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Kelabit Highlands (all images)

The Kelabit highlands are located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, in the centre of the island of Borneo. They are one of the remotest places I've ever been, as the only way to get there is by plane. There are no boats and roads leading there and the only way to get out of there if there are no flights is to walk for two hours across the jungle until the logging road and from there take a logging truck. The Kelabit highlands lye at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level and have a relatively fresh climate. They are home to Penan and Kelabit people- the latter are also known as long ear people, because of their long ear lobes. The Kelabits were 'civilised' only after WWII.
Bario, the major settlement in the area, is a major rice producing location, with rice farms fields everywhere. The Bario rice is of excellent quality, much better than Thai rice.


01 Sarawak mountains and logging road	02 Sarawak mountains	03 Bario Airport	04 MAS Twin Otter in Bario airport


05 Downtown Bario and shops	06 Bario Telecommunications Centre	07 Water buffalo	08 Water buffalo with baby


09 Grass	10 Grass	11 Grass	12 House	13 Government building


14 Path	15 Water buffaloes grazing on a meadow	16 Water buffaloes grazing on a meadow	17 Water buffalo and baby buffalo	18 Runnel


19 Meadow and water buffaloes	20 Houses	21 Longhouse


22 Path	23 House and rice paddy	24 Hut	25 Path to Pa Umor longhouse	26 Path to Pa Umor longhouse


27 Forest	28 Pond	29 Christian church	30 Pa Umor longhouse	31 Pa Umor longhouse


32 Pa Umor longhouse	33 Path to Pa Ukat longhouse	34 Path to Pa Ukat longhouse	35 Path and gate to Pa Ukat longhouse


36 Pa Ukat longhouse	37 Evangelical church in Pa Ukat	01 View of the Bario rice fields


02 Rice growing in paddy fields	03 Rice growing in paddy fields	04 Rice growing in paddy fields	05 Rice growing in paddy fields


06 Dam separating rice fields	07 Workers setting out rice plants in fields	08 Workers setting out rice plants in fields	09 Workers setting out rice plants in fields	10 Workers setting out rice plants in fields


11 Workers setting out rice plants in fields	12 Workers setting out rice plants in fields	13 Panorama view with rice fields


14 Panorama view with rice fields	15 Harvested rice	16 Harvested rice


17 Rice field	18 Paddy field	19 Rice terraces	20 Rice terraces	21 Rice terraces


22 Rice field	23 Rice field and farmers	24 Water buffalo


25 Scenery with paddy fields	26 Scenery with paddy fields	27 Paddy fields


28 Paddy fields	29 Paddy fields	30 Paddy fields	31 Rice plants	01 Old Kelabit man


02 Old Kelabit man	03 Old Kelabit woman with long ears	04 Old Kelabit woman with long ears	05 Old Kelabit woman with long ears	06 Old Kelabit man with sunglasses	07 Jaman Riboh