Life In Borneo

Posted by Raz on July 23rd, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Hot Spots, Travels

The award winning Sarawak Cultural Village is a living museum of cultural diversity and fascinating heritage. Located at the foothills of Mount Santubong, the misty atmosphere adds to the touch of mystery and sets the scene taking you back to the days of legends and myths.

Main entrance to the village.

This living museum depicts the cultures of the major racial groups in Sarawak like the Malay, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Penan, Chinese and more.

Orang-Ulu house

Melanau House

Bidayuh House

19 Tree of life wall decoration

Spanning 14 acres, traditional houses complete with the people in their ethnic costumes are always there to welcome you.

How to get there :
by shuttle bus: price RM 10.00
by taxi cab: price RM 40.00
(approximately about 1 hour drive from Kuching city to the village)

Sarawak Cultural Village
Pantai Damai, Santubong,
P.O.Box 2632, 93752 Kuching,
Sarawak, Malaysia.
Tel: (+6082) 846 411
Fax: (+6082) 846 988
Email: info@scv.com.my
Web: www.scv.com.my

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Posted by Daniel on July 1st, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Promotionals, Travels

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

In the fourth and final part of our coverage of the World Harvest Festival 2008, we have the Miss Fair & Lovely 2008 Ethnic Beauty Pageant, where 14 young and beautiful contestants vie for the honour of being chosen as the fairest of them all in this year’s World Harvest Festival.

All 14 contestants

their special performances before the result announce

Ms. Siti Rokiah Abdul Majed, Miss Congeniality 2008

Ms. Pearlycia Brooke, Miss SMS Voters 2008 and Miss Best Traditional Costume 2008

Ms. Fatin Syahira Yusuf, Miss Beauty Photogenic 2008

Ms. Ramdaniza Hasbi, 2nd Runner-up

Ms. Cassandra Daniel Manja, 1st Runner-up

Ms. Pearlycia Brooke, Miss Fair & Lovely 2008

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Posted by Xander on June 30th, 2008 in Destinations, Hot Spots, Travels

Located along the streets of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and the Main Bazaar, the Kuching Waterfront is situated along the river banks of Sarawak River. Kuching being the state capital of Sarawak, it is also a focal point or gateway for many travelers visiting the Land of the Hornbills. Upon reaching the waterfront, one could already expect the breath-taking scene and anticipating a relaxed and interesting stroll.

The whole stretch of the waterfront are dotted with multifarious choices of stalls to visit. Starting from Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, various food stalls could be found selling local dishes and pastries. Keep walking and you could find other numerous kiosks of food and beverages variegated in their menu as well.

Taking a stroll along the walkway there are more interesting places to visit like the handicraft stalls. Various kinds of mementos are sold from necklaces and/or wrist-bands made of pearls, beads, aventurine and even jade. Souvenirs of key chains or letter-openers made from ceramic, stainless steel and wood are also present to name a few.

For more choices of souvenirs, make your way to the Main Bazaar Handicraft Market which can be found near the Visitor’s Information Center and National Park Booking Office. The handicraft building could easily be identified by being the only two-storey building to grace the waterfront along the street. The towers located facing the river can be visited to get a wider view of the scenic Sarawak River and the Kuching Waterfront.

Finding your way around is made easier with the Tourist information center located near the Waterfront Security building upon the waterfront walkway. Nearby you could find a small hall that has locals performing cultural dances and playing variegated instruments from different ethnic origins within Sarawak.

The Sarawak River is alive somehow with so many boats servicing the entire river, ready to shuttle visitors from one end of the waterfront all the way to the Main Bazaar Market. For a fare you could also make your way across the river and visit the Fort Margherita. Larger vessels are also present to cater to your traveling needs along the river.

The path along the waterfront has many remarkable sights, sound and smell to entice your every need as a traveler to this exceptional location within Kuching City. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself coming back here when the sun sets and when it does, it is a whole new ambiance and experience altogether. To have glimpse of this place at night time go here.

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Posted by Daniel on June 23rd, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Legends

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

In the third part of our coverage of the World Harvest Festival 2008, we have a theme play based on a 500 year old Bidayuh legend, titled Panglima Kulow. The show was played out at the Sarawak Cultural Village’s lake at night, with an army of casts and a display of impressive special effects worthy of a movie.

Once Upon A Time, In The Land of the Hornbills…

The theme play for World Harvest Festival 2008 was titled Panglima Kulow - The Saviour of Bung Bratak. Several generations ago in Sarawak, Panglima Kulow was the leader of the Bidayuh village of Bung Bratak, which have prospered peacefully for generations. He guided his people in time of prosperity, in times of hardship, and in times of rebuilding and renewal. This theme play retold that epic story, using Disney-like special effects and dozens of actors and actresses to play out the tale in front of live spectators.

Lights Off. Silence Please.

As any show would do, the theme play started with the telling of the origin of Panglima Kulow’s tale. But what caught our attention was HOW they start off the show.

Before they began the theme play, they turned off the lights. The entirety of Sarawak Cultural Village was covered in total darkness. Only the whispers of the audience and the creaking chatter of insects could be heard.

Blind as a mole and with only the staffers’ flashlights to illuminate the walk path, we made our way to the guest seatings while imagining how they were going to perform this theme play. As we reached our destination, we discovered that the seating was positioned directly overlooking the lake. It was at that moment that a realization set upon us: they were going to use the lake and its surrounding as their stage.

A Legend Re-enacted

Seven fireballs flew down from the night sky like meteorites, each one trailing after another, and splashed down into the lake in front of an audience of hundreds. A spotlight then moved to highlight the rooftop of one of the longhouses by the lake, where seven dancers were dancing in a graceful and hypnotic motion.

That was how the show’s introduction went off - it gripped the audience’s attention right from the start.

Watching the theme play was like hearing those mystical stories your grandparents used to tell you about, only that it was actually happening right before your waking eyes. Suffice to say, we have never seen anything like it before (in person at least). The amount of special effects that went into this production must have been immense; without those visual effects, the theme play would not have been as jaw-dropping or as memorable.

And they lived happily ever after

The essence of the story, I believe, was unity. Panglima Kulow held his people together in times of hardship throught the unity of his people. Towards the end of the theme play, he united two communities together through the marriage of his son and the daughter of the other tribe. Like the bedtime stories our grandparents used to tell us, the tale of Panglima Kulow’s mystical pull was that it combined entertainment with storytelling in the most surreal way. And like those bedtime stories, there’s always that moral-of-the-story at the conclusion of the tale, and in Panglima Kulow, the point of it was unity. Take out all those visual effects, all those colourful props, and you’ll find a story that teaches you the virtue of living in harmony.

Entertainment, art, culture, teaching - all creatively woven into a brilliant theme play.

Up next, the most unique ethnic beauty pageant…

Stay tuned to lifeinborneo.com as we bring you the final part of our coverage of World Harvest Festival 2008, where we have the Miss Fair & Lovely Ethnic Beauty Pageant.

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Posted by Daniel on June 9th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

In the second part of our coverage of the World Harvest Festival 2008, we have stage performances from the participants of the International Cultural Concert. The show was held inside the Dewan Lagenda located within the Sarawak Cultural Village on the 24th and 25th of May.

Minstrels of Culture and Tradition

This year, the World Harvest Festival brought in guest cultural performers from Pahang, Indonesia and Senegal to enlighten the audience with their own brand of uniqueness to Santubong. They also invited 22-year old Erhu virtuoso from Perak, Ell Zain Hyder Zainuddin (also more famously known as Endang) who enthralled the audience with her soulful play. Although we didn’t managed to catch the Senegalese group in action, we were more than ecstatic to have seen the performances of the other groups.

Bah Bola, from Pahang

From Pahang there was Bah Bola, an indigenous cultural group consisting of members of the Semai (whom are natives of Pahang) and have performed throughout many events in Malaysia. Palm leaves, intricately handcrafted and integrated into their costumes, were obviously central to their unique cultural performance along with musical instruments fashioned out of bamboos. But it was their lead singer that won the hearts of the crowd with his rapid recitation of the word “Bola!”.

Sanggar Tari Bengkawan, from Kalimantan, Indonesia

Hailing from Kalimantan, Indonesia, the Sanggar Tari Bengkawan cultural group showcased traditional dance and music of ethnic Kalimantan people. This was their second time performing for World Harvest Festival. One of the dance piece the group performed was about the rivalry of two princesses; one was of good heart, while the other was wicked. The dance was a show of beauty and motion, in which the dancers were storytellers retelling a folk tale in a poetic ballet.

Endang, from Malaysia

Far from her humble beginnings in Perak, she has since performed on many international arenas such as China, Barcelona, Paris, Singapore and throughout Malaysia. Now Ell Zain Hyder Zainuddin or Endang may add another internationally renowned location to her list of visits. She is an Erhu virtuoso, a Chinese musical instrument of classical charm which, when played perfectly, exudes a hypnotic sound like the calling of an angelic maiden of the orient. Endang played the magic of the Erhu so well it befitted the listening ears of emperors and kings - and the audience definitely felt as such.

Sarawak Cultural Village Dancers

And not to forget, Sarawak Cultural Village’s very own dance troupe, which performed an array of ethnic dance and music such as the Iban Ngajat and the Joget.

The Dance and Music plays on…

Stay tuned to lifeinborneo.com as we bring you Part 3 of our coverage of World Harvest Festival 2008, where we have the theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore, titled Panglima Kulow.

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Posted by Daniel on May 29th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Legends

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

A Cultural Event Extravaganza

There were a line-up of events for visitors to see during the two day cultural extravaganza, and Lifeinborneo.com managed to cover what we considered as highlights of the festival:

International Cultural Concert

An international concert featuring cultural groups from around the region. This year they brought in Bahbola from Pahang (a cultural group consisting of Pahang natives, the Semai) and Sanggar Bengkawan Cultural Group from Kalimantan, Indonesia. World Harvest Festival also invited 22-year old Erhu virtuoso Ell Zain Hyder Zainuddin from Perak who enthralled the audience with her soulful play. She is also more famously known as Endang.

Theme Play - Panglima Kulow

Based on a Bidayuh folklore five centuries old, this theme play tells the epic of Panglima Kulow and how he guided his people in times of prosperity, hardship and rebuilding. The play was performed at the Sarawak Cultural Village’s lake at night, with a cast of dozens and a display of amazing special effects.

Ethnic Beauty Pageant Grand Finals - Miss Fair & Lovely WHF 2008

The grand finals for the Miss Fair & Lovely WHF 2008 was held on the first night of the festival. 14 young and beautiful contestants made it through to the finals, but only one will don the queen’s tiara. Introduced 10 years ago, Miss Fair & Lovely is different from other ethnic beauty pageant in that it is open to all single ladies regardless of race. The brand name Fair & Lovely has been sponsoring this event since 1998.

More to come

Stay tuned to lifeinborneo.com as we will bring you more coverage of the events at the World Harvest Festival 2008!

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Posted by Raz on April 24th, 2008 in Destinations, Events, Wildlife

22 April, MULU: Mulu National Park took another step forward in understanding and respecting the millions of bats at Deer Cave in the national park with the launching of the first webcam of real time unintrusive viewing of the mammals in their natural habitat.

The Mulu Batcam facility was launched by Prince Albert II of Monaco during his first visit to Mulu on Sunday.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu and State Secretary Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot were among those present during the launching ceremony.

The group braved the rain, walking through the three-km walkway through the verdant virgin rainforest, to reach Deer Cave, where the iconic image of Lincoln profile has filled promotion brochures and many travel magazines around the world.

The Mulu Batcam project, regarded as another innovative ecotourism development by the state government, was conceived and implemented by Borsamulu Park Management Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

The technical design and implementation of the digital remote wildlife monitoring system was provided by CTG Security Matrix, an international award winning company from Australia, and the project is expected to be entered for another prestigious international award competition.

Mulu Batcam uses five remote controlled special television cameras and infra-red lighting placed inside Deer Cave, home to three million bats, to provide a spectacularly clear detail of bats’ behaviour in their natural habitat with the help of modern digital technology.

Prince Albert and guests were treated to the first hand look of the bats in the caves, including detailed close-up shots of the bats and swiftlets in the cave.

There was a heavy downpour after the visit to the Deer Cave by the Prince and his entourage, and the Batcam revealed the bats staying put in the cave, including caring for their young, grooming and hanging around the huge cave as they forego their meal outside.

Mulu was accorded the world natural heritage site by Unesco in November 2000, and visitors have increased to 25,000 from all over the world, and the arrival of Prince Albert added a touch of royalty to the world renowned site.

Prince Albert later told the local media that he was impressed with Mulu after watching a BBC documentary on the bats of Mulu and learning about the rich bio-diversity in the park from it and hearing personal anecdotes from the commentary director about a year and half ago. With conservation close to his heart, he said Mulu was an amazing spot of natural heritage which should be safeguarded and protected for posterity.

The Batcam project will not only help scientists but will also help to create greater public awareness of the bats and other ecological aspects of Mulu to generate conservation spirit among them.

Earlier, the managing director of Borsamulu Datuk Robert Geneid said Mulu had come a long way since its inception as a national park and eventual Unesco recognition as world natural heritage site.

Human capital development in proper training of park guides, singage, guide books and others together with infrastructure development under Borsamulu have now placed Mulu on the path of world renowned ecotourism destination, he said.

With locals as stakeholders, the park currently employs 80 local staff in park management and another 200 as local guides, while the Mulu Resort employs and trains another 80 to international standard in the tourism industry.

Her Excellency Evelyne Genta, His Excellency Achille Kallakis, Deputy Minister of Tourism Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industries Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan and Telang Usan assemblyman Lihan Jok were also present to witness the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Prince Albert released 40,000 fish fry into the Melinau River on his way to the Clearwater Cave where the royal visitor launched the mini regatta before proceeding to have breakfast at the foot of the cave.

They later left for Miri where they had lunch before flying off to Singapore.

http://www.muluparkbatcam.com

Written by:
Philip Kiew
The Borneo Post
22 April 2008

source: www.sarawaktourism.com

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Posted by Raz on April 20th, 2008 in Events, Festivals

Miri International Jazz Festival aims to be the leading tourism-driven music festival in the region. By assembling regionally and internationally recognised, jazz musicians, the musical event aims to draw visitors to Miri and the Northern Region of Sarawak for a fun-filled and entertaining experience and at the same time showcasing Miri as a city of cosmopolitanism and relaxing lifestyle.

The Miri International Jazz Festival is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board in collaboration with a select group of committee members from the private sectors.

Date: 9 - 10 May 2008
Venue: The Pavilion, Park City Everly Hotel, Miri, Sarawak Malaysia.
Tickets are available online at www.ticketcharge.com.my!
For further enquiries, kindly contact the:
Visitors’ Information Centre
Lot 452, Jalan Melayu in Miri
Tel: 60 85 434181, Fax: 60 85 434179

or log on at www.Mirijazzfestival.com
Email contact: info@mirijazzfestival.com

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Posted by Raz on March 1st, 2008 in Events

For art enthusiasts, come and see some of the latest masterpieces of Sabah’s well-known artists in this annual exhibition.

Date: 6 March - 6 April 2008
Organiser: Sabah Art Gallery
Telephone : +6088 268875
Fax : +6088 210040
Email Contact : gallery_9@msn.com

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Posted by Raz on March 1st, 2008 in Events

www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com

The 3-day festival from 11 to 13 July 2008 is held at the Sarawak Cultural Village, a living museum where the traditional habitats of Sarawak’s major ethnic groups have been lovingly reproduced. Set amid lush rainforest greenery at the foothills of jungle clad Mount Santubong, and a stone’s throw away from the beach resorts of the Santubong peninsula, the village provides the ideal venue for this festival that celebrates nature, ethnic music and the indigenous cultures of the world.

Tickets for the festival, priced at RM80 for a one-day pass and RM200 for a three-day pass for those above 13 years old, are available online at www.ticketcharge.com.my and also at all of Sarawak Tourism Board’s Visitors Information Centre in Kuching (018-410944), Sibu (084-340980) and Miri (085-434180).

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