War drums pound, gongs chime and smoke rises up to the skulls hanging from the inner ceiling.
When you step into the round Bidayuh head-house, you are surrounded by bamboo. It is difficult not to strip down to your loincloth and start dancing in what appears to be a special celebration.
For man, Borneo elicits visions of headhunters prowling around a dense tropical forest on the lookout for their next catch.
Although the days of headhunting in Sarawak (and so far, everywhere) are long past, you can still see remnants of those days and other unique sights besides in Malaysia’s largest state.
Sarawak stretches across the north-west coast of Borneo, the world’s third largest island, and offers attractions ranging from a tranquil beach resort to an orangutan rehabilitation centre.
The capital, Kuching, sits on the banks of the Sarawak River 32km from the South China Sea. Explore outward from here into the rainforests, mountain ranges and rivers of these wild lands.
There are more than 20 different tribes living in Sarawak. Many Iban people, whose ancestors were the notorious headhunters of Borneo, continue to live in traditional longhouse villages deep within the rainforest.
At the longhouse villages, community members welcome you with traditional dances and a meal.
Be prepared to shoot a blowpipe with a Penan man or dance with the exuberant Malay men and women.
The entire area provides a practical, yet colorful and lively, learning experience for visitors and locals alike about the culture, traditions, and crafts of the Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu, Penan, Chinese and Malay people.
After a tiring day of dancing and blowpipe shooting, try something completely different. Take a leisurely afternoon observing orangutans eating bananas at the Semonggok Rehabilitaion Centre, only 22 kilometres from Kuching.
Sarawak calls itself the best-kept secret in South-east Asia. Explore this secret in combination with a visit to Singapore or Peninsular Malaysia or pay a more in-depth visit to Sarawak itself. Don’t forget to keep your head about you.
CATHERINE SENECAL
Kuching is accessible by air only. There are several flights daily from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flights leave Brisbane for Kuala Lumpur on Thursdays and Sundays.