Ron and Richard were impressed by the maps I brought. Found them on the Brunei Government Survey side. Have a look yourself. (Once in, click on maps on the left.) You can buy maps as well at there office in Berakas. Did not have a look myself, but might try it later.

http://www.survey.gov.bn/index.htm

See you later, Jan Sanders.

12h00 – 12h30
12h30 – 13h00
18h30 – 19h00

This is on through Monday 18th Jan 2010

Lawas to Ba'Kelalan & beyond

Well, it was a great trip, long roads, sore butts and here’s the track. Details to follow

By Garry Anderson

Two friends, Rick Cole and Ken Watt, and I recently realised a 10-year-old ambition of ours – to reach Bario in the farthest depths of the Sarawak jungle.

We regularly make back-country trips to far-flung villages, longhouses and places of interest by motorbike. The more remote the better, but Bario, a Kelabit village nestling on a highland plateau behind the Tama Abu Ranges and Gunung Murud (7,950ft – the highest point in Sarawak) near the Kalimantan border, remained unknown to us, despite our previous attempts to reach it from several different directions.

At the beginning of July, armed with new information on a possible route tracking the Baram River to its source, the three of us set out from Miri. After a 100-km ride inland the public road ended and we entered the logging areas where the roads are built and maintained by timber companies.

A unique right-of-way system is used on timber roads, which helps the fully laden logging trucks stay on the strongest part of the road. The side which you have to drive on is indicated by arrow markers and it changes from side to side with the topography. It can be a hair-raising experience to round a corner on the wrong side and come face to face with an empty logging truck thundering straight at you.

One and a half days and 420km later we reached the end of the road, literally. At Pa Bareng on Sg Dapur, everything bound for Bario must be unloaded and taken by boat one to two hours upriver. That is, anything that has managed to get that far!

Even though Bario is only accessible by air, boat and on foot, they have 4WD vehicles, bulldozers, excavators and tractors; all bought up by boat in pieces and reassembled.

We were lucky to find three small long boats at Pa Bareng loading bags of cement to ferry up to Bario (for a new water treatment plant) and they were able to give us a ride on top of the cement – the bikes were left under a hut on the river bank.

The Kelabit people of the Sarawak high country are into long ears. Shoulder-length ear lobes are achieved by wearing heavy earrings. The Kenyah people who live lower down river boast long lobes and ‘bowl’ haircuts, plus unique hats.

The last truly nomadic people in Borneo are the Penans, who wander from hunting area to wild sago plantation and carry what they need with them. Fixed abodes are not for them. We were humbled to meet one Penan man who had walked for two days from his jungle district near Pa Tik over the ranges to Bario to register his kids for school; people from Kalimantan walk a similar distance to Bario for basic supplies like salt and sugar.

Staple planted food in Bario is highland rice and ‘ubi kayu’, or tapioca, supplemented with jungle fare. We dined that night on rice, pakis, a ferny-type vegetable and heavily peppered barking deer. At 3,500ft elevation there is no need for air conditioning in Bario, indeed the locals don jackets and hats at night when the cool air sets in.

The next morning, our boatmen showed us around the village and the local market before ferrying us back downriver to our bikes. We rode for five hours to our overnight stop at Long San, visiting the Kenyah village of Lio Matoh on the way for fuel.

A swim in the muddy Baram served as our shower that night and the Williams sisters were on television, playing the Wimbledon Finals after dinner.

Early the next morning, we began the long haul to Miri and then back to Brunei Darussalam, thus completing a round trip of some 1200+km. Job done!

Dazza – all the riding pics can be found under the “Blogroll” (scroll down a bit on the right hand side).

But…because that may be too technical, click on this link that says (hint -> “Pictures” <- yup, this one)

So, a few reminders might not go astray:

• Dress for the wreck and not for the ride – protective gear serves a purpose, use it.
• Don’t go riding alone – if you get into trouble, it could be fatal.
• Ride within your abilities and in line with the conditions – just because you’ve seen David Knight or Ricky Carmichael ride, doesn’t mean you can ride like them.
• Inform someone where you are going riding and give them an estimate of when you expect to return.
• Carry identification and contact numbers – when you are badly concussed, you might not remember your own name.
• Respect out neighbours – we are very privileged here and have little restrictions on riding areas. Don’t be the idiot that ruins it for everyone.
• Look well ahead – if you don’t know what is up ahead, you’re better off slowing down to a safe speed.
• Check out the following from the MSF for some more tips/hints.
• …in short, don’t be an arse and use your melon!

The trip started with Ant, Max & Rich heading off over the border to Miri to start the lengthy journey to the tours start. A few surprises at the airport, when they wanted to charge us large sums of cash for the excess weight. Some cunning Scottish skills from Max ensured that we repacked and managed to get on board without a penny being paid. A quick stop (well, a few hours) in KL and the boys were well on their way to missing the flight to South Africa. Luckily, we managed to stay sober enough to get a cab and make it to the airport in time. Ant didn’t quite get to see the Proton do 180km/h!

Many hours later, we touched down in Johannesburg, only to find they didn’t serve beer at 08h00! Damn shame! What are they going to do when all the boys turn up in 2010 for the Football World Cup. On to Cape Town where Dave met us at the airport. By now, Neil and Andy were about ready to take their comfortable Singapore Airlines flight and meet up with us a day later in East London. On to Dave’s to repack our gear for the week and get some refreshments. Max got introduced to biltong, or ‘roadkill’ as he termed it. A few mouthfuls later, I could barely keep the bugger from eating it all. The weather was not looking good, with rain on the way and looking like it was heading all the way up the coast. An early start and off we went in Dave’s bus headed for East London. It was raining when we left and rained the whole way to East London, with little let up. We finally met up with Neil and Andy at the ?? Hotel, where they had settled in to watch the Welsh get stuffed by the Springboks. Needless to say that after their hours in the bar and supping the local brew, they were well on their way. Next stop, Morgan Bay for a few more beers, some food and a few hours of shut eye.

The Ride – Day 1
Mike and Dwayne arrived with a trailer full of KTM’s in the morning. A quick rider brief warning of the impending ride, hazards of dogs (Max obviously wasn’t paying attention) and the signing of the usual disclaimers ensued. The weather had held up a bit and the rain stopped, but it was still grey and a bit ominous. The ride to the ferry through town was pretty easy going (the last easy going ride, mind you). Despite warnings of how slippery the deck of the ferry was, Andy still managed to fall over. A sign of things to come, perhaps. Not long after we rode off the ferry, the real riding started. Andy fell over a few more times. Bloody good chap for allowing it all to be captured on camera. Going was wet and a bit slippery, but the rain was holding. It was here we met the gorge. A real bugger to get down in the wet (think I tucked a front wheel in once or three times). Ant was being his usual self, sucking up anything and everything that came his way. Mike gleefully informed us that we would be heading back up the gorge on the way back. Something few of us were looking forward to, especially if it was going to be wet. Refuge was sought under a tree for a while to allow the last of the rain to drizzle down. From here it was on to Kob Inn. Max decided to play cat and mouse with a dog, only to have the dog win. A few damages, and some large bruises to his body resulted. The dog, according to one of the locals, ‘would either be alive in the morning, or not’. I’m sure I saw the dog smiling and wagging his tail. Kob Inn arrived not a minute too soon. The boys were a bit weary, hungry and a little thirsty. Luckily Big Mike is well know, so there was no cleaning up before hitting the bar. Max was on his meds after the fall, so we had to drink his share of beer and Captain & Coke. Some grub and a warm shower (hang on, it was a f!@#$ing cold shower) and we were ready for some sleep. I believe it was here that Andy discovered the healing properties of ‘Blue Steel’. Dave very kindly worked on getting the video footage and pics onto his computer and commented on how many times Andy had fallen off. A quick discussion followed on the merits of a WR lowering kit…

The Ride – Day2
We awoke to a beautiful day. Blue skies, dolphins, whales, sardines running and egrets diving into the water. The view from the Kob Inn is magic. Almost a pity we had to leave. Breakfast was a welcome treat (the water was still cold) and we made sure we filled our bellies (can’t trust Mike on when the next meal might be;). From here it would be on to Shixini Point and to meet Dwayne with rations and spares (if needed) and fuel at the Bashee River. It all started off quite well, until I decided to take hit a hill, 3rd gear pinned and pick a line between two rocks. A real pity there was another rock hidden between these two that stopped my front wheel rather nicely. It really is not a pleasant feeling flying through the air, rolling up a hill and seeing a KTM heading striaght for you. A bit of damaged pride, bruised/fractured ribs and Dave asking me ‘what the hell was that’ saw me back on the bike. Needless to say, the fun was no longer a whole lot of fun. Just as well adrenalin kicks in an seems to kill pain quite well (not to mention a couple of myprodols!). The rest of the morning ride was fantastic and the scenery equally grand. Dwayne was waiting patiently at the Bashee where we tucked into some lunch and were entertained by some of the local school kids (who never seem to be in school). Each time they heard a vehicle, they darted off in all directions into the buch, hoping not to get caught out. Bikes were treated to some fuel, adjustments, new levers or whatever they needed. Neil, Max, Andy & Ant then headed off through the Haven Reserve for a short but heavy going ride to the Xora Beach House, whilst I decided it wise to follow Dwayne on the pass to the house. Not sure which was worse. Luckily, Dwayne had some liquid painkillers that quenched my thirst equally, while we waited for the others to arrive. It was after sundown when we saw the first sign of the group. Obviously things had taken a bit longer than planned, or Mike had found a ‘shortcut’. With the chiken on the braai and some superb freshly baked bread, the boys were in good spirits. The Captain was broken out and administered some pain relief to those in need (sorry Max, another night on water and cokes for you). By now, the ribs were hurting nicely and Andy didn’t help by cracking jokes throughout the evening. Cleggie could not be persuaded to suck down another Captain, so it was left to Mike, Dave & myself to take care of business. Not too sure it was that wise given we another day ahead (but Mike assured me ‘it is the best riding in the world – green rolling hills’)

….to be continued

The preparation was good, a few weeks back I did a trip in with Andy Shaw and the track was perfect, no rain for a couple of days before made the ride easy and an absolute hoot. This allowed us to get to the very end of the trail and I got the gps route right up to the border. The down side was it was fkin hotter than fkin hot thing on heat! which meant we weren’t fit enough to go bush walk to try and pick up any trail that may lead to the Sarawak side. We were also not sure if we had enough fuel to get back if it started to rain and we ended up having to ride back in a mud myer. As it turned out it didn’t rain but Andy ‘hippopotomus’ Shaw went for a wallow anyways.

Sorry guy’s my waffle will have to wait, got to go and keep ‘richard no mates’ company and drink some beer. promise to finish the story off and add photo’s soon……

Max

‘Walter’ add some photos and do the SA write up you light weight.

Back home again… three slices of toast, a cup of teaa…. off to bed

This Sarawak trip was planned for a total of 4 days to enable those interested to ride to Ba’Kelelan and over the Indonesian border to Lg Midang and Long Bawan.

When the weekend arrived for the trip, only three riders where able to join. They were Max on his hi tech Yamaha WR450, Ken on the trusty Suzuki DR600 Paris/Dakar (the pig) and Rick on the workhorse, Honda XR600.

Friday 11th April, Max trailered his bike up from Kuala Belait and after a small sight seeing expedition of the back streets, finally met Ken and Rick at the Kuala Lurah border check point.

Our first stop was Limbang town for passport control chop and it was here that Rick informed us that the Honda had no front brake. A closer inspection found that the disc brake pads and brake pin had fallen out along the route. Ricky decided to return to Brunei for some quick repairs and meet us in the morning at Lawas.

Max and Ken continued uneventfully to Lawas and arrived at the “Southern Comfort Bush Lodge” which is located 15 kms on the Lawas Damit road. Our lovely host Isty, had prepared a fantastic feast that night, and Max and Ken gladly finished off Ricky share in his absence.

Saturday morning was a casual start preparing the bikes, loading up with fuel, packing our gear and waiting for the Rickster to arrive from his fun night stay in Limbang.

The group set-off around 10 a.m. and after crossing the local stream nearby the lodge, they followed the 4×4 goat track for a few kms until meeting the main “Samling Logging” road. This great scenic track passes through Long Sukang, Berayong Logging Camp and traverses the steep trail to “Merarap Hot Springs Bush Resort”.

The group stopped briefly for lunch in the company of Alfred Padan, the owner and operator of this fantastic lodge.

After our brief chat and lunch, the bikers set off again on the main “Samling Logging road” passing through Merarap Logging camp, Ravenscourt Logging camp,and through the remote area of Mount Belingi on the way to the beautiful valley of Ba’ Kelelan. The group had to contend with deep muddy sections of trails and ruts on the decent over Mt Belingi. Exhausted, the riders arrived late afternoon at the “Apple Lodge’ located opposite the landing strip at Ba’Kelelan.

Ba’Kelelan is famous for it’s locally grown rice and delicious apples which grow in this cooler climate at altitude.

The lads enjoyed their nights stay with plenty of food provided by the Apple Lodge and a few soothing beers afterwards at the classy, local Astro T.V. entertainment venue.

Sunday morning, the lads were up early and re-packing their bikes in preparation for the trip over the Malaysian border to Kalimantan, Indonesia. They had all been praying for a dry night (not beer!!) and a sunny day. If it had rained, it would have been impossible to leave the Ba’Kelelan valley and climb Mt Belingi on the return trip home.

On departing Ba’Kelelan, the group rode their bikes along the buffalo trail around the perimeter of the airstrip fence, to the Malaysian Army check point. After a brief chat and a photographic session, permission to proceed was granted on identification. For previous bike trips this service had cost us 5 ringitt each.

The trail then continues for approximately 7 kms through “no mans land” until reaching the Army Check point and tiny village of Long Midang, Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Although this bike group turned around at Long Midang, on a previous bike trip the group traveled the further 10 kms to the village of Long Bawan (still in Kalimantan, Indonesia).

More photos and greetings were exchanged, before back tracking through the villages Panang Kelalan, Panang, Lg Muda, Lg Komap, Ba’Kelelan, Lg Ritane, Lg Rusu, Buduk Bui.

Before them lay the 3 km steep and muddy climb back up and over Mt Belingi. With a few reservations, plenty of sweat and a bit of luck, the riders finally conquered this incredibly difficult mountain trail.

The trail then passes through remote jungle and takes in spectacular views of Mt Murud and Batu Lawi Mountain.

Mt Murud (7950 ft), the highest peak in Sarawak, can be reached in 1 hour by a 4×4 logging track from “Ravenscourt” Logging camp.

Batu Lawi (6703 ft) is a spectacular sight with its vertical limestone twin peaks rising 300 mtrs above the rest of the mountain and is unique to the Island of Borneo. There are many legends, myths and superstitions surrounding Batu Lawi, but translated into the Kelabit dialect it means “fish-tail rock”.

The return journey home had the riders passing though “Ravenscourt Logging camp”, “Merarap Logging camp”, and an overnight stop at the “Mererap Hot springs Resort”.

Max had decided not to stay the night and returned to Brunei alone.

Under the guidance of the resort owner and operator Alfred Padan, Ricky and Ken where taken to the original Belvedere Helicopter (R.A.F.) crash site. Many parts of the aircraft still remain today scattered under the jungle canopy. The aircraft crashed during the Indonesian Conflict in the 1960s killing all on board.