A trip to Malaysia (XIII) —— Entering the Ba Yao World in Semporna

Lonely Wolf Island walked down the mountain for more than an hour. The boatman gestured to show me a place just behind the mountain, so our speedboat went around the back of the mountain.

After driving for nearly 15 minutes, many wooden houses appeared between Haitian and Haitian.

These houses, which are independent of the outside world and made of thatch and wooden boards, have withstood many storms. They belong to the local Bayao people, a group I had never heard of before I went to Malaysia.

About Ba Yao people, here is a brief introduction:

This is a group of ethnic groups without nationality and hukou. There are several theories about the origin of Bayao people. Interested friends can ask Du Niang, so I won't go into details here.

Bayao people live on the sea all the year round and have close ties with the sea all their lives. Their means of transportation is the wooden boat named "lepa-lepa" in the picture. They live a nomadic life in China, but they drift on the sea, so the Bayao people are also called "Gypsies on the Sea". They grew up in these waters and eventually returned there. The Ba Yao people who live in fixed wooden houses are lucky, and some people can only live in wooden boats. In recent years, the Philippine government has closed several settlements of Bayao people, so they have to move to islands off the coast of Malaysia.

Once the Bayao people get sick, going to the hospital is a luxury for them. It takes several hours to row from their residence to the shore, and the treatment fee is not a small burden. Because there is no nationality and household registration, the children of Bayao people have no school to attend.

Bayao people make a living by fishing and selling seafood. They also exchange the caught seafood for food, such as flour, candy and drinks. Some young people sometimes go to the shore to work as coolies to earn money. Because their homes are far from the land, whenever tourists or divers come near their living areas, men, women and children in the village will paddle boats and beg for food.

It was lunch time when the speedboat approached these floating houses. The sharp-eyed children in the village have already found us, left their jobs and jumped on their own boats. The little girl dressed in a hurry, and the little boy had no time to wipe off the rice grains on his face and climbed down the stairs as quickly as possible. Maybe they think I have a lot of food on board.

Rowing should be the boss of their family. Although the expression is a bit ferocious at the moment, if the reaction speed is slow, the food in the tourists' hands will be taken away by others.

Some adults who don't take part in begging sit in front of their homes and look at these skipping children happily. For them, life is really so simple and happy, but this uncle seems to be wearing his wife's clothes.

Cumulonimbus clouds are getting closer. Judging from that posture, it should be raining heavily. Parents hurry to take their children home.

This thatched cottage is independent of the sea and is the residence of a family of four.

A woman is surrounded by three children. She winked at my camera while making a mask, showing her optimistic nature. Many Bayao people will put this white substance on their faces. At first I thought it was a mask, but later I saw that many people would put this substance on their faces. I looked up a lot of information, but there was no answer. So I can only guess that this kind of thing may be used for sun protection. After all, everyone loves beauty.

The little boy from another family also struggled to paddle and took his sister on my speedboat. The arrival of strangers means that they may get food.

Five people live in a small hut. They all looked at me curiously as a tourist.

A boat coming towards me suddenly leaked water. The little boy had no choice but to scoop water from the container and watch other boats slowly approach my speedboat. Many Bayao people have pierced their eardrums since childhood, so that their ears won't hurt when they dive deeply. They exchanged their lifelong disability for the source of food, and they also developed extraordinary eyesight.

There are two older brothers still sitting at home watching the scenery, and there is a baby at home.

The little girl was sitting alone in the boat, and her eyes were sad. It seems that she can't row alone and beg food from tourists, so she can only wait on the boat. Maybe her brothers will give her some food.

The mother and daughter are watching the children playing at sea in front of their house. The little girl should want to attend, but she is too young.

I didn't bring more food because I didn't know the situation here before I came. I gave my mother and daughter a pack of oranges to communicate with them, hoping to go in and have a look. They warmly invited me up. See this staircase? That's where I got up. You can take a "corridor" of a wooden bridge and enter the cabin.

These sea cottages have no doors, and more educated people will hang curtains here. There are two adults and four children living in this room, with a total area of 20 square meters, so the space is fully utilized. Almost everything is placed against the wall or hung on it. The hut is clean, and all kinds of daily necessities and household items are simple, but they are neatly arranged. The room I am standing in is their living room and bedroom, and the other room should be storage room and kitchen.

Mother and daughter sat quietly in the aisle of the bedroom and kitchen, allowing me to visit and take pictures.

The only window of the hut, from which you can see the blue sky and white clouds and the beautiful Du Lang Island.

There is also a baby sleeping with a pillow in the hut. I shook the cradle gently and didn't disturb his dream at all. These people in the sea, from birth to old age, all the major events in life are completed at sea.

Cumulonimbus clouds came from the other side of the mountain and the children went home one after another.

When I left the hut, the other two children of this family also came back. I gave them the only box of Likoule I had left, and the children were very happy. Unable to communicate in words, smiling is the best way for them to express their gratitude.

The speedboat gradually left the cabin, and the little boy was still looking back at me. This sea area has infinite scenery, but there is no commercial atmosphere and no artificial photographer. What they show us is the desire for survival and the yearning for a better life. When we give kindness, even a little, they will repay us with the brightest and warmest smile. If I go again in the future, I will definitely bring a bunch of delicious food to visit these simple Bayao people.

Not far from Du Lang Island, dark clouds rolled in the sky and it rained cats and dogs in an instant. Hiding under the top of the boat, I still didn't escape the storm. I was soaked to the skin, and sun-protective clothing, who was light and thin, could not resist the raindrops bigger than her fingernails and stuck to her body painfully. It was my first time to experience a storm at sea. The rocking speedboat was really scary at that time, but in retrospect, the experience was quite interesting.

Back in Semporna, the sky cleared up, and the houses by the sea bloomed with bright colors under the sunlight, ending the trip in Semporna and going to another seaside town-Douhu in the afternoon.

What kind of town is Douhu? I stayed in this town for two and a half days. What have I experienced? Please pay attention to the travel notes of fighting lake in Malaysia ......

A trip to Malaysia (14)-a small town in Douhu, which is regarded as a transit point by most people (published, click on the blue font to read)

Malaysia Tour (1)- Preparation before departure

A trip to Malaysia (II) —— Understanding Malay culture in Kota Kinabalu

A trip to Malaysia (3)-A sunny morning to Kapalai.

A trip to Malaysia (IV)-Enjoy the morning and sunrise of the outside world in Kapalai.

A trip to Malaysia (5) —— Fish in Kapalai shallow sea and short white sand beach

A trip to Malaysia (ⅵ) —— Visiting the mysterious deep-sea world of Kapalai

A trip to Malaysia (7)-Facing the sea in Kapalai in the afternoon, be a literary youth at leisure.

A trip to Malaysia (ⅵ) —— The Island of "Ma Bu" where luxury and poverty coexist

A trip to Malaysia (9)-dark blue Kapalai, the night is charming.

A trip to Malaysia (10) —— Kapalai Travel Guide

Malaysia Tour (11)-Stroll through the seaside town of Semporna and taste the delicious mantis shrimp.

Malaysia Tour (12)- Visit the wonderland Dulang Island in Semporna.

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