Developing an exotic project deep in the tropical jungle of Sarawak, Malaysia

Details

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  Description

  My name is Isak Mutang, I'm a Lun Bawang, part of one of the many tribes here on Borneo and the local tribe of Ba'Kelalan. I'm a conservationist and environmental activist. Everyday I pour my heart and soul in defending nature and to keep it in the way it is. My goal is to not only create awareness among my tribe but also the world of the benefit of taking care of our precious planet. I strongly believe in not (unnecessary) cutting trees, hunting and littering. Therefor I'm for instance doing my best to provide rubbish bins along the road to encourage others to make use of them. Besides that I enjoy jungle trekking and I'm a big 4WD enthusiast.
  
  After living in cities, the jungle kept calling and now I'm truely living my dream of living off grid on the top of a mountain in Ba'Kelalan with my lovely wife Wendy and our animals. With the help of great volunteers we keep enhancing our exotic and peaceful homestay - all with the aim of being one with nature and not only taking but also giving back to her. Besides that we love Country Music and learning about different cultures. For us the beauty of hosting volunteers from all over the world is that we bring the world to us without even travelling.
  
  A day-to-day:
  Imagine waking up to the sound of the Gibbons, the hornbills and eagles, frogs and many other wildlife. While you get out of your tent or cabin you're surrounded by the tranquility of the forest. On the days it drizzles and/or rains, you'll see the forest in all her glory, with the fog making it look even more magical.
  
  Once you hear the gong 3 times, you head out to the front to enjoy a breakfast made by Wendy. After breakfast depending on the weather we see which tasks we prioritise for the day. Encouraged by Country Music we start our day. We usually work a few hours and after being energized by Wendy's lunch we might continue for a bit. But we may also just call it a day. This really varries per day.
  
  Afterwards you're free to do as you wish. This could be exploring one of the trails, roaming around our property, enjoying your hobby or taking a powernap in a hammock.
  
  At night the cicada's start their evening songs and Wendy will make a homemade dinner. Afterwards we can enjoy great conversations around the fire. Or we can jam a bit on some of our or your brought instrument(s).
  
  Your surroundings:
  We've a pineapple garden, where the rule is, you harvest one, you plant one back. We'll show you the way. All over our property you'll see pineapple plants, sugar cane and dragon fruit plants.
  
  We've two small fish bassins and a pond behind our house. We have a vegetable garden where we experiment to see which veggies can properly grow here.
  
  We've the forest as our backyard where you'll find plenty of wildlife. For instance the clouded leopard, the sun bear, squirls, deer, snakes and many more. You'll also find a lot of different kinds of pitcher plants. But there's still a lot of unidentified flora and fauna to find as well.
  
  How to get here:
  1. The adventurous way by 4WD:
  - Step 1. Catch a flight into Lawas OR take a bus/minivan from Kota Kinabalu
  - Step 2. Arrange a 4WD from Lawas to Ba'Kelalan. This will take +/- 7 hours depending on the road conditions, I can provide contact details for local drivers.
  
  2. The scenic route by air:
  There are several routes you can take with a Havilland Dhc-6 Twin Otter operated by Maswings.
  - Route 1: Miri > Lawas > Ba'Kelalan
  - Route 2: Miri > Bario > Ba'Kelalan
  - Route 3: Kota Kinabalu > Lawas > Ba'Kelalan
  - Route 4: Kota Kinabalu > Bario > Ba'Kelalan
  Please check the flight schedule directly with Maswings.
  
  For your return you could arrange a 4WD to Lawas and travel onwards from there. Or you can book your flight if we're in the village and you've service. The other option is to wing it and go to the airport on the day itself. They usually have some seats reserved that you can't book online.
  
  Good to know:
  - We've 6 friendly dogs & 5 chickens roaming around;
  - You'll be surrounded by wildlife;
  - Wendy will provide you 3 (mostly) vegetarian meals a day;
  - There are two small shops in the village, but it's best to bring all medicinal/sanitairy essentials with you already (we don't use toiletpaper as this saves trees);
  - The UV is very strong - we would recommend to bring sunblock;
  - On the trails you can come across leeches, an insect repellent or small bottle of Dettol could come in handy;
  - At night it becomes pitch black, best to bring a torch;
  - There is no cell reception or WiFi on the mountain. We would advise to take care of any time sensitive tasks that require reception/WiFi beforehand (and please inform your loved ones about this);
  - We've several hiking trails you may explore (including going to the summit of Mount Murud);
  - We tend to go to the village 1 or 2 times a week, depending on our needs and the weather conditions.
  
  **IMPORTANT**:
  Please be aware that as stated we don't have 24/7 reception and a response may take a few days. Once I'm in the village, I'll always try to respond to your message. Please keep that in mind while making your travel plans.
  
  So, are you open minded? A nature and animal lover? A true Bob the Builder? A Country fan? A positive spirit? Or just a motivated volunteer whose hidden talents are desperately looking to come out? Perfect! We would love to host you!
  (Don't worry - we'll always find something suitable for you to do)
  
  Send me a message with your respected time period, any other questions you may have and I'll try to respond as quickly as possible.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I´m belonging to the Lun Bawangs, which is the local tribe in this region. We´re known for our hospitality and while you´re staying here you can learn a lot about our culture.
  
  You can also expand your language skills, for instance learn Bahasa Malaysia and Lun Bawang.
  Wendy is from Chinese descent and can teach you more about her culture. She also speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Hakka.
  
  We can show you the way to the jungle supermarket and teach you how to respectful take from and give back to nature. Wendy will use these ingredients to create a great dish, while she often uses her Chinese cooking skills.
  
  In general, our volunteers can learn a lot in the jungle, the longer you stay, the more knowledge you will gain.

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  Help

  At this moment a volunteer with mechanical experience with 4WD trucks is highly appreciated. I could use the help with maintenance on our trucks.
  
  Most kind of work is construction and gardening-work. So volunteers who are good with building, gardening and carpentry are most welcome.
  
  The workload depends on what is needed at that moment and ofcourse the weather conditions. As Rome wasn't build in one day, our project doesn't need to be either.
  
  We enjoy giving our volunteers the opportunity to explore and/or expand their (hidden) talents. How to build a cabin? How to see and mark a jungle trail? And above all, how to contribute to creating awareness for wildlife conservation and protect this piece of paradise? Great! We would love to have you on board!
  
  I would also like to learn and explore more on the topic of GPS mapping. Any experience is more than welcome.
  
  At the Jungle Hideout, there´s always something to do, just keep your eyes open, your hands ready and everybody will find their way to help.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Indonesian: Fluent
  Malay: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We've a cabin in the forest which can house up to 5 people, it has a western toilet and shower in the cabin and theres a small deck on which you can enjoy some leisure time. From time to time you may get a visit from our friendly neighborhood rat 'Roger', he loves toothpaste, so you'll have to keep that hidden.
  
  If preferred we have another separate cabin "the tropical jungle farm cabin" totally on your own at a separate location about 1.7km from the actual hide out.
  
  We also have an open indoor-tent-concept type of shelter, one so unique that you´ll find it amazing. In front we have a fireplace and you've a western toilet, two outdoor showers and even a bathtub to pick how you'd like to fresh up.
  
  If you want to be closer to nature, you may setup a tent or hammock where you like on our terrain. Which would give you the ultimate jungle experience.
  
  Good to know:
  - The temperature drops to 6.9°c at night;
  - Tents, mattresses, pillows and sleeping bags are provided;
  - Advised to bring some warm clothes and a torch;
  - The bathrooms have cold water (but you may heat up some water if needed);
  - You're in the middle of the forest so expect some critters to be your roommate.
  
  Our place can accommodate 18 pax at once, but soon there will be more space and we will create a more adventurous tent concept.

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  What else ...

  Volunteers are free to do as they wish and exploring during leasures. You can visit nearby local villages where you can mingle freely with local communities and experience different ethnic culture and events.
  
  The rice-harvesting time in the paddy fields is from end of December till end of January, a Thanksgiving do for a bounty harvest will be celebrated in conclusion in end of January. There is also an annual food festival celebrated by our close neighbours, where loads of local delicacies, exotic foods, cultural performances and a lot more is portrayed.
  
  There are great trekking possibilities in the near like to the summit of Mount Murud, the highest mountain in Sarawak or to Bario, which is minimum a three-days-adventure. Also around my place there are some possibilities to do some jungle-trekking. You can even experience real 4WD adventures, when I´m taking my 4WD for a spin all over the places.
  
  For those volunteers who are keen in travelling during weekends, I can arrange for a short visit to the neighbouring countries like Brunei Darussalam and Kalimantan in Indonesia. Otherwise visiting nearest town for groceries and to connect to the outside world on weekends in Lawas in Sarawak, Labuan island or Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. I´m also proposing to set up jungle survival training or outward bound training.
  
  Walk barefoot- to explore the real jungle! :)

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  any pets is acceptable

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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