Kalimantan and the Orang-utans

Friday 23^rd September 2011 dawned bright and sunny...as usual around here! After a swim and a trip ashore to get all the fresh provisions, a quick preparation of the ship for sea, we left the lovely anchorage at Lovina Beach, and the rest of the Rally participants and headed off across the Java Sea to Southern Borneo for Kalimantan.

We are heading for Kumai where we are hoping to organise a boat to take us up the river to the home of the Dayak tribes who were until quite recently, head-hunters! The area is also sanctuary to the last of the planets remaining orang-utans.

We departed Bali at 1500 for the 500 mile trip. The first night was quite rough and we have to pass through the narrow channel east of Madura Island. Quite a bit of current and tugs with very large barges being towed at a distance behind made navigation a bit tricky! The next day was again fine and we sailed when we could and motor-sailed the rest of the time. We made pretty good progress arriving at the mouth of the Kumai River about 1400 on Sunday afternoon the 25^th September.

Its not too bad!!

Anna sets up her night shift arm chair. pretty good really.

Going up the river was quite an experience. Very shallow in places and very tidal. Beautiful thick bush all up the right hand side and a few villages on the left. We rounded the last corner and found to our surprise a port of some size..with maybe 25 ships of various sizes all either alongside or moored in the stream. But what blew us away was what we thought were all the high rise white buildings along the shore-line. They were white and it was not until we got closer that we realised there were no windows in them!! Then we heard it..the tremendously loud sound of birds. Man..it was amazing. We later found out that these buildings house all these birds..thousands of them who make bird’s nests which are a prized for the birds’ nest soup delicacy here in Asia. We were told its US$100 a kilogramme. So it is a major export industry.

We anchored in the stream. Took us a couple of shots as the tidal flow was very swift and the first time we ended up alongside another vessel! Then we went ashore to organise our river trip and have a look around. Typical Indonesian town. Very friendly people, but health and standards a bit below the mark!! Had a dinner then retired to Salanjo to get ready for the early departure for the trip to see the orang-utans.

We left about 0830 in our own little river boat, Anna, Jim and Geoff. We travelled up the river for 3 hours seeing the famous and scarce proboscis monkeys on the trees together with many beautiful birds and plenty of the gibbons and the common macaques monkey sharing the same branches. Nice lunch aboard then a visit to the eco hotel where we decided to stay the night rather than on a mattress on the deck of the river boat. Then on up to the reserve for the orang-utans. It was very interesting. Saw some females that had been in and around the park for some years as they had names and seemed to know the rangers. These creatures are becoming extinct as a result of both poaching and the destruction of the virgin forest by development and lumber activities. The park is open so the orang-utans are free to come and go. It was on the second day in a different part of the park that the earth seemed to stand still. The forest went very quiet. A huge dark brown hulk swung effortlessly through the tops of the surrounding trees. Yes, it was the alpha male; and what a sight he made. It truly made the hair on the back of your neck stand for he was so big and majestic as he swung down to get some bananas from the ranger’s basket. Indeed he took the whole lot, basket and all!