"Wanderer in Malaysian Borneo" is a book I got from the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale recently. In fact, I finished this book in less than a week after I bought this! This book became my first to read because it has the smallest page numbers (total 136 pages with not so small font), hahaha! In one of my resolutions for the new year, I hope I am able to read at least one book per month to finish my current unread books (so that I can buy more new books guilt free!).
Well, as the title suggests, this book is about the journey by Pengembara in Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and sarawak) from 1991 to 1993. The Pengembara utilised both land and water transports for travelling. Although the author travelled Sabah and Sarawak in the 90s, it seems that the transportation in Sabah and Sarawak is still not so good, just read a columnist article in The Star about how difficult it is to get a patient from a rural area in Sabah and Sarawak to get his or her necessary treatment, accessibility is still a problem, so sad, instead of building more white elephants in big towns and cities, government should really improve the health care facilities and resources in rural areas. Mmmm, in city too, many government hospitals are out of space and resources to take good care of the patients. Look at the Auditor-General Report every year, all the wasted money can really make a differences to the general well being on the public.
Back to the book, below snapshot from the book shows some interesting trivia, Beaufort was named after the appointed governor of the town and Governor Beaufort was categorised as the most incompetent Governor ever acquired by North Borneo. Well, this is the kind of information we don't get from the school history book.
The author mentioned about the Mt. Kinabalu too. It's quite funny.
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| Front cover for Wanderer in Malaysian Borneo |
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| Back cover for Wanderer in Malaysian Borneo |
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| a snapshot from the book |
"The main danger faced by climbers of Mount Kinabalu nowadays is self-dramatisation. It is tempting to narrate one's climb something along these lines: " As I struggled up the steep face of mighty Kinabalu, I gazed far below me and saw..." To be truthful, such a sentence might have to completed with the words,"... about a hundred other people climbing up behind me, including women and children." For it is a fact that the summit of Mount Kinabalu, known as Lowe's Peak, is scaled by about 20000 people a year from all around the world"
"Low's Peak on Kinabalu is 4010 metres high. Climatologists say that if it were 30 metres higher the peak would be snow-clad. Perhaps the Sabah Public Works Department might consider adding on the extra metres and thus ensure snow - as means of attracting more tourists?"
Hahaha, although many of my friends have climbed the Mount Kinabalu, I am not tempted to do this at all. I have shortness of breath everytime I climb stairs and I climb every working days! According to my friends who have conquered both Mount Kinabalu and Mount Fuji, most of them agreed that Mount Kinabalu is better than Mount Fuji in terms of scenery, at least Mount Kinabalu has plants! Oh, and I totally against the idea of adding height to the Low's peak.
On Sarawak, the Pengembara mentioned about visiting Gua Mulu and Gua Niah. It sounds fun, ah, I should really book a ticket from Air Asia and visit all these great places. Other than that, he explained about how Bintulu got developed, wondered why the hotels love to use "Inn", etc.
I have two Sarawakian coursemates during my university days, Sharon is a Bidayuh from Miri and Mok is a Chinese from Sibu. Sharon told me that she doesn't own any traditional Bidayuh attires, if she really wants to wear it, she will rent it. Her father, her brother and now she works in the petroleum industry. Yes, Miri is associated with the petroleum. Meanwhile, Mok came from a traditional Christian family, she is a third generation Christian and she speaks Foochow, although I understand Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese. I couldn't even understand one sentence of Foochow at all!
Every holidays, Sharon and Mok would book the air ticket months before to secure a seat. Ah, it's so competitive for the flights to Miri and Sibu. One time, Mok really wanted to go home for Chinese New Year, but all the MAS and Air Asia flights were sold out, so she actually bought ticket to Bintulu and then took a long bus ride to go home, such determination!
The articles were written in the 90s, although a lot of things may not be the same, I still get to know more about Land Below the Wind and Land of the Hornbill from this book. Satisfied!
Hahaha, although many of my friends have climbed the Mount Kinabalu, I am not tempted to do this at all. I have shortness of breath everytime I climb stairs and I climb every working days! According to my friends who have conquered both Mount Kinabalu and Mount Fuji, most of them agreed that Mount Kinabalu is better than Mount Fuji in terms of scenery, at least Mount Kinabalu has plants! Oh, and I totally against the idea of adding height to the Low's peak.
On Sarawak, the Pengembara mentioned about visiting Gua Mulu and Gua Niah. It sounds fun, ah, I should really book a ticket from Air Asia and visit all these great places. Other than that, he explained about how Bintulu got developed, wondered why the hotels love to use "Inn", etc.
I have two Sarawakian coursemates during my university days, Sharon is a Bidayuh from Miri and Mok is a Chinese from Sibu. Sharon told me that she doesn't own any traditional Bidayuh attires, if she really wants to wear it, she will rent it. Her father, her brother and now she works in the petroleum industry. Yes, Miri is associated with the petroleum. Meanwhile, Mok came from a traditional Christian family, she is a third generation Christian and she speaks Foochow, although I understand Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese. I couldn't even understand one sentence of Foochow at all!
Every holidays, Sharon and Mok would book the air ticket months before to secure a seat. Ah, it's so competitive for the flights to Miri and Sibu. One time, Mok really wanted to go home for Chinese New Year, but all the MAS and Air Asia flights were sold out, so she actually bought ticket to Bintulu and then took a long bus ride to go home, such determination!
The articles were written in the 90s, although a lot of things may not be the same, I still get to know more about Land Below the Wind and Land of the Hornbill from this book. Satisfied!
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