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- Enjoy some pictures of the worldrecordtour, taken in Sarawak,
- the East Malaysian Province on Borneo - Part 1: Northeast
(Miri)

- Sarawak Map
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- Map of Southeast Asia
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- click a picture to see details
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Sarawak
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Malaysia
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More websites from Borneo:
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- View from Canada Hill over Miri
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- The seahorse is Miris mascot
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- Traditional houses on stilts
- on the bank of the Miri River
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Sarawak -
"Land of the Hornbill"
"MIRI" (Part
1)
Deep in our hearts, we all dream of a tropical haven pure, green and
pristine; at the same time, still unspoiled and untouched by the problems of modern
life. This is what tourist brochures claim for
Borneo. Therefore, when we approach Miri in Sarawak on the Northwest corner on May 23rd, 2006, with the low cost carrier Air
Asia, we are filled with excitement and expectations. However, the first bit of land we
spot from the air of the island of Borneo is not deep jungle, but a white sandy beach and
a coastal road. To our great surprise, immigration asks us to fill out a new entry form,
despite that we arrive on a domestic flight from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Our
three monthly stay which we received only a few days ago entering
Malaysia from Thailand,
is cancelled and is replaced by a one-month residence permit only. Obviously, they still
have their own rules in Sarawak and this not only at the immigration!
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- Ruedi, Julie, and little Robert between us
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- Emil drives our LandCruiser out of
- Bintulu port 200 km South of Miri
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- Traditional longhouse
- along the road Bintulu - Miri
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Full of anticipation, we step out
of the cool arriving hall and spot immediately Linde walking with her two little boys
Samuel and Robert with a big smile towards us. What a lovely welcome! We met Linde and her
husband Richard during our third visit to the Sultanate of
Oman in 1999 which still
remains one of our favorite countries in the world. By then, their children were not yet
born and we have only now the chance to hug these two gentle and affectionate little boys
for the first time. They find their way straight away into our hearts! While we are
driving to their home in the Shell-Camp, which shows to be a spacious traditional wooden
house in a tropical surrounding, we recall how we first met. All started with a big fish
and three weather-beaten wild looking fishermen in the tiny fishing village of Ras
Madrakah in Southern Oman. We camped the night at the picturesque white sandy beach and
were enjoying our breakfast when the men returned from their early morning catch. When
they spotted us, they proudly showed us the big species they had caught and asked us to
take a picture of them. As a testimony of the legendary hospitality of the Omani people,
they charmingly insisted, that we accept one of their fishes, not knowing though, that
their noble gesture would put us in some kind of embarrassment. Firstly, Emil does not
like fish at all, and secondly, we had no space left in our small 12-Volt Engel fridge to
keep it fresh in the fierce desert heat anyway. What were we going to do? Not wanting to
throw it away, we decided to pass it on to the very first persons crossing our way. And
these people just happened to be Linde and Richard. One week later, we were their guests
in their house at the Shell-Camp in Muscat!
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- Richly decorated entry of the Chinese
- Tua Pek Kong Temple in Miri
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- Doves on a goddess in front
- of Tua Pek Kong Temple
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- Dragon sculpture on the roof
- of Tua Pek Kong Temple
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Now, seven years later, we are
their guests again and again in a spacious Shell-Camp. However, this time we are
surrounded by luxury tropical vegetation instead of a sandy desert scene. On a small
scale, we find our dream from a tropical haven a bit fulfilled right here. Everything
seems to be exaggerated the deep green and the variety of orchids. On a tree
branch, a hornbill family with yellow peaks is greeting us by the indigenous Iban
tribe believed to be messengers from the spirit world. There is no doubt we have
really chosen the right corner of the world for the urgently needed all round
rejuvenation of our battered LandCruiser, momentarily still sailing somewhere
between West and East Malaysia towards the small port of Bintulu in the South. One of the
major reasons we have chosen Sarawak certainly was, that Linde and Richard offered us
their beautiful place to unload and store all our stuff, while fixing the rusted body of
our car and overhauling the engine. Another, not less important reason though was, that
their neighbor and friend Roddy recommended us a reliable body shop, where he recently
also overhauled his own car a LandCruiser FJ60 too (after more evaluation though,
we finally assigned someone else with the repairs). And what we did not know before, but
helps now as well with some eventually needed body parts, is that both Sarawak and
Sabah are LandCruiser countries and the sight of good old 60s is
not uncommon on the roads, but unfortunately only the diesel version. Then, the Island of
Borneo is also an easy jump-off point for our next two planned new destinations the
Philippines (ferry) and
Indonesia (road). And, of course, it is also the irresistible call
of the rainforest with its different tribal people and distinctive, exotic wildlife that
greatly attracted us. The name Borneo had been in our thoughts and dreams
already for a long time, and we are happy to finally be in this new world.
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- Characteristic for Chinese tombs
- are their refreshing images of nature
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- Heavy bunches of golden
- flowers hang on a tree in Miri City
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- Characteristic for Moslem grave
- yards are their nameless white
- tombs in Frangipani alleys
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Six days after our arrival in
Miri, a comfortable local airconditioned bus, its radio blaring in full force, takes us
through the interior road supposed to be more picturesque than the newly built
coastal road to the more Southerly port of Bintulu, to get our house on wheels
released. While driving the 125 miles, we slowly start to realize, that a considerable
part of dense rainforest has already been carried away by the rush of excessive logging
and replaced by huge, profitable palm-oil plantations. This applies by the way to many
parts of the state of Sarawak, where only small areas of undisturbed rain forest still
remain in a number of places, now protected by National Park status. The traditional
longhouses which we spot now and then along the road through our bus window, are more
modern than in earlier times today with parked cars and TV-satellites-dishes
, but still function more or less the same way they did for centuries. Nowadays,
they are made of timber instead of bamboo, and their roofs are covered with corrugated
iron instead of palm leafs. A longhouse is built on stilts, typically about ten to fifteen
feet above the ground and runs from 50-500 feet, or more, in length. It consists of a row
of family apartments, each having a door opening out onto a long hall which takes the full
length of the house. The long main hall is used for general assemblies of all the people
in the longhouse and for many other activities, what generates an atmosphere of community.
Some real big longhouses are as huge as holding more than a hundred families. The chief is
always the most important and respected person, and major decisions are only taken with
his approval.
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- Banana and corn seller along the road
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- On the market, one kilo of fish
- costs between US$ 1 and 1.50
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- Street eateries are found everywhere.
- Here at Miris Luak Bay Esplanade
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After a good nights sleep
in one of the many budget hotels in Bintulu, our compulsory broker takes us to the nearby
port authorities a huge and very modern building. There is always anxiety involved
when the container with our longtime travel buddy arrives in a port and is being opened.
Here this is justified, because the seal has already been broken without our presence
luckily nothing is missing though. This time, we have been separated for 10 days
only, but are so happy and feel such a great relief to be safely reunited once more.
Surprisingly, the Carnet de Passage is stamped again despite that the car arrived only
from peninsular Malaysia. After that, we are out of customs and on the road in no time.
The car being sick (emergency shaft from
Thailand and acute engine problems),
we are glad and thankful for every mile it performs well and happy when in the evening, we
reach Miri with no incidences. Here, it will finally get the special attention it long
deserves a complete overhaul of body and its first engine. But first, it also gets
released from its extremely heavy load which it patiently carried around the world all
those long years.
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- Moslem school boys at
- the top of Canada Hill
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- The Grand Old Lady on Canada
- Hill marks the first Malaysian oil
- well, found in 1910. There is
- today an impressive Oil Museum.
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- Gold plated spire and
- dome of a Mosque in Miri
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We hardly can believe how much
unnecessary stuff we accumulated, stored, kept, collected, added and carried in our
aluminum boxes, in every corner of the roof rack and in the interior in the last 21 years
of traveling, and especially how much we were able to squeeze in. Many of the items we
transported around the world for more than two decades were just in case
things, but many were also practical and impractical gifts given to us by
innumerable nice people we met on the road during all those years. When it comes to
sorting stuff out, it is a bit like anticipated Christmas. So many surprises pop up! But,
it is also a very difficult task to decide who is giving up what, as on one side, we both
are untreatable collectors, and on the other side, we are against throwing away gear that
is still working. For example what are we going to do with the three old Canon-cameras and
its different lenses, with the Iomega-Zip-drive and a CD-writer, the 100 (!) of T-shirts
which we got as a souvenir somewhen somewhere, the many boxes with beautiful
self-collected shells, the marked route maps, the used guidebooks? What shall we do with
the nostalgic handwritten letters of relatives and friends, where already the envelopes
with the exotic stamps are a rarity itself in todays Internet era and the precious,
personally signed photo books? Well, Katrina, the housemaid of Linde and Richard from the
Kayan tribe is happy with some dozens of mostly new T-shirts and shoes. She distributed
them at her remote longhouse in Long Anap at the mighty Baram River, which in earlier
times was reachable only in a three days strenuous journey by river boat, but today
already in five hours rough 4x4 logging road. Time is changing everywhere!
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- Our housesitting house
- in Miris Shell-Camp
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- Samuel and Robert, the boys of
- our friends Linde and Richard
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- Breakfast with view over the
- tropical garden of Linde and Richard
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On June 20th, 2006, our
LandCruiser is finally totally empty and we drive it after 381800 miles not without
emotion into the workshop of Yung Lee Auto and Painting (we also asked for an offer at the
local Toyota dealership of the big Malaysian distributor UMW Toyota Motor
which refused to accept the demanding body repair work!). The Rejuvenation
Story can be found at www.weltrekordreise.ch/a_storye_repair-miri.html. The
following weeks, we put our entire confidence into the hands of the
specialists of this Chinese workshop. But by watching them attentively at work
stripping, welding, cutting, hammering, bending, replacing, etc., we often think
with panic: Will this whole face lifting operation come once to a good
end? Will this bare skeleton ever be a car again? Will the inseparable three of us ever be
able to hit the open road for new land again? Will we ever reach the 154th country
of Brunei only 20 miles away? There are moments where we do not dare to think that
our entire future lies in the success of these extensive, delicate and also relatively
expensive repairs. What, if something goes awfully wrong? So much depends on it the
continuation of our whole adventure around the world! But it is not only the body we are
concerned about, but also the imminent engine overhaul the heart of our LandCruiser. So it is another exciting moment when it was taken apart on July 5th, in the
same workshop. The first very good news is, that the cylinder block and the crank shaft
still look surprisingly good after 15350 hours of running and we are confident to be
able to find somewhere in the world the necessary genuine spare parts, not trusting to
non-genuine ones, originating from China and Indonesia, at all.
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- Male spectators.....
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- ..... at a car wreck caused
- by a falling tree .....
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- ..... and female spectators
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Little did we know by then how
difficult it would be to find genuine pistons and piston rings for our gasoline (petrol)
engine, particularly being a European model. In comparison with those of the rest of
the world which are flat, the European ones are domed and simply not anymore
available. Toyota worldwide doesnt keep them any longer on stock, after the
production of this engine stopped after 1986. We try very hard everywhere apart
from Malaysia and the neighboring South East Asian countries also in Switzerland, Germany,
Gibraltar, Japan, Australia,
Guyana, the United Arab Emirates and the USA, where we still
have good contacts with the Toyota distributors but unfortunately to no avail.
Therefore, we automatically get well acquainted also with names like Tung Fang, Tung Huat
and Namthong, all the friendly Chinese spare part shops in Miri, just to receive the same
negative answers. Next we start to surf for hours on the Internet, not anymore for the
European model which is anyway out of question, but just for the flat common one,
accepting, that with this solution, we shall experience a slight loss of power. Finally,
we discover them at different dealers in the USA. Just before ordering them by DHL,
excellent news from Toyota Gibraltar pops in letting us know, that flat ones are still on
stock at TMC in Japan, in contrary to what we were told earlier by the local Toyota shop
in Miri. To cut an already long story short: Quite upset and pissed off we return there,
make a huge fuss about it with a loud voice (despite that raising the tone is actually
taboo in Asia!). This attracts the After Sales manager, who guarantees, that
he will take good care personally. In no time, the parts are ordered with the assurance
that they will arrive within two weeks (and they really did). From that very moment, we go
to sleep much more relaxed, without nightmares about pistons and piston rings!
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- A hornbill bird with its extra long beak
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- A weaver ants nest made of tree leafs
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- A well camouflaged big gecko
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Being stuck in Miri for quite a
while, after three weeks of living at our friends place in the Shell-Camp, it is
time to look for somewhere else to stay. There are plenty of hotels and hostels of every
price range in this busy oil town, and we try hard to negotiate a special monthly rate. So
far, we are not quite unsuccessful, but after an always far from restful sleep, each time
we are more than ready to check out again the following morning noise and lack of
cleanliness being the major reasons. Finally, after two weeks of sleeping each night in
another bed, we decide to rent a car and check somewhere else. It does not take long until
in Siwa Jaya about 12 miles in the South of the city we find the peaceful
longhouse style TreeTops lodge, bordering the jungle. We book without hesitation for a
whole month. It is a wonderful relaxing time. Our days are filled starting with an
extended breakfast on the breezy verandah overlooking the forest and listening to the
happy noises of the birds. Then, every second day, we usually head into town to visit our
(car)-patient in the workshop or to play patient ourselves at the dentist Dr.
Aziz to have finally repaired our badly neglected teeth. At the beginning, we sit a bit
skeptical on the dentist chair, but soon we realize, that we are in best hands and can
recommend him warmly. And evidently we pay about just the half of what it is nowadays in
the Western world.
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- The carnivorous Pitchers Plant
- is native in Borneo
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- A branch with lovely flower bells
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- Borneo where pepper is growing
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In between, we spend our time on
the computer answering emails, working on our website and especially also on our difficult
car permits for the Philippines and Indonesia, where severest restrictions on the
importation of vehicles also just for a brief tourist purpose only are still
a nightmare. But we are slowly coming closer to it..... Hence wireless Internet at the
TreeTops was very useful. To get some fresh air, we mostly drive during the
weekends over the uncomplicated border to the tiny Sultanate of Brunei, into the first
town called Kuala Belait a distance of about 40 miles to visit our new
friends Julie and Ruedi, a Bruneian/Swiss couple. They invited us spontaneously to their
home, offered us a room as a base and gave us each time a pleasant warm welcome. We enjoy
their friendship, the beach walks at sunset and the exploring of their neighborhood, and
not to be underestimated the unbeatable Raclette and Fondue (both Swiss
cheese specialties) which to our delight are served not only once! These
relaxing weekend trips are also a welcomed opportunity to renew easily our monthly
Sarawakian stay, and before returning to fill up the petrol tank with cheap gasoline which
in Brunei costs only 1.36 Brunei-$/Gall. (= 87 US cents) compared with Malaysian Ringgit
7.23/Gall. (= 2 US$) in Malaysia. The only unfortunate disadvantage is, that due to the
many big immigration stamps, the pages of our thin and expensive passports fill up far too
fast.
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- Sandy beach and rocky
- coast at Bungai
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- Stilt houses reflecting in the
- water of the Miri River
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- On tour with a rented car
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Until 1910, when oil was
discovered, Miri was a humble fishing village, but has developed since into a booming oil
and timber industry city. But there is still some old world charm left in the heart of the
town with its packed Chinese shops, colorful Chinese temples and lively fish, fruit and
vegetable markets. Also along the Miri River not much has changed. The traditional wooden
houses on stilts are still there. And the local fishermen still gather on the small
stretch of land between river and sea and enjoy themselves even if there is hardly any
good catch in sight. But it is a beautiful, shady spot where we also spend many lunch
hours under a shady Casuarina tree, sipping an ice-cold rum drink and having a simple meal
out of our kitchen in the refreshing sea breeze. Sadly, the whole place is
always a mess with piles of garbage lying around. But at least it is a safe place to be.
Yes, unfortunately Miri is not a totally safe haven anymore. Car robbery on parking lots,
snatching bags and smashing car windows, forcing passengers to hand over their valuables
and cellular phones, are on the increase we hear many firsthand stories from
expats, even if many very soon come up with paranoia.
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- A carpet of pink flowers
- at the Miri River mouth
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- Artwork produced by busy
- crabs on a sandy beach
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- Underwood in the Lambir National Park
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Occasionally, impressive
thunderstorms with heavy tropical downpours sweep over Sarawak mostly at night; at daytime
it is generally clear and sunny, but incredibly humid and hot. Who wants to go trekking in
the rainforest in this unbearable heat? It needs quite an effort and motivation, but we
really want to do it, as Borneo, the third largest island in the world lying in the South
China Sea, has always conjured up a strong vision of exceptional adventure for us, with
stories of its notorious headhunters still alive. Inspired finally also by the interesting
book Uncharted Waters by C. Hudson Southwell which we grabbed and read
in the TreeTops Lodge library and which tells a great deal about the hunting tribes in the
jungle of Borneo, gives us one day the necessary kick. We make it to the Lambir National
Park, situated only 15 miles to the South of Miri along the interior road. Compared to
other countries, the entry fee for National Parks in Malaysia is reasonable with only
Ringgits 10 (around 2.80 US$). And being both pensioners now, we have the advantage to pay
only half the price. It is 1pm when we start our steep and strenuous climb to the
Pantu-Waterfall and are glad, that the thick canopy of towering trees above our heads
provides us some most appreciated shade. Nevertheless, at times, our heads seem to burst
from the intolerable heat. But we still enjoy the different species of ferns lining the
track, the majestic trees above our heads, the huge roots of the fig trees, giant
creepers, colorful mushrooms and deep green and pale mosses on the many dead trunks. When
after a very steep descent we finally reach the Pantu-Falls, its quiet
beauty mesmerizes us immediately. It is cascading into a refreshing pool, hidden in luxury
tropical vegetation. We are just the two of us and have only one wish: To cool off and in
no time, we are swimming with the transparent swarms of fishes that find an irresistible
taste in nibbling on our feet. What one really would expect in such a tropical heaven,
where the shades of vivid, unbelievable green are everywhere, is the flattering of
colorful butterflies but apart from the tiny fishes, giant ants and occasional
screeches of birds, there is no other sign of life, until we start our climb back, when a
local family with three children announce themselves loudly.
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- TreeTops-Lodge in Siwa Jaya,
- approximately 12 miles South of Miri
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- Breakfast at the TreeTops-Lodge, surrounded by tropical greenery
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- View from the verandah of the
- Treetops-Lodge over the rainforest
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On July 30th, we change from the
lovely TreeTops Lodge to the not less appealing house of our friends Linde and Richard in
the Shell-Camp for house-sitting during August. We enjoy every day, every moment of the
whole month: The comfort of the air-conditioning, the bath-tube, the washing machine, my
cooking in a real kitchen (according to Emils reliable statistic, it is
the 99th foreign kitchen I have been cooking during our journey!), wireless Internet
access, watching movies etc. But more than everything else we enjoy our beautiful
surroundings. It is simply lovely to look all day long at a lush tropical garden, abundant
with delicate orchids and colorful tropical plants and listen to all the different happy
sounds of birds, chattering from their vantage points high in the trees: The blue-white
kingfisher which made its nest high up on a canopy; the brownish dove, that comes to feed
every morning on black berries; the black and white bird whose joyous repertoire is
endless; the tiny shiny brown ones (Chestnut Munia) that feed on the grass before sunset;
and the majestic hornbill with a yellow beak with its distinctive, seagull-like shriek,
flying from branch to branch above our heads. And not to forget the two cute squirrels
chasing each other. No doubt, we will miss them all. After over four weeks of watering the
garden, we have developed also a real passion for all the exotic flowers and plants. By
now, we know every new leaf, every new bud or blossom and will miss them too.
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- Dragon-fly on a blossom
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- Acanthosomatid beetle
- watching its new generation
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- Dragon-fly landed on a grass
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But it is not always
holidays. It is a lot of cleaning, scrubbing, repairing, renewing and running
around for some camping equipment, that we urgently need to replace, the chairs being one
of it.
Where can we buy camping chairs, we ask at an upholstery shop.
Over there!
What is the name of the shop?
OLIVER
We cannot find any shop named Oliver over there. So we ask once more at a
parking ticket booth. Answer:
At BOLIVAR, over there
Ah, the shop is called Bolivar, not Oliver. We continue our search, but find no such shop.
On the brink to give up, we approach the big Shopping Mall and see a big sign on the
building saying BOULEVARD Department Store. We look at it, look at it twice
and suddenly, the scales are removed from our eyes. This is it this is
Oliver! The English language is same, same - but different!
also an expression we often here with amusement.
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- Water lilies in the pond of the TreeTops-Lodge
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Saturday, August 26th: The phone
is ringing at 2.30pm. It is Lynn from the Yung Lee Auto and Painting Shop
telling us happily that our LandCruiser is finished. Immediately, we hop into the Pajero
of our friends and fifteen minutes later, we are already there. It is really a pleasure to
see our buddy in its newly painted splendor. The two of us can hardly compete now!
Supervised by Mr. Lau, the Chinese boss, his personnel achieved true wonders in repairing
the decaying body during the last two months. Everybody was always motivated and attempted
to provide our car its original look again. And everybody is as happy as we are about the
successful work. With the overhaul of the engine, however, we were not really satisfied. A
knocking noise showed us, that something was not working properly, and to find out the
cause was not easy and involved many serious discussions with the boss which put our
nerves on the edge and we even dreamt at night about it. We knew that we did not want to
continue our adventure with this uncertainty. After some hectic days however, it luckily
showed, that it was apparently the matter of proper adjustment of the valves only, though
the cam shaft shows some wear. Lets cross fingers and hope for the best!
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- Idyllic Pantu-Waterfalls in
- the Lambir National Park
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- Mushrooms on a dead tree trunk
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- Plants are even growing on the stones
- at the tropical Pantu-Waterfalls
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After having been stuck for three
months here in Miri, we are now more than eager to return to our freedom and so much loved
gipsy lifestyle on the road. On August 30th, 2006, exactly three months after
we drove our battered LandCruiser full of expectations for the first time into the
Shell-Camp, we leave it again this time with an anticipated joy to return to the
unknown of the road. Nevertheless, we love knowing, that we will be back in
Sarawak in a
few weeks time, thus giving us the opportunity to explore this country more to the South.
Totally worn out after a long, hard and stressful day of the never ending reloading of our LandCruiser, finally at 8.30pm we hit the road towards the Brunei border that has become
so well known to us in between. We already crossed it seven times by now, but today, it
will be the first time with our own fully loaded LandCruiser. How will it be this time! Of
course, we are quite excited. The Malaysian exit is no problem with the Carnet de Passages
stamped out, nor is the entry of Brunei with the already filled out red Brunei car paper
and the yellow declaration form for alcohol. Once more, it is straight forward, with the
only pleasant difference however, that this time, the friendly customs officer is ready
for a little chat about our journey.
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- A lovely entangled branch
- in the Lambir National Park
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- Huge leafs of ferns in the
- Lambir National Park
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- Tough awakening after the nature experiences
- in the Lambir National Park: Precious tree
- trunks leaving the Miri River
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- More websites from Indonesia and
Timor-Leste:
More websites from East Malaysia and
Brunei:
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- Articles in newspapers about us in East Malaysia - Sarawak:
- Interview: "Swiss
couple travels around the world", Sin Chew Daily Sarawak (Chinese)
- August 18, 19 and 20, 2007 (part 1 to 3)
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