KUCHING: Badul Homestay in Singai, Bau is a great option for those yearning to take the time off from the busy city life and getting back in touch with nature.
Here, owners Oswald Braken Tisen and his wife Catherine Michael Sitim help visitors immerse themselves in village living by hosting various types of activities.
“We go for night walks where we educate the visitors on the different insects and plants — and how to see spiders’ eyes at night,” Catherine said with a laugh during an interview with New Sarawak Tribune.
According to her, they also taught visitors some survival skills while also offering jungle trekking, fishing, wild vegetable picking, and hiking — all free of charge.
“Sometimes, we even take them to caves like Wind Cave and Fairy Cave,” she added.
Catherine believes that the range of activities offered makes Badul Homestay unique from other facilities of the same kind.
She added that they also teach guests how to cook traditional delicacies such as ayam pansuh (chicken cooked in bamboo), while also holding culture and nature talks.
“We also have kayaking, but we do charge RM5 per hour,” she said.
As to the many guests they have hosted and entertained at Badul Homestay, Catherine said she has had visitors from the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and Indonesia among others.
She said they loved visiting Badul Homestay to relax and unwind.
“We also get local guests. Lots of students from Unimas (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak), Unitar, and UiTM (Universiti Teknologi Mara) stay here too. Our biggest group was actually 60 students from Unitar at one go,” she revealed.
“Usually, we are fully booked on weekends,” she added.
The homestay has a total of eight rooms, all with an en suite washroom each.
“Those who wish to camp out can do so on the tunju (open veranda) or on the lawn,” said Catherine.
“If people do not mind to squeeze, we have extra mattresses that we can put in the rooms as well,” she said.
She said Badul Homestay can host about 35 to 45 people at full capacity.
Established in 2012, Badul Homestay was the result of Catherine, a former nurse, wanting a change of environment after her children left for university.
“I wanted to go back to the village and do something different. I am very adventurous,” she said.
“We started Badul Homestay in 2012, back then we just had the farmhouse. But from there we expanded to where we are today,” Catherine reminisced.
She said that she gets help from four villagers who work part-time with them. Aside from creating job opportunities for the local residents, she also helped the community by providing a venue for them to market their goods at the Kampung Badul Weekend Market every Saturday.
“Sometimes I also help them sell their crops and produce to my guests here,” she added.
Badul Homestay is one of ten cluster homestays in the Singai region. The rate per room is RM85 per night, with additional costs for food.
