Iban Longhouse in Sarawak Cultural Village my accomodation for 4D3N in Kuching

Below is the summary of my accomodation in the Iban Longhouse in the Sarawak Cultural Village during the media fam trip by Firefly (MAS) & Sarawak Tourism Board just last week.

The Sarawak Cultural Village is beautiful, scenic & rich in local culture. Located about 45 mins from Kuching town, we had a dedicated bus to shuttle us thru & fro throughout the duration of our stay.
I will elaborate more on the Sarawak Cultural Village over the next few posts as there is so much to share about that place. This post will just focus on the Iban Longhouse where my group (traditional media, artists & 3 other bloggers ) were hosted for 4D & 3N.

After a warm welcome & a lengthy briefing, we were split into 2 groups; male & female.
A typical single longhouse had separate living areas for each family & each living area generally consisted of a living room, sleeping area, kitchen & washroom.
We were placed in the Iban Longhouse, where the males has one living area and the females has another living area. The video below illustrates clearly the hygiene, space & facilities that were available to us for the duration of our stay.

I was pretty speechless upon seeing our living quarters & hence this is a silent video.LOL.

Have problem veiwing the video? Well, IT IS that dim inside and that was the best I could do. Anyhow, here are some pictures as well.

The view once you open the door from the entrance:

Immediately on our left is the sleeping area. We were each provided a thin mattress, a pillow, a thin blanket and a towel.

Another shot: View taken from the inside. The blue lockers are for added security for your important belongings.

Oh, hurrah! There is electricity!

Along the right side of the long corridor towards the back of the living quarters; we converted the ledge as our make-shift vanity table.

Below: Further to the back, towards the washroom & kitchen.

Our kitchen/dining area: A fridge is provided, (of which we are VERY thankful!) and the dining table is all there is to share among the 10- 12 of us. Luckily there wasnt a real need for it as all meals were taken outside at the communal area. There is a sink as well ! at the c orner of the room.

Praise the lord, the washroom is actually modern! The flush works! Though there isnt any heater, the water pressure is very good and showering wasnt a problem as long as you do not mind cold water.

Heading upstairs now

Sleeping arrangements were similar but here it felt somewhat a lot cleaner as we do not have people walking in & out of the kitchen, the washroom, etc. Needless to say, I positioned myself here.
Yes, there are fans provided. And no, there is no air conditioning.

Ventilation openings, literally dubbed as a smoke hole. Oh, the roof leaks by the way. So expect wet floorboards (both upstairs & downstairs) if it rains. Avoid charging your electrical items then.

Powerpoints were conveniently located though.

Lockers again for personal belongings. And another ventilation hole, which really helps as the air upstairs were a lot less musty compared to the area below.

What do you think? LOL.
I admit I was speechless at first, but I assure you this is not my first time staying in a village/traditional accomodation lest you think Im reacting like some spoilt brat.
Ive stayed in a village house (video HERE ) during my Melaka homestay program by Tourism Malaysia last year but this really brings back to the basics living to another level! And there is electricity and a proper working sanitation here. I cant imagine ho! w it is like back then for the Ibans/ethic tribes.

Yup, Im glad to be a city girl. Heh.

Address:
Sarawak Cultural Village
45 minutes drive from Kuching