|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE |
|
MY SARAWAK |
page | 1
| 2 | |
|
Sarawak,
East Malaysia |
|
myMalaysiabooks takes you into the hidden paradise of Borneo. Explore nature's
paradise in Sarawak, Borneo, East Malaysia. |
|
|
Welcome to the land of the hornbills.... SARAWAK .... the paradise of Borneo
Sarawak is located in East Malaysia, north of
Kalimantan Indonesia. Malaysia Airways, Air Asia and other
international Asian airlines flies to Kuching Sarawak daily.
Domestic flights from KLIA takes you to Kuching, Bintulu, Sibu,
etc. Enjoy the virgin tropical forest, tropical beaches and rich
culture of Sarawak, Malaysia.
 |
|
Sarawak is the place for nature and
adventure lovers. Located on the vast forested continent of
Borneo, most of Sarawak is a forest reserve.
Sarawak is nature's paradise
- There are 10 nature parks scattered all over
Sarawak, Malaysia. Get an
experienced guide and a permit to explore the wonders of
natural rainforest of Borneo. Sarawak is the place to
experience a natural rainforest unchanged by the passage of time.
Travel by river to discover the forest's wondrous
diversity of life and see the complex interactions of Sarawak's
rainforest, alive with dazzling birds, spectacular and rare plants
and intriguing animals. Under the canopy of immense trees you can see the many
wildlife that lurks in the jungle.
|
|
River transport is one of the major
transportation system in Sarawak
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
People and culture
Be overwhelmed
by the cultural diversity of the state There are more than
30 ethnic communities in Sarawak, each retaining their cultural
identity - Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayu, Melanau, Orang Ulu,
Penan, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, etc.
There are 27 distinct indigenous ethnic groups in Sarawak and
collectively they speak 45 different languages and dialects. (Dayak
is a collective name for the natives races in Sarawak i.e. the
Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Murut and others)
 Iban is Sarawak's most known ethnic group, who were once the
legendary head hunters of Borneo. Today they have adopted a
peaceful lifestyle and travellers can plan a visit to an Iban
longhouse.
The Penan of Sarawak is traditionally a nomadic tribe who survive by hunting
and gathering. Today, only a small number continue to practice the
old lifestyle. Most Penan now settle by the riversides and make
long journeys into the forest to collect food, medicinal plants or
other jungle products. Sarawak is the best place to shop for
traditional handicrafts. Each ethnic community here
produces some unique and beautiful crafts, mainly
available in the state. |
Kueh Lapis selling at five-foot-way in Kuching, Sarawak
***
|
|
|
|
|
Where to
go |
|
|
|
National Parks
There are over 10 national forest parks that you can visit in the state.
Over 120,000 visitors visits these parks yearly. However much of
the forested areas in Sarawak are still unexplored. Some of these
parks include:
Gunung Mulu National
Park and
World heritage site is considered the 'jewel in the
crown' of Sarawak's network of national parks. It is a UNESCO
World Heritage site
Kubah National Park
Bako National Bark
Niah National
Park
Tanjung Datu National Park
Lambir Hills National
Park
Similajau
National Park
Loagan Bunut
National Park
Talang-Satang
National Park
Rajang Mangroves
National Park
Maludam
National Park
Gunung Buda National
Park
Details at Nature Park Sarawak
Festivals and Celebrations
Gawai Dayak - If you are preparing to come to Sarawak in
June, come over during the Gawai Dayak. This celebration for the
Dayaks mark the end of the rice harvest and ushers in another
year of bountiful goodness. Locals dresses in traditional
costumes while the elders perform traditional rites. This party
and continous celebrations is throughout the month of June. It
provides an exciting and excellent opportunity for visitors to
learn about life at the longhouse.
Other festivals
and celebrations in Malaysia
 |
|
|
|
|
Sarawak Food and Buys |
|
What to Eat in Sarawak
Sarawak is famed for pepper and handicrafts
Sarawak pepper - a must buy item from Sarawak. Malaysias
often consider pepper from Sarawak the best.
Sarawak Laksa - rice noodles served with hot peppery
sauce. Very unlike Penang Laksa
Sarawak Kolo Mee - A must try in Kuching. Dry Yellow
noodles with light gravy - noodles are very good too
taste and a good buy for those who love noodles.
Kueh Lapis - layered cake popularly sold in Kuching
which has a factory.
Local Fruits - check out some exotic local fruits
at the markets
More about food at:
Malaysian
Food
What to buy in Sarawak
Sarawak Pepper - pepper is a major export of Sarawak
Sarawak vases - unique local designs
Sarawak batik - of unique local designs
Beaded Products - unique beadworks are available at
craft and souvenir shops
Wooded craft - Unique craft from the various cultural
communities made from wood taken from the forest of
Sarawak
Weaved product - Bags , mats, etc
Bird's Nest - valued by the Chinese, this product is
from the many caves in Sarawak
ONLINE SHOPPING IN MALAYSIA
myMalaysia Store
- books, gifts, electronic products, bags, etc
More on Sarawak:
FREE SEARCH FOR
HOTEL OFFERS FROM MULTIPLE WEBSITES More about Sarawak at ........www.sarawaktourism.com
Post your comments at......... mysarawak blogspot
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Budget Stay by our Affiliates |
|
|
|
|
How to get there |
|
By air
Kuching,
the capital of Sarawak, is
linked by airways to other major cities in Malaysia, as well as Singapore,
Bangkok, Hong Kong and Brunei by air. Kuching airport is an International
airport. Other domestic airports in Sarawak are at Miri, Sibu and Bintulu.
Daily flights are available on
Malaysia airlines and
Air Asia from
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Kuching.
Most flight within Sarawak are by
MasWings.
|
  |
You can also fly to Kuching direct from
Penang International Airport
daily or Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) or Brunei Darussalam.
Air Asia also
flies directly from Singapore to Kuching and Miri. Daily flights
to Kuching from Singapore are available on Malaysia Airlines,
Air Asia, Singapore Airlines and silk air and
other
Asian airlines. (Details
on flight
from Singapore here)
Sarawak
also has a number of rural airstrips serving the rural settlements that are
not linked by roads. Regular scheduled air services on small
planes and helicopter services also links various towns and more
inaccessible areas in the Sarawak interior. Other than
AirAsia
and Malaysia Airlines, airlines operating here are:
Singapore
Airlines, MASWings, Silkair
and
Batavia Air
By roads
The Trans-Borneo Highway runs from Kuching to all major cities in
Sarawak and into the state of Sabah through Brunei Darussalam.
The journey by bus between towns are usually long and tiring
because Sarawak is big. There are fewer roads here but roads takes you pass major towns such as
Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Sarikei and
Bintulu.
It take about 5 hours by car from Kuching to Sibu and another 5
hrs to Miri.
Major towns in Sarawak have public transport services including
buses, taxis and limousine services. Intercity bus services are
available for travel from town to town within the state and to
Indonesia (Pontianak) and Brunei. Where roads don't go, you can travel by boat or by
small planes
or helicopter.
Main bus companies that travel the Borneo highways are:
1) Biaramas serving
Kuching, Sarikei, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Kuala Belait, Bandar Seri
Begawan, Pontianak
2) VFT transport
serving Kuching, Serian, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu, Bintulu,
Simpang Batu, Niah, Miri, Dalat, Mukah, Pontianak
By river - water
transport
The rivers
of Sarawak
are an important means of transportation for the people and goods.
Sarawak has a total of 55 navigable rivers. The Rejang, the
longest river in Sarawak and in Malaysia, has between 300-500
boats plying the river daily. Some 50% of the traffic is passenger
transport and the rest for transportation of goods including logs. Detail on travelling to Malaysia:
 Malaysia transport pages
From Malaysia
to Singapore
....more at
www.sarawaktourism.com
|
|
Where to stay |
|
|
|
to page 2 |
|
|
|
