Sibu was to be the next destination for 4 days and Dave and Jen were graciously taken under the wing of Peter, Alicia (my physio's dad). Peter, second generation Foo Chow Chinese, but born in Borneo, lives in Sibu, to develop the land his father left him, while his wife and two daughters live in Melbourne. Peter was an amazing host and really too generous to Dave and Jen. He insisted on going out of his way to pay for all our delicious meals, pick us up from the airport, let us stay in his house, drive us around town to a number of beautiful places, paid and organised our ferry trips and even made sure we had snacks for our long boat trips!
Dave and Jen enjoyed being entertained by Peter's many insights into the corruption that is prevalent in Sibu and Malaysian society, and Dave especially enjoyed Peter's tales of his restaurant business in Melbourne in the late 70s... Perhaps the biggest highlight of hanging out with Peter, for Jen anyway, was the food! Our first dinner consisted of beautifully cooked pork which was poached, roasted, braised and then deep fried! Not the most healthiest of meals, but wow did it taste amazing! It was great being taken around by a local who can share with us their local delicacies and also to provide insight into their daily life...
Peter took us to the main "tourist" attraction of Sibu (Sibu, mind you is not very high on the list of stops of the tourist trail), which was a massive Chinese temple. Peter was friends with the owner and so gave us an hour long personal tour and lecture of the temple and its meanings, Dave was in heaven, being particularly interested in all things Asian history! Jen, however, was a little tired and hot, and while enjoyed the lecture, managed to drift off right at the exact time our teacher asked her a question, which turned out to be rather embarrassing! It is quite interesting that there is such a massive Chinese influence in Sarawak and you would definitely have trouble getting around if you didn't speak Malay and Chinese.
One of Dave's biggest hopes for his round the world trips was to be tattooed by the Dyak tribes of Borneo. As, apparently, they are one of, if not the only, remaining cannibalistic tribes. Peter once again helped us and found the 'maestro' of Iban tattooing which he set Dave up an appointment with. Dave and Jen took a four hour boat ride from Sibu to Kapit, 'Into the Heart of Borneo,' too meet up with the maestro and also to see the traditional lodging of these tribes. Dave's tattoo took about five hours, and even though our driver time to make up time by screaming up the pot hole filled gravel road, with or without her sump tank she didn't mind, Dave and Jen only had about 40 minutes to see the longhouse and to share some traditional tuak (rice whisky) with the local people. Dave and Jen also managed to marvel at the human skulls, trophies of past conquests, which are usually hidden away. While the long house looks old fashioned and for lack of a more appropriate word,'uncivilised' by Western standards, it's quite funny that all of them have the internet and cable TV! The satellite dishes covering the roofs are very funny to see!
Dave and Jen arrived back in Sibu to a loverly traditional and home cooked meal of satay sticks, beef rendang, chinese water spinach and ferns - a fantastic end to an amazing few days with our new friend!
