We’re still lovin’ Borneo, and not just because Chinese New Years is over and things are finally open again. Here’s what we’ve learned.

While Malaysia is a Moslem-majority country, Christians make up a plurality of the population in Sarawak, the state we’re in; Sarawak in fact has the largest Christian population in the country. Interestingly the Malaysian constitution apparently officially designates all ethnic Malays as Muslim but most people here are not ethnic Malays; they’re Iban, Dayak, Chinese, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, etc., etc. And since the Christian missionaries converted lots of them before the Muslims got here, well, that means there are cool bars and happening restaurants here. Who knew Mark & I would become such big fans of Christian missionaries??

Seriously, we couldn’t make sense out of Kuching until we figured that out. When we were in Penang, there was precisely one classy restaurant in town – the one in our hotel – despite the fact that it’s a big tourist destination. We asked the GM at the hotel why there weren’t others and he told us that too many Muslims simply wouldn’t go into a restaurant that served alcohol and except for his place no one else could afford to give up on locals even with a significant tourist presence. It was just as bad or even worse in Langkowi, Malaysia’s premier beach resort and tourist destination. But here in mid-sized Kuching we’re in foodie paradise?

Well, that’s what you find in a city where the Muslim presence is significantly understated. And I’m OK with that.

Now, onto the really cool stuff. The jungle. Head hunters. Kayaking. Orangutans! Yesterday we did a day trip outside of Kuching. First stop was an orangutan rehabilitation center at feeding time. We were somewhat skeptical of this, since it sounded like we might just be looking at monkeys in a zoo. We needn’t have worried. The Semengoh Wildlife Center is a legitimate research and rehabilitation center in a large nature preserve where dozens of semi-wild orangutans live. They’re not wild anymore, but it’s not as though you could walk up and pet them or anything.

They were amazing to watch. So human-like, and yet so different. Watching them maneuver through the trees using whichever of their four limbs seemed appropriate at the time. Watching them break open and eat through coconuts with their bare hands. The power in their arms and legs and jaws was phenomenal. And, for me at least, doing that just after reading a great book about human evolutionary biology and seeing the links between us and other primates that the author described was really something.

There was a walk-through of a local village. These things can be painfully touristy – “Oh, look how poor and backward these people are!” – but it wasn’t bad. Short, to the point, and the tour company pays the village something for us to walk-through. This being Borneo, of course, they had to include some human skulls from headhunter days, so we got to see those, too.

Finally, the bulk of the day was spent lazily kayaking down the Left Sarawak River. That really felt like we were in Borneo. The sounds and the smells were all very jungly. They assured us that it was a safe river – no crocodiles, no piranhas, no leeches – so it was pretty comfortable. A couple stops for a waterfall and swimming and we were happy little boys.

We’re going to spend another day or two here – still haven’t seen the cat museum, a national park that we can walk around in – and then we’re off to Brunei. It’s supposed to be a painfully boring place, but when you’re counting countries, have the time, and are this close, you just have to go there. Then we’ll cross back into Malaysia – still on Borneo – in theory at least to climb Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak on Borneo. And then? Who knows?

And, since Jeanne said she wanted more pictures of us, here they are:

So far we’re loving Borneo.

Borneo is the world’s third largest island, after Greenland and New Guinea. Most of the island is in Indonesia, about a third is Malaysia, and a small sliver of the island is Brunei. We weren’t at all sure what to expect from the culture, the landscape, or the weather.

It hasn’t taken us long to think this might be grand. We arrived in Kuching yesterday afternoon after flying from Langkawi. It’s a medium-sized city – about 325,000 people – but is the largest city in Malaysian Borneo and the capital of the state of Sarawak. And after a few weeks on peninsular Malaysia with more Islamic presence than I’d expected (burkas, lack of alcohol at most restaurants) Kuching seems delightfully more cosmopolitan.

We went walking in the early evening and quickly discovered a city spruced up for Valentine’s Day (how do our worst “holidays” get exported to places like Borneo?), a lovely river walk, fun architecture, some nice-looking bars and restaurants – bars that open right onto the sidewalk!! – and cat sculptures.

Cat sculptures you ask? It turns out Kuching is the Malay word for cat, and they embrace that heritage fully. Cat sculptures and even a cat museum. Mark informs me that we’ll be going to the cat museum very soon. And maybe tomorrow, too.

And there’s lots of other stuff to do: cloud forests to hike in, kayaking, orangutans to spot – a real jungle of opportunities. On top of all that coolness, the weather is a wonderful change. It’s overcast, maybe even raining on and off, and not oppressively hot. After weeks of heat and sunshine, a little gloom is really nice.

The only sad note is that when Mark’s father and brother were planning their trip to Malaysia, flying into Singapore, we had a choice of going north up the peninsula or east to Borneo. We chose the former, but now it seems we’d have done better to come this way. Next time, John & Lidd!

Not much to report these days. The biggest news is that Chinese New Years might actually be done. It started just as John & Lidd joined us in Singapore and was a problem through much of their visit as things were just closed up. Just as they were heading back home the multi-day celebration ended and we’re back to normal. Or whatever normal is in Malaysia, at any rate.

We left Penang three days ago on a boat bound for Langkawi, Malaysia’s premier island resort. And once we got here it’s been pretty much beaches and reading. And food, of course. Our hotel is over-priced and too big for our tastes, but is had two advantages: it’s right on the beach and it had rooms available. Since we had a pretty strong sense we just wanted to do not much, here we are. And being on the beach is a real advantage, since it’s really, really hot here. Pretty much unbearable when you’re off the beach at mid-day. But on the beach is pretty nice.

Lest you think we’re not productive, though, we are getting lots of reading done. I finished David McCollough’s history of the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday, Mark finished Anna Karenina this morning, and I read Room With a View today. Yesterday I ran five miles in under 40 minutes, the first time I’ve done that in many a year. There are eagles that fly over the beach, and I’m learning to deal with my anger when I see families on the beach. Not all families and not just any family. Specifically the Moslem families where he’s in shorts and T-shirt, the kids are frolicking, and she’s in a big black burka. It strikes me as so hostile, so demeaning. On the beach!

Other than that and a great Indian restaurant where they’ve quit laughing at us because we don’t eat naan or rice, not so much going on; it’s blissfully uneventful. Eventful starts in two days when we leave the beach and fly to Borneo. As we have both definitively retired, we’re hoping to avoid the headhunters.