Tuesday, April 05, 2005
the rice wine experience
No, not the name of a seventies hippie guitar rock band - but the 'other' main tourist activity in Borneo.
The 'experience' in question is spending a night in a traditional long-house in the rainforest, inhabited by none other than the reformed head-hunters of Borneo. The deal is you visit the families, have dinner, watch a cultural dance (you think we might have learned after the crap we have been subjected to in the guise of cultural dances - but no!), get tipsy on rice wine, sleep-over, practice shooting blow darts and watch a cock fight, then trundle on off back to civilisation.
So, we were sitting in our travel agency van yesterday morning preparing to be underwhelmed. When we were told our group contained only one other member - and then her overwhelming BO preceeded her by several seconds - my heart started to sink... and she was German ffs
But this is not a tale of group package tours gone wrong - in fact just the opposite.
Our tour started with a visit to watch orangutans have breakfast and then a stop at the rainforest food market, where we sampled some funky fruit never to be found in Asda. Followed by a boat ride through the jungle... real jungle... very exciting. The long-house was somewhat traditional - they still had some skulls hanging up which we were assured we over 100 years old - then again they also had TVs and posters of Westlife... but at least it was an honest picture of the contrasts of traditional and modern life.
The cultural dance was performed by the 86 year old village chief complete with loin cloth, tattoos and extended ear piercings. They even convinced the tourists to do a little dancing (after a few glasses of rice wine mind you) - and I captured blackmail gold - a video of Pete dancing wearing feathered cap. Followed by a little shopping for local handicrafts (hurray another wicker basket!) and doling out sweeties to the long-house kids, then it was time for bed. The next day was equally pleasing: I was a natural at blow darting and the cock fighting was only mildly disturbing.
And, as if you don't get the picture yet just how rewarding an experience the long-house tour was, this will hammer my point home - Pete asked the tour guide a question. A trip first. Normally Pete doesn't give a monkey's (his words) what the guide is saying while I listen, rapt. But this time even he was interested enough to ask 'What is their religion?' - of course Mr. ADD had to ask me first to make sure the guide hadn't told us while he wasn't paying attention.
The sole dark cloud on the whole event was knowing CP had lost to Middlesborough the day before.
Back to Kuching this evening and only 1 more day in MalaysiaTrulyAsia before it's off to Indonesia.
The 'experience' in question is spending a night in a traditional long-house in the rainforest, inhabited by none other than the reformed head-hunters of Borneo. The deal is you visit the families, have dinner, watch a cultural dance (you think we might have learned after the crap we have been subjected to in the guise of cultural dances - but no!), get tipsy on rice wine, sleep-over, practice shooting blow darts and watch a cock fight, then trundle on off back to civilisation.
So, we were sitting in our travel agency van yesterday morning preparing to be underwhelmed. When we were told our group contained only one other member - and then her overwhelming BO preceeded her by several seconds - my heart started to sink... and she was German ffs
But this is not a tale of group package tours gone wrong - in fact just the opposite.
Our tour started with a visit to watch orangutans have breakfast and then a stop at the rainforest food market, where we sampled some funky fruit never to be found in Asda. Followed by a boat ride through the jungle... real jungle... very exciting. The long-house was somewhat traditional - they still had some skulls hanging up which we were assured we over 100 years old - then again they also had TVs and posters of Westlife... but at least it was an honest picture of the contrasts of traditional and modern life.
The cultural dance was performed by the 86 year old village chief complete with loin cloth, tattoos and extended ear piercings. They even convinced the tourists to do a little dancing (after a few glasses of rice wine mind you) - and I captured blackmail gold - a video of Pete dancing wearing feathered cap. Followed by a little shopping for local handicrafts (hurray another wicker basket!) and doling out sweeties to the long-house kids, then it was time for bed. The next day was equally pleasing: I was a natural at blow darting and the cock fighting was only mildly disturbing.
And, as if you don't get the picture yet just how rewarding an experience the long-house tour was, this will hammer my point home - Pete asked the tour guide a question. A trip first. Normally Pete doesn't give a monkey's (his words) what the guide is saying while I listen, rapt. But this time even he was interested enough to ask 'What is their religion?' - of course Mr. ADD had to ask me first to make sure the guide hadn't told us while he wasn't paying attention.
The sole dark cloud on the whole event was knowing CP had lost to Middlesborough the day before.
Back to Kuching this evening and only 1 more day in MalaysiaTrulyAsia before it's off to Indonesia.
// posted by courtney and pete @ 20:49 
Comments:
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Hey Pete! I could have saved you the cost of this whole trip If I had only known that it was actually a search for wicker baskets - I have about 5 green garbage bags full of them stashed in the attic!! Garth (FYI - the spouse of the Canadian Aunt and esteemed custodian of the storage space) would more than pleased to get rid of them FOR FREE!!!!!! Stop in to the "other London" while you are here and he will be more than happy to pachage them up for you!
Love,
The Aunt
Love,
The Aunt
# posted by 
: 12:30 pm
: 12:30 pm
In fact, you could have saved the cost of the whole trip by moping about over the beagles in rainy south london (or maybe Guildford...)
Dear Courtney
I find it profoundly revealing that Mr Wylie pays no heed to the words of the guide. Is this beacsue his natural perception allows him to see through the flimsy tissue of factoid and myth spun by the locals ? Or because he has perfected the attitude of seeing the world through a lens, without commentary ? Or because he wants to project his own, infinitely richer narrative onto events ? Or because he's a lazy bogger ? Fascinating, captain...
David
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I find it profoundly revealing that Mr Wylie pays no heed to the words of the guide. Is this beacsue his natural perception allows him to see through the flimsy tissue of factoid and myth spun by the locals ? Or because he has perfected the attitude of seeing the world through a lens, without commentary ? Or because he wants to project his own, infinitely richer narrative onto events ? Or because he's a lazy bogger ? Fascinating, captain...
David
# posted by : 3:56 pm
: 3:56 pm << Home
