Similajau National Park





Similajau National Park is a national park in the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Bintulu.

The national park is a recreational resource, and features rainforest, beaches of white and golden sand, and rocky beaches, facing the South China Sea. The park is rich in flora and fauna. The park was first gazetted on 1 December 1976, and published on 20 April 1978. It originally comprised 70.64 km² (17,460 acres) of forest, starting from Sungai Likau in the south and stretching 30 km (19 mi) to Sungai Similajau in the north. Another 19.32 km² (4,770 acres) was added to the park on 17 February 2000, making the total area 89.96 km²(22,230 acres), in a narrow coastal strip.
The flora consist of three main types, namely; beach, kerangas, a type of tropical moist forest, and mixed dipterocarp forest, which is home to various species of plants, trees and wildlife. The Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia), belonging to the family of Simarubaceae, is a small and slender tree, and can grow as high as 15 metres (49 ft). It produces a cluster of finger-sized reddish fruits which taste bitter. On maturity its fruits turn black, similar to coffee berries. This tree is more common here than in any other national park in Sarawak. The Bintangor (Barringtonia asiatica) belongs to the Guttiferae, and can be found in both the hills and swamp forests of Sarawak.

The terrestrial fauna of the park include 24 recorded species of mammals, including as gibbons, banded langurs and long-tailed macaque. 185 species of birds have been recorded in the park, including hornbills and migratory water birds like Storm's Stork. A noteworthy reptile found here is the saltwater crocodile. Dolphins are found in the sea off the park's coast. Occasionally, green turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.

12 out of the 20 marine mammals recorded in Malaysia occur in Sarawak. These include whales, dugongs and dolphins. Five species of dolphin have been recorded in Bintulu waters: Irrawanddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiop trancatus), Indo-Pacific humpback Dolphin (Sousa cinensis), Finless porpoise Dolphin (Neophocaena phoacaenoides), Pantropic spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuta). Dolphins occur during the months of March to September every year. They are often sptted in groups of four or more during early morning of the day.

Three common species of turtle have so far been recorded landing at the park beaches. These turtles are landing to lay their eggs. Three known localities are the Golden Beach, Turtle Beach I and Turtle Beach II. Turtles come during the months of March to September annually. The three species are the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Leatherback turtle(Dermochelyes coriacea), and Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate).

There are crocodile in the Likau River, although no crocodile attacks have been reported in the park. There are two species of riverine crocodiles in the park; the False Gharial(Tomistoma schlegelii), and an estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porousus). The estuarine/saltwater crocodile is very dangerous and has been responsible for many fatal attacks in Sarawak in recent years. The False Gharial is generally shy and passive, but on rare occasions fatal attacks have been confirmed in Central Kalimantan and Sumatra. Both species should be treated with respect and given distance.

The Horseshoe crab, or king crab, often occurs during the dry season starting from early May to October. They usually come in pairs, being the males on top of the females. The males are smaller in sizes as compare to the females. They come to the shore to lay eggs. During this breeding season one can see plenty of catfishes (Ikan belukang) around feeding on the eggs.

Burung Kenyalang (Hornbill) There are eight species of Hornbill recorded in Sarawak. Wildlife survey shows only few species are found at the park forests. Only solitary species, the Black hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus) is found roaming in the park compound. Early notice during the early morning and late afternoon.

Pandan Beach Lundu Sarawak




Lundu is a town located in the Northwest of Kuching Division of Sarawak, Malaysia,and borders with Indonesian Province ofWest Kalimantan.

Little is known about the history of Lundu, But according to Dr.Otto Steinmeyer in his homepage, www.ikanlundu.com/lundu:

"As far as anyone knows, the lands around Lundu was empty of people until relatively recently. Although the main river is called Batang Kayan, "the Kayan river," there is no evidence at all that any Kayan people ever lived there.. In the middle of the eighteenth century a group of Bidayuh people from near Bau migrated and settled on the west bank of the Batang Kayan, where Kampong Stunggang Melayu now stands. They came to be called the Dayak Lundu, and though the last member of the tribe died in the 1960s, you can still see the grove of durian trees they planted. The name "Lundu" itself is taken from a small catfish that abounds in the Sungai Lundu which flows down from Gunung Gading."

Now, Lundu is under constant development, with more and more public infrastructures and other being built and proposed.

Pandan Beach is an idyllic stretch of beach untouched by commercialization located 20 minutes from the town of Lundu, Sarawak. Tourists staying by the beach will have the opportunity to witness daily activities of the villagers, from fishing to farming. You might be lucky to participate in seasonal fishing activities such as prawning and jelly fish 'scooping'.  Check out our Sea Cruise, Fishing & Crabbing activities for an unforgettable Borneo holiday experience.

Rhinoceros Hornbill

The Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) is one of the largest hornbills, adults being approximately the size of a swan, 91–122 cm (36–48 in) long and weighing 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lbs). The Rhinoceros Hornbill lives in captivity for up to 90 years. It is found in lowland and montane, tropical and subtropical and in the mountain rain forests up to 1,400 metres altitude in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and southern Thailand.

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is the state bird of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. For some Dayak people, it represents their war god, Singalang Burong.

Description
Like most other hornbills, the male has orange or red irises, and the female has whitish irises. This bird has a mainly white beak and casque (the tip of the casque curves upward strikingly), but there are orange places here and there. It has white underparts, especially to the tail.

Behaviour

Like most other hornbills, the male has orange or red irises, and the female has whitish irises. This bird has a mainly white beak and casque (the tip of the casque curves upward strikingly), but there are orange places here and there. It has white underparts, especially to the tail.

Bako National Park






Bako National Park, established in 1957, is the oldest national park in Sarawak, eastern Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It covers an area of 27.27 square kilometres (10.53 sq mi) at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula at the mouth of the Bako and Kuching Rivers. It is approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) by road from Kuching. Millions of years of erosion of the sandstone have created a coastline of steep cliffs, rocky headlands and stretches of white, sandy bays. Wave erosion at the base of the cliffs has carved many of the rocky headlands into fantastically shaped sea arches and seastacks with colored patterns formed by iron deposition. Some of these rock formations can be seen on entry to the Teluk Assam Beach, which fronts the park. The park can only be reached by a 20-minute boat ride from the village of Kampung Bako. It is often visited as a day-trip from Kuching, though accommodations (campground and forestry service bungalows) are available.

Bako is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak. However, it features multiple biomes (including rainforest), abundant wildlife, jungle streams and waterfalls, secluded beaches, and trekking trails. A network of 16 marked walking trails of different lengths allows visitors access. In addition, various beaches are accessible by boat from Kampung Bako or Teluk Assam, as well as a geologically interesting sea stack rock formation. The range of attractions and activities in a compact area have made Bako one of the most popular parks in Sarawak.


Bako contains almost every type of plant life found in Borneo, with over 25 distinct types of vegetation from seven completeecosystems: beach vegetation, cliff vegetation, kerangas or heath forest, mangrove forest, mixed dipterocarp forest, padang orgrasslands vegetation and peat swamp forest. The unusual plant life includes a variety of carnivorous plants (four species ofpitcher plants,sundews, bladderworts) as well as a huge variety of tree and other plant species.


Bako is home to approximately 150 endangered proboscis monkeys, which are endemic to Borneo, and has been called "the best place to see proboscis monkeys in Sarawak". Other animals include the long-tailed macaque, silvered langur, plantain squirrel, Bornean bearded pig, monitor lizards, and otters. All of these are present in the forest as well as near camp headquarters on Telok Assam beach. Bako is also home to a number of lizards and snakes, most of which are harmless. Bako is a fascinating place for bird watching, with over 150 species recorded. Bako's nocturnal creatures include the colugo,pangolin, mousedeer, various species of fruit-eating and insect-eating bats, tarsier, slow loris and palm civet.

Niah National Park





Niah Caves is located within the district of Miri in Sarawak, Malaysia. Part of Niah National Park, the main cave, Niah Great Cave, is located in Gunung Subis and is made up of several voluminous, high-ceilinged chambers. The Great Cave lies in a large limestone block, about a kilometre long in general north to south direction and about half a kilometre wide, that is detached from the main Gunung Subis complex, by a valley between about 150 to 200 meters wide. The main Gunung Subis complex rises to about 394 meters above sea level at its highest point. The whole "Gunung Subis Limestone Complex" lies some 17 kilometres inland from the South China Sea coast and about 65 kilometres south west of the town Miri. It is roughly heart shaped measuring five kilometres from its northern tip to the south and four kilometres across. The Gunung Subis is surrounded by a low countryside with gentle hills from which the small limestone massiv and its smaller detached blocks rise rather appruptly out of the jungle, some with cliffs over 100 metres high. Though it is not an extensive cave system compared to others in Sarawak, it has been estimated to cover some 10 hectares and the roof rises to about 75 metres above the cave floor in some places. In geological terms, the limestones are part of the Subis Formation. This is dated to some 20 to 16 million years ago during the Early Miocene. The caves have been used by humans at different times ranging from the prehistory to neolithic, Chinese Sung-Era and more recent times.

The main entrance to the Niah Caves at sunset

The cave is an important prehistorical site where human remains dating to 40,000 years have been found. This is the oldest recorded human settlement in east Malaysia. More recent studies published in 2006 have shown evidence of the first human activity at the Niah caves from ca. 46,000 to ca. 34,000 years ago. Painted Cave, situated in a much smaller limestone block of its own, some 150 metres from the Great Cave block's south eastern tip, has rock paintings dated as 1,200 years old. The caves are also well known for the birds' nest (Swiftlet) industry. It is a popular tourist destination in Sarawak. Archeologists have claimed a much earlier date for stone tools found in the Mansuli valley, near Lahad Datu in Sabah, but precise dating analysis has not yet been published.
Research was pioneered by Tom Harrisson in the 1950/60s. Since then local universities and foreign scientists have continued the archaeological research, and many articles have been published in theSarawak Museum Journal. The site has been re-excavated (1999-2003+) by a joint British-Malaysian expedition to determine the accuracy of Harrisson's work.
Items found at Niah Cave include Pleistocene chopping tools and flakes, Neolithic axes, adzes, pottery, shell jewellery, boats, mats, then iron tools and ceramics and glass beads dating to the Iron Age. The most famous find is the human skull dated at around 38,000 years BCE. Painted Cave has paintings and wooden coffin 'death ships'.
Niah National Park was 31.4 km² when it was gazetted in 1974.
Nomination for World Heritage status was sent to UNESCO in 2010.

Kek Lapis Sarawak

Kek Lapis Sarawak is a layered cake, traditionally served in Sarawak, Malaysia on special occasions. In the Malay language, they are known as Kek Lapis Sarawak, Kek Lapis Moden Sarawak, Kek Sarawak or Kek Lapis. They are often baked for religious or cultural celebrations such as Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas, Deepavali, birthdays and weddings.

People in Malaysia practice an open house on festival day. A unique feature of Sarawak's open houses is the modern layered cakes.

Modern Sarawakian layered cakes were introduced to the people of Sarawak from Indonesia officially around 1988. The Indonesian version has been known since the Dutch colonial era; its most famous varieties are the Lapis Legit, a spice-flavored multilayered cake, and Lapis Surabaya.

In 2011, the history of Sarawak layered cakes once again change by a new generation (Sarawakian) of innovative natural layer cakes evangelist named Kek Lapis Qalas Qalas. By introducing modern design and traditional layer, coupled with new flavors which inspired from home-made inspiration,each layer is tastefully interlaced with various natural flavours in between the original recipe, modern taste and knowledge from their ancestor.

Sarawakian modern layered cakes can be divided into two categories: cakes with ordinary layers and cakes with patterns, motifs, or shapes. All must have at least two colors. The cake can be baked in an oven or microwave. The batter uses butter or vegetable oil, milk and eggs, and requires a strong arm or electric mixer to be properly prepared. The baked cake has a high, firm texture and the layers are fastened together with jam or a similarly sticky sweet substance. More detailed cakes often require special moulds to maintain the perfect layer thickness.

Spekkoek (also called Spiku in some cities in Indonesia) or more popularly called lapis legit in Indonesia is a Dutch-Indonesian layered cake. It was developed during colonial times in the Dutch East Indies and may have been based on Dutch cake recipes using local ingredients.[citation needed] The cake is the Indische (Dutch people that had lived for years if not generation in Indonesia during the colonial time) version of Baumkuchen and contain popular mix spices of cinnamon, clove, mace and anise. In Indonesia, the cake is very popularly known as lapis legit, which literally means (very) rich layer-cake. The cake is very rich for a 20x20cm size cake contains up to 30 egg yolks, half a kilo butter, and 400g sugar. The name of the cake is derived from its layered structure. This layered structured is achieved because of the many very thin layers of cake that are piled on the top of each other. A good lapis legit has more than 18 layers. This makes the baking of spekkoek a very labour-intensive process. The product is therefore a rather expensive delicacy: about EUR 20 per kg in 2010.[1] In Indonesia, a 20x20cm-sized spekkoek (or lapis legit) can cost up to IDR 400,000 (approx. EUR 12.5).

Spekkoek on sale in Indo (Eurasian) shop in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In Indonesia, spekkoek is enjoyed during Chinese New Year, Aidilfitri and Christmas celebrations. It is also served or given as gifts in many local festivities, sometimes in a birthday party and wedding. In the Netherlands, the sliced cake is traditionally served as dessert in rijsttafel.[2] The cake has a firm texture, similar to the one of a Baumkuchen in a baking plate but without a chocolate or sugar shell. Baking the cake requires much patience. Each thin layer is made by pouring a small amount of the batter from a small cup, baked one layer after another in the oven until golden with heat from the top. Cakes baked in electric ovens have a better taste as the cake can bake a lot faster gas is not recommended, but Dutch ovens with charcoal fire on top of the lid produces the best results. In some cases where clove buds or cardamon seeds are difficult to find, bakers use spekkoek powder as a replacement. Milling and mixing the spice before baking produces a cake with an excellent aroma. Actually the spice must be sieved into the flour at least 3 times as the spice is very fine and balls of spice will appear in the batter.

Salt Terubuk Fish Of Sarawak

1. Terubok Masin is a salted 'terubok' fish (or American shad fish), a type of oily fish with lots of scales and Y-shaped bones. The fish can be either freshwater or seawater, local or imported, but local seawater 'terubok' fish costs more than other types.
   Ikan Terubok Masin Sarawak is another Sarawak main food that mostly ordered and bought by visitors who came to Sarawak. This is salted fish which can be eaten with rice.
   Sarawak's uncomparable favorite and identical unique souvenir craze is the Salted Terubok (American Shad) Fish. Visitors would generally come back from Sarawak carrying salted terubok (nicely wrapped up in a package for more long-lasting preservation) for their friends and family.
   Terubok are fully of bones but tasteful nevertheless. The trick of the trade is to find out the biggest terubok fish because the bones are bigger and more at ease to cast out. Also available are the terubok eggs, and far more pricey. It might set you back more or less RM200 per kg or lower.
2. Ikan Terubuk Masin - The numerous waterways provide the people with an abundance of fresh water fish like the Tilapia, which incidentally is the most widely cultivated.  it's no surprise then that some of the popular Sarawakian dishes also include these 'gifts' from the sea.  The salted ikan terubok is sold in markets around Sarawak.

Laksa Sarawak



Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Indonesia, Malaysiaand Singapore.

Origin[edit]

The origin of the name "laksa" is unclear. One theory^[1] traces it back to Hindi/Persian lakhshah, referring to a type of vermicelli, which in turn may be derived from the Sanskrit lakshas (लकशस्) meaning "one hundred thousand" (lakh). It has also been suggested^[2] that "laksa" may derive from the Chinese word 辣沙 (Cantonese: [lɐ̀t.sáː]), meaning "spicy sand" due to the ground dried prawns which gives a sandy or gritty texture to the sauce. The last theory^[3] is that the name comes from the similar sounding word "dirty" in Hokkien due to its appearance.^{[citation needed]}

Types[edit|edit source]

There are two basic types of laksa: curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) are also common and some variants use other types.

         

1. Sarawak Laksa - The Sarawak Laksa is essentially vermicelli rice noodles (bee hoon), cooked in a shrimp-based broth that is made to thicken with coconut milk.  This dish is served with generous amounts of crunchy bean sprouts, a few boiled prawns and garnished with shredded chicken and slivers of egg omelette.  For added spice, there's the thick sambal paste that is usually served on the side.  For some extra pizzazz you can squeeze some lime juice (limau kasturi) into your dish as well.

Ethnic In Sarawak

        

Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. Cities and larger towns are populated predominantly by Malays, Melanaus, Chinese, Indians, and a smaller percentage of Ibans and Bidayuhs who have migrated from their home villages to look for employment.

Generally, Sarawak has seven major ethnic groups namely Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu, and "others". Several more minor ethnics which do not belong to any of these seven major ethnic groups are Kedayan, Javanese, Bugis, Murut, and Indian. Unlike Indonesia, the term Dayak is not officially used to address Sarawakian's native ethnicity.

Iban[edit]

Main article: Iban people

Sea Dayaks (Iban) women from Rejang, Sarawak, wearing rattan corsets decorated with brass rings and filigree adornments. The family adds to the corset dress as the girl ages and based on her family's wealth.

The Ibans comprise the largest percentage (almost 30%) of Sarawak's population. Iban is native to Sarawak and Sarawak has the highest number of Ibans in Borneo.

The large majority of Ibans practise Christianity. However, like most other ethnic groups in Sarawak, they still observe many of their traditional rituals and beliefs. Sarawak celebrates colourful festivals such as the Gawai Dayak (harvest festival), Gawai Kenyalang (hornbill, or the god of war festival), penuaian padi and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead).

Chinese[edit]

Main article: Malaysian Chinese

Chinese pioneers first came to Sarawak as traders and explorers in the 6th century. Today, they make up 24% of the population of Sarawak and consist of communities built from the economic migrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries. They are classified as a non-Bumiputera ethnic group, despite bearing the largest contribution and hardship towards the development of Sarawak since the early 19th century.

The Sarawak Chinese belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the most significant being Foochow, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, and Puxian Min. The Chinese maintain their ethnic heritage and culture and celebrate all the major cultural festivals, most notably the Chinese New Year and theHungry Ghost Festival. The Sarawak Chinese are predominantly Buddhists.

Ethnic Chinese in Sarawak were encouraged to settle because of their commercial and business acumen. The biggest dialect group is the Hokkien; many originated from Jinmen and Taiwan, Republic of China and Xiamen in China. The Hakka and Cantonese represent a minority of the Chinese population. Despite their small numbers, the Hokkien have a considerable presence in Sarawak's private and business sector, providing commercial and entrepreneurial expertise and often operating joint business ventures with Malaysian Chinese entreprises.

There are number of Chinese settled down in Sarawak between the years 1911–1949 after the Nationalist led-Kuo Min Tang lost in civil war in 1949 between against Communist Party of China. Most of the Nationalist refugees or Neutral fled from Mainland China.

In 1963, when Sarawak helped Malaya to form Malaysia, most of them automatically gained the Citizenship of Malaysia despite of having the Kuo Min Tang Republic of China Citizenship.

Malay[edit]

Main article: Malaysian Malays

The Malays make up 23% of the population in Sarawak. They mostly populate the southern region and urban areas of Sarawak.

Melanau[edit]

Main article: Melanau

The Melanaus have been thought to be amongst the original settlers of Sarawak. They make up 6% of the population in Sarawak.

Today most of the Melanaus community profess Islam and Christianity, though they still celebrate traditional animist festivals such as the annual Kaul Festival.

Bidayuh[edit]

Main article: Bidayuh

Concentrated mainly on the West end of Borneo, the Bidayuhs make up 8% of the population in Sarawak.

The Bidayuhs speak a number of different but related dialects. Some Bidayuhs speak either English or Sarawak Malay as their main language. While some of them still practise traditional religions, the majority of modern-day Bidayuhs have adopted the Christian faith. Another ethnic associated to Bidayuh is Salako, classified as Bidayuh by the Malaysian government for political convenience.

Orang Ulu[edit]

Main article: Orang Ulu

A young Sarawakian playing the sapeh

Orang Ulu is an ethnic group in Sarawak. The various Orang Ulu ethnics together make up roughly 6% of Sarawak's population. The phrase Orang Ulumeans upriver people and is a term used to collectively describe the numerous tribes that live upriver in Sarawak's vast interior. Such groups include the major Kenyah and Kayan people, and the smaller neighbouring groups of the Kajang, Kejaman, Punan, Ukit, and Penan. Nowadays, the definition also includes the down-river tribes of the Lun Bawang, Lun Dayeh, "mean upriver" or "far upstream", Berawan, Saban as well as the plateau-dwelling Kelabits. Orang Ulu is a term coined officially by the government to identify several ethnics and sub-ethnics who live mostly at the upriver and uphill areas of Sarawak. Most of them live in the district of Baram, Miri, Belaga, Limbang, and Lawas.

A vast majority of the Orang Ulu tribe are Christians but traditional religions are still practised in some areas.

Some of the major tribes making up the Orang Ulu group include:

• Kenyah
• Kayan
• Lun Bawang
• Kelabit
• Penan
• Bisaya

Others[edit]

Other minority ethnic groups residing in Sarawak are the Kedayan ethnic groups and also the Punan Bah people (in fact is a collective of obscure and unaccounted ethnic communities grouped together as a single ethnic entity), and also non-Bumiputera ethnic groups, which are the Indian and Eurasian.

The Kedayan are an ethnic group residing in parts of Sarawak. The Kedayan language is spoken by more than 37,000 people in Sarawak, with most of the members of the Kedayan community residing in Lawas, Limbang, Miri, and Sibuti areas. Unlike its Peninsular counterpart, Sarawakians of Indian descent are small in number and have assimilated very well to the other communities. Eurasians continues to be the smallest among the minority ethnic groups in Sarawak, mostly due to assimilation and interracial marriages. The Punan Bah communities are usually located in areas that encompass the borders of Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, and Indonesia. More studies need to be carried out about them, as they are one of the lesser known group in the state.