Thumps up to this Young Selakau...

Gold Arawana congratulates and wish all the best to this younger generation of Dayak Selakau.........

Located at Food Avenue, just opposite to newly opened Boulevard Hypermarket at Batu 4, Kuching. This three brothers of young Dayak Selakau show the way to the youngsters of Dayak Selakau. And now, I try myself to write in Selakau language than...

Satinggi Bukit Poe, jakoa ugak cita-cita urakng tuha dirik ka anak-anak ke. Satinggi Bukit Poe ugaklah, cita-cita dirik maok majuant dirik Salako. Satinggi Bukit Poe ugaklah, harapant kamudak-kamudak sikolah dirik maok panei sikolah, ampus ka universiti, sikolah tinggi, dudi ari gaji kayak, jaji mentiri...

Koahan angkali kampokng dirik di mijawat basamakant ngan bukit koa, pakei urakng-urakng tuha arek marek dirik parangsang sak dirik Salako maju mansang sabaya ngan bansa lain.

Pamandangan nyian ku ngicakng di Kampokng Paon, kamudak-kamudak sikolah puakng sikolah ngingatant aku ka jaman sikolah ku arek. Bajaant paha, ngalawan angat mantaradek di tangah ari.

Bato dirik kaniak dah ada kasot, gik jaman dea...salepar pun susah ngagoak, batu, karasik, tanah batarabangan ka tubuh sabab maraga masih maraga batu. Munse ninyakh paku atau duri, bukant paha ang ukak tapi, paku koa ang bengkokh, duri patah sabab talapak paha koa taiee babilulang. Buukh pun badiri kana jel samulajadi ampat di dabu maraga....

Dea dirik pucayak sikolah kahe-kahe'e cara maok maju. Batol ugak, aku pun pucayak ugak.

Tapi, bukant kahe cara'e, ngarajaan tanah pun bisnes ugak auk! Manyak udak urakng kaya jaji patani moden. Urakng makant gaji (aya aku ugak), sampe kamie pun anak dapat kaya.

Jek dirik baajar ka ambujakng contoh nyian. Aku pucayak manyak agik dirik Salako ang mudak-mudak jaiya ugak, kreatif & inovatif, jauh pikirant'e. Ankali aku anak kanal, urakng dah karamian giak.

Ang nyian aku kanal giak, ampat di kenek ba sabalahnt rumah....jiran sampe ka tuha kaniak...

Ambujakng talu baradik nyian, angkali manyak dirik ang kanal. Bukant'e anak panei sikolah, iya nyian baajar tinggi, ta'paajar jare nenek arek. Kadare gik napant ba rajaki maok dapat karaja ang sabaya ngan kalulusane.

Iya pun bukant'e bakuli, di tangah-tangah nagari Sobat di Kuching dak idak'e ngagok makant. He he part nyian ang mijawat aku repo nanang....Iya talu miadik batoke ka sandirik...

Aku ka koa minggu lapas, nyacapik sumanan urakng bujakng....boleh tahan. Ame mangap, anak ada kurang tapi konpom labih nyaman dari sumanan Sobat.

Bisnes? Boleh tahan oooo.... Dirik nahuik Boulevard Kuching koa salalu manyakh urakng ampus "shopping". Maam ari memang susah maok ngagok tampat dudukh. Ka gerai ayukng dirik nyian pun anak kurang'e, bajebotant, babaris urank'ng ngicakng oder. Maksute kahe segek, nang boleh tahanlah...

Abang'e ang tuha nyian jaji "mastermind". Ba toke ka sandirik labih sanang. Munse rajint, taba ugak dompet. Ngantik'ant nak karaja ka urakng, ka parentah anak suah dirik nangar urakng jaji kaya. Kahe cara'e maok labih, karaja sandirik...mijawat bisnes jare urakng. Kenekh pun nak mea, asal puihant ne manyak..

Ame ngantiant subsidi agik, dah anak sangape dapat di arap. Karajaan damea ang patut asal duit tamak....

Jek dirik sabaya-baya nyokong bisnes ayukng-ayukng dirik. Sanang ajak, ampus ka Food Avenue di Batu Ampat, Kuching. Tamak ada nanang lampu biru ka gerai'e, iyalah koa.

Ada ugak tulisan sobat, tapi ame kitak kataik kata Laut, misti kataik kata Salako boh....Memang pun iya Salako!

Ka Nelson, Aseng, Kiong ngan sape sekok koa...Balalang.... Keep it Up! My two thumps up for this young Selakau...

Good job and wish you all the best!

River and Life (Batang Rajang Part 2)

Gold Arawana Continue his journey on Batang Rajang.....

My journey continue from Sibu to Kapit....

Kapit...Here I come. Kapit Town (Above) and Terabai (shield), one of the land mark for Kapit Town.

Sibu to Kapit

As my journey continues, I used a bigger express boat, sitting in the first class which cost me about RM 30.00 which I cannot differentiate the specialties compare to second class and the economy class. As usual, I think the special is that the seats are less than the second and economy class.

As I go further, it discovers the different view from my first journey. The fishermen boats are almost none, tug boats carrying everything; vehicles, logs, construction materials, etc…take place. For Kapit are totally not accessible by roads, rivers still play the important roles here. With the expensive cost for transportations, the end users have to pay more for the products. And they are the Kapit folks.

The towns civilization is slowly disappear for the first half an hour, longhouses becoming dominant and appear on the left and right of the river. Speedboats are also disappearing, and the longboats, which accommodate about ten passengers take place. Some of them had seen having their bath on the riverbank and on the other side another man fishing for his daily meals. It is common view from Sibu all the way to Kapit. More and more log ponds also appeared, taking off the treasure of Sarawak. The river is now more congested, similar to the view on the highway. Smaller boats and long boats plead on nearer to the riverbank, meanwhile, the bigger boats on the middle of the river. There are no special traffic rules here, I guessed.

About one hour, the surroundings are change, from the type of plants to the topography. Hills are everywhere, and the river is getting narrower. There are no plantations, but the small farms of pepper, paddy and mix fruit trees are the common marks that there are settlements nearby. Kanowit and Song are two major towns on the along the “highway”, unfortunately, I don’t have any special stories to share on this two towns. As I pass by the towns, I didn’t see any specials. The towns however are full with longboats on its jetties.

At most settlements, river is for everything; transportation, foods, drinks as well as the toilets.

Finally, I reached Kapit, a small town in a rural area which I believed has lost his identity as a natural world as per my first impressions. However, the journey for the river is not yet finished. As informed to me, it needs another three to four hours journey to Belaga, the nearest town on the upper stream. Here, other tribes in Sarawak, the Orang Ulu which compromising of few smaller tribes are dominating. As for this trip, I spend my valuable three days here, at Kapit.

The hopes

Kapit is the only major town in Sarawak that not yet connected by roads. Roads is there, constructed by the logging company for their own used but not advisable for public used. The hope is there, that one day the people in Kapit will enjoy the same facilities as in other Divisions. To date, river is the only mode of transportation to Kapit. I keep questioning myself. Is the treasures of the jungles and other Sarawak natural resources still not enough to built roads to Kapit? Perhaps, Kapit needs more attention on road developments, and Sarawak itself needs attention on the roads upgrading. If the topographical is the reason, I dont understand if the engineering technologies today cannot overcome the problems. I better keep silence or somebody will axe me..

The natives are still depending very much on the rivers for their daily activities. In most places along the river, human activities on the forest have shown the effect. Land slide seems on the riverbanks, and some are right on the longhouses. As the forest is getting less and less, I believed that the river will be crueler on his riverbank in the future.

As reported in newspaper past few weeks, fish are dying, floating at one of the river in Kapit. For unclear reason, there might be possible that the river will also finally kill the human populations. Kapit is still popular for his trademark “Empurau”, which cost about RM 300.00 per kilogram. For my third visits to Kapit, I haven’t seen this “gold” fish and I wish some day I will meet them alive, playing on the clear water of Kapit. It might be impossible to see them at Batang Rajang, but other virgin rivers are haply still there and welcome them as their permanent living creatures.

After three days in Kapit, I return back to Daro on the same route. My conclusion is that, river is really need protections, the peoples and the other living creatures on its surroundings need to be protected as well.

As more developments needed for Kapit, we cannot deny that the natural beauties have to be sacrifice. However, let we balance the developments and the nature so that it will be equilibrium on it. As all the tribes in Sarawak are crying for the equals among them, the river perhaps crying the same so that they will be more appreciated as part of this world and not the victims of cruel and greedy human beings.

Not yet finished?... Kapit is not the ending point for Batang Rajang. Maybe some other day, Gold Arawan journey to discover another beauties of Batang Rajang...

River And Life (Batang Rajang Part 1)

Gold Arawana on his memorable journey from Daro to Kapit on Batang Rajang

My journey on Batang Rajang shown on blue trail. Daro, Sibu, Kanowit, Song and Kapit are towns that connected directly through this "King of the River". My finger is pointing on Kapit.

This long speedboat, or better known as Express Boat by Sarawakian is just an express bus for highway or, perhaps similar to LRT in City. Whatever his name is, he is the best friend of Batang Rajang, giving the best transportation mode for the settlements along the river. Some says that this is the reason why Kapit is not yet connected by roads. I am not the best to comment, anyway....

Batang Rajang in Sarawak is the famous river in Malaysia for its title as the longest river in Malaysia. From a bit research from the internet, I discover that Batang Rajang is about 563 km which flow from the mountain of Iran and meet the South China Sea at Bruit Island. “Batang” in Sarawak is common and mean big rivers.

I have the chance to visit Kapit for several times, but this time is really a memorable one as I am using two express boats from Daro (a town at the downstream) to Sibu (a major town in the middle of the journey) and to the upper stream of the river, Kapit. The journey took me about 5 hours, about two and half and hour each from Daro to Sibu and Sibu to Kapit. This cost me about RM 20.00 from Daro to Sibu and another RM 30.00 to Kapit.

The story is that how this mighty river has his strong interrelationship with the human and other living creatures which depends very much on him to survive.

DOWNSTREAM (Daro to Sibu)

My journey from Daro in Mukah Division to Sibu Town of course in Sibu Division, discovers an obvious how the river plays his important roles to and becoming the victim of “others”. It is between the river itself, human, flora and the fauna. Daro is surrounded by swamp area, where there is nowhere to find and hills. Daro is also popular for its “Terubok” which in the past could be easily found on the Batang Rajang and his smaller sub-streams. Nowadays, it is difficult for the fishermen as it dwindling ignorantly. My first trip to Daro, Terubok can easily buy, and cost about RM 15.00 per kilo but now increase to about RM 30.00, doubles in five years. I was informed that it is not easy to catch now, as the fish are either dwindling or migrating to other virgin places. This also happened to other popular freshwater-based foods populations on the fish, prawns and crabs.

Sand extracting and logging in this area gave big impacts on the river itself and its habitat. At last, the Terubok replica at Daro Town will be the last terubok standing in the land of Daro. Daro is a well develop District in the administration of Mukah Division. As result, they have to sacrifice their valuable nature. Sand extractions are for the sand filling on constructions, and logging for unclear reason. Most of the time, plantations of Oil Palms are the best reason for the developments. Who cares than!

Fishermen boats and the long speedboats (we call it express boat) which can accommodate about 100 passengers are common. Most settlements in Daro are not accessible by roads, yet the river is still the major mode of transportation. Most of them are Melanau Daro, and Iban longhouses which gives the rivers more merrier. Judging it by my naked eyes, the total log ponds are more than the total settlements along the river. Traveling from Daro to Sibu, the Melanau kampongs are getting lesser and the Iban longhouses are appearing more and more.

Nearer to Sibu, the fishermen boats are getting lesser, the tug boats carrying almost everything takes place. The longhouses are getting lesser and lesser, and the longboats are also getting lesser and lesser. This reflects that the settlements are already connected with the roads and the river being the second important for transportation. Log ponds are also getting lesser and replace by sawmill and it’s associated timber industries on the left and right side of the river. Other industries, boats factories are also appear, reflecting that the roles of the river itself are still relevant. There are almost no different on the view, as bakau and nipah are growing well along the river.

Sibu is the third major town in Sarawak. Its status as a floating town has slowing down his transformation to become the third City in Sarawak after Kuching and Miri. The town, where it is dominating by the Chinese Foochow was however the second largest town in Sarawak before Miri claims the honorable title. Processing of timber are the main industries that contributing major developments in this town. Half an hour before reaching Sibu, the passengers can easily view the tallest building in Sarawak, Wisma Sanyan.

As the timber is getting less, Sibu has transformed himself to industrial and food processing industries. On the locality, Sibu is the central one-stop for the central region. Most peoples from Sarikei, Kapit and Mukah Division came to Sibu for various business and job opportunities. This absolutely will be the major factor that Sibu still becoming one of the major towns in Sarawak. Another factor is the developments of the Rajang Port Authorities. For decades, this port being the important gateway that brings the needs to the peoples in central region. Again, the river is still the main factor to maintain its status and creates more jobs opportunities to the Sibu folks and the surrounding areas.

Significant to its status as the central town of the central region, my journey is adjourned to two hours before I continue my journey to Kapit by another express boats and another two and half an hour enjoying the relationship between the river and life.

The Hopes

A group of longhouse folks near Daro looking towards on boarding Express Board. They are one of thousands of peoples that depend very much on Batang Rajang for their daily activities.

The fishermen in Daro I believed still strongly dependent on their fishing returns for their incomes. Yesteryear, they are the champions of the rivers, know every sharp bends, and needs no special tools for fishing. To date, they are still the same, but they need special tools for the limited resources. I believed that they are not interested to work in the plantations and work for others. They have strong insane that the nature has everything for them, but needs extra effort to reach it. With the rivers have change tremendously; it’s no more the good friends to the fishermen. As the time change, they slowly follow the changes; by educating their children to become more educated, at least a better fisherman than their parents. Some of them migrate to better places, looking for jobs in towns which offer them more incomes. Not less, still depending on the river, for everything, income, transportation, drinks, foods, as well as the toilets.

A bridge under construction across Batang Rajang, this is one of the three or four bridges which will across the river. The road constructions perhaps give future hopes for more clean river. Or it will be forgotten as one of the important modes of transportation. The development of Tanjung Manis as the new gateway for the Central Region of Sarawak will erase the roles play by the Rajang Port in sibu. It just my opinion....

On upper stream of the river, river is means only for the business. Transportation is still the best choice and shipping industries is getting bigger and bigger. This has creates thousands of job opportunities to the locals. Unfortunately, I believed that the younger generations prefer to work on easy and in comfort environments. The rivers is still there, from a generous nature to cruel nature, suited himself to the evolutions of the human beings. He flowing on everywhere he likes and creates flood to the low land of Sibu. He brings his muddy smelly polluted water, which not allowed human and other living creatures to get it for free service. As the result of developments, human have to pay more for the rehabilitation. Still, there are nobody who cares about it, yes maybe but not sincerely done. Despite the clear warnings on global warming, extraordinary floods happened recently, the river is still the best choice to dump on the waste of developments. As he has served the people from Daro to Sibu for transportation for centuries, human shall appreciate his contributions towards cleaner and safer rivers for life. For the big tycoons, they have no problems because they have everything to recover their life qualities, for those who still depending too much on the one and only river, there is no special answer for that. Believed me, when the mother of nature show her anger, he recognize nobody either they are reach or poor. She serves for equilibrium, and everybody will take the risk.

My journey will take me about 126 km from Sibu to Kapit which take another two and half an hour. I wish that the Batang Rajang will be as what written at the board above;

"TOWARDS CLEAN, SAFE AND NATURAL RIVER".

My upstream journey on PART 2......

FROG, FRog, FROG, and FROG....

Gold Arawana try to introduce you to the most ugly amphibian, the Frog....

In our recent history of country’s politics, frog has become a popular subject. If there is any award for the Most Popular Actor for animals category, than the amphibian will take the honor. The stories are spreading here and there, the frogs are jumping here and there, and some are too small to jump and hide at their own comfort. For the bigger frogs, the dare to jump higher, becoming the hot issue to the national media.

Than, what is frog actually? Gold Arawana is sympathy to them; they are one of the silence amphibians, not even enemy to human. For those who like the exotic foods, frogs are a special dish and you had to pay more money to eat them. For the hunter, frogs are not easy to catch, they hiding on very isolated area in the jungles. To catch them is a sacrifice on times.



I went to Kapit recently, walking through the famous wet market where you can find and buy almost everything on jungle products. That is the most special about Kapit Wet Market. Remember, to visit them if you have chance to go to Kapit. Almost everything and trade openly! One of them is frogs! Five frogs could easily cost about RM 30.00, which is about one kilo. What a good price to trade the frog. For the exotic food lovers, they would not mind to pay this anyway.





Frog has an ugly face, two long legs and a couple of thin hands and measured to be as long as their leg. A real ugly amphibian, indeed! In addition, it has big mouth and long tongue, no ears but big eyes, lazy but bless with big stomach. Normally it is brown color, with black dotted throughout their body. It just likes the uniform of prisoners in my favorite cartoon series, Mr. Bean.



In jungles, they like to stay at cold and dry area, even though they needs water most of their life. It’s hard to find them, as they are silence and most of the time making a mistake is almost impossible. In other words, making a mistake means death for them. They live in very isolated area, normally almost impossible to be reach by his hunter. Unless he is hunter for foods, they normally hiding and hiding. They will normally hunted by his big enemies, the snake and eagles during hunting for foods. Insects are their favorite, normally taking the opportunities using their long tongue. Again it is an ugly amphibian, indeed.

The females lay their eggs in the stagnant dirty water; a female can lay hundreds or millions of eggs which later will become a fish alike and known by us as berudu (tadpole). The mother will disappear, leaving their baby growing as what they like. They don’t care on the dangerous and the dirt that surround their babies, because the mother again has to hide. In conclusion, frog is coward.

Not really, they like to sing too. They really enjoy the rainfall and floods. This is the time where their enemies are weak and they can show their strength. I wonder if they have their own karaoke sets in their community. He he he…

Growing bigger and bigger one frog could easily reach one kilo, as told by one of the frog trader in Kapit. Nowadays, the eatable frogs for human normally range 200 grams to 500 grams (if lucky). Most of their meats are on their legs, other abdomens are normally useless. I use to bring by a friend to take lunch at Pakan, a small town in Sarawak. He ordered a plate of frogs. Wowww…my friends really enjoy their foods. Looking on the frog legs, is haunted me. Its look like the human hands. Even in the plate, cooked well with special ingredients, it is still an ugly amphibian. At last, I have to order a can of chicken curry for my lunch.

As we having the lunch, my friend told me that the frog meat is delicious, much much more delicious than the chicken. It is so special, as it is not easy to catch and preparation is even not an easy task too. Once they get the frogs from their supplier, the first thing to do skinning it. Frog skins are dirty as it live in dirt, I guess. Than the internal part have to taken out left only the legs and hands for the foods. Ha ha…of course, their internal parts are the dirtiest part. It’s really an ugly amphibian.

And one more things that I almost forget to tell here, frogs are smelly, the smell that I myself cannot describe it here.

Nowadays, frogs had been commercialized as one of livestock in Sarawak. I am not very sure on other parts of this world, anyway. One kilo is about RM 30.00 which no doubt will give good return to the farmers. Last warning; do not put them too near to your house as they like singing and singing. As they are coward species, it has to be properly fence up, pond is compulsory needed and fence shall be high so that it will not jump to your neighbor’s farms. Your neighbors might have more foods and more secure for them!

That’s it! A short article about frog, it might not really informative as you can read more in the encyclopedias. Gold Arawana wish to have them for his foods, unfortunately he could not. However, its nice to help others for skinning process, at least we could downscale the populations.

For conclusions, frog is a real ugly amphibian, cowards, dirty, but delicious and good for business. If you disbelieve, try to go to the exotic restaurant and order for the dish. One last final warning, ask the price first before you make your order!