland.

Culture and History

Sarawak is the largest and, certainly in terms of visitors per square kilometer, least touristed state of Malaysia. Nearly as large as peninsular Malaysia, the interior is covered in a thicket of impenetrable jungle and mountains and the great majority of the population lives near the coast or along rivers leading to the sea.

History

One of the stranger episodes in Malaysian history began in 1841 when James Brooke, an English adventurer armed only with a single ship and diplomatic skills, was made Rajah of Sarawak by the Sultan of Brunei. James and his nephew and successor Charles expanded their private colony to cover much of the state. The third Rajah, Vyner, continued to develop the colony but fled from the invading Japanese in 1941, ending the Brooke dynasty after precisely 100 years. After the end of the Japanese occupation, Vyner returned to Sarawak in April 1946, but ceded the colony to the British in July of the same year. Sarawak joined Malaysia on its formation in 1963.

Culture

Even by Malaysian standards Sarawak has an extraordinary mix of peoples: the largest ethnic group is neither Chinese (26%) nor Malay (23%), but the Iban (29%), who gained worldwide notoriety as the fiercest headhunters on Borneo. Back in the bad old days, an Iban lad couldn't hope for the hand of a fair maiden without the shrunken head of an enemy to call his own, and bunches of totemic skulls still decorate the eaves of many a jungle longhouse. Fortunately for visitors, headhunting hasn't been practiced for a while, although some of the skulls date from as late as World War II when, with British support, Iban mercenaries fought against the occupying Japanese. Other tribes of note include the Bidayuh (8%) and the Melanau (5%), as well as a smattering of Kenyah, Kayan and a group of tiny tribes in the deep heartland known collectively as the Orang Ulu (Malay for "upriver people").

Talk

As elsewhere in Malaysia, Malay is the official language, but English and various Chinese dialects are widely spoken. The Iban language is the largest linguistic group, with many local variations. The majority of Sarawakians are multi-lingual, a necessity in such a multicultural society, and Malay or English will stand you in good stead in most places. Knowing some phrases in Iban, Chinese or other local dialects however will greatly impress your hosts wherever you go.

Travel to Sarawak, visa requirements

Alone among Malaysia's states, Sarawak maintains separate immigration control, mostly so mainlanders cannot freely immigrate and swamp the thinly populated state. Even if coming in from elsewhere in Malaysia, Malaysians need to bring along their ID and other foreigners need to fill out a second immigration from. Still, for most travellers this is just a formality and an interesting extra stamp in their passport, as anybody who does not need a visa for Malaysia can get a free 90-day visit permit on arrival. If you do need an advance visa for Malaysia, you'll need one specifically for Sarawak, so be sure to state this when applying at the Malaysian embassy.

Flights to Sarawak, airtickets

Most visitors arrive in Sarawak by plane. The largest gateway is Kuching, about 1.5 hours away from both Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, which also has a few direct international flights to Hong Kong and Perth. Other airports with domestic connections to peninsular Malaysia on both Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia include Miri, Sibu and Bintulu.

By land

There are direct international buses from Pontianak, Indonesia to Kuching as well as from Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei to Miri.

Get around

Sarawak is big and, by otherwise high Malaysian standards, its roads are poor, making planes the most convenient way of getting around. For example, it's about 1 hour from Kuching to Miri by plane (full fare RM164), but a butt-numbing 14 hours by bus (RM70).

Flights to Sarawak, airtickets

There are frequent flights between Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, as well as turboprop jungle hoppers run by Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) (formerly MAS Rural Air Service) into remote longhouses and other settlements in the jungle.

Buses to Sarawak

Most cities in Sarawak are now linked by express buses although travelling times can be long because of the distance. Companies include Vital Focus Transportations Sdn. Bhd., which operates Suria Bas, PB and Borneo Highway express buses, and Biaramas.

By boat

Express boats run from the coast inland along Borneo's larger rivers. They are generally faster than buses and cheaper than planes, but more dangerous than both (especially in the dry season when the water is low) as captains are suicidal maniacs and the boats hit sunken or floating debris with depressing regularity. Popular routes include Kuching-Sibu (4 hours) and Sibu-Kapit (3 hours).

Local transport

Most cities have local buses and taxis serving not only the city centres and their surrounding suburbs but also adjacent rural districts.

Sarawak attractions and sightseeing

Sarawak's highlights include the caves of Gunung Mulu National Park, reckoned by some to be the largest in the world, and the orangutans of Semengoh.

City tours

Visit the Sarawak Cultural Village, some 45 minutes' drive from Kuching. Entrance fees are RM45 per person. It is a living museum of different tribes and architecture spread over a lovely green area at the foot of Mount Santubong. You will be able to see how Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, etc. tribes live, work and cook in the longhouses, each with its own identity. It is also best to visit this place during the annual Rainforest World Music Festival which happens each July. The festival is held on the grounds of the Sarawak Cultural Village, hence you don't need to pay the entrance fees (festival fees include entrance to the Village).

Rainforest World Music Festival has been around for the past few years and its popularity is growing from year to year. Accommodation around the festival grounds are snapped up as soon as bookings open so be quick. Good places to stay are Holiday Inn Damai Beach and Damai Lagoon, both a few minutes' walk away from the festival. The three-day world music festival brings together some of the best world musicians for workshops and nightly live concerts. Tickets for the three-day festival approx. RM120. This year the Rainforest World Music Festival is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Many of the acts performing this year (2007) have been popular crowd-pleasers. Log on to www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com for more details of these upcoming acts. (By the way, Penang will be having its inaugural world music festival this year at the Botanical Gardens. Some of the acts from the Rainforest World Music Festival will be flying in for the Penang Music Festival.)

Shopping, Sarawak souvenirs

Various tribal handicrafts are the most popular souvenirs from Sarawak. Particularly notable are pua kumbu, double-weaved fabrics woven by Iban women and illustrated with hypnotic, surreal patterns, wood carvings and bead handicraft by the Kayan and the Kenyah tribes, and Bidayuh baskets and floor mat or kasah, woven from rattan. Black pepper from Sarawak (far more potent than the bland stuff sold in the average supermarket) is also a worthwhile buy.

Good restaurants and cheap meals

While Malaysian staples are widely available, Sarawak cuisine offers several local delights.

• Umai (or umei) is a traditional Melanau dish, consisting simply of slices of raw fish marinated with limes and served up with a zippy chilli sauce.

• Sarawak laksa is the local spin on the ubiquitous noodle dish. It's sweet and coconutty like Singapore's laksa lemak, but gets a unique zing from heavy spices (notably sambal belacan, a mix of chili and shrimp paste) plus toppings of grated cucumber, chili and egg.

• Kolo mee is a simple but popular Sarawakian noodle dish, consisting of dry egg noodles tossed in oil and served with slices of roast pork.

• Tomato kueh tiaw is a variation of the popular fried kueh tiaw (thin, flat rice noodles), with tomato gravy, meat (usually chicken pieces), vegetables and seafood (usually prawns). It is particular to Kuching.

• Kek lapis Sarawak or Sarawak Layer Cake is an elaborately baked cake with multiple layers which has a unique and delicious taste.

Sarawak nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.

The local firewater, served up in prodigious quantities if you stay in a longhouse, is known as tuak and is distilled from rice, sago or any other convenient source of fermentable sugar. For those who want a stronger dose, langkau or Iban whisky can be sourced from longhouses in the interior. You can buy commercial tuak (The Royalist) at most supermarkets in Kuching. Great as a souvenir for friends! The commercial rice wine/tuak is rather pleasant to drink too, and none of that home-brewed murkiness either.

Stay safe

Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are very common in certain parts of this region and great care and caution should be taken when entering water, especially brackish areas like Batang Lupar. Active headhunters no longer exist in Borneo and have not for at least 30 years.

Get out

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