THE INTREPID EXPLORER 
   

Longboat to Penan Village

 

Like any intrepid traveler WILSON jumped at the opportunity of travelling by longboat to visit a local Penan village down river from the resort.  He had organized to fly to Miri on that Friday morning when he was approached and invited to join with the selected group who were planning a documentary on the Penan people, and especially with respect to those who were still very much nomadic and relied on the natural food of the  jungle, and on hunting for their very survival. A number of the Penan people still live in this way, aside from the rest of the village people, who live in their traditional longhouses. Anyway, this was to be a quick exploratory visit prior to a full film crew shooting the documentary in April..

WILSON changed his flight plans and set out on the longboat on his first trip on the river

   

When asked how he felt about the trip he stated, ‘it was as if I was travelling up the Amazon in search of lost tribes ...a strange feeling …. almost as if I was living in the mid 1800’s breaking new ground as a renowned Scottish explorer.’ Regardless of WILSON’s imaginings, the trip downriver had a degree of risk to life and limb. The main Melenau river was swollen with floodwaters, and there were large trees and logs which clearly had to be expertly avoided by the longboat captain.

          The longboat backing out from the resort

                                                                                                          

                 Wilson I Presume
                                                                          Wilson and James Ritchie with local Penan villagers

As can also be seen from the photographs taken at the longhouse, the floodwaters were receding and had been about a metre deep on the bottom floor of the longhouse the day before. WILSON is seen above with James Ritchie, a writer and author, who has worked and communicated with the local Penan and other local tribes for in excess of 20 years

 

                                          

                                                    
                                                                                                                                 

He found the visit to the village interesting and the people to be gentle and friendly. As you can see from the photograph WILSON (a different WILSON) had visited or stayed at the longhouse many years ago.

      

                                                                
                                                             

Thank You for visiting my site simply, WILSON Come back again, this website is a work-in progress

                                                                                                           
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