(^36) Selangau – Tatau - 85km
The following day turned out an equally exciting ride. Some relief from the sun's
fierce rays prevailed, thanks to a thin cloud cover. Past enormous logging farms
and teeny settlements, I pedalled while villagers went about their daily chores in a
slow and relaxed manner. Even the village dogs appeared too lethargic to give
chase.
Sadly, a fair amount of air pollution was visible. Oil palm companies and logging
farms have long used fire to clear the forest and other lands ahead of cultivation.
For the most part, these fires were from oil palm plantations. Unfortunately, that
year's fires were worse due to the dry conditions. Albeit illegal to start forest or
land fires, several companies still use this method.
I dragged my heels, as Tatau was barely eighty-five kilometres away, and when a
storm came in, a bus stop made a convenient shelter. Luckily, rain in the tropics
never lasted long, and soon I could proceed to Tatau, which appeared to simply be
a few houses on stilts. Mercifully, there was more to the village slightly beyond the
river.
As one moved away from cities, less English was spoken. As the primary spoken
language in the villages was Iban, locating food and lodging became somewhat
tricky.
Tatau - Bintulu - 60km
Following a slow start, breakfast was at the downstairs restaurant, which consisted
of eggs and toast, but it wasn't your ordinary eggs and toast as the bread was
green and came with jam. The coffee was overly sweet as the tendency was to add
condensed milk in tea and coffee—no complaints, as one can always do with extra
energy when biking.
leana
(Leana)
#1