Batu Bungan Village & School

Our adventure began at 8.00 a.m. We were all told to assemble at the Park office foyer, where our guide, John, would meet us. The group headed to a jetty behind the park office and got into longboats.

The narrow boat wobbled as I clambered into it. Lol. I thought I was going to topple the boat over. I sure felt like a real klutz! But that aside, the ride on the boat was fun! I could feel the wind in my face as the boat sped along. Thrilling!

In the longboat ...

After about 5 minutes, we were dropped off at SK Batu Bungan, the only primary school in this area. We walked around on our own as the staff had left for the weekend. The students here are boarders, but they too have gone home.

SK Batu Bungan

Staffroom

A block of classrooms

As usual, I feel so very thankful that I am not posted to a rural school ;p. We teachers who teach in town should feel thankful for the extra facilities that we are able to enjoy such as air-condition in the staff rooms, white board in the classrooms, and computer labs. In the city, we boast of concrete school buildings. But here at Batu Bungan, the wooden floor creaks as you walk along the corridor.

After a brief tour of the school, we got into our longboat and rode upstream towards the Batu Bungan Village. This is a Penan resettlement area. The Penans were nomads but had settled down at this village. They used to live in a longhouse, but it was burnt down in December 2010. All that is left is the frame of the building, a grim reminder of this tragedy.

A fire razed this longhouse ...

The Penans now live in wooden houses.

These are homes to the Penan people at Batu Bungan

A peek into a house

A fishing net

Beautiful Penan children at the verandah of a house

There is a small market here, where handicrafts are sold to tourists.

There were rattan bags and mats and beaded ornaments,
all made by the locals here

Beautiful beaded souvenirs

Most of all, I was fascinated by this elderly lady who demonstrated her skills in playing a nose- flute. I must say that it was my first encounter with the nose-flute. This musical instrument is made of bamboo.

A nose-flute demonstration

My colleague, M*** remembered his own lost nose-flute which was passed down to him by his grandfather, and bought one from this elderly lady. It cost a mere RM10.00.

After Batu Bungan, it's off to the caves ...