Where Borneo Begins...

I have set foot at that very spot -- which according to historians, geographers, surveyors, cartographers, forestry experts etc -- is Where Borneo Begins. This place is located at the remote and idyllic Tanjung Datu, accessible via Sematan in Lundu District. A landmark in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, according to experts, this is the westernmost tip of Sarawak.

Landmark - Where Borneo Begins...

Now to get here, one could either take a one-hour boatride from Sematan Long Jetty passing through the seasides of Kampung Telok Melano and Tanjung Datu National Park, to reach the shore of Tanjung Datu. Or in my case - we took an alternative route which included a 45min drive via the underway Pan Borneo Highway from Sematan town to Kampung Telok Melano, then another 20min boatride from the jetty of Kampung Telok Melano to Tanjung Datu shores.

 Boatride to Tanjung Datu via bautiful turquoise open sea...

It was a worktrip, hence the roadtrip. On a sidenote, the Pan Borneo Highway on this side of the highway is progressing rather well, in my opinion.

Pan Borneo Highway in progress...

And to reach that spot, one must hike for at least 15 - 20 mins up a jungle trail. There's no way you can get there without sweating it out a bit. :-) So be prepared to wear at least a comfortable pair of hiking shoes. The trail is not difficult at all, just imagine yourself going into the jungle looking for wild mushrooms or truffles or bamboo shoot. *saya anak kampung so ini macam a walk in the park sajalah =)*

Hiking!

You see... Given, this place has huge tourism potential. And yet, it saddens me that not much has been done to make the place more known to the world. While I might have my doubts about the geographical authenticity, it is only because of how we seem to be treating this national treasure and world landmark. The trees are overgrown and nearly hid the photo-worthy platform while the trails leading to it might as well be trails leading to God knows where. Perhaps they want to maintain its natural state... I however half disagree because there are no proper indications that this is what it is supposed to be "WHERE BORNEO BEGINS". I mean, there's nothing else to see beside that, so it might as well be amazing right?

A memory worth keeping...

We have a lot to learn from our neighbor who has the other Tip of Borneo. But let's leave that aside while I glory in the fact that I have reached Borneo end to end! Wohoo! More on The Tip of Borneo soon.

P/s: We actually wanted to reach the Lighthouse which is a further 15min hike from this spot, the whole point of the work-visit, but that's irrelevant to this post.=)

And with that I declare myself back from blog hiatus! Yay!

Little adventure in charming Marudi ...

When life hands you an opportunity for an adventure, pack your bag and go with an open mind and a ready spirit. Even if you're actually there for official tasks, that is. Killing two birds with one stone what. So here I am this Sunday morning, in charming small town Marudi, encrypting my short journey via an unstable network, while it's still fresh in my mind, before my flight back to Kuching this evening.

Marudi is a quiet homely town, about 2 hours plus drive from Miri via logging roads, or about 15 minutes flight from Miri Airport via Twin Otter , or about 2 hours plus via Express Boats from Miri to Kuala Baram. Marudi used to be tourists gateway to Gunung Mulu previously, and it still is until today for those who crave more adventure.

 

 Bound for Marudi...

Every time I board the Twin Otter, my adventure senses go on overdrive. Imagine that. And it was my shortest flight ever because I remembered I was just about to warm up the seat when the pilot announced "We will be landing shortly..." Since the plane flew low the whole time, I thought he was kidding until we actually touched down. Sweet short ride!

  

Clear low view...

 

Was it scary? Well only if you think about it. Sometimes when it rains or during thunderstorms, I'd like to say it's still relatively safe. Which is why you should never leave home without praying first. =) But the view from up there is really breathtaking man! You'd be too busy snapping photos and admiring the greenery to even feel scared. The Baram river looks tiny from above and you can see the stretch from end to end.

 

 Up the Baram river...

Here's a bit first-hand info on the rural town: Marudi is located along the Baram river up north of Sarawak, and is mostly comprised of highland tribes folk, collectively called the Orang Ulu. They even speak Bahasa Malaysia a little differently, more pronounced and with a soft lilt. Same like folks in other parts of the State like Limbang, Lawas, Bekenu etc. where you can hear the uniqueness in their accent if you really listen.

I have been to other small towns in Sarawak and I can safely say Marudi is smaller than Lawas but bigger than Julau, slightly the same size as Lubok Antu. Perhaps as big as Bekenu maybe?

 Marudi airport...

Standard facilities are available, except for well ... fast food outlets such as (even) Sugarbun. But why look for fast food when there are other available awesome stuffs here? Thanks to friends hailing from Marudi who told me all about the famous Marudi Char Kue Tiaw upon noticing my FB status ... and all this while who knew such delicious fare actually exist? They also recommended the Marudi steamed bread (or was it freshly baked home-made bread? I can't be sure...) but I didn't have enough time to actually look for one.

 Managed to take a pic with the indulgent proprietors...

Anyway, I googled where we could have the best Marudi fried kue tiaw and found this small kopitiam called Lai Lai Coffee Shop, right next to Mount Mulu Hotel (along Lorong Empat, if next time you want to try it out lah). The unique thing about this dish is the noodle (kue tiaw) is home made and therefore home-cut, so the result is unlike your normal flat and white kuetiaw, but rather fat and thick and cut not accordingly (some short some long some thicker than others). I had the feeling of eating fried carrot cake + kue tiaw all in once. Goes well with a hot cup of coffee (with milk).

Arguing ... No... Savoring life's little treasure...

However, if you must know, mostly Chinese coffee shops sell this fare. I have yet to find a Halal version (we even asked around) but probably there is, we just didn't have time to explore. Perhaps next time? Or perhaps if you do find one, do let me know.

Oh by the way, if you're taking the Twin Otter from Marudi, make sure you check in an hour or so earlier than your scheduled flight back to Miri. Business is brisk and sometimes really slow over the weekend in Marudi little airport, but they're efficient as ever. So they know you by name here. =)

Hey, this just reminds me of all other visits to other small sweet rural towns of Sarawak. Hopefully I'll find the time to write about those soon. Till the NEXT adventure!

 

Note: No bird was harmed before, during or after this post.