Blogs from Kalimantan, Indonesia, Asia - page 7

Is anyone out there or does no one care? The bribes nourish nothing but disgust and despair. Pongo Pygmaeus may soon disappear, From Sumatra and Borneo without even a tear. D. Noss Jr This week I am departing slightly from the marine theme to introduce you to one of our closer animal cousins: the Orangutan. This primate is found only in the jungles of Borneo and northern Sumatra, in the countries of Malaysia and Indonesia, although its range once stretched all the way to China. Orangutan means ‘man of the forest’, an apt title for a beast so human-like, yet so at home high in the canopy of the tropical jungle. In fact, weighing in at 120kg they are the largest tree-dwelling species in the world. Imagine your Dad scampering up a tree as if it ... read more

Wow!!! What an amazing time we just had!! Thankgod me and Steve were there to help out the team with our tried and tested DIY skills! Somehow we managed to help build a release site for rehabilitated orangutans in the middle of the forest...It was really hard work, we both found out that we are not particularly gifted at sawing, chiseling, hammering, cementing, making ceilings, making furniture, painitng etc etc.. but the buidling went up! There had been so much rain that the entire area was flooded so we didn't even get to walk anywhere for 4 weeks, I can just about get from sitting to standing now without screaming in agony! We have been bitten by a million mosquitos but so far have avoided malaria unlike our project leader who already caught it twice this ... read more

Greetings from Borneo, My return to the jungle has reminded that I am, well, really in the jungle. When I opened my door upon returning from my trip, lizards scurried up the walls and a salamander-like creature half-slithered, half-crawled across the floor. The lizards don’t bother me, but I was less-than-pleased with my new salamander friend. As such, I took a plastic container and tried to trap it. In doing so, I accidentally cut off half of its tail. The tail piece took on a life of its own - it jumped and wriggled across the floor. I left the tail to itself, figuring it would “die.” However, several minutes later, the energizer-bunny of a tail showed no signs of slowing, so I “killed” it…I never thought I would have to kill a tail :) The ... read more

I catch a bus from Banjarmasin to Kandangan, check into the Loksado Hotel and arrange for a guide to meet me later in the evening. I go out for a quick meal and a stroll though town. It's not a big place but they have a large mosque here, recently rebuilt and painted in colours of cream and soft green. Ramadan continues so from this main mosque they broadcast not just the call to prayer but the "sermon" itself. It goes on and on and the imam's voice is gentle, conversational. No thundering from the pulpit or televangelism here. Just easy, reasoned, faithful discourse along with moments of prayer. I stroll past a group of kids, 10 or 12 years old, who call out “Hello Mister” and ask my name. I tell them and ask theirs. ... read more

Borneo at last. I don't know why the name has always sounded and felt so exotic to me. Borneo is the world's third-largest island and is shared by three countries. Two Malaysian provinces - Sabah and Sarawak are found here as is Brunei Darussalam, a small constitutional sultanate. Most of Borneo is an Indonesian province called Kalimantan. The name Borneo comes from the word for coconut and it is how the English called the island. Kalimantan is the Indonesian name for the island, used by the Dutch, and it means diamond river. Banjarmasin, with about 800 000 people, is the capital of South Kalimantan. Traffic flows quickly and wildly and crossing streets seems challenging at first. However, the traffic flows around you like water around a rock in a stream as long as you don't hesitate ... read more