We had to leave today, something which did not please us at all. Another day, for rest + recuperation, would have been welcome, particularly as the other 4 were staying at least another day. We’d enjoyed their company very much, especially Joe + Sue – we must be very parochial, but when it comes down to it, we get on best, have more cultural contact, with the English in general + Londoners in particular. But we were on the waiting list for Friday’s flight from Marudi to Bario, so had to leave ourselves enough time to get to Marudi. We took our time over breakfast, not bothering to rush to be in time for the bus, since we had already decided to hitch, + then said our goodbyes (or rather, I hope, farewells) + set off on the river trail back to Batu Niah. It seemed longer than I remembered, tho’ I don’t know why that should be.
When we arrived, we treated ourselves to an ice-cream, wiped the worst of the mud from our boots, + positioned ourselves on the road. Not a long wait, + then we were picked up by a young guy + girl in a Toyota station wagon. Very comfortable. He also had an expensive + sounding stereo, with cassette player, equalizer, + amp – car stereos have certainly become more sophisticated since we left – technological overkill once again? I suppose it keeps the wheels of industry turning. Once we’d established we were going to Miri, we had no further conversation with the driver. We tried 2 opening gambits, + they were both ignored, so we reckoned to have done our duty + sat back to enjoy the ride. It was certainly interesting. At first, tho’ it wasn’t a sealed road, the road was reasonably smooth + even, but Val put the kiss of death on that by remarking that it was much better than the stretch from Bibtulu to Batu Niah. Almost immediately it began to deteriorate, + soon we were ploughing thro’ thick mud, skirting pot-holes big enough to swallow up the whole front axle. This would have been a tough ride in a 4WD – in a standard car it seemed almost suicidal, + on at least 2 occasions I couldn’t see any possible way thro’. The guy was a fine driver however, + even tho’ we bumped our exhaust pretty violently a couple of times, we kept going forward. He even turned the stereo off for a time to help him concentrate. We became nervous a little way along when, on being hailed from the side of the road by a woman with her baby, he stopped + piled her in too. Had we inadvertently climbed into a share taxi? Did this mean forking out a lot of money?
These feelings were further increased when we stopped for another guy, + tho’ the negotiations broke down + we drove on without him, there clearly had been negotiations + discussion of money. We asked him, “Is this a taxi?” but rec’d the answer, “No, no,” so were pacified for a time, but our fears were re-awoken when, before our co-rider got out, she handed over $7. I assumed that at this point we were on the outskirts of Miri, but there was a good half-hour’s journey yet. We pulled up in the car park, behind a big hotel, + the driver, Val + I got out to pull the bags out of the back. Perhaps I am being over-sensitive, or harbouring feelings of guilt, but it was an awkward situation. The driver didn’t ask for money, but it seemed as tho’ he might be waiting to be offered, + we chattered on with false gaiety, as tho’ to forestall any negotiations. Ultimately, we said farewell, + strolled away, happy to have arrived safely at Miri, not so happy if we had caused offence.
By chance we had been dropped by an MAS agent, but they were unable to help us with our flight reservation for Bario. All they could do was phone Marudi (+ charge us for the service) + seeing as we were going there ourselves, it would have served little purpose. We took it in turns to mind the bags while we went off on errands. We tried several times to call Mr Wong, the gentleman who’d given us the ride to Niah, but the line was constantly engaged, + in the end we had to give up. We also went looking for food, but couldn’t believe the cost of things. A bag of chips was two and a half times the price it had been in Kuching, so I settled for a doughnut. Very nice, but twice the price.
Then, accommodation too being very high, we decided to try to make it to Kuala Baram, the town further along the coast from which one could catch boats up-river to Marudi. If possible, we would take a boat tonight – if not, find somewhere to stay there. We were lucky – there was a boat leaving in about 20 mins, so we further fortified ourselves with some spam buns, then climbed aboard. It was a very bumpy ride, following the coast for much of the way, following it so close that in places the sea had washed the road away entirely.
Leaving Miri, it was clear to see how fast Miri was growing, with large, modern, + on the whole attractive housing estates springing up all over the place. It would be a shame if all Borneo were to be seized by such a fever of development, but one hesitates to criticise the people for doing exactly as we would do, if given the same circumstances. They needn’t stay picturesque for the benefits of tourism.
When we arrived in Kuala Baram, it struck us as a right middle-of-nowhere town, with 3 or 4 cafes, + 2 or 3 general stores. We immediately established that there was no boat tonight, as well as no hotel, guest-house, or even church at which we could beg lodging. On the other hand, the boat left at 8.30 in the morning, + we were given permission to sleep on board. This, being free accommodation, was even better. We left our bags there + went to eat. I had a large piece of fried chicken, which I ate with some delicious bread we’d brought from Miri, while Val had soup. On board the boat, they had a very expensive-looking video system which was switched on during the evening, + I was hoping to be able to while away some time watching that. It wasn’t, however, very inspiring. First, there was an hour of British wrestling, which I haven’t been able to watch since |I was 9, then 2 appalling pop programmes, one from Germany, one home-grown, + finally an amazingly bad kung fu film. It was a relief when it was over.
We laid down to sleep on 2 of the benches, using life-jackets as pillows. They were a little too short, however, + I found it difficult to sleep. Which was just as well, since before long I was jolted out of a slight doze by a cry for help from Val. I rushed round to see 2 guys disappear thro’ a window. It turned out to be more a clumsy attempt at seduction than sexual assault, but unpleasant all the same. They were polite tho’ – one of them yelled “sorry” as they left.
Quite a day, one way and another – travelling through all sorts of conditions, and in a variety of methods. But we certainly made good progress, starting the day in Niah, and making it back to the coast, and a fair way north along the coastal road. And as for Val’s “encounter” – well, in the end, no cgreat harm, except to our peace of mind.
