Page 34 - The Guide To Sarawak

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INTRODUCTION TO THE STATE OF SARAWAK
Sarawak offers excitement for sportsmen and women of all kinds. Adventure seekers venture deep into the interior on 4WD safaris.
off-road 4WD safaris and of course jungle trekking. More leisurely pursuits include top quality golfing, with courses ranging from seaside links to jungle plateaus: one
even featured a young Vijay Singh as teaching pro. Other popular sports include badminton, tennis, squash, football and a host of local traditional sports.
Many of Sarawak’s events and festivals are based on local sporting traditions, ranging from the historic Sarawak Regatta, the highlight of the social calendar, to the Borneo International Yachting Challenge. Others are based on religious and spiritual traditions, such as Gawai Dayak, the harvest festival of the Iban and Bidayuh, Hari Raya, celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, Chinese New Year, and the Kaul festival of the Melanau,
which celebrates that community’s affinity with the sea.
Other festivals have
more cultural appeal. The Rainforest World Music Festival is now ranked as one of the world’s top 25 ethnic music festivals, while the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri is rapidly establishing itself with star-studded line-ups. The Borneo Cultural Festival in Sibu showcases ethnic arts and performers from Sarawak and throughout Borneo.
Sarawak is also a welcoming destination
for all kinds of visitors. Accommodation ranges from 5-star city hotels to family-run homestays, and includes beach resorts,
hill resorts, golf resorts, jungle lodges and lakeside retreats, many offering spas and traditional therapies. Business visitors will find
it the ideal destination
for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, with a brand new international conference centre, well-equipped hotel conference facilities, and even remote jungle lodges for team building and corporate retreats.
The state’s well-equipped and affordable medical facilities also make it a healthy place to visit or
to live, with state-of-the- art modern hospitals in
all major cities, along with specialist medical and dental clinics. Even in the remotest areas a village clinic is never far away, and air ambulance services are available for emergencies. Alternative healthcare, particularly traditional Chinese medicine, is
also popular and widely available.
Sarawak is above all a
safe place to visit. The crime rate is low, people are