Notes from abroad: Borneo (Kalimantan) Jan 2016

This is the point at which me and Eti went exploring on our own. And we were pretty much the only white people around.

First up we headed to Tanjung Puting national park and Camp Leakey orangutan research and rehabilitation centre -

This involved 4 days spent living on a boat travelling up the Sekonyer river, in Central Kalimantan. The river changed from chocolate brown to clear, black peat water in the trib up to Camp Leakey. We spotted crocodiles and loads of the endemic Proboscis monkeys on the way, plus a heavily snoozing wild orangutan.

We slept on board the boat on mattresses on the floor covered by a mosquito net. We had a table for candle lit dinners and listened to the rain, monkeys and birds all night long. Showers took place in natural pools in the jungle.

Our first up close orangutan encounter is with Siswi who meets us at the jetty at Camp Leakey. She is known as the receptionist and is famous in her own right. She idles up to our boat and plonks herself down gesturing for food. She is very gentle, seems super intelligent, and her beautiful eyes looks right into you. We head into the jungle with Siswi to the feeding station where we come across 30-40 more orangutans! They come voluntarily when food in the forest is not enough (rainy season brings more fruit but rains have been delayed this year). We come back to the boat to discover that Percy orangutan has raided the boat of potatoes and bananas.

At another station, we meet Kai Khong who lies in wait at the banana hut rather than head to the feeding station where there is a larger alpha male. He walks with us all the way occasionally sitting down and turning round to face us.

Chugging up river in the evening

Siswi turning on the charm

And picking nits

Mahe our driver, and Siswi

The big one - Kai Khong

Hanging out on the jetty hunting snakes

Evening time on board our klotok boat

Meratus mountain 3 day jungle trek

Hot, humid! Within the first few metres I spot a leopard running across our path. The jungle is so thick our guide has to cut a way through with his machete for most of the route. When the track seemingly comes to a foresty dead end at the top of steep drop offs, we climb down lianas and massive tree trunks to continue. We fill our backpacks with mangos along the way. We stay at mamas house in the Dayak village for the night. She sets us up with a foam mattress, dinner around the kitchen fire, and both toilet and shower take place in the river (one upstream, one downstream!). Mamma chews berries that make her teeth and mouth bright red like blood.

We come across longhouse villages of the Dayak tribes. The Dayaks are some of worlds fiercest head-hunters and still maintain some traditional ways. Longhouses are all on stilts which were a measure of protection against rival maraudering head hunters. Head hunting was a well organised sortie with hundreds of warriors carrying out a stealth mission attack on another longhouse during the night.

An interesting book documenting a 15 month trek across Borneo describes how once a head had been retrieved, it was brought back to the longhouse where it's spirit was forced to help out. To ensure that the spirit would readjust to its fate, the skull was honoured and treated to offerings of food, drink and tobacco. Chopped heads were a crucial unit of spiritual power; ensuring good crops, warding off disease, and generally thought to bring success to a village. Heads were also used in marriage and funeral rituals.

One longhouse we are allowed in accommodates 46 families. There is one large communal space in the centre with a large spiritual construction at the heart. There are 46 doors leading to small rooms around the outside of the communal area. One family per room. Sometimes the children sleep together in the communal area. Presumably rumpy pumpy is kept to a minmum or at least to rooms with well oiled floorboards.

Plenty of river crossings over suspension bridges. This one was in better condition than most!

Dinner with the family at mamma's house

Jerry, Eti, me, mamma

A typical scramble through crazy amounts of bamboo

All you can eat mangos!

A massive longhouse

The spiritual centrepiece

Eti (or is it Siswi) having a wash

My thick bush

Slip n slide down the trees

Jungle bath

Eti weilding Jerry's machete

Our easy ride home! This mode of transport is still used for goods and they even sell the bamboo that makes up the raft once at their destination

Derawan island

Our final days together were spent snorkelling every day with turtles who lived beneath our huts on stilts in the sea. An extremely cheap version of the Maldives!