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| Map of Sarawak on the northern part of Borneo |
Borneo has always had a special attraction for me, probably because this is the first place I lived in when I arrived in southeast Asia.
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| The flag of Sarawak |
During the five years, I spent in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of the island) I learned to accommodate to its equatorial climate, to admire its unique, overwhelming vegetation and animal life, to be acquainted with its indigenous Dayak culture. Clearly, this has resulted in a bond that I have never completely lost.
Because I lived in peninsular Malaysia after East Kalimantan, I had several opportunities to visit Sabah, Brunei, and Sarawak on many other occasions.
This is why Sarawak remains one of my favorite places in Borneo. Perhaps, this is also due to the fact that I am attracted by what looks different, somehow off the beaten track. Sarawak still offers a truly authentic atmosphere.
This trip counts as my fourth visit to Sarawak. So, I will try to share an insight explaining why I like it so much.
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| In the Semenggoh Nature Reserve |
Even if Sarawak is one of the 13th Malaysian states, it is quick to figure out why it stands alone among all the other Malaysian provinces.
First of all, Sarawak covers a huge territory on the northwest part of the island of Borneo. Actually, the territory is almost as big as the whole of peninsular Western Malaysia. Yet, its population is hardly made of 2.7M inhabitants. A long coastline faces the South China Sea, it has a border with Kalimantan in the south, whereas Brunei and Sabah are on its eastern side.
Due to its history and its geographical location, Sarawak has a special political and immigration status. This is why, when you enter the country, you need to report to the immigration airport where your passport - if you are a foreigner - will be stamped a second time even if you went to the same procedure in Western Malaysia. If the official religion of peninsular Malaysia is Islam, Sarawak has no official religion. As a matter of fact, there are more Christians here than Muslims. When Sarawak became a white sultanate under the rule of a British adventurer, James Brooke (1803-1868), who eventually became the founder of the White Rajah Sultanate, the Anglican religion became prevalent before the Catholics or Evangelists.
The population is made of three main groups, who live side by side in the country: the Malays, the Chinese and the ethnic inhabitants of Borneo. The latest group, known as the Bidayuhs, are formed from ethnic minorities such as the Dayak, Iban, or Orang Ulu. These original peoples live mostly in the forest, although many today have migrated to towns. They have developed their own culture, a trademark to the cultural life of Sarawak. And this is what makes Sarawak truly apart from other places in the region.
The other main characteristic of Sarawak is its formidable natural environment offering extraordinary biodiversity. Its fauna and flora are unique. Some cannot be found anywhere else. But of course, they are under the constant risk of being impacted by modern life. Fortunately, the environment has been highly protected. One of the main interests in visiting Sarawak is to see its natural beauty and encounter some of its rich and varied species.
The Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world, is largely found here. But carnivorous plants are endemic to the area too. The
orangutans are among the best-known apes, which are native to the rainforests, while the Proboscis monkeys mostly inhabit the mangrove areas. Sarawak detains also a large population of hornbills, among which the rhinoceros hornbill. The flying lemur is another endemic animal of the rainforest. There are still crocodiles on the coast and the forest keeps a small population of Sumatran rhinos and of pigmy elephants.
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| Dayak art: the hornbill |
It is good to know that Sarawak has many national parks, which help preserve biodiversity and the natural environment. Some like the Gunung Gading National Park or the the Bako National Park, are close enough to Kuching to be visited in one day.
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| At Bako National Park |
Sarawak has a typical equatorial climate: the Equator line divides the island into two parts from Pontianak on the West to Samarinda, on the East. One of the first striking sights of being in Borneo is the lushness of the vegetation anywhere you go.
Even if its capital and main city, Kuching (570,000h), has grown a lot, it still offers a local flavor found nowhere else in the region.
Being back to Borneo even after a few years has truly thrilled me for all the reasons mentioned above. Usually, people who come here on a visit, are mostly Nature-lovers, who enjoy reconnecting with an embattled environment. Hopefully, we will still be able to preserve such natural diversity for many more years to come.
Christian Sorand
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