Story and photos © Barb & Ron Kroll In Issue 85 (Winter 2012), we wrote about Malaysia for CSANews. Years later, we returned to Malaysia and discovered that we had missed its most astonishing state – Sarawak. To get to the largest of Malaysia’s 13 states – located on the northwest coast of Borneo, the world’s third-largest island – we flew for 100 minutes from Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur to Sarawak’s modern capital city, Kuching. From here, we joined a guided cultural tour that was punctuated with surprises. We knew that we’d spend a night in a former headhunter’s longhouse, but we didn’t expect to see a bundle of severed human skulls hanging from the rafters when we arrived. Cobwebs spanned the lifeless eye sockets of the purloined heads, so we realized with relief that they weren’t fresh. Our tour guide Joseph was Bidayuh – one of 27 ethnic groups in Sarawak. “We’re also called Land Dayaks,” he explained, “because years ago, the Ibans drove us inland. Ibans are the largest group, comprising 30% of the population. They had the reputation of being the most fearsome of Borneo’s headhunters. The longhouse where we’re staying is Iban. I also grew up in a longhouse, and I speak Iban as well as Bidayuh.” SURPRISING SARAWAK What do peppercorns, a river journey and headhunters have in common? 14 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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