Borneo - 2012

Years ago we learned about a company called Pandaw, which operates small riverboat cruises in exotic countries like Burma, India and Laos.  We had taken several Pandaw cruises and became hooked on small riverboat trips as a travel alternative.  These small riverboats offer many advantages, including the ability to see non-touristy areas, safely and comfortably, in what are often inhospitable parts of the world. 

How nice it is to return from an all-day jungle trek to an air-conditioned, private cabin with clean bathroom facilities, including a shower with hot water, then cocktails and conversation with fellow travelers, followed by a gourmet dinner.  Waking up to coffee and breakfast before the day’s activities, which usually consists of cruising the river, stopping at remote villages, or visiting temples, markets and schools.

The emphasis here is on “small”.  There are many European riverboats that aren’t small but are more like the large cruise ships.  Our idea of a small boat is no more than twenty or thirty passengers.  Passengers on Pandaw boats tend to be primarily British, with a smattering of other countries and usually few, if any, Americans.

We read that Pandaw had recently added a river cruise in Borneo, on the Rajang, Kanowit and Baleh rivers and, since we always had been curious about Borneo, we decided it was time to satisfy that curiosity.  We flew to Borneo by way of Manila and Singapore, first spending a week exploring Luzon Island and then three days in Singapore.  Malaya Air took us from Singapore to Kuching, where we began our Borneo adventure.

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and the largest in Asia.  Politically, it’s part of two Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the small country of Brunei, an oil-rich sultanate. Borneo is all about its isolated, equatorial rainforests and jungles, teeming with exotic flora and fauna.  Also, the picturesque villages, with their longhouse communities.  The people are friendly and no longer practice headhunting, which was reassuring. 

Borneo is primarily populated by Dayaks, a group comprising more than two hundred river and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, each with its own dialect, laws, customs and culture.  The Dayaks were animist in belief, but more recently have converted to Islam and Christianity. 

A highlight of Borneo, and what attracts many tourists, is the orangutans.  Bornean orangutans (name comes from their orange coloration), together with the Sumatran orangutan, are the only genus of great apes native to Asia.  They are highly intelligent, share about 97% of their DNA with humans and are a critically endangered species.

We saw them in the Matang Wildlife Center, near Kuching, where our Pandaw tour began.  The park, which encloses a large area of rainforest, houses orangutans who were orphaned or rescued from captivity, and are taught how to survive in the wild.  There are orangutans of all ages and sizes, from infants to elderly grandparents, all frolicking in large enclosed areas, and they were as curious of us as we were of them.  They are interesting creatures, seemingly more expressive than other apes (gorillas), and it was so much fun to watch them swinging from tree to tree and playing with their babies. 

We first spent two nights in Kuching, at the Pullman Kuching Malaysia Hotel.  Kuching is the capital and main city in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.  Our hotel room overlooked the Sarawak River, and we were able to watch a procession of Malaysian freighters and ferries ply their way up and down the river. 

Kuching gave us an opportunity to sample Malaysian food, a mélange of tastes from Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai and Bornean cuisines, resulting in a symphony of flavors. We feasted each night at the outdoor food stalls, and especially loved the fresh seafood from the Java and South China Seas.

After two days in Kuching, we flew to Sibu where we boarded the RV Pandaw Orient, which would be our home for the next ten days.  The boat was similar to its sister boats in other parts of the world.  At first sight these boats look like what at home we might consider a “garbage scow”.   They are anything but.  After spending some time onboard, you realize they’re well designed for cruising slowly up a river, offering passengers many comforts.  So you can’t judge a boat by its appearance.  

For any reader interested in a similar journey, our itinerary was as follows:  Leave Sibu and cruise up the Rajang River.  Enter and cruise the Kanowit River.  Visit Fort Sylvia, Kapil museum and market and timber built longhouse.  Enter and cruise the Baleh River.  Visit a Mujong village and local school.  Jungle trek to Pelagus Rapids.  Back to Sibu and sail to Igan Bridge.  Visit Igan village to see sago processing.  Cruise to Sarikei for evening lion dance performance.  Jungle trek next morning to see pepper plantation and waterfall.  Afternoon sail to delta and longboat trip to mangrove forest.  Cruise down Sarikei River and watch sunset over South China Sea.  Morning walk to Radioing village and see Melanau culture.  Return to Sibu and flight to Denpasar, Bali.

A full schedule, but for us just cruising down the river at a leisurely pace, beer in hand, watching the jungle go by and seeing an occasional bird and crocodile, was the most enjoyable experience.   Solitude, away from the rest of the world, slowly cruising the river with all the comforts of home and nothing to do, for us that’s what riverboat cruising is all about.

There was a group of perhaps ten very serious bird watching enthusiasts on board, with perhaps a zillion dollars worth of camera equipment.  None of this smart phone photography for this bunch.  They were friendly enough, but way too focused (no pun intended), on finding and “shooting” the birds.  We had the impression they were a bit disappointed with their “catch”, although they were good sports about it.

This was a good trip and experience, but I must say not nearly as interesting as other riverboat trips we’ve taken to more exciting and exotic places.  I think Borneo is more a destination for naturalists and lovers of flora and fauna.  That’s fine, but we lean more toward experiencing people, places and things, as in India, China, Egypt, etc.

From Borneo we flew on to Bali where we spent a week before returning home via Singapore and Manila.

Art Faibisch