The Plantation (21 page)

Julie found Peter and Shane’s friends to be a fun group. They comprised of two English couples, both in their thirties, a German couple, an Australian, the same age as Shane, and two other single men. One was Chinese, the other of Scottish descent, who, like Shane and Peter, had grown up in Asia. All of them were intrigued by Julie’s connection to Shane and Peter and Utopia
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‘You’ve waited a long time to visit,’ said Cynthia, one of the English women.

‘It’s a bit of a long story. But I’m planning on making the most of this trip,’ said Julie.

‘Will you be here when Martine gets back? We’ll have to have a big party then,’ said the other girl.

‘She’ll be back any day,’ said Shane. ‘A party would be wonderful.’

‘Is she seeing her family in France?’ asked Cynthia.

‘Yes, as well as the children in England,’ said Shane.

Everyone was friendly and well travelled, and either ran their own business or were connected to the palm oil industry in some way. Christopher Nichols, the Australian, was a good friend of Peter’s.

‘And are you in the palm oil business, too?’ Julie asked him.

Christopher shook his head. ‘No, I’m the ring in. I’m in the Royal Australian Air Force, following a family tradition. I’m at Butterworth here in Malaysia.’

When Julie looked blank, he added, ‘Butterworth Air Base. Near Penang. It’s now run by the Malaysian Air Force, as a training facility there. My father was stationed there in the sixties, and I’m there now.’

‘Oh. I see,’ said Julie. ‘You do have a connection to this country then.’

While most of the group lived some distance from a major city, they seemed sophisticated and well-to-do. It was stimulating to be around people different from those she mixed with in Brisbane. After they finished playing tennis, they walked over to the big house and settled themselves into cane chairs on the verandah. A drinks trolley was waiting. As the houseboy lowered the chick blinds against the late afternoon sunlight, everyone chatted over some fine French wine, a beer or a gin and tonic.

‘Do you get Australian wines here?’ asked Julie. ‘They’re exceptionally good, you know.’

‘Yes, I do know that but my wife’s family owns vineyards in France,’ said Shane. ‘So they ship their wines out to us.’

‘Maybe we should support our grandmother’s country and order some Australian wines,’ grinned Peter. ‘Stir up your in-laws a bit, eh, Shane?’

On Sunday the boys took Julie by speed boat upriver for a picnic. As they sped past the jungle thickets at the water’s edge, Julie had her first hint of the wilderness that surrounded the plantation.

‘This is beautiful,’ she said, getting out onto a small jetty where a recently mowed lawn swept down to the riverbank. A picnic table and barbecue were set up under a shelter beneath the shady trees. All around them was forest and Julie could see a track leading into it.

‘Do we swim in there, where the netting is?’ asked Julie, looking at the wire mesh strung between strong poles. ‘It looks like a shark net.’

‘The crocs here must be as old as the pagar so we thought it was time to replace it with something stronger,’ said Shane.

When Julie was dropped back at the guesthouse after their swim and barbecue, Siti handed her a scrap of paper with a phone number on it.

‘Message for you, mem.’

‘Oh dear, a message? I wonder what’s up,’ said Julie.

‘Is KL number.’

‘Really? I don’t know anyone in Kuala Lumpur.’

‘He say he your friend,’ said Siti. ‘You take coffee? Cold drink?’

‘Some of that fresh pineapple juice would be lovely. Can I use the phone?’ asked Julie, wondering who would know this phone number to call her.

‘Hi Julie. How are you enjoying Utopia?’

‘David? Is that you? Where are you?’ said Julie, recognising David Cooper’s voice. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Absolutely. I’m in KL. Your parents send their love. Saw them a couple of days ago. So what do you think?’

‘About Utopia? My cousins? Malaysia? It’s all good,’ she said quickly. ‘How are Mum and Dad? Anything new with the council bypass?’

‘Still very quiet. My guess is that the council has retreated, licking their wounds to reassess. But your mother and her committee are having war cabinet meetings, just in case.’

‘And Dad?’

‘Missing you, but otherwise fine.’

‘Are you coming here?’

‘No, that’s not why I rang. You said you wanted to get out into the jungle to see the orangutans.’

‘Oh, yes, I suppose so.’

‘Well, I’m heading to Sarawak in a couple of days and I thought you might like to come and see some really wild country. I’m travelling with a zoologist and a photographer.’

‘I’ll have to talk to my cousins. I am their guest.’

‘I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. It would be a great opportunity to see another part of Malaysia.’

‘You’re right, it would be. I’ll talk to them. What are you doing in Sarawak?’

‘We’re meeting with some Iban to talk about the problems they’re having with their land being reclaimed and the enforced government resettlement. The Iban way of life is disappearing fast and I want to record what I can of it, before it all goes. I’m sure your cousins would be happy for you to experience traditional life in the longhouses.’

‘You’re right, it does sound interesting, and it would be a wonderful opportunity for me. Let me get back to you. How long will you be away in Sarawak?’

‘Initially only a week or so but after I return you to Kuching we’re planning to move much further inland, and could be gone for some weeks. It’ll be pretty casual, but I’ll talk to you more about the gear you should bring when you ring me back.’

‘You sound very confident I’ll go into the wilds of Borneo with you,’ said Julie.

‘You’d be crazy not to! I’ll look after you, Julie, I promise. This will be something special, believe me,’ he added sincerely.

‘I’ll talk to the boys.’

Shane and Peter were immediately enthusiastic.

‘It’s a marvellous opportunity, Julie!’ said Shane.

‘This David seems to know all kinds of people. He’s an interesting fellow. And you say he has a team with him? You’ll be quite safe with them,’ said Peter. ‘Is he a good friend of yours?’

‘Oh, no. Well, what I mean is, he’s become a family friend. He’s helping my mother with a campaign at home to save our neighbourhood.’ Julie was slightly flustered that they thought David might be her boyfriend.

‘He knows a bit about Great Aunt Bette. If you find out any more you can share it with us,’ said Shane.

‘I don’t think he knows anything more about her than the book she wrote. I wonder if he’s going anywhere she went.’ Julie was suddenly keen to go along on this expedition.

‘It will be an adventure. And when you come back Martine will be here with us. I feel badly we are not entertaining you enough. Martine will show you around more. You’ll like her,’ said Shane.

‘You could take Julie to KL with you when you go to get Martine. Then Julie can fly from there to Kuching,’ suggested Peter.

‘That would be great. I’ll call David back and make arrangements. I was wondering what I should take with me,’ said Julie.

‘We’ll get you kitted out. As you’ve seen, there’s everything here. From tennis racquets to tents,’ said Peter.

Shane and Peter seemed relaxed and happy about Julie going off with David for a week into Sarawak. She got the feeling they were pleased that she was a guest who could look after herself.

David Cooper met Julie at Kuala Lumpur airport and surprised her by greeting her with a big hug. ‘Hey, it’s great to see you. And so far from home!’ He shook Shane’s hand. ‘Very nice to see you again. This trip has worked out very well.’

David introduced them all to Matthew the zoologist who was a quiet, thin Englishman in his late thirties with a strange arrangement of hair shaved into a thin, dark line around his chin and upper lip, and Barry who was recording the trip on video. Barry was an Australian, in his forties, living in Bangkok where he worked for a photo agency.

‘You been up-country before?’ asked Barry.

‘No, I’m looking forward to it,’ said Julie.

‘Hope you’ve come prepared. We’ll be camping in a longhouse for a few nights,’ said Matthew.

‘Yes, my cousins have given me more than enough gear,’ said Julie. She turned to Shane. ‘Thanks so much for driving me here. I’ll be in touch when I get back from Sarawak.’

‘We’ll take good care of her,’ David assured him, putting an arm around Julie’s shoulders.

‘Thank you. And Julie, when you get back we’ll send Ramdin to pick you up. Have a good time,’ said Shane.

The flight to Kuching was brief. As they approached the coast of the large island of Borneo, the South China Sea below was dotted with sampans and the sails of small fishing boats. Behind the mangroves and mudflats was dense jungle that wrapped the contours of the peaks and valleys like a crocheted green blanket. Occasionally a trickle of muddy water was visible making its way to the brown sea. Clinging to the coast were small villages on stilts. Dugout canoes, tied up in front of the houses, were the sole means of reaching the world beyond the rainforest. But in some places, like an unhealed scar, was bare earth, a hole gouged through the green blanket. Matchsticks of piled logs lay on the red earth. Then Julie saw the shining silver of tin roofs, a road with dots of vehicles, and then thatch and red tiles indicating a little town. Shortly afterwards, the plane began to circle the small city of Kuching.

As they drove from the airport, Julie saw that the broad river that dissected the city, was bordered by a landscaped esplanade, and ships and long flat freighters crowded the main wharf. Several streets were lined with highrise buildings, shops and hotels, but a glimpse of old shophouses and a few white colonial buildings hinted at the past, while an urban sprawl fanned away from the city centre. The city was small but scenic with the jungle at its back door. Julie immediately fell in love with it.

‘It looks beautiful. Very clean, too,’ said Julie to David.

‘One of my favourite places,’ he agreed. ‘The White Rajahs, the Brooke family, ruled it as their personal kingdom for a hundred years, until the Japanese invaded. The first rajah, Sir James Brooke, was ceded Sarawak and his family ruled it as absolute monarchs. They had their own money, stamps and flag and even the power of life and death over their subjects. After the war, the third rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, gave Sarawak to the British and after independence it became part of Malaysia. Many of the imposing colonial buildings were built by the second rajah, Sir Charles Brooke.’

Julie couldn’t wait to explore the quaint city as they drove past the imposing white courthouse, where the white arched colonnade shaded a mosaic tiled footpath. Interesting shops, the smell of spices and the waterfront promenade were all utterly enticing.

‘Oh, look at the cats!’ she exclaimed as their taxi rounded the spectacular statue and fountain.

‘Kuching means cat in Malay,’ said Matthew. ‘Every souvenir in this place is either a picture or a toy of a cat or an orangutan.’

‘Back in Brisbane, you said that you could arrange for me to see some orangutans, David. Are they still out there in the jungle?’ asked Julie.

‘You saw the logging as we flew in,’ said Matthew. ‘And oil palm plantations over the border in Indonesian Kalimantan are also gobbling up their space. Orangutans are vegetarians and need a lot of ripe fruit, seeds, nuts and bark. In other words, they need to have a lot of trees to survive, and the forests they live in are being destroyed, fast. Poachers and illegal logging don’t help, either.’

‘But they’re still around,’ said Julie. She hadn’t expected to see the great apes on this trip, but now the opportunity seemed to present itself and she couldn’t wait.

‘Thanks to the breeding programs and sanctuaries and rehabilitation sites that were started in the 1980s. Now orangutans are a big tourist attraction in both Borneo and Sumatra.’

‘There’s a good sanctuary not far from here. I’ve filmed there,’ said Barry. ‘You could go there,’ he said to Julie.

Julie shook her head. ‘It’s incredible. I just love Kuching. I suppose my Great Aunt Bette must have come here?’

‘She must have. It’s the gateway to Iban country – up in the hill country,’ said Matthew.

‘How do we get to the Iban?’

‘I’m arranging a boat and a friend to take us upriver,’ said David. ‘But we’ll enjoy a day or so here first. Kuching is very pleasant.’

That evening the four of them headed out to where it was lively. Families were walking, children played on the public lawns and people were eating in the cafés and restaurants that faced the water. They ate in a small, smart bistro decorated with pictures from the era of the White Rajahs. The rattan furniture was covered in batik, fans and a Dayak headdress were hung on the walls and the menu was a mixture of local cuisine and colonial excess. While it was humid, the weather was bearable and later, they enjoyed strolling along the esplanade. The lights which were strung along its length twinkled in the Sarawak River. Food stalls were busy and couples and a few tourists sat on the benches, enjoying the views of the modern legislative assembly building, the rajah’s palace, and the old fort.