Malat & Penat, the Penan’s jungle parang and knife
on Nov 2, 2009 in Locals jungle parang Penan parang sarawak parang The Penan’s parang comes in a complete set! It is true that people say the best blade for any one place is the ones the locals there use. This is no exception for the Penans of Sarawak. I was fortunate there were a couple of Penan guides on a trip...

Harvesting jungle survival food by the Penans of Sarawak
on Oct 25, 2009 in Jungle crafts TIPs Videos harvest heart of palm harvest umbut jungle survival food umbut This is a video on how the Penans of Sarawak harvest the ‘Umbut’ or ‘heart’ of a type of palm tree. The natives of Sarawak has relied on the jungle for food, shelter and almost everything they need to survive. I am fortunate t...

Palm heart or ‘Umbut’ as jungle food; Lessons from a Sarawak jungle trip
on Oct 21, 2009 in Others heart of palm Jungle food jungle survival food umbut Our guides harvested the palm heart for the group’s dinner I have heard a lot about harvesting the heart of palm, locally known as ‘Umbut’ as jungle food. This umbut has often been listed as one of the survival food in the jungle. In my years o...

Jungle vines & rattan for cordage; Lessons from a Sarawak
on Oct 18, 2009 in Jungle crafts Bushcraft Jungle Cordage jungle vines natural jungle cordage A coil of wild rattan put aside ready for use Natural jungle vines and rattan has long been used by people as cordage to tie and lash things together. And I got a first hand experience it’s application during a trip into the interior jungles of Sar...

Sarawak river boats, rough weather and an old fort; A Trip to Long Akah
on Oct 15, 2009 in Activities Long Akah Long San Sarawak river boats These boats are due for repairs maybe After the mountain top, our next ‘main’ course was an old and abandoned village called Long Akah, situated about 10 minutes by boat downstream from Long San. While many of the river boats are still hand made...

The long hike to the Sarawak waterfall; A trip to Sarawak’s jungle Pt. Final
on Oct 9, 2009 in Activities Jungle walk sarawak waterfall The trail started at an abandoned logging trail Our group’s objective is to trek to a famous waterfall in Sarawak known by many as the Julan Falls. My objective on this trip however was a little bit different. I have always wanted to experience the...

Authentically smoked wild boar; A trip to Sarawak’s jungle Pt. V
on Oct 2, 2009 in Others Sarawak smoked wild boar We spent our first night traveling into the interior of Sarawak in one of the guide’s house. The hospitality was exceptional and we were treated like family members immediately. We were obviously tired from the exhaustive 4WD journey and any form o...

Unique houses in the interior of Sarawak; A trip to Sarawak’s jungle Pt. IV
on Sep 27, 2009 in Locals 'Logger' 'Pull House' 'Rumah Tarik' House of interior Sarawak There are some really unique houses in the interior of Sarawak. The houses reflect not only practicality and simplicity but also the way of life for the folks in the area. Having spent 1 night in one of the local houses, coupled with their hospitalit...

4WD on Miri logging road; A trip to Sarawak’s jungle Pt. III
on Sep 26, 2009 in Activities 4wd adventure miri sarawak interior We are heading into the interior of Sarawak, to a place called Julan. It involves hours of 4WD driving adventure on bumpy and dusty (active) logging roads. Our guides estimated that it would take us roughly 6 hours to get there with a few makan and t...

Wild durian and Kolok/Kolo mee of Miri; A trip to Sarawak’s jungle Pt. II
on Sep 22, 2009 in Activities Durian Cengkih Durian Kampong Miri wild durian Sarawak Kolok Mee I got my first taste of wild durian and Mee ‘Kolok’ or simply Mee ‘Kolo’  in Miri. Both of these foods are familiar to me yet uniquely different. I am beginning to love this town even more now. I have tried my fair of wild durian in...