We both have a great affection for Sarawak's small towns. Most people are drawn to Borneo by its natural phenomena, which are justly famous. But underrated, we feel, are its little centres of population. They're quirky, quaint, and full of cultural and historical interest.

Yesterday and today, we visited three such, all within each reach of Sri Aman.

We popped into Engkilili on our Sri Aman trip back in 2020. It's been purplified since then, we think:



It's a pretty place:




And nearby there's the famous Batu Nabau. A batu is a rock, and a nabau is a huge snake. The legend that's quoted on the signboard goes like this: In ancient times, a head hunter was running from his enemies. He reached Sungai Bukong (where the snake rock now lies), but it was so broad that he couldn't cross. He prayed for help. A big snake appeared, and ferried him over. But once on the other side, the warrior beheaded the helpful snake, just in case he was equally helpful to the headhunter's enemies... The snake then turned into the rock that we see to this day. (Needless to say, there are other versions...)

This is a sacred site, so of course there are rules to respect:


It goes without saying that you shouldn't climb on the rock to take photos, and you shouldn't leave litter. A little more obscure are the instructions not to anoint the rock with eggs or milk, and not to ask for lottery numbers...

It's a wonderfully atmospheric place, which will stay in my mind:







In the other direction from Engkilili is Lingga. On the way you can stop at the jetty for Kampung Seduku, and survey the amazing sandbars:








Lingga, which sits on the confluence of the Lupar and the Lingga, has an adorable red temple, some lovely old wooden shophouses, and -- quite unusual, this -- a wooden five-foot way:







There's obviously some sprucing up happening, and there are plans for a new road along the Lupar from Sebuyau to Lingga:


That was all yesterday. Today, on the way to Sibu, we stopped off at Betong, another very attractive little town. Its Brooke-era fortification, Fort Lili, is the oldest in the state, built to fend off attacks by Iban warrior Panglima Rentap. It has undergone extensive restoration, and you can visit, but there are no exhibitions yet:






The town itself is also picturesque:





Betong has some interesting food offerings, but our stopover status meant we didn't have time to track them down. What we did get was really delicious, though:


Betong would definitely stand revisiting (as would the surrounding area). Next time...