Kuching, the City of Cats [Joshua Burke]

KUCHING

After a three day journey from Singapore, Sea Glass arrived in Kuching. We went up the Sarawak River and found a nice government marina. The harbormaster is here and immigrations and customs is a small car ride away, so it is very convenient. Most of the boats at the marina have just been dumped here for years. Just us and another Australian solo on another boat are the only people staying at the marina. Kuching is located in the Malaysia Province of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. It is the provincial capital of Sarawak and Kuching means “the city of cats”. It is located near two main rivers and 40% of the city is national park. I have heard people say it is an amazing city so I could not wait to explore it.

Me above the city of Kuching. Notice how spread out the city is. 

One of the many cat statues around the city. 

Our reliable Malaysian box car brought us around Kuching. 

In Malay, museum is spelled with a z. 

After we got checked into the country we got a good nights rest. Mom, my brothers, and I headed off to the Cat Museum in our rental car. With my good navigational skills (and help of an IPod), we found the Cat Museum. The museum was in the Kuching North City Hall and the building itself was architecturally amazing. Entry to museum was free but you had to pay three ringit (one dollar) to take photos. The museum is the world’s first cat museum and has over 4,000 feline exhibits, photos, art, and souvenirs! It has the only complete skeleton of the rarest cat species in the world, the Borneo Bay Cat. It had tons of stuffed cats, paintings and drawings of cats, and an entire section dedicated to Garfield! I had never seen anything like it.

The Cat Museum. 

The Borneo Bay Cat. 

The many stuffed animals. 

After the museum we decided to see Fort Margherita. The fort was designed on that of a late English Renaissance castle and was built in 1879 by the White Rajah Sir Charles Brooke. The fort was built in an ideal strategic position, on a raised bend of the river with a great view in every direction. However, it was constructed to convey power and security of the government, not for defense. The fort does have two jail cells though. It looked like the fort would never suffer an attack… until 19^th of December 1941 when the Japanese attacked. I guess the fort couldn’t hold off the onslaught because the fort fell along with all of Sarawak on Christmas day 1941. In all, the fort has flown four different flags in its lifetime. The flag of Raj of Sarawak for 62 years, the Hinomaru (Japanese flag) during WW2, the Union Jack until 1963, and the flag of the State of Sarawak after it joined Malaysia. I thought the fort was amazing but they closed off the tower and the main area where the cannons are.  

Me with Fort Margherita in the background.

Another attraction we went to was the old Sarawak Museum. The Museum was built by Charles Brooke (the same guy who built Fort Margherita) in 1891. The building was for exhibiting the handicrafts of the indigenous people and the wildlife of Sarawak. It was designed by a French aide of Brooke who modeled it after the Normandy Town Hall in France. We were unfortunately not allowed to take photos inside. But inside there were many stuffed animals of all different kinds, bones of giant whales and orcas that were found in 1919, and many kinds of cone shells that shoot poisoned barbs. My favorite exhibit was the reptile exhibit. It has stuffed cobras, stuffed giant Borneo turtles, and three crocodile skulls. The stuffed flying squirrels and birds were cool too.

Me with a genuine British cannon. The cannon even had the royal seal still on it.  

The second floor of the museum was the handicrafts of the indigenous people. Until fairly recently head hunting was practiced in Borneo and the Sarawak region. When the head hunters got their skulls, they put the skulls over a fire for good luck. If the skulls were not over a burning fire, bad luck would descend among the house. Beside from the headhunting there also was information on the traditional long houses that some people here still live in today. There was a replica longhouse that Queen Elizabeth the second and her sons visited. There were also many traditional weapons and ceremonial costumes on display.

The Semenggoh Nature Park is a park where orangutans that were once kept illegally as pets are trained to live in the wild before being released back into the wild. We came in the morning because that is when you have the best chance to see the orangutans when they are eating breakfast. As soon as we parked the car and walked into the park we immediately saw a young orangutan male. He was climbing around a tree eating a sugar cane stick a ranger tossed up to him. We also saw a mommy orangutan with her very young and cute baby. They were swinging from tree to tree on ropes eating leaves. The orangutans were very fascinating.

The young orangutan male. 

The mommy orangutan with her baby above her. The baby has the lighter hair.

On the way out of the reserve we took a walk on the bamboo garden trail. The Borneo river and forest were amazing and you could hear noises of animals all around you. I thought I saw a crocodile in the river but it probably just a log.

After leaving the park we decided to go find one of the original longhouses. We drove on the well-maintained roads for about two hours through Sarawak enjoying the breathtaking view, but we couldn't find any. Eventually we pulled over for a lunch break in the outskirts of a village. As we were eating yummy wraps in the car, a Malay guy and his younger kids asked us if we wanted to go to his son's first birthday party at his house. We said sure and followed him to his house. His son was so cute and I told his kids (who spoke surprisingly good English) about our travels by boat. They were very fascinated. After a long talk and many thanks we started home.

On our last day in Kuching we went to the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV). SCV is a place that teaches you about Sarawak's rich cultural diversity. In the village there are seven authentic ethnic houses built around a man-made lake. The lake represents how most Sarawakians built their longhouses along rivers or costal areas. Each longhouse is that of a different group. There are seven main groups in the Sarawak region, the Bidayuh, the Iban, the Penan, the Orang Ulu, the Melanau, the Malays, and the Chinese. Each of the different groups had different customs, ways of life, and even spoke a different language!

The original Malay stairs are just carved out of a log. 

The bamboo bridge.

Before we saw any of the houses we ate a traditional Malay meal. The coconut cooked rice and chicken, the special fish, it was all delicious. We ate for so long that we only had time to see three houses before the Malay cultural show started. The Bidayuh people count up for 8.4% of Sarawak's population and live in western Sarawak. Early European travelers gave them the name "Land Dayaks" because they lived in the mountains. They lived in the mountains for easy protection against enemies and for access to pure mountain water. The first Bidayuh building we saw was used as a watchtower. Young bachelors lived in the watchtower and when the village was attacked they were called to arms. The Bidayuh longhouse was a mammoth structure. There were many different parts to the building and it was built on stilts high above the ground.

The Bidayuh watchtower. 

The huge bidayuh longhouse.

The next longhouse we visited was the Iban longhouse. The Iban people, also known as the Sea Dayaks, build their houses to last 15 to 20 years or until the land in the area is exhausted. Then they packed up their things and went to find nice fertile land. Their longhouses are almost always built near a navigable river. 1/3 of all Sarawakians are Iban. While some live in the cities, most still prefer the longhouses.

The Iban longhouse. 

We made it just in time to see the Malay cultural show. The performers did many dances from the different tribes.  You can see some resemblance between the local Thai and Malay dances, but for the most part the Malay dances were very unique in their own way. On one of the dances a guy was swung round and round while sitting on an elevated narrow pole! I even got up and danced on the last dance.

One of the dances. 

Mom and I with one of the performers.

Sarawak was so much fun exploring!

Thanks for reading!

Joshua

The Mystic Islands of Myanmar (Part 2) [Joshua Burke]

Cool Adventures

While at Minquar we took our first adventure trip. After getting towed by Dad in the kayak, we arrived at the nearby island called Kin Quar. The middle of the island was a lagoon, and the only way in was to wait for low tide and then go through a natural tunnel. The central lagoon was about 400 meters (1200) feet across and was at its deepest point 10 meters (30 feet) down. Below the waves there was a surprising amount of sea life. The bulk of the animals were sea urchins, but there was also many fish and corals. My favorite animal that I saw was the Christmas tree worm. I love how when you put your finger next to them, they retreat their beautiful feeders into their shell.  

Being towed behind the dinghy was so much fun!

Going through the natural tunnel.

Inside Kin Quar. 

Marble Island (pronounced Marbar) was very similar to Kin Quar. It had a central lagoon in its center, and had nice beaches. Before we could check the lagoon out though, we had to wait for the island officer to come back to the island to help guide us on our adventure.

After an hour of waiting we headed off in two kayaks and one paddleboard. It was a very tight fit going through the natural tunnel that led to the lagoon. I had to lie on my back so I could fit. It was an extraordinary view in the middle of the island. You could see many nests and their birds as rays of sunshine filtered in through the cracks in the rocks. You could hear splashing of the water as fish jumped out of our way.

In the middle of Marble Island.

At the far side of the lagoon there was a cave that the island officer wanted us to come check out. As soon as I stepped out of my kayak I sank to my knees in goopy mud. The mud was so goopy I had to take off my shoes and go barefoot. It was time to get dirty. After a difficult walk I made it to the foot of the cave. I looked into the cave, and saw pitch darkness. Luckily we brought flashlights. There was this weird noise we heard while in the cave. When we shined our lights on the cave wall, we saw who was making the noise. It was bats. They were everywhere. We even spotted cute baby bats. Near the end of the tunnel I wrote my name using something squishy from the floor, (it was probably bat poo), on the wall.

Us with the island officer outside the cave. 

A SCARY creepy crawly that was the size of my hand. 

As we headed back toward the natural tunnel that would take us out of the lagoon, we saw that it was gone. The tide had risen so far that the natural tunnel was under water. So the only way out now was to leave the kayaks and the paddleboard in the lagoon and climb our way out. Luckily this had happened to the island officer many times and he knew a trail. The trail was nearly vertical and you had to climb on sharp rocks going up and down. When we finally made it out, the island officer had gotten out of the island, swam to his boat, and came over with his boat to pick us up. He was fast!

Going up...

...And down.

Heading back to the boat.

After getting out of Marble Island Arnold, Jacob, James, and I went in the dinghy around 7 p.m. to see if we could get through the natural tunnel. The water was still too high. While inside, we heard a noise that sounded like bats. When we shined our light on the wall, there were tons of bats all over. Suddenly they started flying and hitting James, who was holding the light. We quickly turned it off. They must have been trying to figure out what the bright light was.

Later, Arnold and I headed back to the beach to ask the island officer when the water was low enough so that we could get our kayaks and paddleboard back. He said the water was not low enough until 11 p.m. I tried to stay up until then by reading American Sniper, but I fell asleep at roughly 10:30. When I woke up the next morning the kayaks and the paddleboard were on the boat.

Sea Glass off Marble Island. 

At an island called one one five, we were going to do something that I have been looking forward to the entire trip. Bonfire night! Arnold, Jacob, James, and I headed into the beach well before nightfall to build the fire pit and gather supplies for the fire. We first built a small test fire and it lit, but we didn’t have the wood to keep it going. After the fire went out we dug a bigger pit, lined it with big, smooth rocks, and collected a big pile of dry wood and leaves. We even built a spit to go over the fire. By the time we finished it was getting dark, so we headed back to the boat to pick up Mom, Dad, and the food. 

We wanted a big fire. So we put on tons of leaves and branches in the pit, poured kerosene on it, and lit it up. The fire was so big it caught the spit of fire! We then proceeded to cook and eat cheesy sausages with Mom’s homemade bread. The best part of the night however, was cooking marshmallows. We happened to find what you needed for smores in a Western store in Phuket. Smores have never tasted better. Before leaving the beach we sent off a load of fireworks. There was this one box that had 180 fireworks in it. I had tons of fun!

Bonfire Night!!!

Thanks for reading!

Joshua      

The Mystic Islands of Myanmar (Part 1) [Joshua Burke]

It was such a relief to be finally out of Thailand. We had planned to go to Myanmar (Burma) in December/January, but with continuing problems with the boat we were not able to get to Myanmar until February. Our permit allowed us into the country for 18 days. While we were in Myanmar a Burmese person had to stay on our boat and we could only go so far north. Some of the islands located off Western Myanmar were off limits because they were occupied by the military. We checked in at the port of Kawthoung, which is located across the river from the Thai city of Rangoon on 2/3/15. Arnold, the Burmese person from the Ministry of Travel and Tourism that would be staying on the boat, would be our guide, translator, etc. He ended up being a pretty cool guy, and helped me with work on the boat. He also helped us plan our destinations and pick good anchoring and adventure spots. I split up what we did in Mergui Archipelago into sections.

Arriving at Kawthoung

Arnold and me on Sea Glass

Playing games while on passage. 

 

Diving

One of the main reasons for going into Myanmar was definitely the diving. With it being hard and expensive to get in, most of the reefs and sites had no tourists. I got my dive certification in 2011, and I’m glad I did. If I hadn’t I would not have seen half the stuff I did on this amazing voyage.

Here are all the dives we did while in Myanmar:

2/5/15 Westerly Rock

Max depth 21.3 meters (63 feet)

Time spent 32 min

A fun dive off a rock and has great visibility.  

Me with Westerly Rock 

2/7/15 the rock off Khiayin Quar

Max depth 19.1 meters (57 feet)

Time spent 37 min

All the wild life!

2/9/15 Shark Cave

Max depth 15.5 meters (46.5 feet)

Time spent 37 min

Make sure you find the cave before you go in the water. Once we found the cave we were running low on air, so we did not go into the cave. 

2/12/15 Black Rock

Max depth 25 meters (75 feet)

Time spent 41 min

A fun, casual dive. You can spend forever exploring all the nicks and crannies.

At the surface after diving a black rock. 

2/13/16 Taua Rock

Max depth 25.3 meters (75 feet)

Time spent 39 min

You dive over a pinnacle were there is tons of sea anemones.  

The tons of sea anemones. 

2/19/15 High Rock

Max Depth 17 meters (51 feet)

Time spent 29 min

Not a beginner dive. The current rips around the corners super fast. You have to look out for sea urchins when you grab hold of the rocks.   

My favorite dive spot was Westerly rock, (it unfortunately did not have cowboys and Indians on it). However, it did have many fish, coral, and it had a visibility of 40 meters (120 feet). Amazing! Another spectacular dive that we did was Black Rock. This rock is in the middle of nowhere, and therefore had untouched wild life. There were massive moray eels, tons of sea anemones, and I even saw a cuttlefish.  

Zooming around on the dinghy after a dive

 People

Many of these islands are uninhabited. The ones that have people living on them have villages, dry season fishing villages, or Salone (marine nomads) villages. There are many fishing boats in the area but they live on their boats. However the fishermen do come into the villages for trading, supplies, and repairs. We did go to a village called Galan Village. The people there were extremely nice and we gave many clothes to the Salone and the Burmese school. Arnold also showed us the local temple that was under construction. We met and talked, through Arnold, with the second-head monk in the area. The monk told us that they were going to build a small resort to house the people that would come to see the new temple.

Giving clothes to some Salone people. 

A very cute puppy I found. 

The temple under construction. 

Another village we went to was Lak Ang Village. The village used to have over 700 people, but most of the people moved to the other side of the island and started a new village. Lak Ang Village is a fishing boat village and serves as a regional hub for the much larger fishing company. The company also aids other independent boats that need repairs. The man who ran the 20-boat fleet took us for a tour of the village. The village kept all different kinds of animals such as pigs, chickens, and goats. We also saw two giant wood boats that were under construction.

A big transport boat under construction. 

Having fun on the beach at Lak Ang Village. 

I'm the fat Momma. 

Oink! 

At Wale Island (pronounced wali, like the movie) we went in to check out Sa-Lak-Gala Village. The village was a Burmese village and had about a hundred people. On the beach we gave the kids kites and footballs. But what the kids loved were these poppers. You would pull the strings and confetti came out of it in a loud bang. Going through the village we saw some kids playing traditional football. It is a sport like volleyball, but you can only use your feet and head to hit the ball. It looked really challenging.

On Bocho Island there was a village called Mo-Kyounk Village. The village had over two thousand Burmese and Salone people living in it. In the village James, Jacob, and I gambled against some villagers in a local game. The game worked like this. You bet money on any of six animals, an elephant, a peacock, a tiger, a dragon, a horse, and a guy we called whipping guy because he held a whip. Once everyone bet, the man running the game rolled three dice. Each side of the dice had a different animal. If one of the die showed the animal that you bet on, you would earn double the money you had bet. It was great fun and I left with more then I had started. We also played soccer (football) with the school kids. They were very good, and our team won barely: 7-6.

Bringing the rest of our spare clothes into the village. 

At the local temple. 

The betting game. 

Yes!!!

Now to talk a little bit about the Salone (Mokken) people.          

The Salone people are like the Native Americans of North and South America. The Salone were already living in Myanmar before the Burmese arrived like the Native Americans were in America before the Europeans arrived. The Salone are marine nomads. They build and live on their own boats, never staying in one place for a long time. They have weird superstitions such as never lie on your stomach when it’s raining and if you whistle or sing while traveling a storm will brew. As we sailed through Myanmar we did not see any of the traditional Salone people because during the rainy season they are out in their boats and try to avoid contact with people. The Salone that we have seen have begun integrating with the Burmese and adopting their language and culture.  

A salone boy happy with his new clothes.

Hiking

With most of the islands we visited being pretty small or being uninhabited, trails were uncommon. However one island that we visited, Khiyin Quar, had a trail. The island had a resort on it, but it was only open during the rainy season when people came out to surf on the giant waves that came. The trail was quite steep and challenging, and while climbing giant mosquitoes kept trying to land on you and suck your blood. It was all worth it when we reached the top of the mountain. The view was breath taking; you could see the entire island from there.

The easy part of the hike.

Enjoying a break.

At the top!

At Sulak Mau Island we headed into a village to check it out. The villagers were very kind and offered us drinks. We gave them a ball for there volleyball net, and Jacob, James, and I played volleyball with the kids. One of the villagers then showed us the generator and the fresh water lake. We decided then to do a short hike to see the water supply lakes for the main lakes. It was a fun hike, going through the center of the river. There were many animals such as dragonflies and crayfish. The smart villagers took the mountain rain runoff and channeled it to their man-built lakes. That way they could have water all year round and sell it to the fisherman who came to the village.

One of the fresh water lakes. 

Don't miss The Mystic Islands of Myanmar (Part 2) where I get dirty, use bat poo, and set a spit on fire! 

Thanks for Reading 

Joshua 

Arnold, Jacob, and I cutting the net that got caught on our anchor chain.