Lundayeh House (Humble Abode of the River People) @ Mari Mari Cultural Village [Sabah State]

Coming to the third house of the cultural village tour, the Lundayeh tribe is also known as Lun Bawang and concentrates at the region where Sabah meets Sarawak and Indonesia's Kalimantan. 

It might appear to be a typical kampong house commonly found in Malaysia but you would have to look closer to see the differences, with the helpful information dispensed by our guide.

Forgive me for thinking this was yet another display of rice wine; it was in fact a 'coffin' which begets the question on how they manage to squeeze the body inside! Answer is pretty easy; cut the jar into half, put the dead body into the bottom half and then glue the top. After about two years, the shrunk body would then be transferred to a smaller jar and buried in the ground. 

A cultural symbol on the rock; didn't really quite catch the words of the guide as i was busy taking photographs. I really need to stop being so trigger happy! 

Want to guess what this is? Hint - the Lundayeh lived by the river and there was a particular creature which the river as its home that they honoured despite its supposed ferocity. 

The crocodile shaped memorial didn't quite do justice to the cold blooded creature but yah, that's the answer. Frankly, i was under the impression it was a humongous gecko! 

Nevertheless, the tribe was still aware of the dangers of staying in close proximity with the crocs and aside from chickens and dogs which would help to sound the alarm, they would also set up primitive bamboo signaling devices.

Another informative session in this hut.

Rope and vest making; interesting as i have never known that tree bark can be used as an attire! Aren't they too rough for our tender skin!?

Making it sounded quite laborious - you have to pour water on the bark to soften it, continuously pound it and then scrap off the harder section and then leave it to dry. 

Focus on the wooden staff with bunches of hair - in the tradition of the Lundayeh, the men would display bunches of hair that belonged to the severed head of their enemies. 

Photo taking opportunity! How to judge if a Lundayeh lady is single? Only a single gal would wear accessories on their head. 

Step into the house and you would notice something different from the houses of the Dusun and Rungus. Tree barks on the floor as protection in case of attacks by rival tribes! 

Windows overlooking the hut explaining rope and vest making; this particular group of travelers was so boisterous with their voices booming throughout the village!

One of the rooms in the house.

As with the Dusun tribe, single ladies would sleep on the upper deck as an additional security from horny men and would you like to guess the purpose of that thick bamboo pole?

It's a ladder to get to the second floor! It would definitely take some skill to use the ladder! Without any railing, i bet i could barely go up past the third step. 

An interesting aspect of the Lundayeh House was its movable roof! How cool is that!?!? On hot summer days, the men would prong up the roof to allow cool air into the house. Needless to say, the men treat it as a sort of exercise for their upper body! 

It would be relaxing to sit by this section; smoking a cigarette, having a cup of green tea and reading a novel / playing candy crush.

Moving off to our fourth house! 

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Location

Within Mari Mari Cultural Village. To read more, kindly refer to the main posting on Mari Mari Cultural Village. 

For the summarised itinerary of my 7 days, 6 nights Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) trip, please click here.

Lazarus Island - An Incomplete Exploration @ The Southern Islands [Singapore]

In the past, going to a local island in Singapore involves taking ferries. Nowadays, there are a few modes of access and in the case of Lazarus Island, you can choose to walk over; yes, as in using your feet across the man-made dam and bridge that linked the island to Saint John's Island. 

Standing on Lazarus Island - frankly, with this physical connection that combines the islands, it may be appropriate to rename the islands as a whole rather than keeping to their existing names which might be confusing to the later generations. 

Not far from the hut, on our right, was a pond. 

Okay, i presume it was a pond given the concrete bollards and a wooden platform by the water. 

Brown, dirty water with dry leaves, i am surprised there were still living creatures (note the red eared terrapin) inhabiting its polluted premise! 

In comparison, the water at the bay looked way much inviting! By the way, this was the same bay we docked at for the yacht trip last year!

We didn't know the route to Singapore's best beach and figured going straight on the tarred road was our best option. It helped that there was another group far ahead on the same road.

This tree towered over the rest and forgive me for not knowing its species; am no arborist. What i did know is that its crown would shade us well on a hot day.

Found the beach! Note, it is termed as the best beach in Singapore, not the best beach in the region. For more photographs, click here. 

Blessed with some time to spare since we didn't have the intention to snorkel / swim, our adventurous streak enticed us to check out the quieter path.

Facing the popular Kusu Island, many boats traversed this narrow strait and hence, this side of Lazarus Islands didn't attract any beach-goers for safety and cleanliness reasons.

Campers, however, were a different story. Though the area smelt strong of natural rustiness, it was a shame to see campers without a hoot for nature.

Man made path to the pavilion; my only worry was to have a snake in the middle, ready to strike. The scenario has happened before and the memory remains vivid! 

The empty pavilion with another pathway.

Of course we followed through and found these super light seashells. Not sure how they got onto the top of the breakwater; guess some visitors have been collecting them and decided to leave them there. 

The island wasn't big but we still managed to catch some spectacular scenery. Put in a few deer and i bet many of you might thought this was a nature reserve!

Further down was the end of the path. Just like that, without much fanfare or a surprising find / information to reward us for walking more than usual beach goers.

A secluded beach that directly faced the jetty of Kusu Island.

A raft? Was there a Robinson Crusoe story that took place in the little red dot? Not too sure but despite the size of our nation, there were stories of illegal immigrants, homeless individuals who managed to live undetect.

The above was a better example of treating nature better. An enhancement would be in the form of bringing them out of the island when you leave! On second thought, that same aluminium tin can be reused for the next batch of BBQ users. Not the mesh though.

A wooden bench appeared out of nowhere; quite scary if night falls and you find a lady in white seated there while combing her tresses.

Really hate litter bugs!! 

Walking back to Saint John's Island for our ferry back to mainland Singapore. 

A scene that seemed to reflect autumn even though the weather in Singapore is absolutely summer throughout with high humidity that resulted in an attire making up of bermuda bottom, slippers and sleeveless top as our unofficial  'national' costume. 

Kon had a nickname for this; the breast. 

Melting under the hot sun and was in a dilemma as in whether we should jump into the water to cool ourselves! I guess it would be worthwhile to bring the two kids here to spend the weekend. 

Pieces of corals were mixed into the cement for the road, impressing onto visitors that corals were in fact in abundance long ago. 

This shall mark the end of my journey to Lazarus Island even though i didn't cover Seringat Island which was considered as the extension of Lazarus. Oh well, there is always a chance for revisits! 

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How to get to Lazarus Island?

Take the ferry from Marina South Pier to Saint John Island. Each ticket cost S$18 for an adult and S$12 for those below 13 years old. From Saint John Island jetty, walk 5-10 minutes. 

Ferry Schedule 

Click here.

Rungus Longhouse (Honey & Fire Starting) @ Mari Mari Cultural Village [Sabah State]

A short walk away from Dusun House was the Rungus tribe longhouse; Rungus is the fourth largest tribe in Sabah and many of them lived in longhhouses in the old times. 

Knowledge sharing again - from first look. i thought it would be another session of rice wine! Honestly, it had been quite a while since i last indulged in such vice. 

That block of seemingly decayed wood on the counter contained insects fair more valuable as they supplied a product much sought after even in the contemporary times we are in; honey made by the stingless bees!

Bamboo - the hive for the bees. Not sure if it is allowed in Singapore but i remember reading an article in New York on the popularity of urban bee keeping! 

Aside from the production of raw honey, the disgusting looking beeswax (considered as a byproduct) has its usefulness too. 

Given its stickiness, the beeswax acted as natural glue for this traditional musical instrument known as Sompoton; to hold the bamboo pipes that were inserted into the dried gourd. 

Taste the freshly harvested honey using traditional bamboo cups! 

Entering the Rungus humble yet ridiculously long dwelling that housed everyone in the village and in the past, can stretch over 70 doors (one door for each room).

Interior of the longhouse; with many Rungus now working in towns, the longhouses nowadays are much shorter and i guess there are also many benefits with amenities in modern buildings. 

A typical room; one room for one family! In the Rungus culture, the village chief would stay in the middle of the longhouse. If there is a need to extend (for example, for a new family), you would have extend on both ends to ensure the chief remains in the middle. 

Fire starting demonstration! Dry bamboo has to be used and women must learn how to start the fire using this traditional method which was considered as a pre-requisite for marriage! 

It took skill and patience, and a lot of smoke! For the video, check out my youtube video here. 

Going out of the longhouse - from the photo, it did seem rather easy with steps that appeared to be rather broad in dimension. 

The difference between each step was rather high though and those with shorter legs might feel intimidated going down! For the comfort (and safety) of those who are not keen to take on the challenge, there was an easier staircase on the side purposely installed for your convenience.

In traditional Rungus longhouses, there was another door in the middle which many Rungus would not use in their common life as it was used only during funerals.

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Location

Within Mari Mari Cultural Village. To read more, kindly refer to the main posting on Mari Mari Cultural Village.

For the summarised itinerary of my 7 days, 6 nights Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) trip, please click here.