Introducing Borneo Jazz Festival 2014 performers | Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

This is what you will expect at one of Malaysia's most enduring jazz festivals, the Borneo Jazz Festival now entering its ninth (9th) year. The festival will be held in Miri from the 9-10 May.

Here is the line-up for 2014:

	ANTHONY STRONG (UK) Pianist and singer, Anthony  Strong was hailed as “England’s New Jazz Superstar” as his EP release reached No. 1 on the UK jazz charts in 2012. In 2013, Anthony Strong beat Gregory Porter, Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. to become October’s No. 1 on iTunes and No.2 on the www.amazon.com  jazz charts in the USA. Rod Steward described him as amazing.  BB King called it “real great music”. This is a once in a lifetime performance to watch.
	BRASSBALLETT (Germany)An 11 member band from Hamburg that combines  brass playing with funky dance moves. They are both aurally and visually stunning! This was the brain child of band leader Wassilij Goron who founded the band in 2011. They play jazz and funk based on pop, latin and classical themes while they dance hip hop, street style and salsa. Their show is the ultimate festival experience.
	DIANA LIU (Sarawak) Sarawak’s own jazz singer songwriter Diana Liu has established herself in the music circuit of Beijing, China, while still performing often in homeland Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and other Asian cities. She sings in Mandarin and English, works with jazz giants such as Lewis Pragasam and Idang Rasjidi. She comes to Borneo Jazz with an international ensemble of  jazz musicians – Lewis Pragasam of Malaysia, Christy Smith of USA, Tan Wee Siang of Singapore, Greg Lyons of Britain. Sweet and sultry vocals with an edge.
	IRIAO (Georgia) They fuse the famous Georgian jodling singing style of Krimanchuli with western harmonies. The songs they sing come from authentic folk and polyphonic music and they infuse it with jazz and improvisatory elements. Unusual, unique and extremely classy.
	JUNKOFUNC (Malaysia) Highly energetic rhythms with a touch of soul and lashings of funk.  This band from Kuala Lumpur was first formed for the Genting International Jazz Festival in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength, growing in number as well as repertoire. Punchy brass, powerful vocals and a pounding rhythm section.
	MARIO CANONGE (Martinique) The pianist with the flying fingers and the fiery energy of a tightly coiled spring – Mario is in great demand from big names such as Lavelle, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nicole Croisille, Ralph Thamar, Carter Jefferson. He mixes into his performance, influences from his roots from Martinique as well as zouk, the beguine, the mazurka. He has created and performs in and with many different ensembles. This is Caribbean jazz at its best.
	VOCAL SAMPLING (Cuba) An all male a capella group that floors their audiences by the sounds and tonal techniques they can produce. Six voices can sound like an instrumental ensemble. They mix latin salsa, Cuban son and with their amazing vocal abilities, with a repertoire of songs taken from various sources. Their 2002 album “Cambio de Tiempo” was nominated for 3 Latin Grammy Award.  A stunning mind blowing show
	YK BAND (Indonesia) A quartet from Samarinda whose music is a unique blend of Indonesian Borneo tunes built into western jazz techniques and improvisation. South East Asian ethno jazz with a twist.

There is a pre-sale ticket offer now till 8th of May 2014. Click here for more ticket purchase details.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Stand Up Paddle Surfing, Pesta Benak 2013 | Visit Malaysia 2014

These are three excellent videos of stand up paddle surfing (SUP) of the tidal bore known locally as 'benak'. The surfing took place along the Batang Lupar river, Sri Aman in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Produced by CéGar, the scenes were shot during the 2013 Pesta (festival) Benak that took place from October 18th-20th. CéGar also captured amazing aerial shots of the tidal bores from his paramotor. We believe this is a first! 

We have sequenced the videos firstly, on how the tidal bore looked like from the sky, followed by the SUP surfers in action and waxing lyrical about their experiences and then finally zeroing in on international SUP surfer, Kyron Rahthbone as he described about the noise of his experience. And Kyron had set a 'Benak' record with a 28-minutes ride on 'Cadbury Rights' - a playful reference to the colour of the water - chocolatey brown. We offer our congratulations!

Enjoy the videos!

Tidal bore occurs twice daily, the height of the waves depend on the tide conditions. It is also known that the drier season of the year (April - Oct) tend to generate bigger waves. There is a view point for visitors to watch the spectacle of the surging waves as they travel up this second longest river in Sarawak.

Besides the surfing spectacle, the festival has plenty of side-events such as speedboat and longboat race, exhibitions, stage shows and of course food! The festival attracts thousands each year and so it is advisable to book your rooms early. It is recommended to stay overnight as the tidal bore occurs early morning and late afternoon.

The town of Sri Aman is a two and a half hour drive from the Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak. To get there, catch a bus from Kuching Sentral 

Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia and Malindo Air flies daily to Kuching from Kuala Lumpur. Air Asia and Silkair (also code share with Malaysian Airlines) flies daily from Singapore. Do check their website for latest.

Please click here for the 2014 edition 

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Popular local food outlets in downtown Kuching | Padungan Road

You will read about the 'famous' Kuching street foods as well as modern ones, all within walking distance of the inner city where most visitors would be staying.

Thanis Lim, a well-known food blogger from Brunei has produced this comprehensive guide, useful for even locals who are fresh out of ideas of where to eat. And he has even inserted a location map for each outlet. Howzat for the flash-packer in you!? Very friendly!

The iconic Sarawak Laksa

The iconic Sarawak 'kolok mee' - available halal and non-halal version

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventures lives

Sarawak Tourism Board wins PATA Gold Award 2013

The Marketing Media – Print Advertisement category was awarded to the Board for our re-imaging campaign. You can sample some of it in this blog’s masthead above. 

Our CEO, Dato Rashid Khan (2nd-R) accepted the award the day before the annual PATA Travel Mart 2013 held in Macau from Sept 16-17. 

 

Incidentally, Malaysia bagged another award - the Eco-Walk and Training at the Frangipani under the Environment – Educational Programme category rounding off a successful outing for our country.  This award was received by the owner of the Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa, Anthony Wong. 

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Santubong Nature Festival 2013 Programme

The festival will consist of talks, walks, workshops, outdoor activities and entertainment to keep nature lovers occupied and children captive. Held from 9th to 10 November 2013, each activity will either be led or presented by an authority of the subject matter.

So, if you are into natural and historical heritage of significant regional and global value, this activity-packed festival has something for you. Admission is free for all except the firefly night tour which costs RM50 per person. Registration is required for some of the activities.

Here are the programmes for the two days. You may want to zoom your page display for better clarity.

Saturday, 9th November 2013

Sunday 10th November 2013

source: MNS Kuching Branch

The Santubong Nature Festival, an annual event, takes place in the scenic peninsula of historical Santubong. The skyline is dominated by the legendary Mt. Santubong with the South China sea washing its shoreline. The festival will be centered in the Permai Rainforest Resort It is organised by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNSKB) Kuching Branch.

The peninsular has plenty of wildlife, rustic villages, resorts and the award-winning Sarawak Cultural Village. Historically, the peninsula is where the famous 19th century British naturalist, Sir Alfred Russel Wallace wrote 'Sarawak Law' paper, the precursor to the theory of evolution.

To register for some of the events, this is the email contact.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Food and rafting and adventure in Padawan, Kuching

The Padawan sub-region is fast becoming a new destination in Kuching for its varied tourism experiences. The clean rivers found there are popular with day-trippers for kayaking and rafting. This video gives a good insight of the unique dining and river experiences one can have. Heard of a floating buffet? Watch the video!

The longhouse at Annah Rais has long been a popular tourism attraction. There are a few village-stays and home-stays that give visitors a close-up experience with the Bidayuh community found in this region. 

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives 

Asia Music Festival 2013 Line-Up | Sarawak Malaysia Borneo

Here is a musical genre brief of the thirteen (13) bands and artistes who will perform at Asia Music Festival.

The style of music is essentially fusion; combining elements of tradition into main stream.

	Anthony Dassan  Chennai, India Contemporary Tamil Folk songs and dances
	Bob Yusof Malaysia Malay Pop
	Boy Thai Band  Bangkok, Thailand  Classical Thai with modern sounds
	Fakhrul Razi Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam Indie
	Foxy Girls Jakarta Indonesia R & B Malay Pop
	Hevance Sarawak Malaysia Iban Rock
	Melissa Francis Sarawak Malaysia Iban Pop and Ballad
	Soesah Tidoer Yogyakarta Indonesia Fusion of dangdut – keroncong – rock
	The Starlets Band Sarawak Malaysia Modern, Pop, Rock and Ballad
	The Mountain Wind Band  Sarawak Malaysia Country music with Sarawak Highland roots
	Tritha Kolkata, India Hindustan trip-hop, mixing traditional and contemporary sounds
	V. Star featuring Kamal Musallam Seoul, Korea Traditional-Fusion with a K-POP twist

Here are the festival key details:

PROGRAM

Day 1 – 4 October 2013 (Friday)

4.00 pm to 5.00 pm                 -           Starlets Band (Malaysia)

5.15 pm to 6.15 pm                 -           Hevance (Malaysia)

6.15 pm to 7.15 pm                 -           Bob Yusof (Malaysia)

7.30 pm to 8.30 p.m                -           Soesah Tidoer (Indonesia)

8.45 pm to 9.45 pm                 -           Tritha (India)

10.00 pm to 11.00 pm             -           Bembol Rocker (Philippines)

11.15 p.m. to 12.15 pm          -           V. Star Band (Korea)

Day 2 – 5 October 2013 (Saturday)

4.00 pm to 5.00 pm                 -           The Mountain Wind Band (Malaysia)

5.15 pm to 6.15 pm                 -           Melissa Francis (Malaysia)

6.15 pm to 7.15 pm                 -           Starlets Band (Malaysia) 

7.30 pm to 8.30 p.m                -           Fakhrul Razi featuring the Camouflage (Brunei Darussalam)

8.45 pm to 9.45 pm                 -           Boy Thai Band (Thailand)

10.00 pm to 11.00 pm             -           Antoney Dassan Yen Party (India)

11.15 p.m. to 12.15 pm          -           Foxy Girls (Indonesia)


TICKETS
RM30 (Adults)
RM15 (Child or Student (aged 3 to 18))

Tickets are available for sale at:

Sarawak

• Sarawak Tourism Board, 5th Floor, Bangunan Yayasan,  Kuching, Sarawak
• Visitors’ Information Centre Kuching
• Visitors’ Information Centre Sibu
• Visitors’ Information Centre Miri
• Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club

Brunei (Period of sale valid until 26^th September 2013)

• Anthony Tours & Travel Agency
• Continental Tours & Travel

Want to know more? Please visit Asia Music Festival website.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Sarawak Shines at the 2013 Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) Awards

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) overcame strong challenges to become a finalist in the prestigious Travel Trade Gazette Awards within the Destination of the Year category.

Joining some of the travel industry’s biggest players, our destination - Sarawak - was celebrated for its significant achievements in the trade at the winners’ ceremony on 10th September.

2013 marked Sarawak Tourism Board’s first year at the awards and the first year to be named – a clear indication of the Board's consistent presence in the UK market. The arrival statistics indicated a double digit growth of 11.89% from 2011 to 2012, and the results from January to July this year, shows a healthy 19,526 arrivals from the UK.

Sarawak Tourism Board stood alongside other leading destinations including Brand USA, Tourism Australia, Barbados Tourism Authority and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in the final round of selection.

TTG’s editor and Brand Director Daniel Pearce presenting STB Regional Marketing Manager, Maurice Balang, with the finalist certificate. 

The evening was held in the heart of the city of London at the Odeon in Leicester Square.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Colours and Fireworks at the Kuching Waterfront | Malaysia Day 2013

The Kuching Waterfront will be a sight to behold come 15th September when a parade of gaily decorated boats will take place on this eve of Malaysia Day.

Watch the iconic river taxis - the 'penambang' - dressed up for the occasion. Kids will be mesmerised by the myriad colours and the spectacle of multi-coloured water vessels in one area will be attractive to anyone. And shutterbugs will be busy with their settings to capture the killer night scenery. 

With the new Kuching Waterfront extension that has been extended past the Grand Margherita hotel, you will have a another view of this auspicious event.

The parade is held in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Sarawak's Independence in Malaysia. On 16th September 1963, Sarawak together with North Borneo (Sabah), Singapore and Malaya came together to form Malaysia, a day that was finally recognised nationally in 2009 and a national public holiday declared the following year. This means that Malaysia has two celebrations related to independence; the other one being the National Day, celebrated on Aug 31st each year.

So be there at the Kuching Waterfront from 7.30pm onwards.

Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

Harvesting edible bird's nests at Niah National Park, Miri Sarawak

The Niah National Park's caves is important for the local communities, with edible bird's nest and guano collection providing valuable employment and income. Archaeologically, it was a major centre of human settlement as early as 40,000 years ago, and features one of the world’s largest cave entrances. Palaeolithic and Neolithic burial sites, and iron-age cave paintings.

The cavernous entrance of Niah Cave at Niah National Park

Recently, a Gala TV Taiwan crew with their well-known host, Lin Chia Pei visited 'Gua Perintah' a swiftlet breeding cave located within the Niah Cave system. The trip was part of Sarawak Tourism Board's visiting journalist programme (VJP).

Lin Chia Pei, the TV host pointing the way to 'Gua Perintah'

The trail to Gua Perintah

The steep step to Gua Perintah entrance  

The trekking leads to 'gua perintah' (takes about 20 mins – 30 mins) passes through beautiful primary rainforest before moving into at the foot of the hill. The step is steep but once you reach the top, it will be worth the effort for it offers a sweeping panorama of the rainforest canopy.

'Gua Perintah' is a project managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation to showcase, create awareness and enhance knowledge on the importance of sustainable swiftlet conservation n Sarawak.

Edible bird's nest collecting is a skilled and dangerous work, done high up at the ceilings of the caves which abound in Niah National Park. The intrepid collector shins barefooted up bamboo scaffolding, often without harnesses, tapping his way up to make sure the bamboo is sound. He lights his way in the black caves with a torch light and uses a special bamboo tool to harvest the nests. 

How to climb a bamboo pole; explained and shown (below) - by the TV host

Wrapping a strap round both feet increases the foot grip

A unprocessed edible nest

The nests themselves are tiny translucent cups about the size of a small egg. They are made by the male swiftlet from glutinous threads of its own saliva, which it weaves into a cup that dries to become thin and translucent like fine porcelain.  Recent research has indeed shown that the nests, which taste rather like noodles, contain a water-soluble glycoprotein that may promote cell division in the immune system.

Edible bird's nest are prepared for consumption by just stewing the processed nest with water and rock sugar; preferably in a double-boiler

At the park one can also visit the Niah National Park museum where the replica of the oldest human skull in South East Asia (40,000 years old), found in the Great Cave, can be seen.

Getting To Niah National Park
Taxi
The most convenient way to get to Niah National Park is by taxi which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to reach from Miri city. Cost of a one-way fare is about RM150.00

Bus
Take Bus No.33A from city centre  to Pujut Corner Bus Terminal. From here, one can take any bus that goes to either Bintulu, Sibu or Kuching. Get off at the Niah Rest Stop. Bus fare is RM15.00 per person. From the here, take private taxi (about RM30 one-way) to reach Niah National Park HQ.

Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo, where adventure lives