Malaysian trip to Sabah, remove the original pure beauty of the island landscape, "Sea Gypsy" Baja even more impressive. In the fairy-tale Sabah Semporna, perhaps most tourists will only revel in the blue sea and sand, few people to visit the sea on the "Baja."
Bajau is the transliteration of Indonesian Bajau, a minority living in the waters of Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. According to historical records, the ancestors of the Baja people were exiled indigenous peoples. Because they were forbidden to land on land for a long period of time, they chose to parasitize the vast oceans and build houses on shallow coral reefs, taking the sea as their home and living close to the sea. Depending on the sea, more fishing, or playing black-handed workers (because of no nationality, can not have a proper job). For centuries, they seldom set foot on land, and generations of wandering lived stateless nomadic life on the sea, hence the name "sea gypsies."
The Baja is undoubtedly full of legend and mystery to me. A long time ago read the pictures and the introduction of the Internet, it generated great interest and curiosity, of course, there are amazing. The close living experience of the Baja people is also one of the main purposes of my second trip to Sabah. The sea area of Semporna is one of the major settlements for Bajau people. For me who travels for so many years and loves humanities more and more Naturally will not miss.
In Semporna, a group was reported to have made a sea-hopping trip to the sea, arriving in the Baja village in the afternoon. Under the leadership of the boatman, slowly into the village interior. This village is located near the sea off Pulau Mantabuan and about 40-minute boat ride from Semporna Wharf. Arrived here, you can see from a distance, about 200 meters away from the island of the blue sea, set up a humble single high hut thatched cottages, some hold the group of two or three, and some stand alone , About estimated there are about 30, the boatman told us in broken English, here is one of the Baja living village.
When you see a foreign vessel approaching, the quiet Bajiao village suddenly lively up. All households sent "representatives", especially children, and surrounded the yacht by paddling the "lepa-lepa" boat. Since they lived perennially on the sea far away from the land, they were extremely impoverished and had no choice but to see it "Foreign visitors", have come begging for food and daily necessities. And every visitor who visits here will usually have some food and daily necessities ready beforehand for distribution to them.
In the middle of the sea, almost every household in the sea sat at their doorstep, looked at us curiously, and sent a heartfelt sincere smile, feeling very kind and honest. Bajay is naturally happy, and children are said to have started to learn to swim before they have learned to walk. In order to be able to submergate deeper and longer in the water, they will crack the eardrum in case they are too young to dive freely. Sounds very cruel, but it is also forced by life. They live in the sea every day have to dive into the sea, looking for pearl, sea cucumber and sea fish and other seafood.
Baja living in the ocean, drifting between heaven and hell. Said to be paradise, because the Semporna area of the sea landscape, comparable to the Mati. Clear blue sky, clear sea, plenty of sunshine, fresh air, and untouched original island scenery are just as blessed by God as unspeakably beautiful. Free to wander in such vast expanse of Haitian, unrestrained, carefree, free, self-sufficiency, it is also a rare realm of life.
However, outsiders may seem free and happy, in fact, not necessarily. If I live here for a long time, living in such a "dwelling house" and a "crumbling" cottage, I can not imagine how they spent it during the storm. For children, it is almost like going through the experience of hell experience it. Of course, the repeated conversion between paradise and hell also temper the strong and optimistic Bajay people, even if this is a helpless move, but they are still happily living in their territories so far, guarding the sea, Also sheltered by the ocean.
We prepared some cookies in advance to bring them, distributed from house to house, saw those longing for both hands and eyes, I regret less, should buy more. However, it is enough to see that simple food can bring them so much happiness. They live so simple, happy everywhere, as long as get a small biscuit, they will be happy, like flowers, are validating the phrase "less desire, more happiness," even if the last resort was the lack of material , Does not hinder the inner satisfaction and happiness.