Saturday 9 July
At lunchtime we (English Lynsey, Dutch Linda, Aussie Treece and me) got on a shuttlebus to the Borneo Rainforest World Music Festival which was held in the Sarawak Cultural Vilage. There were bands and performers from around the world, as well as from Malaysia. The setting was, obviously, the Rainforest and with good weather, a crowd of about 10,000? people, it made a great setting for the festival.
In the afternoon, 'workshops' were held; jamming sessions seems like a better word. Some of the performers who would be playing on the big stages in the evening, came together indoors to jam with members of the other bands. At the first session we went to there was a digeridoo (a PVC digeridoo, played by an Aussie guy, PVC is easier for travelling with), a banjo, a sax, a drummer from Togo and a couple of local guys.
Next, we gathered at the Lake to watch the Leweton Women's Water Music. These six ladies from Vanuatu, dressed in traditional costumes, make music just from coordinated splashing in the water. They kind of produced beats and rhytmn, it was unique and a highlight.
Next was Rhytmn Method which included percussionists from the bands, and under the direction of a sikh English guy from the band Kissmet, they built up to a crescendo that had the 200-strong crowd jumping and cheering, we were right at the front, and it was great fun.
We had a wander around. I got the chance to play a local instrument, made from bamboo, which you just tap on your knee. I surpised myself by being able to reproduce the sound and rhythmn that the local guy was producing. ( I guess I should found out the name of it!)
The festivities stopped for an hour or so for dinner. With stomach lined, I got stuck into the bottle of cheap ($2) brandy that I had smuggled into the festival inside my poncho in my bag, adding a small can of Red Bull as I went. Treece also had a stash of beers in a fridge in one of the visitors' longhouses, so that was a result!
As it was getting dark, the main performances alternated between the two adjacent main stages. We saw The Shin from Georgia, then Pacific Curls from New Zealand who were mostly good, although the singer was going on a bit too much about "being yourself" and "loving one another", "Peace" etc...But I liked their violin and guitar sounds. Ilgi from Latvia were good and got the crowd going. Paddy Keenan was a bit mellow for the now excitable and tipsy crowd. Next we saw Warsaw Village Band from Poland and they were great, more Indie than world, and as the brandy and Red Bull kicked in I was really enjoying myself.
We shuffled over to the other stage to see Joaquin Diaz from the Dominican Republic, under a bright halfmoon. We got quite close to the stage and by now there was lots of crazy dancing going on. I have not danced and/or been drunk for a long time but I was certainly in the zone last night. I would have stayed for the last act but the others wanted to head home so I reluctantly joined them. It was a great day/night. The festival is actually for 3 days, but I think my decision to just go one day was just right.
Sunday 10 July
Yesterday a group of 6 girls and 2 guys who work as interns for UNHCR in KL arrived in the dorm, for the festival; they are from various countries but all speak good English. Today I went with the UN interns and Dutch Jamal (who like me has been here all week), to see the orangutans at the Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. We chartered a minivan for the 40 minute drive to the main gate, where the driver waited for us. I wasn't too keen on seeing the orangutans in this controlled environment, especially as I had done the same in Sepilok a few weeks ago, and I am hoping to see them in the wild in Indonesia. But, just in case that does not work out, I thought I would go along with the others today.
So we walked half an hour from the car park down towards the feeding area, and there was already a small crowd gathered, watching an adult and baby resting on a bench in the shade; this was already the closest I had got to an orangutan. The adult had its arm resting along the top of the bench the same way a person might do while sitting on a park bench.
Two adults and 2 youngsters made their way infront of us as the Park guide ushered us back. They climbed up some trees and onto the Welcome sign that leads to the feeding area. Before inviting us to walk to the feeding area, the guide spoke to the crowd about the animals and safety precautions such as making sure water bottles and food are hidden and not to use a flash. unfortunately I couldn't really hear him because many people were chattihg rather than listening and this reminded me of why I would prefer to see the animals in the wild. Still, obviously the rehabilition is good for the orange guys.
We walked about 300 metres through the forest to the viewing platform. Across the clearing was a raised feeding area. One guy put some fruit out and soon enough a smallish orangutan came along the ropes and onto the platform. He took a few bananas in his hands and mouth and cheekily carried a piece of watermelon between his toes. He climbed up a tree where he settled down for his snack. To be fair, the orangutans are semi-wild, they have been released back into the rainforest but down for feeding when they fancy it.
Then, in the distance, we could see the shape of an enormous orangutan; to be honest I hadn't realised they could be so big, it looked like an rust-coloured gorilla. I am sure it could kill you with a swipe of its arm. It climbed down onto the platform and the guide providing the food moved well away so it could enjoy its fruit. Its belly is hairless and its arms and back are hairy, it made me think of a king in a brown furry suit. Mostly it was sitting side-on to us but often it looked around and straight at us. It was like watching a monster!
Meanwhile, behind our viewing area, a few smaller orangutans came down to be fed by a guide with a bucket of fruit. Mostly he would pass the fruit to them and they wouldn't leave until their hands and mouth were full. One orangutan did take straight from the bucket. One orangutan collected food and then passed it on to another, like human friends would.
So, it was a great experience. Better than Sepilok because we saw more animals, they were closer, it was much cheaper and it seemed more intimate, apart from the chitter chatter.
We got the minvan back into town and Jamal and I got roti then just came back to the hostel.
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