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Start at the early morning depart for a journey of 250 kms by
road from Kuching to the hydro lake at Lubok Antu. You will find
the journey on the way quite enthralling as you pass quaint small
roadside towns, farmhouses and small village settlements. You
will also see rubber, coco amd oil palm plantations and pepper
orchards along the way. Stopover at Serian for a short tour of
the town including a visit to the Durian Monument, possibly the
only one of its kind in Borneo. Mingle with Bidayuh tribesmen
at the town's bazaars and market-place and be intrigued by the
local products on sale there, including live sago worms.
You will continue your journey until you reach Lachau where you
will have lunch at one of the local coffee shops. Continue journey
after lunch. Undulating countryside characterised by limestone
hills soon change into mountain range as you go deeper into the
interior as secondary jungles covered with overhanging creepers
give way to tall towering trees of the ancient virgin rainforest.
The deep blue water of the hydro lake will greet you as you complete
the first leg of your journey by road.
You will continue your journey to the longhouse by motorised native
longboat which will take you across the lake and into the Engkari
River, one of the many tributaries flowing into the lake. The
journey of slightly more than one hour by boat will take you to
Ugat Longhouse, nestled on a hill beside the river. Constructed
of tropical timber, this longhouse of nearly 100 metres long,
has 40 units of family rooms. Each unit of rooms houses a family
and all the residents here literally live under one roof as a
self-contained village sharing a communal hall and verandah that
stretch the entire length of the longhouse. Browse around the
longhouse and feel free to talk to the inhabitants accompanied
by our guide who will interprete for you.
The natives here still spin cotton, weave the pua (traditional
cloth), hunt with blowpipes and create intricate carvings from
bamboo and wood. Take a dip or swim in the cool river to freshen
up before having dinner at CPH's guesthouse. Spend the night at
the longhouse as they entertain you with their traditional dances
to the beat of gongs and drums. Join in the dances and in the
beating of the gongs and drums and sample your first glass of
tuak (home-brewed rice wine). Overnight accommodation at the guesthouse
equipped with basic amenities. After breakfast at the guesthouse
go for a short jungle trek within the vicinity of the longhouse
with traditionally clad Ibans carrying blowpipes. Depart for Kuching
via the same route as your arrival. Lunch enroute at one of the
small roadside town before arriving at Kuching. |
