Sungai Dai

Dear travel journal,
The peraya homestay adventure guys are awesome. Today was absolutely the best fun. Up for breaky and then into our swimmers and we headed down to the river. Valentine fed all the fish in the river (which are huge because of the local tangun) off a raised wooden platform along the river bank to show us just how big they really can get when we protect our local environment. After watching the fishes (cat fish, carps and other fish) we went down and jumped on our bamboo rafts. The rafts where literally just 8 sticks of bamboo with holes cut throw them at one end to allow them all to be strapped together. And a few little seats spread over the middle for us to sit. At each end of the raft we had a boatman, each with a maschette (Parang - golok ) which differ between each tribe. The iban had wider straighter blades, where the bidayu have bent thinner blades, which are probably better suited to the copious amounts of bamboo they cut through) strapped to the raft in front of them and a long piece of bamboo to push us along the river. The name of the river is the sirin river and I was on a raft with callam and Sam and our boatman where Alex and Darren. The rafting was absolutely amazing. Its seriously taken me days to write this entry because I kept thinking about how to explain our day in writing, but I have just decided to write it and although it's not going to sound quite as good in writing, the day was still completely amazing. We rafted along nicely for ages, waved at some locals when we went past one of the villages and one of the older ladies was yelling 'hello' and 'morning' and waving the whole time it took us to go past. We stopped a couple of times so the rafting guys could go 'nature shopping' where they collected bamboo for making cups, bamboo leaves for cooking, different bamboo for eating and multiple other plants for eating and seasoning our lunch. A few times we had to get out and walk because the waterfalls where really steep, or stop so the rafters could cut down fallen trees and bamboo that were blocking the river. They would literally just grab their maschettes, jump over board, cut their way through and jump back on the raft. at one stop we couldn't see the fall they had to go down because we had to walk a little ways through a village vegi patch to get across, valentine was explaining about the different plants that can be eaten and used for medicinal purposes. Aparently paw paw leaf, when crushed, can help break a fever for people who are suffering from dengi fever. we could hear them having an amazing time however and on the other side, the chairs and everything had completely fallen off all of the rafts. Once the rafts where all put back together and lined up we had to get back on. The 4 rafts where push together and to get to our raft callam, sam and I had to cross all of the other rafts. Denis (one of the adventure workers) helped me to my seat, then picked callam up and throw him in the river. Then went to get sam but he just jumped overboard, cigarette in hand which he managed to not get wet lol. And from then it was on. A few more people (mostly the boatmen) ended up in the river between then and lunch. When we stopped for lunch, it was absolutely amazing. We pulled up on a rocky beach took our chairs and watched as our rafts got turned into a river kitchen. A few of the boatman cut up the plants and vegis and chicken and fish and stuck them inside the bamboo they cut and collected earlier. Someone else was pouring rice grains into banana leaves, folding them and and putting them inside other bamboo pipes made earlier. The end of each bamboo length was plugged with a banana leaf which they use to tell when the food is ready. While this was happening the others made two fires from bamboo and leaves and the bamboo with all the food in it was placed over the fire, while corn on the cobs where just placed directly on the fire. Even the tongs and everything were made from bits of bamboo. The corn was amazing, the rice was perfectly cooked and the meats where so tender. At the little pebble beach was also a little platform (also made from bamboo) which valentine was saying is used to sleep on when people are taken out for the few day survival trips where people are shown how to live completely off the jungle. While we were all sitting around eating Denis was in the river and just with his hands and maschette caught a fish which had to be at least 30cm long and then they made us tea and coffee in long pieces of bamboo and poured it to us in the bamboo cups they had made for us. After eating we all swam around in the river for a bit, cleaned up and we were off down the river again. This time we all got a go. We all stood up and were given bamboo sticks to help push the boat along. We only had 4 sticks but 5 people so we pulled over and darren jumped out and just quick as a flash made a new one, so we could all have one. This put us behind everyone else but we soon caught up and it became a race between us and Denis' and williams' boat which had Kirsty, Jason and maria on it. Which seriously just ended with everyone of us being thrown in and Jason and Denis going in as well. Halfway through our race it absolutely bucketed down. The rain was soon heavy and there was thunder and lightening and we had the best time. We were all slipping everywhere and laughing and sam got a chunk of it on his go pro which should be awesome. Once the rain stopped and we got to the end It was really quite deep and we all just started pushing each other in. Denis even picked up Kirsty and threw her in at one point. And a bunch of us just ended up swimming to the stairs where we were getting out. We had the best fun. Of course, thanks to Denis (knickname Denis the menis) half the group had consumed quite a bit of rice whisky which started at 9.30am when we left off and just continued all day and didnt stop until bed. But we got off the rafting at about 3.30pm. Ooohh haaa. After taking all of the stuff off the rafts the bidayu dismantled the rafts and we helped carry the pieces out and placing them on the trailer. Apparently we are the second group ever to help pack up and put everything on the trailer. The little village was very cute. We all went to the little local shop to get cold drinks which was a room in someones house with locked bars across the front and she just handed us what we wanted through the bars. We did have to wait a little though, which was fine, cause her 1 month old baby was crying, who was very cute. There was another house window selling Burger's for like 2-3 ringgets, which is insane. A burger for $1.... A van then arrived with our dry cloths and we got all changed in valentines uncles house who lives in the village that we ended the rafting in. Which was super nice of him. Them back to our peraya longhouse (stopping for snacks and ice cream on the way of course) and slight rally driving on the way. At the longhouse we all showered and I washed my wet cloths and we settled in for dinner. After dinner valentines 2 daughters and niece did two traditional dances to gongs (3 gongs and 3 symbols) in traditional costumes and then taught us how to do them. The second dance is usually one that is done by the older women of the tribes that had rings and bells around there legs and arms so they don't move around much. The first one was ladies and callam who was wearing a red and white traditional vest. And the second was all of us in a circle. Then we took turns at the drumming. I had two sticks and three gongs (symbols) and was the lead and Alex said i did it really well (winning). The whole while some people where taking turns having massages. I was going to have one but 1 lady to 10 people seemed a rough, so only about 4 people ended up with massages in the end. After the drumming we all sat around and chatted and people were laughing and drinking and having a good time. Callam and Sam had their backs cracked by one of the locals which looked painful but apparently felt amazing. Kirsty, Jason and I had a good chat with Alex. Whose day job is a technician for hotels in kuching and when he is not working he is out with peraya adventures and loves it. And camps up and down the river and in forest areas in his free time. He then asked how we felt about what Alvin and valentine are trying to do for conservation, and I asked him the same. He was saying that he doesn't think its going to work. That technology and modern advancements are going to overtake our natural environment and cultural history. Its interesting to think that the locals who are my age really have no faith in the protection of their own conservation, that modern advancements and technology are just going to take over. I guess that's why Alvin and valentine want to start in schools and get kids when they are young and show them a world of what they could be missing out on. We need to find a way to keep up with the world while holding onto our heritage and traditions.Read more