The most interesting part during my internship was this trip
my boss and I went on a few days before Christmas. I was not mentally prepared
for what would happen next and never in my imagination would I be able to meet
people from the interiors of Borneo, living far away from the city in the
beautiful rain forest. I’ll admit I am jealous of them; I wanted to live there forever. Being away from the hustle and bustle of the city really made me feel
like the hectic world ceased to exist for awhile; I truly appreciated the
hospitality, the people, the nature surrounding the small cabin Agnes (my boss)
and I slept for the night, and the simplicity of life there. The village we
visited is situated 10 minutes away from one of Interhill’s logging camps
called Camp Kabing. Residents of the area were of the Penan descent. Although
known for their nomadic way of life (which have been practiced for centuries),
they settled down at Long Kabing (hence, the origins of the camp’s name) a few
decades ago. I am not too sure why but I am certain that from my own
experiences, moving out from a place you call home and resettling every few months
is a tiring process.
And so we journeyed on a fine Saturday morning, brought
boxes and boxes of sweets and took a six-hour ride to Long Kabing, situated
three hours away from a small town in Sarawak called Long Lama. Now let me tell
you this, the ride from Miri was great because the roads were made of tar
(although there were pot holes here and there), but we were commuting in a
four-wheel drive so it didn’t feel like much. And then, past Long Lama, the
roads were not roads anymore. They were more like dirt tracks. Stony, bumpy,
muddy dirt tracks. Three hours felt like three days. My entire body seemed like
it had been torn apart then forcibly fixed back together with a sledgehammer,
literally.
The minute we arrived at the camp, my back or the horrible,
long ride did not matter anymore. The view was breathtakingly beautiful; the
air was so clean and fresh; the environment was unpolluted and for the first
time after leaving town, I felt like I could breathe normally. At this point, I
regret not taking any pictures of what I had just described. I was too busy
absorbing everything nature had to offer!
Upon arrival, we got to work immediately – packing up sweets
and Santa hats into equally matching Santa bags, gathering the camp manager and
employees at the camp site, and proceeded to spread some candy-goodness and
Christmas joy at the village. Instantly, I was surrounded by the most adorable
group of children with big smiles on their faces (although some were really
shy). Pictures below!
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| Our Camp Manager, Mr. Ting distributing candies to eager kids! |
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| I look happier than the kid, she was so shy! |
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| A group photo of us. :) |
After an entire afternoon of relaxing with the locals, wishing
them well and gobbling down some delicious dishes prepared with fresh forest
produce, Agnes and I retired back to our cozy little cabin. As I took a shower “kampung”
style without a heater or shower head (the water was filled up in a traditional
ceramic barrel so you use a plastic scoop to ladle the water and rinse yourself),
it reminded me of how much I miss my own kampung back in Kedah. Life was simple
there. The water was freezing cold but it felt so good on my
chemically-dependent skin. Here’s how kampung style toilet looks like, although
this one is rather modern-looking due to its cement structure.
Image retrieved from here,
credits to T.A.M.A.N.
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| Note the ceramic barrel. |
Now, moving on to the fun part. The next day we travelled
back to the city (trust me, I was reluctant to leave) and I got started on the
media release as soon as I got my hands on my laptop. I was mostly looking
forward to do the media clippings and monitoring the release afterwards. Turns
out that all seven prominent media outlets in Miri carried the news and this
further proves the article’s newsworthiness. It was definitely the sweetest
Christmas gift I would ever ask for.
Behold, my early Christmas presents!
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| The Borneo Post (left) & United Daily News (right) |
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| See Hua Daily (left) & Sin Chew Daily News (right) |
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| Utusan Sarawak (left) & Utusan Borneo (right) |
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| New Sarawak Tribune |
Thank you for dropping by and spending some of your time here to
read my post. I hope you find this experience interesting. If you ever get the
chance to travel into the interiors of Borneo, grab it! It will be one of the most
extraordinary adventures you'll ever experience!
Til then,
Sarah Sabri, Curtin Sarawak.
