I spent months combing through Borneo to find the most interesting experiences for a work assignment. My goal was to find places that were objectively beautiful, inspirational and contained an element of adventurous challenge. There was Kinabalu - the 4000 meter plus mountain, Maliau Basin - a strenuous jungle trek and a sneaky cross border hike to Indonesia. But one of the places that pleasantly surprised me were the longhouses of the many tribes of Sarawak.
The Bidayuh tribe (one of 40 some tribes in Borneo) longhouse in Mongkos village is a strange confluence of old and new. The residents continue to live in a group of 15 to 20 families under one roof of a 200 meter wooden house. The roof is now lined with satellite dishes and the teenagers post on Instagram, but many of the residents continue to live a very traditional life - working on pepper and cacao plantations and selling hand woven rattan baskets. The commitment of the Bidayuh people to hold on to their way of life is inspirational.
All photo credit goes to the amazing photographer: Scott Inskeep. Check us out at www.seeksophie.com for more inspiring Borneo adventures.
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One of the last few Bidayuh people smoking a bamboo pipe - a tradition that has lasted for close to two centuries.
Smiling for the camera - one of the residents of a more modern Bidayuh longhouse.
Bidayuh tribe's woman preparing to make rattan basket.
An old but very well preserved Datsun (Nissan) in the modern longhouse.
This old woman sat alone and had the most pensive look.
Young and old - childcare in the longhouse is easy. So many people to take care of the little ones.
Old surroundings new traditions - young man using a smartphone sitting on bags of rice.
Mother and daughter time - this woman was very social, while her daughter was camera shy.
Kids of the longhouse.
The exterior of the longhouse still bares the scars of bullets from tribal wars in the early 20th century, now also sports satellite dishes.
