Traveling in Upper Baram


Mac/2004 Long Mekaba

Dec/2002 Near Long Selatong

Dec/2002 Near Long Julan

Oct/2003 Near Long Moh

Oct/2003 Near Long Silat

Some people are trying to promote eco-tourism in this area.
Traditionally, local people welcome visitors from downstream and tourists can enjoy to stay in the villages.

The best way to travel this area is following a longboat, enjoying beautiful view and visitting many villages along the Baram River. You can also enjoy trekking in the forest, visiting waterfalls and mountains and following fishing and huntting.

It is very hard and quite expensive to navigate from downstream by boat. You will do better to visit some village from Miri by car or by flight and travel around by a longboat.

Cost
1) Following a car from Miri to some village RM 80-150 / person. You can also hire a car.
2) Flight to Long Akah or Long Banga from Miri. Two flights a week.
http://www.flyasianxpress.com/site/en/fax/home.jsp
3) Hire a longboat (boat+engine+driver+petrol)
If you luckly find a longboat to follow, you just pay for your seat.
4) People often do not want to claim for your stay and meal in village. But please pay them to express your appreciation.

Attention
1) In villages of Kayan, Kenyah, Saban and Kelabit, you can find somebody who can speak English well.
2) If you visit a village, you need to visit the village chief (or some committee member) at first and ask his permission to stay there. He can help you to find where to stay and somebody guide you.
3) Some villages are following Evangelical Church (SIB). In these villages, drinking alcohol is considered as a bad conduct and formally forbidden. Please follow the local rule.
4) Sunday is Sabbath day. You can only rest.
5) The traffic condition (boat, flight and car) will be strongly affected by whether (rain and water level of the river).
6) If you want take photos in village, please ask permission from the villagers at first.

You may able to touch local culture such as music and dance. Actually, some villages in this area such as Long Mekaba and Long Moh are well known in Sarawak for thier rich cultural heritages. There are so many kind of music and dance. You can try to tell them you are very interesting to see it. However, I can not tell you that you can certainly see it because it depends on who stay in village during your stay and how about thier mood to play (sometimes they are very busy to work).
Anyway, if you are lucky, you may hear an old man playing Sape' (a traditional string instrument) in evening just for his fun, or you may see even a little girl able to play traditional dance so graciously.


※Actually, the biggest problem is how to find a car to visit this area from Miri. I know many telephone numbers of local drivers, but not sure I can write here or not. Still under consideration. Sorry.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi there,

love your post here. those pictures make me miss my village even more. our family would travel back to long moh by longboat on school holidays. the journey was about 3 days but been very exciting. i miss the view, the sound and even the smell of my village. but now everyone has grown up and it's just so sad everyone seems to care less bout making a trip back home. it's even more pathetic that logging activities starting to destroy our forest n river...

Anonymous said...

Dear Lily
Thanks to your comment on my Blog.
Actuary, the longboat trip up and down the Baram is so woderful. My first trip was from Lg Moh to Lg Lama follwing Log Moh people after Christmas 2000. I was really impressed that time.

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
Photos of the Longhouses and its people are very informative. I didn't know that Long Peluan is so colorful with its Kelabit design and Long Banga has a main Longhouse bcos we stayed with the Philip and Noraini family in Banga.
Regards,
Tan Penan

nuel said...

Hi there,

I was surprissed to see Long Mekada on your site...are u from there...my husband is from Long Mekaba....beautiful people...beautiful sceneries

Anonymous said...

Hello. And Bye.

Anonymous said...

I give birth to be familiar with a scarcely any of the articles on your website now, and I definitely like your line of blogging. I added it to my favorites trap age file and will be checking stand behind soon. Cheer repress in view my orientation as ok and let me be familiar with what you think. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

hi, good site very much appreciatted

Anonymous said...

Somebody necessarily lend a hand to make significantly articles I'd state. That is the very first time I frequented your web page and up to now? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular submit incredible. Excellent process!
Wonderful website. Plenty of helpful information here. I am sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks in your sweat!
hi!,I like your writing so so much! share we keep in touch extra about your article on AOL? I need a specialist on this space to unravel my problem. May be that's you! Taking a look forward to see you.

Ang said...

Hi,
Your blog is very nice, congratulations. I would like to ask where you found the map at the top of this post? I would like to find it in a bigger size and with more detailed resolution if possible.

I did volunteer work with the Penan last year. You may like to look at my blog, www.tuaiewuaku.blogspot.com.

Best wishes,

Angela

lahang said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lahang said...

Hi Angela
Thanks for your comment.
I made this map by myself, did not made high resolution version.
You can buy good maps at Kuching branch of JUPEM
http://www.jupem.gov.my/index.php?action=main