Malaysia with smarTours

A delightful adventure: that was what I had on the “BORNEO Adventure” from smarTours (501 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1402, New York, NY 10017; phone 800/337-7773 or visit www.smartours.com). My trip, 15 days plus a 3-day Penang extension, took place Jan. 9-26, ’04. (The 2005 price for this tour is $1,899 from Los Angeles plus $299 single supplement and $299 for the Penang extension.)

We flew from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur via Taipei and then took a domestic flight to Kuching, where we were met by the tour director, James Jinyyong of Borneo Adventure (www.borneoadventure. com), the local operator.

The highlights in Kuching included the Sarawak Museum, for data about history and wildlife, and a tour of the city’s fruit and fish market. I joined an optional tour ($25) to the Sarawak Cultural Center, where we learned of seven different ethnic peoples living in Sarawak and saw how they lived, prepared food and went about daily life. A colorful show of their music and dancing was presented. I unsuccessfully tried using a blowgun.

Dinner was at the Benson Seafood Restaurant (Jln. Abell; phone 255 262); this place looked rather seedy, but the food was generous and delicious. Our meal included corn/crab soup, a vegetable platter, lo mein-type noodles, a beef dish and a chicken dish, with the usual fruit for dessert.

The next two nights were at the Hilton Longhouse at Batang Ai in the jungle. It’s about a 4-hour bus ride up to the river and then an hour by boat to an area near the Indonesian border that is seemingly uninhabited. The views on the ferry ride were breathtaking. This is truly a rural area, but we lived in comfort. The Hilton is structured as a longhouse but with air-conditioning, full bathrooms and all the amenities.

In Batang Ai we visited a rural school about an hour away upriver. We traveled in narrow longboats, which each held four guests and a crew of two, at very high speeds through lovely vistas on uninhabited expanses. Once at the school, we presented our gifts for the children. Two members of our group even taught a lesson.

At one point, the kids and others started running to take drying laundry down from lines — they knew before we did that rain was coming. We ran for the boats with whatever rain gear we’d brought along. By the time we pulled away from the docks, the heavens opened up and we were deluged. No umbrellas, raincoats or coverings helped at all. My carryall with supplies for the day was soaked through and didn’t dry out completely for nearly a week.

From the school we continued on, stopping at a real longhouse. We each were greeted at the door with a glass of rice wine and went inside to remove our wet coverings. Our tour guide James told us some of the history and introduced us to the leader.

This longhouse housed 16 families and a total of 150 people as well as numerous puppies. Outside there were many roosters and small pigs. Next, brightly costumed residents did some dancing while accompanied on drums and other musical instruments. Later, groups of eight were invited to tour some of the private living quarters.

We flew from Kuching to Sandakan (via Kota Kinabalu), where we checked into the Sabah Hotel, another luxury complex. The following morning was the day to visit the much-acclaimed Sepilok Oranguatan Sanctuary where captive orangutans are reintroduced into the wild. We were there for the 10 a.m. feeding, when the animals stream out of the jungle and sometimes get very close to the viewers.

After lunch we embarked on a sightseeing tour that included a Chinese temple and the very moving Australian memorial to WWII dead, many of whom had died during a long death march.

Back in Kota Kinabalu, we took a trip to the country to visit the Monsopiad Cultural Village and meet with the descendant of the famous Monsopiad, known as the greatest headhunter warrior in early centuries. We viewed his collection of skulls.

This portion of the tour ended in Kuala Lumpur, but 12 of our group of 24 continued on with an extension to the island of Penang.

We stayed at the Shangri-La Golden Sands Resort on Ferringhi Beach, about an hour’s drive from the airport. This is a gorgeous hotel. Guests here are allowed to use the facilities of another Shangri-La next door, the Rasa Sayang Resort, or a third one downtown. I took advantage of the offer by doing some shopping, swimming and dining at the place next door. It’s always greener somewhere else.

The next morning we had a half-day tour of the island and visited an enormous Buddhist temple, with a golden reclining Buddha similar to those seen in Bangkok; a small city on stilts over the water; Fort Cornwallis; a museum detailing Penang’s culture and history, and a batik factory and shop.

The next two days there were for rest and relaxation, fun in the sun and enjoying some good food. It was a fitting end to our more energetic time in Malaysia.

— GERALD DESSNER, New York, NY