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July 7: Longhouse, Long Boat, Long Drum

Our day began with yet another buffet breakfast at the hotel. The veranda to the dining room opened up to a spectacular view of the reservoir, and after fueling up for the morning, we strolled the lush gardens of the hotel grounds. The Hilton Batang Ai is built in the style of a longhouse, which is the traditional form of shelter for many of the indigenous tribes in Borneo. It is as it sounds- one really long house, with multiple rooms opening up into a wide, common corridor. As many as hundreds of people can live in one longhouse, and most of them will be related.
At 9 am, we headed down to the jetty, where we had arrived at the hotel by boat the day before, and were picked up in motorized longboats by residents of an Iban tribe longhouse that we would be visiting later today. We had a peaceful ride through the morning mist, gliding low on the glassy water. Our guides reminded us to balance ourselves in the narrow boat, and assured us that the crocodiles that lived in the reservoir were strict vegetarians. Fabulous.
Our first stop was at a village school on an island in the reservoir about 40 minutes away. The school housed students in the primary grades from neighboring longhouses, as well as students from villages as far away as a 10 hour boat ride. As we pulled up to the school’s jetty, we could here the cheers of the children as they ran out to the docks to greet us, some of them waving from the windows of their classrooms. We brought with us some pencils and note books as gifts for the school, and had the opportunity to tour the school grounds and hang out with the kids. They were so amazing!
All of the students board at the school in simple dormitories, and children as young as 6 years old were able to groom themselves, do their own laundry and communicate with us articulately in English. Some of the little girls fell in love with Jack and followed us as we went from one classroom to another, calling his name and saying hello.
Some of the older boys we met entertained us with a song when I asked, and sang a very spirited, rhythmic version of a song I soon identified as “10 Little Fingers.” They even did a little breakdancing! It was such a treat to see this charming school with the beautiful students in such an idyllic setting. Education is a top priority for the Malaysian government and the rate of students who go on to university grows higher each year.
Our next stop was a traditional longhouse about 10 minutes further down the reservoir, and the residents welcomed us into their home with hot Chinese tea, home-brewed rice wine (very ricey with a tart aftertaste) and warm smiles.
They brought out traditional tribal instruments, which looked similar to the Indonesian gongs and gamelans, and performed several Iban dances in their traditional dress. The headman of the longhouse welcomed us into his room and proudly showed us pictures of his daughters, two of whom had graduated from the university and were now working in the city.
For lunch, they served us a home-cooked meal of sticky rice wrapped in a large leaf, chicken steamed in bamboo cookware, okra and fresh fruit. All of the residents were so kind and gentle and when it was time for us to leave, they pulled up their longboats and quietly took us back to our hotel on the other side of the reservoir.
It was 2pm by the time we got back, but with the intense heat and humidity, we decided to rest in the room for a bit before heading out to cool off at the pool. That night, the hotel hosted a great barbeque and we ate outside on the veranda while enjoying a spectacular sunset.
After dinner, we met up with our guide Thomas for a beer by the poolside, and learned some interesting facts about this gentle, cheerful man whom we’ve come to trust so much in just a few days. He works so hard to ensure our safety and comfort in this trip, and it is apparent that he loves his work and has a lot of pride for his country. He himself was actually born in a longhouse, grew up in the jungle and often leads intense jungle-trekking, mountain-climbing, cave-exploring expeditions for travelers seeking adventure and intrigue. He told us some hilarious stories of past experiences guiding, as well as more personal stories about his family and his hopes for his children. Our evening with him under the stars was yet another example of the warm and gentle nature of the native people.