We were shaken and stirred by the time we arrived, but nothing a quick drink couldn't sort out. We are cheating a bit and staying in a hotel rather than a homestay so we have aircon, running water etc., Gill booked this one, had Ant booked it we would be sleeping in the real thing......, but the whole place is designed just like a series of traditional longhouses, beautiful wood everywhere and set on the edge of a huge lake. But thankfully free of the live chickens running around everywhere. And the best news ever, the pool is out of action for retiling, so all beverages are half price, bring on the cocktails, we need no encouragement for an offer like that!
The lake was formed by the building of a huge hydro electric dam that supplies the major cities here in Sarawak, but for such a large installation, it is remarkably well hidden by the local landscape. And lots of the local longhouses are now under the waterline, but don't benefit from the resulting electrical supply....
There was a nature walk on offer this evening so we decide to make the effort. Bit of something and nothing, a few steep bits which was good and a nature guide who told us nothing about nature but waxed lyrical about the political injustices of the resettlement of the Iban when the dam was built 25 years ago...... actually fair enough. But his nature contribution was that the trees were big..... But part of it was a rather scary canopy walk - health & safety UK would have had a fit, creaking boards, broken rope, and bits falling off, all hanging precariously over a hundred foot drop into the ravine below. There are a tour group of Brits here with Page & Moy, Ant was shocked, he expected Audley Travel as a minimum - we decided they were all Daily mail readers. At one point Ant did make me laugh though - as we were first going across the canopy, Ant shouted, rather too loudly I thought, for me to get a move on as I had the whole of Tunbridge Wells following behind! We are now having dinner, looking at them having dinner together as a "group", how did we ever do those, they now look such hard work.
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