Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) At Last
A great buffet breakfast at Hotel Ciputra with whatever food a person could desire. Chicken, eggs, stirfry (developing a real taste for spicy noodles in the morning), really good banana bread and chocolate muffins. Reinvigorated and stoked up, we were transferred back to Semarang airport but the plane was delayed two hours. Didn't get to Pangkalan Bun...View image... in Kalimantan until 2:00 p.m. where we were met by Hary (local Borneo Discovery boss) and Fery, our guide. The schedule would have to be rearranged again since it was too late to make any of the Orangutan feedings this afternoon. No worries, though. We'd manage to visit all the available Orangutan Reserves during the next few days. It's less than a half hour car ride from Pangkalan Bun to Kumai where the boat was waiting.
The boat is a traditional "Klotok" river boat about 12m by 2m with a roof that forms the upper deck for viewing the rain forest while gliding down the river. There was a hatch in the center of the deck that led to a wide open space below where the staff slept and a minute kitchen area. There was a simple, sit-down toilet (waste empties into the Sungai River) at the back of the boat and a shower, powered by the generator. Fery would have Captain turn on the generator to power up camcorder, batteries and computer as well, whenever needed.
Up the small plank...View image, away from the Kumai dock and the Klotok began chugging slowly up the Sungai Kumai River while Fery, who spoke excellent English, showed us around our home for the next three days. Plopped our butts down on deck and cook served lunch immediately (as if we hadn't eaten enough in the past three days). Chicken satay, rice, veggies, tons of bottled water...View image. There are two lawn chairs to sit on...View image...while watching the surrounding jungle/forest scenery, local river traffic...View image..., and keeping a sharp lookout for wild Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys and other primates...View image. For a change, we'd stretch out on mats in the shade. It is incredibly hot and humid. No, make that more like sitting in a steam bath for hours.
Many, many Proboscis Monkeys gather along the riverside at sunset and a few were already asleep in the trees, draped over branches. Proboscis Monkeys are only found in Indonesia and Borneo and live near rivers in single-male harems but bands of Proboscis can usually be found foraging and sleeping in big groups around sunset with limbs draped over a tree branch....View image. Named "Proboscis" because of their big noses, even I could pick one out with ease. And one so closely resembled a human standing in the trees, I had to look twice...
Before you knew it, night fell and it was dinner time by candlelight...View image... with fresh prawns bought earlier today on the river...View image. Fery and staff made up our bed topside with a simple mattress, pillow, bottle mineral water, erected tarps around three quarters of the deck to cut wind and keep critters out, and mosquito nets.
The next challenge was making our way to the toilet during the night. The deck becomes extremely slippery from dew and I lived in fear of breaking a leg or falling overboard. My solution was to take teeny, tiny steps. The sky was brilliant with stars. There were the sounds of crickets/cicadas and even wild Orangutans. Put us to sleep in seconds.
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