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Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort

Lunch with the Head Hunters

by Dave Shultz

As a child I read a lot of stories about the headhunters of Borneo.  National Geographic pictures of small dark people with fancy headdresses of exotic bird feathers and tattooed bodies swam through my head as we flew from Kuala Lumpur on the Malaysian peninsula to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak on the Island of Borneo.

Like a lot of people, I hadn’t realized that Malaysia was more than just the peninsula.  It also has two states, Sarawak and Sabah, on the northern edge of the island of Borneo.   It’s a fairly short flight on Malaysia Airlines to Kuching a beautiful modern city of about 400,000 on the southwest edge of Sarawak. 

We departed Kuching by bus with our guides for the trip, Emong Tinsang and Jennifer Kang.  Emong grew up in a longhouse and was very knowledgable about anything concerning local customs and traditions.  He works for Borneo Adventures in Kuching, a company dedicated to nature-based tourism.  Jennifer is public relations manager for the Hilton Batang Ai (pronounced bat an eye) Longhouse Resort and had a contagious smile that never went away.  During the drive from Kuching into the rain forest to Batang Ai Lake, I begin to feel like I might actually be entering the land I had dreamed of in my youth.  I was on my way to one of the most unique hotels in the world, the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort.

This facility is exceptional in several ways.  First of all, it’s only accessible by water.  There are no roads anywhere near the resort.  When you enter the rain forest, the rivers become the main means of transportation.  Second, the resort is built in the traditional Longhouse manner.  Finally, the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort is an ecologically friendly resort.  It was constructed with eco-tourism in mind and a ‘green’ philosophy is practiced.  All of the construction was done with local timber and the gardens have only indigenous plants.  If a room is vacant, the lights go out automatically.  If a window is opened, the air conditioning switches off.  Recycled products are used and nothing is allowed to pollute the atmosphere or water.

The bus brought us to the shore of the lake where we boarded a boat for the ride across the water to the resort.  The scenery is indescribably beautiful and the resort reveals itself slowly as you approach the dock.  Each of the 11 longhouses that make up the resort has a long vacant gallery that runs the length of the building and faces the lake and there is a porch in front of that with an incredible view of the lake and river.  This open gallery is called the ruai and is the center of activity in traditional longhouses where men and women do most of their work during the day.  Our ruai was deserted most of the time since the guests were either sleeping or off on some adventure.

The buildings are connected with covered walkways and everything is blended perfectly with the landscaping.  It only takes a little imagination to feel like you’re in a Swiss Family Robinson fantasy.

We were greeted in front of the entrance by Resident Naturalist Winston Marshall and served a refreshing juice drink.  Local Iban (pronounced ee-bon) men and women, complete with music and dancing, performed a traditional greeting ceremony.  The Iban are the most populous native group and account for about 30% of the population of Sarawak.  Winston entertained us later at dinner with wonderful stories about Borneo and the Iban.  His nature walks are incredibly entertaining and his knowledge of local flora and fauna is endless.

Our group was given the opportunity to visit a real Iban longhouse the next day and I was anxious to hit the road or river as it were.  We carefully climbed into traditional long boats and settled in for the hour and a half trip up the Batan Ai River.  Batan Ai means ‘main river’ and we could see why as we traveled upstream.  Everyone depends on the river for transportation, food and water.  We saw rice and bananas being grown along the banks wherever enough jungle could be cleared to plant.  Almost everyone that lives in this area is right on the waterfront.  It is the center of commerce and activity. 

As we venture further into the rain forest, the river narrows and we frequently encountered obstacles that concerned everyone but the boat captains.  One man in the front served as lookout and anytime something was floating in the way, he raised his hand and the man in the back lifted the outboard engine while we bumped our way over it.  Shallow water sometimes required them to turn the outboard off in order to pole our way into deeper water.  It was not a boring ride!

The Longhouse is really a village under one roof and it’s citizens inherited their way of life from their ancestors.  It’s presided over by an elder who is not necessarily the oldest person living there but one who has the respect of the inhabitants.  Major decisions are made by all of the adult members while the elder acts as adjudicator rather than dictator.  All of the members of the longhouse are part of the community but each family is responsible for the upkeep of their own rooms and each family tends it’s own farms.

The longhouse we visited is home to over 50 families.  The reason the houses are long is because every time there is a marriage in the home, the new couple simply adds on to the end of the house and becomes part of the extended family.  If a house gets too big, some of the people might find a new spot and start another long house.  All of the houses are built with local raw materials and are not intended to be permanent.  Occasionally, the houses are rebuilt with new materials and life goes on.

The steps into the long house are cut from a single log and while we shakily climbed them using the railing.  The kids who lived there ran up and down without a care.  The kids were everywhere and seemed to be the center of activity in the house.  They played and worked with equal delight and generally appeared to be some of the happiest and healthiest kids I had ever seen.  By the way, you never come into a long house until invited.  You call out from the bottom of the steps and as permission to come up the steps.  It’s also traditional to take off your shoes before entering and you always make your way to the elder’s room to announce your presence and state your business.  It’s also considered taboo to enter and longhouse and leave without sitting down and partaking in some local rice wine.  If you don’t pause on your way through the house, it is believed you are trying to take the wealth of the house away with you.

The Iban are quite talented in crafting things from local raw materials and these were offered for sale after we finished our greeting ceremony and wine.  If you’re a non-drinker, don’t worry.  It’s acceptable to simply touch the glass offered to you as a sign that you are not rejecting their hospitality.  Their woodcarving is marvelous and the weaving distinctive.  I was trying to figure out how to get one more souvenir in my suitcase.  I managed!

We were invited to lunch there and Emong turned out to be a pretty good cook also.  He explained each dish and how it was prepared and it was quite tasty.  We ate in an open air dining area right on the edge of the river.  The building we were in was designed to house overnight visitors and had modern bath facilities so things didn’t get too primitive.  I wish we had time to stay for a few days but sadly we had to depart soon after lunch.  The trip downstream was no less eventful than the trip up.

When we boarded at the hotel, we were given bright yellow ponchos and on the trip back, we were really thankful we had them.  The rain came in waves and at times the visibility dropped to the point where i was sure our boatmen had to be running on instinct.  The rain seemed to add to the thrill of being in the jungles of Borneo, gliding down the river in a wooden boat, the water only inches away.  The air was incredibly fresh and miraculously, the rain stopped just before we got to the dock.  All in all, it was a perfect day.  National Geographic could never equal this experience.

For More Information:

Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort
C/O Hilton Kuching
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, P.O. Box 2396
93748 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
06 82 248200 ext. 4068
Fax 06 82 428984

Borneo Adventures
55 Main Bazaar
93000 Kuching
P.O. Box 2112, 93742
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
6082 245175, 245666
Fax 6082 422626, 234212
bakch@po.jaring.my
http://www.borneoadventure.com

For Travel to Malaysia
Malaysia Airlines
888-359-8655
http://www.malaysiaair.com/  

Photos by Dave Shultz
Resort photo courtesy of Hilton

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