My Semai X'mas 2007

(22nd - 25th Dec 2007).

I decided to spend Christmas 2007 the same way i spent it in 2006, with the indigenous people of Ulu Geroh. So rather than pudding and honey cured ham, i had lemang and wild boar instead. Rather than hobnobbing and sipping wine with executives, i trekked, got beaten at batu lima and made rainbows with the Semai kids instead. it was a wonderful Christmas.

my posse .....

(photo courtesy of rezzi, 9 yrs old).

and partners in crime..... the Semai kids of Ulu Geroh.

never underestimate the strength of a Semai lady ....

after a rain, the rivers swell and gets pretty murky but a day after, the water becomes crystal clear and perfect for a swim n' soak.

the Rainbow Makers of Ulu Geroh .....

catching fish with their bare hands. the kids feel around rocks and boulders in the river and pull out fish....just like that. they let them go after that, of course.

this little fella didn't notice me shooting his kung-fu antics. looked like he was trying to impress the other kids .....

...until bath time. then little 'bruce lee' went AWOL and escaped.

i love the evening time in the village .....

whether it be joining the kids for a game of 'tin' .....

football .....

playing batu lima (five stones). got my behind whooped real bad again by Deyren, the best batu lima player in the whole of Ulu Geroh.

here she is, doing her happy dance and singing, 'saya menang! saya menang!' (i win! i win!) all the way home. (i'll get her next time).

playing hopscotch .....

..... or just plain making sand castles. these kids always make my trip.

there's a strong smell of burning wood in the village just as dawn breaks. there's smoke rising from outside almost every home in the village. this could only mean one thing ..... lemang!

Long Baru fills bamboo with glutinous rice and coconut milk to make mouth-watering lemang.....

..... while her daughter fills hers with 'gula kabung' to make the sweeter variety.

the bamboo is then lined up next to a fire and tended to for a very long time until it's cooked. i absoultely love the lemang here, just can't get enough of it.

one morning, i quietly told a small group of locals that a 'burung besar' (big bird) was going to land on their field. word spread like wild fire and before you know it, villagers from all over were making a bee line for the field .....

within minutes, the football field was swarmed by the locals to see the 'big bird' come in .....

the 'burung besar' makes it's appearance right on time ....

the 'burung besar' were non other than my buddies, Divemuster and KJ who flew in his chopper for a day trip to see the rafflesia. The locals presented them with a bag of mushrooms and a durian. it really made their day.

lady: 'ooi, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the fried fish i left on the table, would you?'.

kitty kat: 'fish? ...... what fish?'.

till we meet again .....

about 160 km off-roading from the town of Lawas, Sarawak and .....

(photo courtesy of Ooi Chooi Seng)

around 2900 ft above sea level, i found paradise .....

..... they call it Ba'kelalan.

Long Sukang. one of the villages passed on route to Ba'kelalan. it was a sunday morning, i could hear hymns echo from the hills and mountains. truly amazing.

it's my hope that these images will take you there one day ....

the famous Ba'kelalan paddy ....

Kading whistled for the wind ..... he really did.

(photo courtesy of Kading Sultan)

Long Ruren. this is where Kading and i set up a small shelter from the rain to break for lunch before heading out to the rainforest. testimonies were exchanged. Kading said grace. excellent fellowship.

the Long Langai church ....

view from the inside out ....

this church is undergoing it's third renovation since it was built. it's growing.

was invited into this home for tea. just love their kitchen and stove ....

bones of wild boar from a long time ago. the Lun Bawan hunt not for game or trade, but for their own consumption. in the time i spent with them, i found them to be very responsible in their ways, taking great care in protecting their forests and it's inhabitants.

the homes are beautiful as it is comfortable ....

the church at Buduk Nur. the churches here are built by the villagers themselves. they get all the materials, wood etc. from here......except for maybe the glass panes.

where harvested paddy is stored ....

the 'local scouts' waiting for the plane that never came .... due to bad weather.

took us about 6 hours to drive up to Ba'kelalan. due to some rain the day before, it took almost 11 hours to get back. the red earth turned to mud..... which was cool as i experienced first hand some extreme drifting. even with the most experienced drivers behind the wheel, we finally got stuck in almost knee deep mud. so we hiked uphill on foot for some 45 minutes and waited.

somehow word got to a logging camp about our situation. 3 hours later, this tractor came to our rescue, roped our vehicles and towed us out.

another flat.

i was asked by someone before leaving, would i come back again and visit. in a heartbeat. in fact, so taken was i with this place and it's beautiful people, i'm going back again next month.

Ruran Balang

The Beautiful People of Borneo.

Ba'kelalan.

Sultan Libang

Kading sounding off his 'tawak' (gong). different beats represent different meanings ..... a beat to inform the village people of meetings, a happy beat for entertainment, an urgent beat to let the people know that there's a death in the village and in the earlier days there even was a beat to stop storms and rain. Kading tells a story of how Paulus' uncle once sounded off the urgent beat. the whole village comes running to his house only to find out that he beat the 'tawak' because he was bored and lonely and only wanted some company. needless to say, he got into a lot of trouble that day!

Kading's beautiful family .... Lila, Jesse Jed and Cassandra.

George Siga Sultan. Head of the 5th Division Border Scout in Ba'kelalan during the Confrontation.

Ibu ....

off to the 'ladang' ....

the beautiful Maureen Saban ....

Sutris starting up the fire for a barbecue ....

practicing for Christmas at church ....

Christmas caroling with Lisa (guitar), Maureen and Paulus (vocals), Kading (ukelele). Beautiful!

Pa' Anis feeding the fish ....

playing 'batu lima' (5 stones) with Dulina. she kicked my behind big time.

my friends n' guides, Kading Sultan @ Bayu....

.... and Paulus @ Umut.

while trekking deep in the Pa Pering and Pa Puen rainforest, i came across this Lun Bawan boar hunter with his 10 hunting dogs. chatted for a while before going our seperate ways.

Long Bawan, Kalimantan, Indonesia.

the little boy who's name i share ....

fishers of men ....

my home ....

my buddies ....

definitely Not from these parts ....

kids having a friendly 'gasing' (top) competition after school ....

bikes fitted with mud tyres, simple body modifications, these Indonesians from Long Bawan, Kalimantan can transport almost anything.....gas cylinders, long water pipes, rice, cement, rocks....

occasionally, they do get stuck in the thick mud....

.... but hey, so do their cows.

the gentleman who hitched a ride by literally hanging on to the back of our 4 X 4 in Long Bawan, Indonesia.

Punan children going hunting ....

(photo courtesy of divemuster)

rafflesia cantleyi

to all, a very Merry Christmas &

a fantabulous New Year!