After breakfast we start our journey into the Borneo interior. Visit two lively market bazaars along the way before reaching the outpost town of Pantu. We take a traditional long boat ride into a remote longhouses of Banting, accessible only by boat on crocodile infested river. Explore the local community
with your local host and enjoy spontaneous 'longhouse hospitality' at its best, sharing simple traditional cuisine on the floor and dossing down under a mosquito net at night. We make our first stop at Serian market, a great place to find every kind of fruit imaginable. Next stop, trading bazaar Lachau and a village-style lunch. The riverine adventure starts at Pantu, in shallow-draft longboats all the way to the Iban villages of Banting. Banting is an old rallying point of the Ibans who use the fertile lowlands for padi farming. The rocky hill by the river was a primitive fort; in times of danger the villagers found refuge here. The early Christian missionaries recognized the importance of the vantage point and crowned it with St.Paul's Church which, improved and renovated many times, has stood here since 1859. Enjoy the simple longhouse welcome - nevermind what time visitors turn up, refreshments will be offered. Once you've been shown your quarters you're welcome to-stroll around the village, climb the hill to inspect the church, ask someone to explain the mysterious rock formations near the river, maybe drop in at the school, see people produce artistic handicrafts like mat-making and weaving, or wander off to the rice fields and vegetable gardens. The river here is famous for its prawns -- unfortunately, crocodiles like the tasty crustaceans quite as much as we humans do. Swimming in the river is NOT recommended!
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Banting Longhouse