stir-fried with fragrant wild ginger flowers, onions and anchovies, Star gooseberry stir-fried with egg and giant jungle ferns stir-fried with fragrant wild ginger flowers. Simply incredible, it was a foreign and as unusual as Borneo itself. But that was typical of every meal we had. Top Spot is an aquatic food hall on the top of a multi story car park that serves some of the finest fish this reviewer has ever tasted that, cooked in a choice of sauces and style (e.g. fried, grilled, BBQ, with sambal, sweet and sour, soya or oyster sauce etc.), comes with rice and vegetables such Now fully into the Sarawak (an area the size of England and Scotland) experience we decided to as pok choi. At another food hall in the sticks we ate hinava (raw fish marinated with lime juice visit one of its 18 National Parks and opted for and herbs) is otak (rectangles of fish wrapped in Bako the oldest 22 miles north of Kuching on banana leaf and grilled over charcoal) and with the stunning Muara Teba Peninsular. After a noodles in a spicy soup and were smiled and short car journey and a quite stunning a speed waved at by the locals because, as Peter our boat ride we decided on the easiest of the rather wonderful guide explained, they had never organized jungle treks - Telok Paku - that, even seen white people before. though less than a mile or so took an hour (the longest is 8 hours) and was remarkably testing All in all Sarawak is an amazing place to visit .It is in the sweltering 100 degrees Fahrenheit and also really inexpensive. A double room at the 90 % humidity under dense canopy of trees. Its Riverside including a marvelous breakfast was virtually impossible to comprehend how British just £40 the same at the Damai beach Resort soldiers in 1945 might have walked with heavy guns, full packs in outfits not constructed for this while a three course meal for three of us including drinks at Dyak was AED £40 and a intense humidity through this tangle rock hard mere £45 at Top Spot for a feast including huge roots where one might easily snap an ankle, up prawns, crab, scallops and sea bass. But if you’re and down the steep micro hills under this on a real tight budget you could eat for £6 a day canopy of trees. They have my admiration. (a big bowl of Sarawak Laksa at Mom’s Laksa Kopitia is £1) and stay at the Home Stay Indeed all of these trips had been made from Kuching for £15 a night. But at whatever price Kuching which, but a few hours from most Sarawak is an amazing destination so much so locations on our list, is remarkable as it is a city that I was reluctant to write this as I would hate albeit at rather small one, By now we had to see this destination spoiled by hordes of switched hotels to the lovely five star Riverside Majestic that, less modern than the Pullman, was tourists in search of cheap thrills as it’s more than that. infinitely more charming. We had stayed one night at the tree houses in Permai Rainforest But at whatever price, Sarawak, is a truly amazing Resort that overlooking the beach are indeed very rustic very novel and certainly worth a look. destination that, almost untouched by tourism, is waiting to be discovered by the world. I’d get there soon if I were you. Steeped in the island culture that evening we dined at a rather special restaurant, The Dyak, a restaurant that purveys a mix of Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ul cuisine, which was again a new one on me. On the recommendation of Dyak’s For all info www.sarawaktourism.com owner Alistair (his grandmother was a Dayak Princess whose feet were never allowed to touch the floor) we feasted on chicken cooked in CHRIS SULLIVAN FLEW MALAYSIAN AIRLINES. bamboo with tapioca leaves; Tilapia garnished with ginger and chillies, wrapped in turmeric leaf THANKS TO JO HARTLEY AT HILL BALFOUR and steam-baked Dayak style. Bitter nuts (petai) FOR ARRANGING THE TRIP. Palm oil development allows poachers into exposed habitats that have been cleared for plantations. It is this estimated that the Sumatran tiger will be extinct in less than three years if nothing is done to protect their habitat or combat poachers. As for orang-utans the most threatened are those that live in Northwest Borneo around Sarawak. A mere 1,500 individuals or so remain. Something has to be done.
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