Sarawak Malaysia Fascinating Nature and Multi-Ethnic Cultural Experiences The rich culture and customs of Sarawak Malaysia, unique traditional rituals, dances, foods, and costumes are among the things that continue to intrigue and fascinate visitors and researchers from around the world. Their warm hospitality and simple ways of life are also some of the traits that many visitors find endearing. I guess, the fascination for this exotic destination also stems from interesting stories about the headhunters of Borneo. Images from National Geographic or Discovery Channel showing small dark people with tattooed bodies donning fancy headdresses of exotic bird feathers must have also fueled the curiosity of our foreign visitors. If nature and multi-ethnic cultural experiences are your cup of tea, then Sarawak Malaysia has plenty of them to fascinate you. For someone who is enthusiastic about ethnic cultures, I welcome a trip to explore Sarawak again with pleasure and excitement. Perhaps, it was due to the chance to check out Hilton’s only jungle property, the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. Our main destination this time was Batang Ai, to visit the Iban community at the Mengkak Longhouse located at the mouth of Sungai Engkari. Sarawak Malaysia longhouses are built on stilts about a meter above the ground. As the name suggests, Borneo longhouses are long and narrow consisting of several rooms. Each family occupies a room. One longhouse typically accommodates between 20 and 50 families. There’s a large communal living space, between the balcony and bedrooms, known as the ruai, running down one side, and separate living quarters for each family along the other side. The ruai is the place where the longhouse folks gather for an evening chat or carry out activities like making handicrafts and farming apparatus. Upon reaching the longhouse, we spotted three sarong-clad Iban ladies doing their laundry and bathing in the lake, which is a normal routine for the longhouse folks. Ah, I wished I could jump into the inviting cool lake to join them. It was intensely hot that day and I was drenched in sweat, especially after traveling under the blazing sun for close to an hour. To reach the Mengkak Longhouse, we had to endure a 45-minute ride in a four-seater motorized longboat from the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. Still, I was extremely thankful that it didn’t rain as I wasn’t prepared for that, even though I have read stories of visitors getting caught in the rain during the boat journey. Although some guides provide ponchos, there’s no harm bringing one in case they don’t. Disposable ones would be just great. Cameras and mobile phones should be kept inside a waterproof bag. Though the boat ride makes you two tones darker, the journey to the Sarawak Malaysia longhouse is definitely worthwhile. Traveling in the long wooden boat itself is both terrifying and exciting as the boat is so narrow that even the slightest movement would make it sway. We were like floating and gliding down the man-made Batang Ai Lake, with water just inches away.(Tourism Malaysia)   "Fired Travel Agent Reveals How To Get Dirt Cheap Airfare Tickets!" The secrets exposed here will exceed your wildest of expectations. Manipulate airline companies' ticket pricing computer systems to give you $1,000's of discounts on your ticket. Earn free vouchers for airfare tickets just from making a phone call and without ever even flying at all! The KEY to traveling for cheap, and how to use this knowledge to get the biggest bargains!My Airfare Secrets »
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