Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Travelogue
B1
Malaysia:
unity,
m
m
o
c
f
o
y
Jo
by
surrounded
gle
‘magical’ jun
‘Living vicariously through the adventures of our friends’
‘I’ve always had a ‘crush’ on rainforests. I’m fascinated with their diversity, color
and just the amount of life that is around every corner. Who wouldn’t want to protect these gems?
When I learned about the amazing work KOPEL does, I knew I had to go.’
In Borneo, a solo traveler sets out
to help with rainforest conservation
By LACY CORLIS
I heard crashing to my right.
My heart jumped. I imagined
the biggest and most dangerous
of creatures just beyond my
view.
Branches were snapping and
water was splashing. We were
deep in the jungle at that point;
we had been hiking for about
an hour through swampy rain-
forest with a machete guiding
our path. I did not know if
Taing, one of my guides, did
not stir at the sound because he
was mostly deaf or because he
was unconcerned. Mr. Arbu
was a much older man, so
maybe his hearing was bad. As
the sound filled me with vibra-
tion, Mr. Arbu finally put out
his arm to indicate we should
stop and listen.
Suddenly, the forest began to
rain leaves. Branches snapped
from above and splashed into
the submerged forest. Taing
grabbed my hand and dragged
me to the left, “speaking’ with
hand motions and moans. He
pointed up and I was left
awestruck. Proboscis monkeys
were flying from limb to limb
above us. They took death defy-
ing leaps from branch to
branch, and went as loudly as
they had arrived. We continued
sloughing through the forest. I
wiped sweat from my forehead,
smearing mud across my face.
We had work to do.
■
It was only my second day
volunteering for KOPEL as a
part of the MESCOT initiative,
but I was completely in love
with the work. Even though the
work was physically hard, it
was mentally refreshing. It was
like a dream had been realized.
I, me, Lacy, was helping to save
the rainforest. KOPEL has
worked on reforestation pro-
jects on the lower Kinabatan-
gan River in Borneo since 1997
and had already planted over
500,000 trees on reclaimed palm
oil land, illegally logged forest
and burnt sections of the forest
reserve.
Sabah is located on the
peninsula forming the north-
west portion of the island of
Borneo, along the South China
Sea. Indonesia owns the south-
ern two-thirds of Borneo,
Malaysia fills the northern
third, along with tiny Brunei.
Borneo is the third-largest is-
land in the world (287,300
square miles), a close second to
neighboring New Guinea
(309,000). Greenland, at 839,000
is the largest.
I’ve always had a “crush” on
rainforests. I’m fascinated with
their diversity, color and just
the amount of life that is
around every corner. Who
wouldn’t want to protect these
gems? When I learned about
the amazing work KOPEL does,
I knew I had to go. I knew that I
could put that botany degree
and horticultural background
to work. I was ecstatic at the
chance to live with locals, learn
about their culture and make a
direct contribution to rainfor-
est conservation. I worked hard
and got some generous dona-
tions by friends and family to
help make my mission a reality.
And then I headed out on a solo
journey to the middle of Sabah
in Malaysian Borneo. I did not
have an organization to guide
me, just some travel experience
and a strong desire to help.
When I arrived in the village, I
would be the only white person
for at least three weeks; most
had never met an American be-
fore. With a partially shaved
head, pasty skin and bright
blue hair; I stood out, but I was
taken into the village like a
part of the family.
■
KOPEL not only worked on
restoring the rainforest for
wildlife habitat, but they also
provided revenue to a commu-
nity who had once relied on il-
legal logging for income. In ad-
dition to replanting, they also
have a comprehensive manage-
ment plan to make sure the
trees they plant continue to
thrive. They work to clean out
invasive Salvinia molesta, an
invasive aquatic plant from
South America, from the ox-
bow lakes in the reserve, build
orangutan bridges over tribu-
taries, and monitor swift bird
nests from overharvest. They
have a homestay program,
which I was participating in,
where anyone can come and
stay with a local family and see
how life truly is in Mengaris
village.
■
Life in Mengaris Village is
slow. Any sort of schedule is a
rough one; being late is an ex-
pectation. The crumbling paved
road that starts on the bustling
highway finds its end some-
where below the waterline in
the Kinabatangan River. The
road may be the only one in
town, but it is alive, flowing
faster than the river at times.
Brightly painted houses, float-
ing on stilts, line each side of
the unnamed road, with hues of
blue, yellow, orange and red.
The homes are simple; tin
roofed with the occasional
missing wall. Dark, happy faces
peer out of the half-finished
homes. Quaint patios are deco-
rated with flower pots pouring
bright colors and greenery out
of them. Colorful patterns dec-
orate the clothing lines, weav-
ing around the homes and be-
tween yards. At any one time
you can look down the street
and see children chasing soccer
balls, chickens strutting with
baby chicks in tow, goats graz-
ing, cats stretching up their
backs into the sunshine and
dogs lurking beneath the
homes. There are no fences
around the homes, for no one
needs to contain anything. No
one needs to keep anything out.
The people, even the children
and the animals, are free to
move as they please. The com-
munity is one large extended
family. Walking a few hundred
meters from one end to the
other, one hears jolly “hello’s”
coming from all angles. Little
girls with muddy hands and
faces persist if your response is
slow, and they follow you until
the greeting is returned.
The lady who runs the fruit
stand can be found sleeping
among the miniature bunches
of bananas and fresh mangos
on her humble wooden stand.
Five times a day, a beautifully
haunting song fills the air from
the mosque sitting near the
river; the Muslim call to prayer.
Inside, the homes are simple.
Uneven wood floors are covered
with brightly patterned
linoleum, which exposes holes
and cracks where you can see
the wet ground far below. There
is no hot water here; you can
see the large blue tubs perched
beside the homes, collecting
fresh rainwater with each
storm. Electricity came to the
village in 1997, and now electri-
cal outlets are placed haphaz-
ardly with exposed wires run-
ning along the walls. Hand-
crafted, brightly colored fabrics
are molded around doorways
and windows. Fake flowers are
pinned to the walls. Some of
the homes have furniture, oth-
ers do not.
Most of my days volunteer-
ing sent me down the Kinata-
bangan River and deep into the
See LACY, Page B12
Photos courtesy of Lacy Corlis
COLORS SURROUND Lacy Corlis everywhere she goes in her time in the Sabah region of Malaysia. from the interior of a home
where she enjoys a meal with five generations to the gossamer wings of sap sucker bugs (bottom of page). Below, a placid sun-
set on Kinabatangan River, and Corlis and a friend show off muddy hands from planting seedlings. Next to that, Corlis transplants
seeds as part of her reforestation work. Corlis worked with the MESCOT, an international program for sustainable tourism and
KOPEL (acronym for Koperasi Pelancongan – “Eco-Tourism Cooperative”).
About the author: while “biologizing” as much
as possible on the side.
Lacy Corlis
For most of my career life,
I have worked as a botanist
and field biologist. My job
sent me all over the Pacific
Northwest, from Northern
California to Alaska, looking
for endangered species,
mapping out stream and
wetland habitat, identifying
plants, lichens, mosses,
slugs, snails, amphibians,
birds, soil types and all sorts
of other fun organisms.
As a lover of good beer
and good company; I now
work as the bar manager
Solera Brewery in Parkdale,
I am obsessed with travel
and seeing the world. I try
to travel internationally
every year, and am constant-
ly looking for opportunities
to volunteer, get off the
beaten path and experience
true local culture. I have
traveled as a solo female to
13 countries and counting.
When home, I spend as
much time in my garden as
possible and enjoy all the
outdoor fun the beautiful
gorge has to offer. More of
my travel stories can be
found
at
www.lacetacular.com