By D’Drift Team
BINTULU, July 8: Robin, a wild boar kept as a pet for at least four years, may not see the New Year as its owner plans to slaughter it this Christmas.
The owner, Yam Sego, a Kayan woman from Umah Bawang, has been keeping Robin in a cage in her boathouse right beside the Bakun jetty.
Three or four years back, one of the D’Drift Team members was at the same boathouse and saw baby Robin. It was so tiny back then, but has since grown into an adult boar.
The bearded wild boar, which has already been tamed, was a little nervous when we visited it in its cage. However, Robin did not make any noise or act outrageously like wild boars.
When we asked Yam whether Robin (christened by D’Drift Team) has a name since it is after all a pet, she said she did not bother to name it.
Despite that, Robin has been properly taken care of all these years. It is fed a diet of rice and other leftover food.
During our conversation, we asked if Yam would ever kill Robin for its meat. Yam hesitated and merely answered: “Probably we will slaughter it for Christmas.” Oh, poor Robin!
Anyway, let us pray that Yam would change her mind during Christmas so that Robin could avoid its fate this year and many years to come. The next time we visit Bakun, we hope we get to see Robin again.
Back to civilisation with Jendela
We had to spend two hours at the Bakun jetty while waiting for our boat to Mebong Cove Villa. After venturing to the boathouses to the side, we were left without anything to do especially with no internet connection.
Then, we saw signage at the jetty indicating that there is telecommunication service infrastructure under the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela) installed in the area.
Not convinced that the line would be good, we tried logging into Jendela and wow — it felt like we returned to civilisation. Message notifications flooded in, and we could even send photos and upload videos on social media.
Even sending this travelogue to the editors was done using the Jendela line.
All you have to do is register your identification number (IC) and other basic details on the Jendela Wifi Hotspot page when it pops up, and you will have access to the internet.
Jendela is a project implemented by the Federal government through the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to improve telecommunication services in rural areas in Sarawak.
That’s about it for today’s travelogue. By the time you are reading this dear reader, we should be in Lusong Laku. More updates to come tomorrow. — DayakDaily
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Travelogue, Day 2 – Engkilili’s century-old red temple — ‘1/15 Fraction Company’
Travelogue, Day 3 – Let Sibu Street Art be world-renowned like Penang’s
Travelogue, Day 4 – Found in Tatau: Any guesses on what these trees are called?
Travelogue Day 6 – Four-hour intense ‘bull ride’ to Lusong Laku
Travelogue, Day 7 – Traditional Sarawak-Japanese cuisine fusion: Wiggling sago worms on sushi
Travelogue, Day 8 – Japan, South Korea use manganese slag by-product to build roads, but Malaysia calls it waste
Travelogue, Day 9 – ‘Karau’ the sweet boy from Batang Ai National Park HQ
Travelogue, Day 10 – ‘Kopi o’, ‘kopi o peng’ in Tatau, Samalaju cost RM2.50, most expensive so far this trip
