21 December 2019
A visit to Sarawak in East Malaysia would not be complete without understanding the lives of the indigenous people who inhabit the land. In Sarawak, the main groups are the Iban (formerly called Sea Dayak) and the Bidayuh (formerly called Land Dayak) people.
For visitors to Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village is one way to achieve the above. The cultural village showcases nine authentic replica buildings, representing every major ethnic group in Sarawak: Bidayuh, Iban and Orang Ulu longhouses, a Penan jungle settlement, a Melanau tall-house, a Malay town house, and a Chinese farmhouse and pagoda.
However, the real fun is to visit a real living Dayak village or kampung, set in beautiful natural surroundings. Even better would be an overnight stay in one of these villages, as guest of villagers offering homestay for visitors.
One of the most accessible kampung is Kampung Annah Rais, located about 60 km from Kuching. Kampung Annah Rais is a large Bidayuh village centred on a centuries-old bamboo longhouse, one of the finest still in existence. Dozens of families belonging to the Bidayuh ethnic group live in this village.
As the public transportation system from Kuching to the surrounding areas is practically non-existent, I chartered a van with driver to bring our family group of 10 adults to the village. I also arranged for our driver to pick us up from the Kuching International Airport on our arrival day.
Sampling Kuching’s local delicacies.
Our driver, named Brandon, was waiting for us at the airport on the day of our arrival. After dropping off our luggage at our accommodation (Imperial Suites Kuching) which was located near to the airport, he drove us to a food court for brunch before making the hour long journey to the longhouse.
Here we got our first taste of the local Chinese cuisine which includes delicacies from the Foochow and Hakka dialect groups. Chinese forms the second largest group of Sarawak’s population after the main Iban tribe. The Chinese pioneers first came to Sarawak as traders and explorers in the 6th century. The Sarawak Chinese belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the more significant ones being Foochow, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese.
Sarawak Laksa - a noodle dish which looks like the normal curry laksa of Singapore or West Malaysia but tasted so different but still delicious. It is made using a laksa paste consisting of sambal belacan, tamarind, lemongrass, herbs and spices with a little coconut milk.
Foochow Chicken Mee Sua Soup where the chicken is cooked in red wine.
“Thunder Tea” rice – a Hakka delicacy that is not easy to find back home.
This was the first time I sampled a dish called 擂茶, literally translated as “Thunder Tea”. This dish has Hakka origins.
The green soup is made of several types of vegetable and condiments. These ingredients are ground with mortar and pestle and boiling water is added to create a thick green bitter tasting soup.
The soup is then poured into a bowl of cooked brown rice garnished with 6 “treasures” namely chopped long beans, bean curd, sweet leaf (sayur manis or mani cai), chye sim , salted turnip (Chye Por) and ground roasted peanuts.
The initial taste of the green concoction was one of bitterness. But the initial bitterness soon gave way to saltiness and sweetness as I chew the brown rice, chye por and roasted peanuts providing the sweet, fragrant crunchy element. Thunder Tea actually tasted quite good!
As we were finishing our brunch, Brandon came over to our table to tell us that a van laden with wild durians has just arrived. This is a good opportunity to try the East Malaysian wild durians.
Wild durians stacked inside the van. It is amazing how these durians did not fall off when the rear panel door was opened.
These durians are supposedly “wild”. Not cultivated in plantations but picked from the surrounding rain forests. The medium sized ones cost about 20 MR each.
Our group of 10 persons shared 3 durians. The seller brought them to our table and opened them for us. The taste was not as good as the famous cultivated Mao Shan Wang of West Malaysia but these are “organic” durians. Fresh from the jungle.
What struck me after the visit to a local food court was the low cost of living in Kuching. We could get wholesome and delicious food for a fraction of the price that we pay back home.
Annah Rais Bidayuh Longhouse
The hour long journey to Annah Rais passed by rapidly as we were treated to the scenic rural countryside and plantations. Our driver also made an impromptu stop on the side of the road, just to point out some tall trees in the surrounding forest with durians hanging beneath the branches.
Road to Annah Rais Longhouse.
Upon arrival at Kampung Annah Rais, we went to see a sugar cane crusher machine that was used by the Bidayuh people.
After purchasing the entrance ticket of 8 MYR/person, we took a flight of wooden steps up to the elevated longhouse that are built raised off the ground on stilts.
The more adventurous folks in our group tried using the traditional stairs, made from a long narrow piece of tree trunk with steps cut on it.
The eldest but most sporting and adventurous person in our group negotiating the traditional stairs.
The massive longhouse is divided into a more or less public area along one side and a row of private living quarters or rooms lined along the other side.
Wooden or bamboo walkways formed the main common area where families would sit around, talk, do handicraft and watch the kids play.
We are free to roam around the whole village to observe the lives of the local inhabitants and also take photos.
Notice the TV dish at this unit.
Many families own chickens. The adults were secured by long strings and younger chicks were kept in cages.
Many also keep cats as pets. But no dogs were seen.
We did not sample any traditional food in the village, although we saw the cooking areas used for food preparation. Those who stay overnight in the longhouse would be likely treated to dishes cooked in hollow bamboo stems over a wood fire.
We sampled the local rice wine called Tuak. There are Tuak made from fermented barley and also Tuak made from fermented rice.
Sampling the local rice wine called Tuak. Besides Tuak, the stalls also sell fruits found in the area.
We bought a small bottle of Tuak for 7 MYR made from fermented rice that we planned to consume during dinner.
A highlight of the visit was to the headhouse or “Panggah” or “Baruk”, situated in the middle of the longhouse. Traditionally, this is a place of congregation for Bidayuh warriors. The “Baruk” also functioned as a venue for cultural ceremonies.
Inside the "Baruk", we saw real human skulls hanging around the fire place in the middle and a small cannon.
In the past, the Dayak were feared for their ancient tradition of headhunting. In reality, the Bidayuh people are actually farmers, mainly engaging with shifting cultivation. They also gathered goods from the forest and hunt small animals using blowpipes.
At the far end of the longhouse, there is a show unit called the Bidayuh Traditional House. It showed what a traditional Bidayuh home looked like back in the old days.
Long narrow steps leading to the second storey.
The rooms in the longhouse are actually spacious.
Nowadays, the rooms by the inhabitants would be fitted with modern furniture, electric appliances and even satellite TV.
Almost all Dayak settlements are built by the banks of rivers or streams. Kampung Annah Rais is no different.
We took a small wooden bridge across a stream where some modern zinc roofed houses could be seen.
Modern sanitary and piped-in water is available in the kampung.
Fruit trees and plenty of greenery surround the village.
Bright colourful flower of the Simpoh Ayer bush (dillenia suffruticosa). Its large leaves have traditionally been used for the wrapping of food.
We spotted trees laden with jackfruits and red hairy rambutans.
Jackfruits – when ripe, the large fruit would turn golden.
Rambutans – when ripe, these hairy fruits would turn bright red.
Mural at Annah Rais Bidayuh Longhouse.
Returning to the longhouse, we saw a house with a traditional bamboo bridge. The more adventurous ones in my group gave the rickety bridge a try, to the amusement of a local Bidayuh woman.
Traditional bamboo bridge at Annah Rais longhouse.
The friendly Bidayuh woman attempted a conversation with me, speaking in Melayu or Malay language. I only know a few words of Singaporean Malay. I gathered that she was talking about the weather and how hot (panas) the day was.
I nodded my head in agreement as I swiped the perspirations off my face. Weather in Kuching is hot and humid. I found that the silver colour of the weathered bamboo flooring at the longhouse actually reflects and radiates a lot of heat.
Bamboo flooring on the external area of Annah Rais longhouse.
We ended our visit at one of the cafes at the longhouse. Sipping cold canned drinks, we chatted with our guide Brandon who told us about the history of the Dayaks and how the skulls in the Headhouse were trophy of war and also rites of passage for the young men in the tribe who has to prove their courage and kill an enemy bringing back the heads as proof.
Overall, our short tour of Annah Rais longhouse was quite fun and interesting, although we only got a glimpse of what living in a traditional longhouse is like.
I am looking forward to a chance to stay a couple of nights in one of the more remote Iban longhouses on my next visit to Sarawak. Doing so would allow me to do some nature-based activities like jungle trekking, travelling through the Borneo rainforest and waterways on a longboat and of learning about the culture and lifestyle of the Iban community.
Travel tips: A day trip to the Annah Rais Longhouse would only take about half a day. It would be good to combine the trip with a visit to the Semmengoh Wildlife Centre. This wildlife centre has a thriving population of healthy adolescent and young adult semi-wild Orangutans. They spend most of their time roaming the forest but may return to the centre during feeding times (9 AM and 3 PM) where they will be able to get a free meal from the caretakers. However, they may not show up for their free meal during the forest fruiting season (December to March) when there are plenty of wild fruits in the forest.
The Bikalan, a pub-cum-bistro located in the heart of the main street. The staff did some Christmas carols while we ate.
This big bowl of pansuh chicken was from one bamboo. It was just enough for our party of 10 to sample.
