A Little Piece of Paradise

For our last four days in Borneo we stayed somewhere a bit different - we're always looking for a unique experience. So based on some great reviews (including one from a fellow North Vancouver friend who stayed there last year with his family), we booked a visit to the Kebun.

This is a neat little organic farm nestled in the Borneo jungle about 45 minutes outside of Kuching. Adrian, an Australian who has spent over 30 years living and working here in Malaysia, started the farm a few years ago and has turned it into a great little guesthouse and homestay.

The place has room for only a limited number of guests, but they are all spread out over a lush and peaceful acreage. Our home during the stay was the Longhouse.

While not a true traditional longhouse, it's as close to the real thing as you can get. It's simple (insofar as there is no air conditioning and other creature comforts), but it is has been thoughtfully constructed and decorated using local crafts and designs.

As one might expect in the jungle, each bed comes with a mosquito net to keep out the critters - and this does not just include the mossies. Beetles, ants, lizards, centipedes and other creepy crawlies were all spotted in the vicinity of our bedroom during our stay.

This was part of our book selection in the Kebun - not sure what this really meant but apparently it's such a riveting read that he's got two copies. This compares much better than our selection back at our hotel in Kuching.... 

Seriously? Dan Quayle AND Michael Ignatieff. I thought this had to be a cruel joke (and note that the books are nestled between Lee Iacocca and Shirley Maclaine). Libraries at guesthouses in Asia share the similar traits of being a place where lousy books go to die - all the good ones get snatched up by passers-through, leaving shelves full of literary crap.

One of the neat aspects of this place was that Annie and Owen could explore the grounds at will - there is no concern of them getting lost. There were several farm dogs dutifully guarding the perimeter and Adrian made it clear (in a humourous yet serious tone) that you needed a good reason to be there...

Adrian is a funny character, and after meeting him, you almost wonder if he's not half serious with his sign!

Shirley partook in another of the features of the Kebun - complimentary cooking classes - and whipped up a delicious selection of local delicacies.

And the kids even woke up bright and early to help feed the many farm animals - turkeys, chickens, ducks and goats.

Another of the great features of this place is the other guests - interesting fellow travellers. There was another family, from Holland, with three children of similar ages to Annie and Owen so it it was really nice for them to have some playmates during our visit.

Annie tried her hand at fishing and in no time caught what turned out to be a very tasty addition to dinner.

Although it was quite a bony little critter, it was cooked to perfection!!

The cost of staying here was also very reasonable - for about C$120 per night for the whole family, we had accommodation plus three meals a day AND the unlimited use of an old, but perfectly running, Ford sedan.

The car has definitely been around the block a few times, but it gave us total freedom to explore the many sights around eastern Sarawak.

On one of these excursions, we went searching for the rare and elusive Rafflesia, a flower that blooms only once during its several year lifespan. We had heard that one was in bloom in the local national park, so off we went.

It's also one of the largest flowers in the world, so when we found it we were not disappointed!! What a unique specimen.

As we have learned during this big adventure of ours, never underestimate the value of a good guide. Not only did this allow us to find the flower, but we learned plenty about the other flora and fauna which we would otherwise simply walk by without noticing. (Annie looks less than overwhelmed, but that has more to do with my unending photo taking than the content of the guide's lesson).

This little day trip was a resounding success.

And it was highlighted by an unbelievably cheap ferry trip across the river - 1 Malaysian Ringgit (about 35 cents Canadian) for the car + driver and passengers. BC Ferries could learn a lot from this boat operation!!

So overall, Borneo was a resounding success and we're so happy to have included it on our itinerary. Before arriving I was a little bit worried that we were visiting during their rainy season, but the weather turned out to be perfectly fine - beautiful hot and sunny days punctuated by the odd heavy (but in some ways, welcoming) downpour.

We'll miss Malaysia but look forward to a few days in Singapore before heading to the next big destination of Sri Lanka. Stay tuned!