Sungai Terok Kara

Dear travel journal,
Today we left our jungle home and headed back to the mainland. We packed up the entire long house. Hung everything up, put everything away and loaded everything else and everyone into the long boats and we were off down the river. The plan was to drop us all off at the batang ai resort and then we would catch the resort ferry with the guys at the resort back to the main jetty. While Alvin and Christina and the iban head over to the long boat jetty, pack the van and head over to pick us up. However, in my boat was Christina, myself and a bunch of the boxes, and I was forgotten about and taken with the stuff to the long boat jetty. It was OK though, I helped unpack the boats and pack the van and got a chance to say goodbye to all of the iban, who told me to visit again. And I also got a chance to see and say hello to the cheif of the longhouse we stayed in a couple of years ago, who was there to pick up a great projects group, which was nice. Sorted and in the van, we headed over to pick up everyone and I caught up with the guys who spent the night at the resort. Then we piled into the van and headed down to little local restraunt for lunch. The little town we stopped in obviously don't get many whitie visitors. We are becoming quite used to standing out where ever we go, lol. From there we headed to the jungle chiefs usual place of residence. The original plan was to head into peraya home stay but the chief had offered to host us in his home for a night, an offer we couldn't pass up. Driving up to the longhouse definitely showed us just how different longhouses can be. It was more like a semi modern, semi traditional 2 story apartment block with each house/unit directly next to each other (sharing walls), for at least 20 residences. From the front it looked like each door lead into each residence. Like most traditional long houses it had two front sections, known as lecks or entertainment areas, one uncovered - the massive concreted area in front of and the length of the entire longhouse, then out of the van, greeted by the chief and through the first door (he was right down the end), and you actually walked into a massive tiled hallway that ran the length of the entire longhouse. I'm gonna guesstimate like 400meters, opened and tiled all the way down. Each residence is exactly the same size but what they do with it, is completely up to them. Most houses have lounge, Kitchen and bathroom down stairs and bedrooms and storage upstairs. Jungle chief is not the chief here at his residential longhouse he is just a member of the community. Inside his front door was a massive living area, with a dry kitchen further in and his bedroom to the left. Further back through a door is the wet kitchen and further again the toilets and shower. We all sat around the lounge and some ladies of the familys of the guys who were with us in the jungle long house (who also have their own residences in this longhouse) came down to help our cheifs wife with cooking etc. We had sticky rice in bamboo and coconut and sugar wrapped in coconut milk based type outside. The texture was a little odd for me but the inside was nice, with tea and coffee. After afternoon tea, we explored the long house. Outside our chief has a vegi patch, roosters, chickens and a pig, as well as a river that runs along side the property. After exploring we all started having showers because we were melting and gross, even Alvin and Christina where struggling in the heat. While waiting for my turn I helped Christina and the chiefs wife with dinner prep. Then it was my turn, the cold water was amazing. Once we were all showered we gathered in the lounge again and lots of people from other houses joined us, including the chief of this village. We all sat whities on one side, iban on the other. Once dinner was ready it was all laid out on the floor ready for serving but first we waited for for our chief to pray. The majority of the people in this region of the country are devote catholic. He lite 2 white pillar candles and from the bible read a prayer and added a section that said something along the lines of "thank you to the English and Australian for their help in fighting against the evil that threatens their lands and traditions." Which is amazing. Then our chief did an old ceremony called 'the washing of the feet ceremony'. He got 13 glasses (10 of us, Alvin, christina and Frankie) filled them with rice wine and put a boiled egg inside. Then one at a time from oldest to youngest (the boys are both younger then me turns out) the village chief shook our hand and handed us a glass and we had to drink the rice wine in one, then tip out the egg and break it on the glass rim, peal it and eat it. This symbolizes getting rid of bad spirits, cleansing our spirit and the egg sign of rebirth and new beginnings. After the ceremony we all tucked into dinner, except the iban who had apparently eaten in their own homes and just watched us eat. After dinner Anne and I cleared everything away and everyone was drinking and having a good time. Alvin drunk is hilarious. The other iban slowly started leaving and 2 houses of jungle tribe members took a couple home to host for the night. Jason and maria went to one house and Julie and Phillip to another. The rest of us put mattresses out on the floor of the lounge room, got sorted for bed, watched a tiny bit of TV and then turned off all the light.Read more