I’m trying to catalogue all my travels into the Sarawak Interior—hopefully I can produce a compendium of 200 stories for SARAWAKIANS if you are interested in your own culture and history?? . If you are from the Peninsular and are interested, I’d also like to share my stories with you.

@I’ve probably locked about 10,000km in my Sarawak travels since 1981?? The 570km Rajang is the longest river in Malaysia and with the extensive network of tributaries that extends into both West and East Kalimantan. The Baram River is the second longest in the country originating the 1,000km mountain backbone from North, East and West Kalimantan.

@Firstly, I will describe each COMMUNITY. Off-hand I can remember only 80 percent of the places I’ve been to and written about. I’m relying on memory---just in case I become senile before I turn 70!!!!!!!!! Now I’m 73 and my brain sometimes work!!At what age will I be braindead or brainless?? Or will I eventually retrograde and become like the Alpha man in the forest—an Ape man??

@35 years 1985-2017): BY ROAD and Twin Otter aircraft; Covering the Lun Bawang-Lundayeh-Kelabit of Lawas by road from Lawas Town up to Long Bawan and across the border to Long Bawan to remote Long Layu and Wai Agung in the Kerayan. I have only scoured 20 percent of the KERAYAN surroundings even though I have visited this last Shang-La at least a dozen times since the 1980s. I have a good friend Sinang Meru who intends to open a homestay on her mountain property not far from Long Bawan—if the gate to Northern Kalimantan is finally open!

In fact, the native LUN Bawang from Sarawak and LUN Dayeh from Kalimantan and Sabah have been using this route for centuries. First for inter-tribal wars with other “highlanders” such as the Kelabits, Saban and Trings, Potoks etc and lately inter-marriages leading to eventually immigration to Sarawak and vice-versa.

*@35 years ago (1982-2000s):BY ROAD and RIVER Covering Iban between Balai Ringin to Batang Ai. Visiting Semalatong, Simunjan, Lachau, Aping, Simanggang, Betong, Ulu Skrang, Batang Ai, Batang Strap,Batang Lupar up till the mouth of the river at Lingga, Engkilili, Lubok Antu, Nanga Badau (border with Indonesia), across the border to Lanjak, Ukit Ukit, Batang Kanyau (Iban-Memaloh territory) to the last outpost in West Kalimantan Putussibau—the gateway to the Mueller Range!!!!

My friend Richard Bradley and Veronica from London walked the infamous Mueller trail in the 1980s—where Dutch Major George Mueller was ambushed and killed in 1823-- with two Indonesian Dayaks; both came down with malaria and made a u-turn back to Sarawak. They have visited me in Kuching!

* Also from 1,000km from Kuching,Tebedu, Entikong, Balai Karangan, Pontianak, Singkawang, Nyarumpkop, Seluaus, Ngabang, Sintang to Putussibau and back. Or the other way around—from Kuching to Lubok Antu, motor-cycle or car through an oil palm estate jungle track to Nanga Badau which was once a jalan tikus through the Iban village which is now a town recently declared open by president Jokowi!. Stopping over at Lanjak of the Memaloh (Embaloh) community before another 150km to Putussibau—total of 700km, to and fro from Kuching?

*@ Middle Sarawak Iban living along the main river and tributaries of the Batang Ai looking for the man-eating white-back crocodile “Bujang Senang”—from Simanggang to Banting and Lingga to Tanjung Bijat where Penghulu…was killed and found, Pulau Seduku island which had a school surrounded by man-eating crocs as big as the white-back “Jolly Batchlor” translated to Malay as Bujang Senang which measured 19ft 2in—the largest croc in Malaysia at that time. To Nanga Skrang by sampan to visit Datuk Awang anak Raweng George Cross (GC) and his family together with a Eurasian Karen Shephard—up Batang Ai Dam to Engkari, Lubok Pantu and Nanga Delok where I found Ritchie the Orangutan!!!!!. Visiting and writing about the Iban of middle Rajang (Sibu to Kapit)—by boat from Sibu to Kanowit, Song, Katibas, Kapit, Entawau, up the Baleh; Kapit-Entawau-Mengiong- Merirai-Long Singut (last longhouse on the Baleh with Indonesian Kenyah).

Then with Lahanan chief Taman Bulan from Uma Nyaving,Linau to as far at Long Bulan and to the Long Jawe where the massacres of Kenyah Border Scouts occurred in September 1963. My Rajang journey was made possible by the familes Temenggong Jinggut (Iban), Temenggong Tajang (Kayan), YB Ugak Kumbong and Tan Sri Leonard Linngg anak Temenggong Jugah.

Thanks to Datuk Justine Jinggut (JJ) I flew by hornbill to Kenyah Badeng territory! Thanks to JJ and Taman Bulan—JJ even sponsored a Astro set to a Penan village near Long Jake—village of Jarang Matu infront of famous Long Jake waterfall-- we became close friends of the Belaga Penan.

*@35 years ago (from 1980s till 2000s): Covering Orang Ulu of Upper Rajang from Pelagus upwards to Belaga from writing about the Baketan, Punan Bah, Punan Same, Sekapan, up the Balui to Kayan Long Mejawah, Kayan Long Linau, Kenyah Badeng, Uma Bakah, right to the Long Jawe, home of the Kenyah Lepo Tau. Long Jawe was the first village to be attacked by Indonesia during Confrontation.

*@30 years ago (1980s-2000s): Covering the BIDAYUH-SELAKAU-LARA of Sematan, Pueh, Lundu, Bau Singghai, Stenggang, Stunggang (Iban),Krokong, Stass, Padang Pan, Pengkalan Tebang, Tringgus, Grogo, Opar, Apar, Bobak, along the Serian road to Kuap, Seratau, Mambong, Tabuan Rabak, Stabut, Tiang Bukap, Anna Rais, Pangkalan Empat, Kampung Abang, Kambug, Assom, Kiding, Karu, Bengoh, Semban to the last village in by road or jungle footpath to Sapit in Ulu Padawan, across the Malaysian-Indonesian border to Tembawang Gun!!!!.

Sapit is one of the many Jalan Tikus “illegal border crossings” used by the communists under its leader the late Bong Kee Chok, other CT “Jalan Tikus” include Temajok-Telok Melano for the last of the communists in the Kuching division, Long Nawang in East Kalimantan through the 563km Batang Rajang used by illegal Indonesian immigrants to Sarawak; either to seek employment, study, seek medical treatment especially specialist in Sibu or Kuching.

All of Baram district—by Maswings, Hornbill Skyways helicopter, longboat, chartered sampan, road to Long San, Lio Mato, Long Peluan and practically the whole Bario enclave which Baram Scottish Resident Reginal Staiir Dougles visited in 1908. He was the first European explorer to “discovered” “Ba Rio” or SARAWAK’s land below the winds! Both Cunningham and Douglas books were sponsored by YB Dato Gerawat Gala from Bario.

from Miri by express to Marudi, by longboat to Sungei Dua to the late Canadian-trained graduate George Nawan has Sarawak’s biggest Bird’s Nest cave complex; to as far as Sarawak sape maestro Matthew Ngau Jau’s longhouse; by road from Miri to Bario and Lio Mato—“Village of 100 Islands” under headman Peter Edam Emang the Pastor Ray Cunningham and his wife Evelyn first visited to spread the gospel.

A former Australian WW2 veteran Ray married Evelyn in Sarawak and preached right through the jungle, through Kapit, Song, Kanowit, Sibu and Kuching to name a few places. Ray kindly allowed me to use his 200 classic photos of TK Lio Mato’s late headman Emang Kulleh (the father of present headman Peter).

If the Sarawak government could buy his exclusive pixs for RM1 million, the money could he well spent to by the BEM or Sidang Inji Borneo! This would be the Cunningham Legacy!!! Next to Reverend Charles Hudson Southwell, Cunningham is the 2nd most influential Australian evangelists in Sarawak.