Michael LyonsThis was a side trip during our Borneo journey. We left Balai Karangan, which is a small village on the Indonesian side the border with Malaysia. We traveled north for about 2.5 hours by car to reach Kuching, Malaysia.
It’s beautiful and modern port city on the northern shore of Borneo. The prices are very reasonable for a town this size—we paid about $19.00 USD for a hotel with a nice big 4-star room. The area in Malaysia is called Sarawak and like W. Kalimantan Indonesia, it is also predominantly Dayak. The second language in Malaysia is English, so for me that was a bonus.
We met a relative there (It seems like all Dayaks are relatives) by the name of Patrick Henry. He and his wife Angela, took us to a beach area where we walked around and enjoyed dinner by the beach and watched Dayak dancers perform.
Christina’s Brother Kristo and wife Bintang were our hosts and chaufers. I will not forget their hospitality. We shopped at several malls in Kuching and walked along the river at night.
Another great thing about Kuching is the computer stores. In Indonesia, you will pay huge import fees—like 40%. But you can buy in Malaysia if not a bunch of stuff and bring it backacross the border. All this makes Balai Karangan, Indonesia appealing for a home city.
