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Published: April 11th 2008
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Standing naked 80m up in the air, feeling cool spring water trickle over your skin and looking out over the valleys and ridges of Bokeo Nature Reserve at sunset is the most amazing shower you will ever have.
The Gibbon Experience was an intense and at times unexpected experience. Our first morning included a 2hour drive squished in the back of a converted Land Rover and encountering some very frazzled and stressed out people who had just completed their three days and were waiting for our van to arrive to escort them out. When I say frazzled, I really mean crazed. There was an edge and stress to them that shocked most of us.
RATS. That was the topic of conversation. To hear them speak, they were running rampant around the treeshouses, gnawing through bags and lurking in the darkness. Sleepless nights full of scurrying, long days of hiking and exhaustion. It didn't sound very appealing to any of us. I purposefully walked away, refusing to absorb the craziness and stay excited about whatever might lie ahead, including crazed rat packs.
We had a leisurely hike into the kitchen area including a stop for baguettes with veggies and
roasted chicken. This was our first and only decent meal. The food was terrible. Other than the fact that the same things were served morning, noon and night, it was incredibly salty and not only looked but tasted like a pond. The first night we also had some chicken, but there was none to be seen after that. What was fantastic, was that each treehouse had a food box that was stuffed full with fresh fruit and snacks. We had some amazing green mango, ripe pineapple, and watermelon along with tamarind pods, roasted broad beans, some sort of peanut brittle that Oslim and I got addicted to, tea, coffee and ovaltine. We lived off of the food box and steamed white rice.
We were a large group of 12 people that were going to occupy three treehouses. After some hesitation and near squabbling, we decided who would take which treehouse on the first night on the condition there would be a trade the second night. I ended up bunking with three other ladies in treehouse #3: Oslim & Isobel from Holland and Mercy from LA/San Fran (go cali!). Treehouse #3 is the one furthest from the start of camp
Ready for Night
Our treehouse from the inside after we set ourselves up for nightfall. which means you need to hike about 45minutes to get there and take several zip lines to get there. Hence why it was the most desirable among the active group we had. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to stay there the first night. Sunset was gorgeous while sunrise was filled with a cacophany of sounds including the gibbon's song which is startling and indescribable.
Our first night we took it easy and just zipped back and forth to our own treehouse. Because of the location, the guides were worried we wouldn't make it back before dark or might lose our way. We heeded their advice and stayed put, making tea, snacking, and cleaning the treehouse. Yes, we actually shook out the sheets, swept, mended the mosquito nets and got ourselves ready for night.
The second day, Lee came for us at 6am and we were not ready. The forest cacophany drowned out my watch alarm and I was so enraptured while drifting in and out of sleep listening to the birds that we were all still tucked into our beds when he arrived. We hustled, but didn't get out of their early enough to get the
chance to see the gibbons. We could hear them, and Lee could tell they were off in the distance, but we weren't able to get close enough before they settled down and stopped the morning ritual. We ate a lot of fruit and had tea while waiting for Cha to bring us breakfast. When he arrived, we had no appetite and once we figured out what was delivered, we were grateful we had no reason to need to eat.
Off we went on a hike out to treehouse 5 which is deeper into the reserve and is only stayed in by those who undertake the waterfall experience. There are two great zip lines attached to the treehouse which lets you do a loop. We took full advantage and definitely spent some time playing in the canopy while Cha made us tea and fruit snacks. Eventually, the others made it to the treehouse also and we were all hanging out for a while. The girls and I decided to keep moving and so we started the long descent into and out of the valley in order to get back to our treehouse for lunch. Because we had skipped breakfast, we
Treehouse #3
A view from the other end of the zip line were going to have that for lunch and didn't have to go all the way to treehouse 1 to have lunch with everyone else. Hooray! More time in treehouse 3 before we had to relinquish it for the night.
On this hike is when we found the leeches. Rather, the leeches found us as we scrambled up a narrow stream and were walking through a damp and humid ecosystem completely different from that of the canopy and hillsides. We were just talking about how lucky we were not to have any leeches (I KNOW I KNOW! Terrible form.) and Isobel glances down to find one semi-attached to her leg and straining to suck her blood. Luckily, Cha got it off before it attached. Mercy fell victim to a couple in her shoes and I found one trying to work its way into my sock, but we all remained unscathed! Not the case for one of our fellow trip mates, but at least our crew was safe and sound.
We had leisurely showers, sat and enjoyed the afternoon light, had some more fruit and picked at the lunch (I invented steamed rice with roasted peanuts and some sauce from
Sweet Bliss
Our water was all gravity fed from nearby springs. Cool, clean and delicious. The toilet is a hole in the treehouse with a typical squat top. roasted tomatoes). Basically, stretching out our time at treehouse 3 for as long as we could before having to relocate to treehouse 1.
You're probably wondering about the rats. Yes, there were rats. Yes, they lurked in the darkness waiting for us to go to bed so they could have the run of the treehouse. Yes, we were all a bit freaked out the first night and couldn't quite get a good night's sleep as a result. However, by the second night treehouse 1 had gained a new resident (a lovely little cat accustomed to eating wild animals) who took care of the rat problem for us in our new abode. Unfortunately, this was one night too late for the former residents, as three of them couldn't handle it at all and chose to go home a day early!
Treehouse 1 was lovely. We wrote in the journal, wondered about the men's briefs tacked to the tree, and settled in for a quiet evening. We were pleased there were no hornets in our toilet (BIG issue at our previous residence) and that the cat was actively prowling and protecting us.
The final day was mellow. Cha came
Sunset
The birds said good night and the mosquitos came out for a bite. to get us at 6am and we were ready to go! Making our way down the trails, he spotted some gibbons in the distance and plunged us into the hilllside to track them. We moved quickly and quietly while they were singing and completely froze when they were quiet. It totally worked because we got to see them swinging from the trees and enjoying their morning. Incredible moments that simply could not be photographed so I treasure the image in my mind of the gibbons silhouetted against the dawn.
Showers and breakfast with the entire crew before hiking out of the forest and into the village so we could wait for our van. We all looked clean, rested and presentable without any glimmer of madness in our eyes. Makes you wonder what that other group was up to during their time in the trees.
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Ana Irueste
non-member comment
beauty
Thanks for sharing the beauty of the place and the beauty of the senses, from the clean clear water, the image of the gibbons, the symphony of sounds, the savoring of the fruits, to the grandeur of the place. Take care. Love, Ana