Visit to Bario, Sarawak

One of the most fascinating books I have read since coming to Malaysia is "The World Within" by Tom Harrisson.  It tells of the year Harrisson spent in a long-house in Bario, recruiting the locals to rise up against the Japanese occupying forces, when the Allies landed.  Bario is the place where the renowned Bario rice is grown.  But where exactly is it?  I found out recently, when I spent a couple of days there in the course of a visit to Sarawak.  When I told a "Star" reporter about my impressions, he invited me to write them down, as he thought they might be of wider interest.  So here goes.

The first thing to note about Bario is that it is not served by any road.  So the only way to get there is on foot (a two month walk from Miri), by river (a couple of weeks up from Marudi) or by air.  I chose the last option and took an ancient, but very reliable Twin Otter (designed and built in Canada for bush flying) from Miri.  On check-in I was surprised to discover that not only my baggage had to be weighed, but also me.  This was so that they could judge how much weight was still available for cargo.  Because the rear half of the aircraft was stuffed with cardboard boxes bringing everything conceivable up to Bario.

READ MORE ABOUT MY BARIO VISIT HERE