The photo was taken in 2011, about 10 years after I retired. The scene at the Marudi wharf reminds me so much of the years I spent travelling up and down the Baram to do Teacher Education Practicum. I was one of the two English lecturers who were assigned the Baram Schools. It was definitely a big sacrifice for me because I was away from family duties for a week, usually once a month. I cannot turn the clock back now.
The mist over the Baram continues to be an every day occurence.
Expresses refer to those fast river boats which were designed like rockets, famously built in Sibu. Many boat owner-operators made a lot of money in the 70's and 80's. By the 90's and at the turn of the century, roads started to be built all over Sarawak due to expansion of oil palm growing and timber logging.
Having said all that, one of the strongest express boat businesses in Sarawak was in the Baram River . Almost 500 km long, the river valley has been populated by lots of people along the river banks. Hence it was very convenient to depend on expresses for transport. However when every one COULD own a car and drive along all the logging and plantation roads, the expresses had to be set aside.
A Long Lama historian told me that his relative took 1 whole month to paddle down to the mouth of the Baram River, from Long Lama, to obtain salt and salted fish. On his way home , he would salt more fish. By the time he reached home, he had a lot of salted fish! That was a two month journey. Today, a boat trip would take only one day from Long Lama to Kuala Baram. A road trip would take only 5 to 6 hours.
Another friend told me that it took her father three days to paddle from Long Lama to Marudi after the war.
In the 1950's double decker wooden motor launches started to operate along the Baram. They were like river mobile homestays. Passengers from miri would board them in the early morning and the launch would sail to Marudi where it would stay overnight. Food would be served at extra charges. And it would take the passengers another day to reach Long Lama. That was the only way to reach Long Lama in those days apart from long boats which were only owned by Kayans and other indigenous people who had wealth, usually from Bird's Nests.
From 1996 to 2005 I was often sent out to observed in service teacher trainees doing their practicum in schools in Pengalayan, Marudi, Benawa, Long Ikang and Long Lama. It was a very interesting and rich experience.
On a Monday I would be at the express terminal in Kuala Baram by 5 am, I would either use a taxi from home, or the college bus would take me. By 7.30 I would be at Pengalayan and ready to supervise two English students. With well calculated time management I would then take the noon express to Marudi.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I would be supervising my trainees in Sg.Brit, Poyut, Gudang, and Lubok Nibong. A hired taxi would transport me. On Thursdays I would be in Benawa early in the morning and then I would speed up to Long Ikang. After observing the students there I would take the two oclock express and I would be in Long Lama by 5 pm. The next day I would again observe 2 students and then I would take the last express back to Marudi.
Today we can drive to Long Lama in two hours. Marudi can be reached by another road and in just under 3 hours.
With this kind of complicated river transport we lecturers actually had very little time to coach our mentees well.
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