Sibu - Selangau - 80km ^35
Cycling out of Sibu, the river was already a hive of activity; barges headed
downstream with enormous logs, and longboats ferried people to and from
remote riverside villages. My path took me past colourful Chinese temples and
indigenous settlements, where people still lived in longhouses.
Traditionally, most were built using timber, but nowadays wood and bricks are
used. Generally, these longhouses were raised off the ground on stilts and divided
into more or less a public area in front (resembling a communal veranda) and a
row of private, single-room living quarters along the other side—each room with
a single door per family. The cooking area was often away from the main
building. These villages made convenient places to fill water bottles or have a
glass of the immensely popular iced Milo.
A relatively short day’s ride led to Selangau, a village alongside the Pan Borneo
Highway. The original settlement was situated near the estuary of Sungai
Selangau. However, upon completion of the road in the 1960s, people moved and
set up a new town next to the highway. As a result, Selangau had a few shops, a
gas station and a market.
Similar to other occasions, the village's remoteness made me feel like I was the
circus that had landed in town. Still, people were polite and helpful and eagerly
pointed me to the inn. After a bite to eat, the remainder of the afternoon was
spent in the comfort of my air-conditioned digs. In the heat, I was immensely
pleased about this luxury.
At sunset, villagers congregated at the river; kids swam and grown-ups fished.
While snatching a few pics, I met the English teacher – we had a chat, and he
informed me of a similar village, barely eighty kilometres away. This was valuable
information as the next town, Bintulu, looked one hundred and forty-five
kilometres from Selangau, a tad far to cycle in the heat.