In The Land Of The Hornbills: Experiencing Serumpun Sarawak In Mulu

A journey that began in Kuala Lumpur and Osaka returned to its roots in the wild heart of Mulu. Serumpun Sarawak stood as both a homecoming and a showcase of the state’s living culture.

Before this year, I’d never actually been to East Malaysia. I can count several friends who call the exotic tropics of Borneo home, and through them, I was treated to little glimpses of their culture and way of life. But as much as I’d concoct half-baked plans to one day visit their lands, they, rather unsurprisingly in hindsight, never quite materialised. That all changed this year when a work assignment took me to Sabah. Now, here I was, two months later, on a flight to Sarawak by the gracious invitation of the Sarawak Tourism Board.

And so it was that I found myself in the land of the hornbills, swept away to experience its attractions and be made acquainted with its plentiful bounties. Captivating stops at the Borneo Cultures Museum, the Annah Rais longhouse, and a serene river cruise, all arranged by the Sarawak Tourism Board, functioned as a prelude to Serumpun Sarawak, a programme that forms an expansive showcase of Sarawak’s indigenous communities—one that unites its culinary artisans and its creative culture bearers in a spectacle woven to introduce the richness of the land and its culture to a global audience.

First making its way to KL before thrilling attendees further afield in Osaka, Serumpun Sarawak was now on the return leg to where it all began, deep within the ancient sanctity of the UNESCO World Heritage rainforest of Mulu. It promised to be a spectacular curtain call that would see nature, heritage, and hyperlocal flavour converge in one awe-inspiring immersion.

Set amid the tranquil seclusion of the Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa, the event opened with an enveloping rainforest encounter that greeted guests the moment they walked in—a sensory nod to the theme “We Are Nature, Nature Is Us—Everything is Everything.” The evening unfolded by way of a series of enlightening presentations before reaching its crescendo: a seven-course gastronomic odyssey put together by one of Malaysia’s foremost culinary imperators, James Won.

Working in close collaboration with Sarawak’s indigenous food custodians to ensure the most sincere representation of their tastes and culture, each dish was a seamless coming together of contemporary culinary techniques guided by ancestral memory and the collective wisdom of the 34 ethnic communities that make up Sarawak’s rich cultural mosaic.

The dishes on offer played host to a variety of ingredients that I—and I’d wager most of my fellow diners that evening—had never come across. Rainforest botanicals, exotic freshwater produce, and traditional ferments took centre stage; these ancient expressions, a staple of local palates for centuries, now introduced themselves here to foreign tongues in magnificent fashion. It was a celebration of Sarawak’s terroir, lensed through fine dining sensibilities, that stayed tightly adherent to the tenets of sustainability and reverence for the land from which it springs.

Before each course arrived at the table, guests were treated to a short narration voiced by the gentlemanly lilt of Prof. Gerard Bodeker. His recorded reflections on the medicinal and therapeutic properties of the native ingredients on display served to deepen the diners’ understanding, as well as the evening’s connection between wellness, ecology, and culture. It was these interspersions, among others, that served to elevate the dinner into the realm of the experiential. Perhaps the most significant highlight of the evening came by way of Adrian Jo Milang, whose moving rendition of Ilun Kuai, the Zee Avi and friends-penned official theme song of Serumpun Sarawak, delighted the guests thronged throughout the venue.

The evening drew to a close as guests gathered and shared moments of camaraderie beneath the dimmed lights of the hall. Those once strangers were now clustered together for photographs, conversation spilling easily between these newly made friends. There was a palpable sentiment in the air that the night had indeed achieved what it set out to do: to bring Sarawak a little closer to the world, and the world a little closer to Sarawak.