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Published: October 13th 2006
First things first I am so sorry this has taken so long. First we were waiting for photos, then my diary ran out and I couldn't find another one, then there was a hurricane, then a tank ran over our local internet cafe. Also, I just got lazy. Apologies for that.
Right, this one is a big bastard so I don't blame you if you can't be asred to read it, but you should do because it's taken me all day to write!!!!!!!!!
One more thing before I start - You see those little icons at the top of the page that look like strips of film? Well this is a new option that Travelblog have introduced where you can upload video clips. To view them just click and it should open up automatically. Enjoy.
Ok, I'll start off by giving you a little background on The Gibbon Experience as an project. It is set in the Bokeo Nature Reserve. The reserve is located around 3 hours by car north of Huay Xai very close to the Burmese border. It is 153,000 hectares of dense jungle and mountains ranging in height between 500m and 1,500m. The reserve acts
as a home to thousands of species of wildlife, including tigers, bears, black gibbons and also populations of migrating buffalo and elephants. A number of factors are destroying the rainforests of South East Asia and its resident wildlife. These include logging, poaching and slash and burn farming. The primary aim of the project is to protect the forest and a truly unique method of acheiving this goal was thought up. With the help of the local people an organisation named Animo set about building treehouses nestled 40 metres above ground in the branches of Strangler Fig Trees and interconnecting them with a network of cables used as zip lines. It was named 'The Gibbon Experience' on account of a large population of Black Gibbons in the area and people were invited to pay money to spend time in the treehouses and use the zip lines to explore the jungle and search for wildlife. All of the money that is made by the project is immediately re-invested back into the reserve. The villagers (mostly ex-hunters) were recruited as guides to take visitors trekking through the jungle, or as forest guards to protect the ecosystem from its many threats. In time, when
the project is fully established, it will be handed back to the local villagers for them to run by themselves.
One thing that we really liked about the Gibbon Experience is that it is all about the forest. It is by no means a profitable organisation, and unlike many other trekking tours, they actively battle to keep their project out of books such as the Lonely Planet and prefer to rely soley on word of mouth between people traveling throughout South East Asia. This has helped it remain a much more ‘real’ jungle experience as it has managed to avoid commercialisation. It is also something that you will never experience anywhere else, not to mention shit loads of fun!
Before I continue, I have to press that the Gibbon experience is by no means for the faint hearted. If you are thinking of taking part and are reading this in order to research the project, forget about the idea now if you are at all precious about the following: difficult hikes (maximum 8 hours), lots of sloppy and slippery mud, a cold shower, an uncomfortable bed, mosquitoes, leeches, spiders, getting very dirty, and most of all heights. We
Stuck in the mud 3
I really can't believe these guys expected us to be able to pull this bloody truck out of the mud, we gave it a damn good try though, nearly losing our shoes in the process!had a group of complainers on our trip and it became very tedious; you have to remember that you are living in dense, remote jungle for three days with no electricity, no telephone, no snack food, no alcohol and you are about a 3 hour hardcore 4x4 drive or a 5 hour trek from civilization.
We woke at around 6am on the morning of the 27th as mentally prepared as we could be for what could be a long and grueling trek to Bokeo Nature Reserve. After meeting at the office at 7am and spending some time getting introductions out of the way we all piled into a pick up. Unfortunately we had to squeeze 8 people in the back of this thing leaving barely enough room to breathe! We began our journey through Huay Xai along paved, but still reasonably bumpy roads. Just as I was thinking that the journey could be quite bearable, the road began to deteriorate to dust, the potholes gradually increasing in size and depth. After around 45 minutes the dust had turned to slop and the truck was struggling to make its way through around a foot of wet and slippery mud.
The Chinese are at present building a motorway that runs from China all the way through to Thailand. It is amazing to see the way this road has literally carved its way through the country. In some cases they have literally cut entire mountains in half to make way for its construction. Anyone reading who likes motorbike trips should watch this space as it would make a great trip on it's completion (apparently 2015), weaving across three of the most beautiful countries in the world.
I stress that they are still in the process of building this motorway, hence the extremely bad conditions. The diggers were even having trouble negotiating the quagmire beneath us and I was getting worried that we would have to walk. It was then that I remembered what vehicle it was that we were traveling in - none other than the legendary Toyota Hilux!! I’m not sure if anyone remembers a feature included in a past series of ‘Top Gear’ where they put one of these machines through a number of tests with the sole aim of destroying it? The tests included submerging it in salt water overnight, setting fire to it and, most impressive
of all, demolishing a tower block with it on the roof! Basically the Hilux survived and proved to be indestructible. What respect I did have for it has now increased tenfold as it did us proud all the way there and back. Respect also has to be extended to our driver who made an excellent job of controlling this engineering legend.
All this said, the journey was not a quick one and was certainly not uneventful. We stopped a number of times at excessively bad stretches of road and had to help push or pull various other vehicles out of the mud. The only problem was that the ground you were trying to find grip on swallowed your foot up as soon as you applied any pressure. I realised at this point that I really needed some footwear that was better suited to these conditions!
After around 2 or 3 hours, the first leg of our journey ended on arrival at a small shop. It was here that we had the opportunity to buy some more appropriate footwear. The shoes of choice were named ‘mud shoes’ and they pretty much do exactly what they say on the tin.
They are black rubber shoes, the soles of which look like those of football boots; covered in studs to allow maximum grip in the mud underfoot. Due to everything in Asia being designed a few sizes smaller than in the Western world there were none of the standard black design that fitted me, therefore I had to opt for the ‘Formal’ design. These excellently tailored specimens were a dashing brown/yellow colour with red laces and brown trim. I deduced that they must have been produced for use at jungle weddings or black tie dinner parties, or any other formal occasion that took place in the depths of the the South East Asian rainforests. I decided that they were better than what I was currently wearing, paid the money and slipped them on, much to the amusement of my fellow jungle-farers. I started off a bit dubious as to whether these shoes would prove to be a help or hindrance until we ran into a local woman wearing exactly the same design. I decided that if they’re good enough for the locals, then they’re good enough for me!
We were about to set off to find our second 4x4 and
Returning from the wild
The previous group showing us what we had to come. as we looked down the road we saw a group of around 5 people half walking, half staggering down the road looking like they had just spent a year working down a coal mine in a POW camp! They were a state, and little did we know that we would soon be looking exactly the same!! It was the previous group of gibboneers returning from the jungle. Although they looked disheveled, they were by no means unhappy. The high from their experience over the past 3 days had not yet worn off and we could see this in their faces, filling us all with excitement at the adventure that lay ahead.
After a brief discussion dominated by the phrases “amazing experience”, “the best”, “once in a lifetime”, we made our way to a rope bridge, and began our journey into the jungle. After a short walk through corn fields, a river and lots of mud we arrived at a small dirt track where our chariot awaited. This time it was in the form of a jungle-ready Toyota Land Cruiser, complete with extra chunky tyres, a snorkel for the air filter and a winch. We all hoped that the Land
Cruiser could live up to it’s younger brother’s reputation. Twelve out of our group of fifteen piled in the back, leaving the remaining 3 no other option but to sit on the roof!
We set off on a long and bumpy journey which turned out to be an experience in itself. The road became so bad that we were actually doing some pretty serious 4x4 driving. Once again there were a number of stops, either to push or in some cases winch the truck out of the deep mud, or to get out and walk along an excessively bad stretch in order to lighten the vehicle and ensure it didn’t get stuck. After around 2 ฝ hours we arrived at a remote village. This was a really beautiful place, bamboo huts, pens holding livestock, kids playing in a nearby stream. Not a satellite dish or 7-11 in sight. Here we would leave the 4x4 and embark on the 3rd and final leg of our journey by foot.
This is when we had our first taste of the jungle. We waved goodbye to the last piece of (semi)civilisation that we would lay our eyes on for 3 days, waded
2nd Leg
The start of our journey from civilsation into the wilderness through the knee deep stream and continued on out of the village. A brief trundle through rice paddies, more corn fields and a lot more mud deposited us at the edge of the forest. I could feel the moisture in the air and the temperature drop as we trekked under the cover of the canopy high overhead. Unfortunately with the moisture in the air came moisture on the ground, resulting in more mud (god I was glad I invested in my mud shoes!), not to mention some of the meanest looking mosquitoes I have ever seen! The path was reasonably well trodden and included steps up and down the steeper hill. This pleased me greatly, as even with my stylish rubber additions, some of those hills would have been like ‘The Travellator’ from Gladiators.
We were being led through the forest by our guide called Little Som. James, Rich and I were up at the front and due to a combination of excitement at arriving and the tough terrain we stomped off ahead to get it over with as quickly as possible. Suddenly Little Som stopped dead and beckoned us over with one finger in front of his lips
2nd Leg
Lightening the load - our Land Cruiser struggling to conquer one of the many slippery hills. to tell us to be as quiet as possible. He’d obviously seen something and we immediately assumed it was a Gibbon!! He pointed upwards where we could see a few branches moving high above. We kept squinting, as just to catch a glimpse of the elusive Black Gibbon is more than a lot of people get. Suddenly we saw a black shape with a large bushy tail jump from one branch to the next. In chorus, we all hurredly asked Little Som if it was a Gibbon to which he hesitated then replied yes. We couldn’t believe it, we were so chuffed that we’d actually seen one, and this early on in the trip! We spent the majority of the next day bragging about it to the rest of the group. Then, late on the second day, we ran into Little Som and struck up a conversation with him about the previous day’s lucky sighting. He stared at us with a puzzled look on his face before telling us that what we saw was actually a Giant Tree Squirrel, then promptly broke out in a hysterical fit of giggles!!!! Can you believe it?! We thought we were so lucky, what
2nd Leg
Lightening the load - Our 4x4 now a lot lighter, it skims over the previously problematic mud, leaving us to walk! a bunch of wallys! Nonetheless it was still a great sight. Needless to say that we were the butt of numerous jokes throughout the rest of our stay!
An hour of difficult, but easily bearable jungle hiking passed before we arrived at our destination. As we approached we could see a makeshift hut with no walls, just surrounded by netting. We were told that this was the kitchen. As I approached the door I was still trying to work out what the netting was for, then my question was answered. Suddenly I felt a jolt and couldn’t see a thing, but could feel something warm and furry wrapped around my head. Before I had a chance to react, it was gone again, and I looked up to see James and Rich laughing and looking up at a Macaque swinging and jumping effortlessly between the low hanging branches over head and the netting of the kitchen. Before long another appeared, then another. I think there were around 4 of them in total, however they jump around so fast that you never have time to count! These Macaques are resident monkeys at the gibbon experience. In most cases they were found
Nice shoes!
"My God aren't they just fabulous darling! Where did you buy yours?" as infants alone in the forest after their mothers had been captured or killed by poachers, then raised by the guides. The reason for the netting is that the project does not want them to get too comfortable living with the guides as the aim of the rehabilitation process is for them to return back to their natural habitat, not become house pets. It was a great welcome party and hilarious start to what was shaping up to be a pretty amazing 3 days.
Once safely inside, the cheeky monkeys trying every trick in the book to sneak in while the door was open, we were introduced to the staff and allowed a few minutes to rest. We were then shown our harnesses. The harnesses are basically the same as those used for rock climbing. Attached to it is your safety clip and your….. well ‘zip’ I suppose. This is basically two small wheels set within a metal brace that clips over the cable allowing you to slide easily. You can brake by pulling down on the safety clip creating more friction on the cable. Once safely strapped in, you then just jump off the edge and enjoy the
2nd Leg
Oh dear!! view!
After our brief, but comprehensive tuition, we made our way out of the kitchen and towards the first zip. I was the first out and started wandering along the path, only to be confronted by what looked like a bear gnawing on a branch up ahead. Now at this point I’m crapping my pants as you can imagine! Was it another tame animal that the project had been rearing, or was it some savage wild beast about to chew my arm off! I stopped in the hope that one of the guides would come to the rescue. Rich however continued past, without really paying much attention. When he did look up the bear was making its way towards us and began rearing up on its hind legs! We were obviously both very uneasy, but remembered what all those nature programmes and episodes of ‘999’ had taught us, so remained still. Unfortunately this tactic didn’t work and the bear walked straight into Rich! Just as we thought our trip was going to come to a premature end, the bear fell on its back and rolled off down the hill with a totally placid (if somewhat stupid) look on its
face. Once the relief had set in, we realized that the bear was never really that interested in us, only in the monkeys that were jumping around on our shoulders and in the branches above. It was a resident bear, also saved from poachers when very young and reared by the guides. At the moment it is pretty small, the size of a large dog, however it will grow up to 8 foot tall and I certainly would not want to be standing in its way then!!!! It is pretty much harmless, just very playful, however sometimes it doesn’t know its own strength (as Paul and Angelina found out when it began chewing on their legs!). I ended up calling it the comedy bear. The reason being that at first glance it seems to be a savage beast, but after 5 minutes you realise it is a dopey gentle giant. It’s like watching a clown, it just clumsily lumbers around, oblivious to the scene of complete and utter chaos in its wake, great entertainment!
We arrived at the first zip line and I must admit that even after hiking all that way just for this moment, I was still
feeling a little apprehensive. One by one we clipped ourselves on and jumped off the platform, trusting our lives in the harness around our waists. The first zip takes you straight to treehouse 1 and is only around 60 odd metres long, however still an exhilarating experience. Probably the scariest part is when you arrive on a platform around 3 foot squared, with no barrier, just a 40m drop all around you!
After clambering safely through the gate inside I got a chance to take in the surroundings and explore my home for the next three days. The zip line deposits you in the porch area where you leave your shoes and descend a small flight of steps into the living/dining/kitchen area. A sink and draining board, along with kettle hides below one of the enormous supporting branches, bordering a small matted area dotted with miniature woven stools and a coffee table. Continuing through you descend another larger and downright dangerously steep set of steps. This leads you to the lower level of the treehouse where the bathroom and sleeping quarters are located. The beds are literally thin mattresses (2 inches thick) laid directly onto the floor. A mosquito
net is erected (which is actually more like a tent - I told you there were some mean mozzies around here!) and hey presto, a luxurious bedroom for 4 is created! A second area on the lower level sleeps 2 and a further bedroom that sleeps 2 is located on the upper level (above the living area).
One room in the treehouse that really is pretty crazy is the bathroom. Firstly there is no door, just a curtain, so unless you shout before you enter you could be in for a surprise (as I found out when I experienced a very embarrassing moment after strolling in on one of my female Dutch housemates answering a call of nature on a squatting toilet!! Live and learn Peter, live and learn!). The shower is suspended from a beam directly above a one metre square hole in the floor, with one inch thick slats being the only thing separating you from the 40-metre plunge to the ground below. Trust me, even if you did survive the fall, something else would probably kill you, which brings me to my next point: The toilet is literally just a hole in the floor. It’s great
Jungle Jim
Watch out for thos leeches!! fun for us blokes to aim through the hole and watch that strangely satisfying golden arch cascade to the ground below (I know all you blokes out there know what I’m talking about!). I should mention at this point that the base of the tree is not just a cesspit. The Gibbon Experience have and interesting and ingenious method of disposing of any organic waste……..pigs. That’s right! There are a family of pigs in a pen at the foot of the tree that eat anything…and I mean anything. Jesus I’d feel sorry for them if they caught me on a Saturday morning after 8 pints of lager, a curry and a Doner kebab the night before!! It is a great method as nothing is ever wasted. Any food or drink leftover is simply thrown over the side.
After our exploration, we all congregated in the living area and were met by Marion. Marion lives and works at the Gibbon Experience and she kindly gave us an initiation chat explaining in more detail the dos and don’ts in the treehouses and how to use the zip lines. At this point we also chose who would be staying where on the
first night in the jungle. Myself, James, Rich, Josh, Theodora, Claudia, Ganna and Djoeke all decided to stay at treehouse 1. Paul and Angelina went for treehouse 2. This is located a couple of zip lines away and is the most private as it only sleeps two. Everyone was happy with this decision, as they were the only couple, therefore deserved the ‘Honeymoon Suite’. Gary, John, Adam, Natalie and a girl who’s name escapes me (I’ll call her Dorris) all opted for treehouse 3, which is a reasonable trek of around 1 hour away, deeper into the jungle.
We all went our separate ways and dinner was served. This is no ordinary waiter service however. You begin to hear a faint whining sound and shortly afterwards one of the guides pops his head round the corner complete with Thermos pots and mess tins full of some of the nicest food I have eaten. It was mainly vegetarian and all 100% fresh, maybe with the odd buffalo meat dish. After spending the previous few months pretty much eating shit, it was a really welcome change.
After the meal we spent our evening chatting and relaxing after our tiring day.
It was then that we noticed these strange flickering lights in the distance. It wasn’t until one of them landed in front of us all that we realized they weren’t actually lights and they weren’t in the distance. They were actually fireflies floating hypnotically around us. This for me was one of the highlights of my stay, as I had never seen one in my life. We actually managed to catch one and have a closer look. It was amazing to see just how bright and florescent their abdomens become.
Right, forgive me for going off on a tangent here, however whilst sitting by candlelight I began contemplating something. Now, I’ve never been a religious man, however if there was a person or being that created this planet and all living things, he didn’t half stitch up the poor old moth! As a species they are destined to death. All they ever do is seek out light and when you consider that every initial source of light will kill them then you have to agree that they’ve got a bit of a harsh existence. Especially as they were made to be nocturnal! As we sat and chatted, I must
Little Som
Great kid. Only 16, but not a shred of attitude. He's always got a smile on his face and is always happy to help. Well, wouldn't you be if you were 16 and worked in the ultimate adult playground?! have seen hundreds of the poor bastards (probably after flying miles to reach it), finally arrive at the candle, their true calling in life, their Holy Grail, only to fly straight into the naked flame and after having half its wing burned off being sent plummeting to the ground! Too add insult to injury, whoever or whatever did create them designed them to be the most ungraceful, clumsy, out of control flying being on the planet. This means the risk of them being burnt to a crisp is even higher as they can’t even make a careful approach!!! Oh well, let’s not ponder too long, I suppose it serves them right for eating our clothes eh?
Anyway, after a very pleasant and relaxing night, including a very welcome taste of home in the form of Digestive biscuits and some wine, courtesy of Claudia (thank you again!!!) we all turned in for the night.
Obviously the whole idea of The Gibbon Experience is to seek out and observe the elusive Black Gibbon. The best time of day to see them is early in the morning when they all begin to sing. At this point one of the guides will
drop by and take you to find them, using the sound of the singing to pinpoint their location. We organized for Bigsom to get us up in the morning and go hunting.
I don’t know how many of you have ever stayed overnight in the jungle, but it’s not like everyday camping. You hear some very alien noises produced by various strange creatures in the jungle, resulting in a pretty sleepless night the first night you arrive, even after the tiring treks. Eventually the sun rose and I struggled out of our makeshift tent and into the living area for a cup of Green Tea to wake me up a bit. It was around 6am, wet and the whole of the rainforest was engulfed in a thick mist allowing only 40m visibility at the most. It was then that I heard the familiar whining sound and Bigsom arrived at the gate and hopped down the steps, wide eyed and bushy tailed. Unfortunately the Gibbons weren’t singing due to the rain, so hunting wasn’t on the cards.
We were however all up for a trek and a bit of a zip wire session, so we had a bite to
eat and James, Rich, Josh and myself all donned our harnesses (which incidentally can be very dangerous as, if you put them on slightly wonky and jump on the zip wire you will successfully squash one of your testicles). At this point we had only ever done one zip and I must admit it was still a little daunting. I think the thing that made it easier was the fact that you couldn’t really see very far because of the mist, making you oblivious to what was below you. It came to my turn and I knew it was now or never. I waited for the “OK!” shout from the previous rider, put the height out of my mind and jumped. The zip began whining, quietly at first and gradually increased in volume as I picked up speed. With no end in sight due to the mist I just held on and tried not to look down! Once safely at the other side I looked up to see everybody before me completely splattered in black liquid. I then realized that I was the same, the reason being that the rain on the zip line had mixed with the grease on
the ‘zip’ and as the wheels turned faster it was spraying in our faces. After a few laughs at the state of each other, we began a short trek up a very muddy and slippery hill to the next zip line. A few minutes passed and to our utter amusement Josh produced a bright blue umbrella, casually opened it up to reveal some kind of cartoon rabbit printed on the top and wandered off through the jungle with it above his head. It was a brilliant sight, the epitome of eccentric Brits abroad!!
The next zip line began from a platform at the top of one side of a valley. Rich got on first and set off through the trees. We hadn’t really noticed before, but he was wearing a raincoat and hat and when he zipped off into the mist, coat flapping in the wind he looked exactly like Indiana Jones! It was hilarious and needless to say, after that everyone called him Dr. Jones at every opportunity and sang the theme tune in unison every time he set off or approached on a zip line! Very funny at the time, but I guess you had you had
to be there to fully appreciate it. I was next up and really wasn’t prepared for what lay ahead. I set off through the trees, watching the ground disappear as the hill tapered off below. At this point I thought I was high up, but before I knew it I was above the trees and out wide open above the valley floor far below. As the mist cleared I realized that I was about 100m up. Still gathering speed, the increasingly loud whine of the ‘zip’ intensified the rush. I would have shouted, however I was just too gobsmacked to say anything. Once I reached the other side I was greeted by James who was filming me on the camera (see above video). I apologise now to Mum and anyone else who may take offence by the language I use, however it really was a pretty mind blowing experience!
Another brief, but just as treacherous trek later, we arrived at the foot of treehouse 2. We decided to pay Paul and Angelina a visit and get a guided tour of their new home. Treehouse 2 is a lot smaller than treehouse 1, with just 2 floors. The kitchen and
sleeping areas combine as one and a small trapdoor leads you to the bathroom on the floor below. We sat down for a chat and a cup of tea and waited for the rain to die down before making our way to the third treehouse.
Off we zipped and began our ½ hour hike. Once we arrived, Bigsom asked us if we would like to trek further down into the valley in the search for wildlife. Paul, Angelina, Josh (complete with umbrella) and I all agreed, however Rich and James decided to wait at treehouse three until we got back. Off we went and after a few minutes, to our utter delight, we arrived at another zip line. This one was the longest of them all and we couldn’t wait to give it a go. Much the same as the last one, it began through the trees, then across the valley with fantastic views out across the nature reserve. Once at the other side we began an hour long trek back to the treehouse on the other side of the valley. At this point we were really moving into denser jungle. The path slowly deteriorated and the hill got
The Welcome Party
A formal introduction. a lot steeper resulting in lots of bruised arses and muddy clothing. We stopped for a rest at the bottom of the valley where there was a mountain stream. Bigsom then picked a large leaf from a nearby plant, folded it into a cup, filled it up from the stream and began drinking it. It was then that I realized that, for the guides, the jungle really is their life. These guys know it like the back of their hand and have the knowledge to be able to live here for weeks with nothing but a machete and a packet of cigarettes. My point here is that, although there is a slight language barrier, I felt perfectly safe with Bigsom; he had a quiet air of confidence about him. I later found out that the water in these streams is so pure that apart from a filter it is pumped directly to the treehouses for drinking water, and I must say that it tasted really good.
As you get deeper into the jungle you get to leech territory. You won’t find them in running water, just puddles or generally wet or damp areas. Now seeing as everywhere is wet
at the moment it is pretty much impossible to avoid them. If you stop still for just a couple of minutes, you look down and see up to 5 of the little bastards crawling up your shoes trying to get to your feet! Another tactic of theirs is to find an exposed spot, maybe on a leaf or a branch, stand up on one end and just wait for something to brush past that they can latch onto. Unfortunately for him, Adam found this out on the third day when he arrived back at treehouse 1 with a rather large bloodstain on his back. The thing with leeches is that they inject a form of anesthetic before they bite so you can’t feel them feasting on your blood. Sneaky bastards don’t you think?
After a difficult climb back to treehouse 3, we zipped across to find the others just leaving. Apparently there had some kind of disagreement about who was sleeping where that night. The four of us were knackered after the walk and to be honest none of us really cared where we slept so we stayed put, had a nice cup of tea and a chat and
left the squabbling to them.
Whilst relaxing, my foot began to feel slightly strange. I took my sock off to find two toes on my right foot covered in blood! Slightly shocked at the lack of pain, I washed them under the shower only to find that they just wouldn’t stop bleeding. Decided to grin and bear it until I arrived back at base where I had plasters and antiseptic. With leeches in mind after our morning’s trek I decided to check inside my shoes. It was here that I found the culprit - a lone leech standing on end right at the bottom of my shoe just waiting for me to put my foot back in so it could have another go! I managed to get it out and put it on the floor to have a closer look. Before I had the chance, Bigsom had leapt up, machete drawn and chopped the tiny creature in half with its enormous 14 inch blade. I decided then that this guy had a serious vendetta against leeches!!
With our bellies rumbling and lunch being served back at treehouse 1, we made our way back home and recharged our batteries.
After eating we decided that a bit of recreation was in order, therefore decided to spend the entire afternoon messing around on the zip lines. I have never had so much fun in my life. There was a circuit of two zip lines, one above the other going either way across a valley. The higher of the two and probably the highest in the reserve (named ‘The Big One’ in the videos above) was simply amazing. It must have been 100-150m above the treetops, which are already 50m above ground level. Crazy stuff! The view out across the reserve was also amazing, with the cloud topped mountains in the distance. After a great afternoon’s fun and games, we went back home, ate some dinner, got bored of listening to our new arrivals (Natalie and Dorris) talking bollocks and turned in early.
Unfortunately that night’s sleep was no better than the night before due to the fact that we had a load of monkeys jumping and swinging between the roof of our tent and the branches above. Pretty cool to look back on, but bloody annoying at the time! Any grouchiness at my lack of sleep was quickly uplifted when
I awoke to a strange whistling sound in the distance. I scrambled out of bed to listen more closely. The combination of sight and sound that confronted me was like nothing I had ever experienced before and the two fitted together so perfectly. The sun was soon to rise over the jungle so it was at that magical twilight stage and the distant hills were draped with light mist. The soundtrack to this amazing sight couldn’t have suited it better. It was an eerie, drawn out whistling sound, but somehow more graceful. This was the sound of the Gibbon’s song. I stood there mesmerised, then before I knew it, Bigsom was behind me saying quickly “Gibbon sing, harness! Harness!”. After asking whether anyone else was coming and receiving a negative response, it looked like I was going Gibbon hunting alone.
After a brief struggle with my harness (ensuring it was on perfectly straight), I didn’t even get a chance to have a glass of water before Bigsom had disappeared into the mist. I quickly followed and the race against time was on. We needed to get close to the Gibbons before they stopped singing so that Bigsom could find
out exactly where they were. He half ran off ahead, stopping dead every so often to listen for the song. Suddenly he veered off the path into the undergrowth, chopping aside bamboo and various other pieces of vegetation with is machete as he went. We slowed down considerably, stopping here and there and sitting in silence on the floor, just listening for any sounds. At one point I was sitting in silence behind Bigsom when I began to hear a faint rustling sound coming from behind me. At first I dismissed it as the wind, however it gradually became louder and louder. I alerted Bigsom and he told me to get behind him. Now you must remember that this jungle contains wild elephants, bears and tigers, all of which could kill you very easily if they wanted, therefore understandably I was a little apprehensive to say the least! As the animal approached it was plain to see that it was large and a light brownish colour. Now my apprehension turned rapidly into needing a new pair of pants! The beast then stopped dead; obviously it had picked up our scent. About 10 seconds of silence passed, then it got spooked
and bolted. As it moved from behind a bush I could see that it was in fact just a deer - a Barking Deer to be precise - it did have big antlers though! It crashed through the undergrowth and into the wilderness, barking loudly as it went. By now we both agreed that any chance of seeing a Gibbon in this area had been completely shattered by our loudmouthed friend. Nonetheless, it was still a story to tell, if somewhat of a let down that it wasn’t something more exotic!
We moved back up the way we came and down into the adjacent valley. Now this is where the trekking got really difficult. Bear in mind that at the time we were there it was wet season and the floor was all very, very damp. As we moved down the valley, still following no path, just battling through dense vegetation, the slope got gradually steeper and steeper. Even Bigsom was having trouble at some points when it literally got to around a 60 - 70 degree angle. I found that the best technique to use was to find a reasonably strong tree trunk, stand behind it and look
Treehouse 1 rooms
Stairs leading down to the toilet and sleeping area. for another further downhill, let go and just slide on your feet through the mud until you reach the target, grab it and hang on for dear life. The only problem with this technique is that if the trunk you are aiming for is not strong enough to hold your weight there isn’t much stopping you careering off at breakneck speeds! One particular incident nearly left me injured: Mid-slide I brushed past a leaf and suddenly felt a stinging sensation across my shoulder and half way down my back. On closer inspection I saw that there were hundreds of red ants all over my shoulder and down the back of my shirt and all were taking great pleasure in biting me! It was then a serious case of ‘ants in my pants’ as I frantically brushed them off and out of my shirt. In doing so I lost my footing and very nearly went head first into a bloody rock! I looked down the hill to see Bigsom looking up at me chuckling away to himself. What a tit I must have looked!!
After a grueling descent we arrived at a mountain stream where I rested and Bigsom began
Treehouse 1 rooms
The toilet. It is literally just a hole in the floor! Those poor pigs! cleaning his machete. It was now that I got a chance to really take in my surroundings. Off the beaten track, sitting on a rock, in a pure freshwater stream, amongst thick vegetation in the middle of a South East Asian rainforest. The heat, the thick and humid air making it hard to breathe, and the darkness from the canopy overhead - you don’t get much closer to nature and further from civilisation than that.
It would have been impossible to try and climb back up the hill that we just came down so instead we opted to climb up through the stream. It was almost like fully blown rock climbing at times - great fun. Eventually we arrived at the foot of treehouse 1 where I got a look (but not too close a look) at who had been disposing of our waste over the past 2 days. As you can imagine, I didn’t hang around long for fear of an unexpected shower, or even worse! On arrival at the zip line to the first treehouse, Bigsom spotted another Giant Tree Squirrel, so I was happy with the morning’s results. A close encounter with a deer and another
Treehouse 1 rooms
The sleeping quarters. The air con, en-suite and mini bar are just out shot to the right! fake Gibbon sighting!
We got back home just in time for breakfast and an unexpected visit from Jack. Jack is actually a young female Macaque who is a resident at The Gibbon Experience (don’t ask me why she’s called Jack, but for argument’s sake I’m still going to call her a ‘he’ - does that make sense?). When you meet Jack you realize where the term ‘Cheeky Monkey’ comes from. He shimmied across the zip line and began terrorizing the kitchen! He continued like this for around half an hour, stealing food, tea leaves, even my glasses at one point. With Bigsom clumsily chasing after him, it really was quite comical to watch. He eventually calmed down when he got hold of someone’s paracetemol and ate one, which proceeded to knock him out! He spent the next half an hour half asleep in Paul’s lap, but was promptly kicked off for pissing all over him. How on earth something so small could cause so much carnage I have no idea. I had a great bonding session with him later on when he sat on my lap and started picking the hairs on my chest. I wasn’t sure whether I
should have been flattered by the attention, or insulted that he thought I had ticks!! Either way, I think I’ve got a friend for life there!
A little later, Marion came to say goodbye with the resident baby Gibbon (we actually got to see one…yeah!!!). It was very sweet as the gibbon holds on to the female workers here like she would her mother - gripping with her arms around their stomachs. Another interesting fact was that she wouldn’t go near any of the men. The reason for this is that in the wild the male gibbons will kill off any offspring that isn’t theirs.
Once packed, we said a fond farewell to our home for the past three days, zipped off and prepared ourselves for what could be a long trek home. We made it back to the village where the trusty Land Cruiser was waiting for us. We all hopped in and began to relax in the knowledge that we were basically home free. Then, the only thing that could have happened in that situation did happen - the Land Cruiser got stuck. I didn’t hold any grudges, she did us proud on the way there
and there’s no way the poor old girl could live up to her younger sibling’s legendary reputation.
After a three-hour hike - consisting of a one-hour difficult trek through the jungle that was supposed to be a ‘shortcut’ - we arrived back at the shop where we all wolfed down a well-deserved lunch. The journey back to Huay Xai in the Hilux was pretty uneventful. It made short work of the mud and got us home safe (unsurprising for a vehicle of its stature). We decided that a beer was on the cards as we had been deprived of alcohol for three days, therefore we all met up for a few drinks that evening. Due to us moving on across the Thai border and on to Chiang Mai the following morning, we decided to have an early one to catch up on a bit of sleep.
I think a few thank yous are in order and they are as follows:
Thanks to James for being the resident nature boy and managing to spot the tiniest of creatures in the undergrowth. Thanks to Rich for his Indiana Jones Antics. Thanks to Josh for bringing his umbrella into the
rainforest (legend!). Thanks to Paul and Angelina for their advice on working in Australia and also for being the resident photographers. Thanks to Claudia for providing the Digestives and wine (mmmmmm!). Thanks to Theodora for the innovation in mosquito repellant and for putting up with us ranting about a certain nob head all the way home. Thanks to Ganna for not slapping me when I walked in on her in the toilet. Thanks to Djoeke for not slapping me when I walked in on her sister in the toilet! Also thanks to both of you for putting in a good word for us at the office. Thanks to Adam for providing a topic for many a speculative discussion about whether he was gay or not. Thanks to Natalie and Dorris for providing us with bullshit stories, such as: you are the daughter of a very famous singer’s gay husband as a result of (and I quote) “one night of passion before he realized his true sexuality”. The thing that really convinced me you were talking out of your arse was when you told 6 total strangers not to tell anyone because “not even some of my closest friends know about
Jack
The cheekiest monkey of them all! it”. And last but by no means least, thanks to John for giving us all a good laugh after falling flat on his arse jumping from the roof of the 4x4!
On a more serious note, thanks to everyone who shared this experience with me, it really was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I would highly recommend it.
If you are interested in finding out more about it, visit www.gibbonx.org where you can find all the information you need. Please remember though, anyone who is irresponsible, a whinger, or scared of getting his or her hands dirty need not apply.
Until next time ladies and gents.
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gareth
non-member comment
hairy vids
dude, those videos are well hairy!! How'd you reckon I'd get on with those? ....if the Eiffel Tower is anything to go by???? hmmmmmm