10th Anniversary Rainforest World Music Fest

Sorry for the delay in posting this up. I was busy packing my stuffs and travelling back to UTP.
Warning : This is a very long post.

Hey guys... I'm back from Kuching!! As mentioned in my earlier post, I went there to attend the 10th Anniversary Rainforest World Music Festival (Day 3) together with Charles and his sister. This international acclaimed event was actually recommended by my sister, Caroline who attended the same occasion about a year ago.

I've bought my flight tickets since January 2007 and with the help of my good friend Tania, I've managed to grab the fast-selling tickets. Huge thanks to Charles too for being such a wonderful host during my visit.

Well then, here's my personal verdict : The Rainforest World Music Festival was one hell of a night!! Without a doubt, I have to say, it's the second best event for this year!! The MTV Live with Good Charlotte Concert at Bukit Jalil still remains at the top spot though, hehehe. I mean, who knows when they'll be coming back again to Malaysia? Perhaps 10 years from now?? Come to think of it, I never had the free time to blog about the Good Charlotte concert. Owh well...

The Music Festival was an explosive event. The one-day entrance ticket costs RM80 while the full three-days access ticket costs RM200. Yeah, I have to agree that it's pretty expensive, but trust me, it's definitely worth the money. Imagine 6 hours of live music where 10 international bands performed on stage, at the Kuching Cultural Village, which happens to be located at the foot of the beautiful Mount Santubong. There's so many things to talk about, but I'll try my best not to go overboard again (as what I always did before, hehe.)

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We arrived at the cultural village at approximately 11.45am. By then, we were among the earliest visitors. As soon as we entered the main gate, I quickly headed to the merchandise stall. I crossed my fingers in hope of getting the official, limited edition 10th Anniversary Rainforest World Music Fest T-Shirt. Sadly, it was already out of stock. Well, I guessed those who came on Friday and Saturday had the better privilege of grabbing those wonderful tee-s. Nevertheless, I decided to purchase a small bottle of the local tuak as souvenir afterwards.


The programs for the day only started at 2pm, so we had ample time to walk around the cultural village. We went to a couple of places, including the Chinese Farm House, the Sago Processing Hut, the Melanau Tall Longhouse and the Orang Ulu Longhouse. The crowd started to build up by late noon. Then, I came across this:


It's one of the many proud sponsors for the event. Now then, once I've spotted this large replica of the popular Dutch beer, I can only foresee one thing. It's going to be ONE wild, happening and smashing finale!! weeee~~~

Later on, at 2pm, we went for the first workshop called "Bamboo Alert" which features traditional bamboo instruments from the island of Borneo. The workshop was conducted by Randy Reine Reusch, a fellow Canadadian. If you saw the press conference, you'll notice that Randy plays a significant role in the event as he was one of the earliest pioneer for this music festival.

See this white guy playing with the odd-looking musical instrument? That's Randy. And the object that he's playing is known as Sompoton. The Sompoton is a traditional instrument here in my state. In fact, he also played another similar looking instrument called the Engkrili, which belongs to the Kelabit tribe in Sarawak. I jokingly argued with Charles that they "stole" our Kadazandusun's Sompoton before making it their own. However, my statement was obviously wrong. Randy explained that both the Sompoton and Engkrili were actually originated from the mainland of China, some 5000 years ago.

Just watching at Randy demonstrating his skills with the different bamboo instruments was simply stunning and amazing. The workshop also features the Kelapang Kelabit Bamboo Band, one of the 30 international bands that performed throughout the festival.


After that, we participated in two other workshops : Heartbeats (Drums and percussions) and War Dances (an interactive African dance session with the Black Umfolosi). This time around, I was standing quite far from the main stage, so I didn't manage to capture clear images of the performances. Coincidentally, I met few UTP seniors there including Eddy's sister. And if my eyes were not playing tricks on me, I think Logan was one of the volunteers too. I didn't manage to say Hi though.

Basically, Heartbeats was a collective performance by the percussionists of the various participating bands. I must say, Justin Lim from Malaysia's own Aseana Percussion Unit (APU) stole the show for the afternoon as he entertained us with the African drums. But still, the third and final workshop, War Dances was the best overall show.

Performed by the Black Umfolosi of Zimbabwe, they were indeed the crowd's favourite. As soon as they entered the stage, the Black Umfolosi received a thunderous applause by the hundreds of spectators. They performed the Zulu's tribe warrior chant and dance before teaching the audience how to do it. It was quite fun and interesting. I managed to record some short clips too. Anyway, right after the workshop, we decided to take our dinner. The highlight of the event was just an hour away, so we need to re-energize our exhausted bodies. Yeah, I was pretty tired.

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It's the big moment that we've been waiting for. The show kicked off at 7.30pm with ten international performers showing their talents under the glittery stars and spotlights, accompanied by the natural sights and sounds of the tropical forest, as the background to the main stage.

The ten bands consisted of:
- Anak Adi' Rurum (Sarawak)
- Hussein Arman (Afghanistan)
- Hanitra Rasoanaivo (Madagascar)
- Khac Chi (Vietnam)
- Tammorra Special (Italy)
- Inka Marka (South America)
- Huun Huur Tu (Tuva)
- Aseana Percussion Unit (Malaysia)
- Doghouse Skittle Group (UK)
- Shannon (Poland)
And the Grand Finale.

The area was literally packed with cheerful faces, with a huge number hailing from the Peninsular Malaysia and Western countries. In fact, it was reported in the newspaper that an estimated 7000 people were present for the night. Most of them brought along their mat, to sit down or lie around while enjoying the wonderful music of the rainforest. Well, not for me! I would rather dance to the beats of the music!

At first, when Anak Adi' Rurum entered the stage, I can say that the audience was well-behaved. Together with Charles, we were among the few people, excitingly standing right in front of the stage. The rest of the crowd were sitting comfortably on the field, probably conserving their energy for the later part of the show.

However, some just couldn't wait. And I tell you, these Sarawakians really know how to party!! There were drinking their beers, tuaks and other sorts of liquors while forming little circles on the field. It wasn't long before they attracted our foreign visitors to join in their happy hours. Here are the photos:

Anak Adi' Rurum. Man, those girls are beautifully hot!!

Hanitra Rasoanaivo from Madagascar

Khac Chi. It's quite interesting, two person playing the bamboo flute simultaneously!

The earlier part of the show was rather slow, in terms of the tempo. Still, being able to witness the cultural beats of other countries was interesting. After that, the show slowly picked up the pace with more upbeat songs as Inka Marka stormed the stage. It started to get seriously crowded there as more people began to stand up and push forward to the main stage.

So, how does it feel, you might ask? Well, believe me, it was extremely FUN, hot and tiring!! It's nothing new actually. I had the experience before, including the MTV Live with Good Charlotte concert; jumping around and screaming with the other fans. But the major difference was the total duration of the show. It was 6 HOURS non-stop!!! In addition, it's like a crazy party there with people dancing around and droplets of beer falling from the sky. Great experience.

Here, I dare to say, I have never sweat SO MUCH throughout this entire year. I felt dehydrated, moreover with the alcohol consumption. I wanted to take up more cans but under that particular condition, I decided to pass. It's a simple fact : Alcohol makes you lose water. It would only invite chaos to my just-recovered body (i had a severe sore throat and flu prior to the festival).

If you intend to watch the future Rainforest World Music Festival, be sure to wear SHORT PANTS and cotton T-shirt with good level of absorbency. Owh, if you think it's comfortable, you might as well strip-off your t-shirt (referring to boys only). Most importantly, JEANS is NOT recommended. I figured that out through experience :P


Anyway, let's get back to the music. Inka Marka was definitely one of my favorite picks for the night. They gave an excellent performance for the popular Cuban song, Guantanamera! It was simply lovely. Everyone was singing along to the lyrics of the song. And it just keeps better.

Following that, The Aseana Percussion Unit (APU) gave a tremendous show. I mean, who would ever expect, that you can wildly dance to the beats of the children's song, Rasa Sayang? Well, it was only made possible by the young talented artistes of APU. Suddenly, while everyone else was dancing the night away, guess who I stumbled with?? *puts a huge smile*


Yerp! That's right! This is kennysia aka Malaysia's #1 Blogger. Before reaching the Sarawak Cultural Village, I asked Charles, what are the odds that I'm going to meet him at the festival? Owh, don't get me wrong here, it's not like he's among the top celebrities in my list of people-to-meet. It was a simple random thought that popped out in my mind.

Charles gave me the negative response. Truthfully speaking, I agreed with him. It was an unexpected encounter! (Like meeting [V]J Paula Malai Ali at Sungei Wang, Plaza and getting featured on Channel [V] Double Request Special on Christmas 2005 ^^)

After APU, Doghouse Skittle Group and Shannon took full command of the stage, performing their country and Polish music respectively.



Okay, I have a confession to make. By the time the latter band performed, my body was totally worn out; it has reached my maximum level of exhaustion. Hence, I was forced to retire from the field and walk to a nearby stall. I bought a bottle of mineral water, drank it and sat there for nearly 15 minutes before returning to the main scene. It was a short rest, but it's enough to push myself for the rest of the night.

Alas, it's time for the grand finale. All the 30 bands/artistes who have performed during the three-consecutive night festival, came up to the stage and gave their last bow to the fantastic bunch of audience. Again, the Black Umfolosi did not disappoint us. They performed the soundtrack to the Lion King (also one of my old-time favorite song) called The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Yeah, I must say, it's the perfect song to wrap up the whole annual event. Such lovely lyrics and melody.

See you again in the next year's edition of the Rainforest World Music Fest!

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We reached Charles' home approximately at 2.15am. I rushed into the bathroom, took a nice warm shower and went straight into bed. And the next thing I knew, it was already 12.30pm when I opened my eyes!! Well then, that's a new record for me! I have NEVER pass the 11am mark before, no matter how tired or how late I go to bed. So you can imagine how freaking tiring it has been.

Nevertheless, it was an amazing, worthwhile experience. But here's the million dollar question:
Would I be returning for the 11th Rainforest World Music Festival, which is going to be held 11-13 July next year?

Well, at this point of time, it's hard for me to make a judgment. However, if I can save my allowance that has been over-spent during the holidays, and with more friends tagging along (especially if my Sabahan friends are interested to go), I might make a second appearance at the festival =)

Okay, that's the end of it! Bored? Sleepy?
Hey, don't say I didn't give you a warning, hahaha! *wink*