Urban-Rural : Take Two Part 3 - Rest-Stop

In this series of posts, we show you a contrast of stuff we use in our urban lives against what the locals used and have across our journey. We hope this gives you a better picture of life in rural areas or rural Sarawak.

Rest-stops

Anyone travelling during the festive season, would make a rest-stop along the North-South Highway to grab a drink/bite or maybe a toilet break or two.

Need a break after a long drive on a Highway?

No fear, for the reststop's here! (Pic: Pagoh Reststop)

For the villagers, in between the long treks, they too have reststops!

Villagers put down their Bagans and take the opportunity to exchange stories and news. (Reststop between Kpg Semban and Kpg Bujong)

Another shady rest-stop to catch our breath.

(reststop to Kpg Taba Sait)

Our guide Simou offered us some of his salted fish and rice as we trekked to his village, Kpg. Rejoi from Kpg. Taba Sait at a reststop build with bamboo and covered with a zinc roof.

Not the rest-stop we are used to on our journey north and south the peninsular and certainly a far cry from the offerings we can enjoy along those journeys. Simple, rural reststops just require some creativity with bamboo which they can acquire easily from the surrounding forests. Simply a case of putting to good use what mother nature gives you.

Look out as we make more comparisons between urban-rural (Sarawak - Bengoh).

Past Parts:

Part 1 - Carrying Supplies

Part 2 - Highways

Urban-Rural : Take Two Part 1 - Carrying Supplies

In this series of posts, we show you a contrast of stuff we use in our urban lives against what the locals used and have across our journey. We hope this gives you a better picture of life in rural areas or rural Sarawak.

Todays, let take a look at modern backpacks vs. a commonly used apparatus by villagers to lug objects from where the road in to the footpath to the villages or between villages.

The 'Backpack' any backpackers knows and love...

Even yours truly used one of these...

But the villagers? What do they use?

A Bagan.* Innovative, no?

We came across more as we met other villagers...

Interestingly, these villagers have been using such a contraption for ages and the modern backpack has such a frame between the user's back and the contents to provide a similar structure as the villagers' Bagan. Begs the question, maybe, there is more we can learn from the rural areas and we give them less credit than they deserve. Amazing isn't it?

Look out as we make more comparisons between urban-rural (Sarawak - Bengoh).

*Edit: Thanks, Ong for the heads-up.