Footloose in Sarawak
Iban Warrior (21.9KB)

Tibau (20.0KB)

First of all, a warning!

The stories listed on this page will, I hope, give the reader some pleasure and an insight as to what Sarawak can offer as a travel destination.

However, please do note the dateline given with each story. Some of them were written when I first arrived in Sarawak way back in 1984. Others are more recent, particularly those written by my partner, a determined traveller called Bulan!

Given the calm and stable nature of Sarawak and its people, much of what we wrote holds good even today.

But change, however small or slow in coming, is inevitable. And the information given in these pages, though correct at the time of writing should not , so many years later, be used as the basis for a present-day visit to the same area.

Bulan and I have thoroughly enjoyed our many journeys into Sarawak, were constantly amazed by the courtesy and charm of the tribal people, and often overwhelmed by their generous hospitality, especially in the more remote areas.

We hope your experiences will be just as pleasurable.

1. The Kelabit Pages
In Search of Brigadoon
About the Kelabit Highlands, the Bario people and their history as seen by a first-time visitor to the area.
The World Within
Some extracts from a book by Tom Harrisson who first visited them during World War II.
Waking of a Lost World
Comments about the Kelabit Highlands and Bario written in a log book by tourists and back-packers staying at a Bario Lodging House.

2. In Melanau Country
The Panau Fishermen
About a day spent at sea with Melanau fisherfolk and of their unusual methods of catching fish.
Raw Fish and Sunshine
A casual visit to a new seaside lodging house opens up a treasure trove of Melanau cuisine.
The Pesta Kaul
About an annual Melanau festival and of antics on an almost-suicidal swing!

3. The Iban Heartlands
Longhouse Life
Of life in an Iban longhouse along the upper reaches of the Batang Rejang near Kapit.
Gawai Dayak
About an all-night party spent in the company of Iban longhouse dwellers during the annual Gawai Dayak festivities.
The Ghost of Batang Ai
An ornithologist and some Ibans meet up with a ghost on the Ulu Batang Ai during a research programme!

Pun Ritai's Home Page The Kelabit Connection Sarawak Tourism Board

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© Pun Ritai
(Updated on 24th April 1998)

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