Blog 69. Kumai cont.

Alcedo
David Batten
Mon 21 Oct 2019 11:19
A little bit more about the river trip. Our boat was very comfortable for 3 but was designed for 6. The food was excellent, with cooked lunch and dinner, breakfast, mid morning and afternoon refreshments. 4 crew, captain, boat boy/steward, cook and guide, all intent on giving us a good experience.

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The table set up for lunch under the saloon roof. Dinner was served on the afterdeck after the sun had gone down.

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The Skipper relaxing after one of the feeding station visits on the couches that became mattresses at night, Ship’s Boy y the table in the background. Because we were only 3, we had a double mattress each, with our own mosquito net, all very comfortable.

The boat had 2 heads, with a proper loo, cistern and loo paper, but the water was turned off at night so bucket and open tank also available. Plus a shower if required.

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The captain tying up the boat at one of the feeding stations, with Skipper on the boardwalk

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The crew from L to R: cook, guide and boat boy/steward

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Sunset, second evening on the river on our way back to Kumai

We felt the one night, 2 day tour was perfect if you could start at 08.00 in the morning and get to Camp Leakey in time for the 2.00pm feeding. Then back down river for a night walk and anchorage near feeding station 2, ready for the 9.00am feeding, then down river to feeding station 3 for the 3.00pm feeding. We saw almost everything to see, including a very small fresh water crocodile (very briefly) and a bonus was some Langgur monkeys on the way down river, which are rare and a wonderful firefly display after dark on the way down to Kumai. Last dinner was just before we left the river to get back to the boat and we were back by 8.00pm to find fenders out and boat just as we left her. It was the first tour we have done in Indonesia which has run to time and we can strongly recommend it.

The Kumai program started the next day, so ashore by 08.00, registration, welcome ceremony, “T” shirt that we had to wear for the photograph and on the coach to Jurung Tiga, a Dayak tribe forest reservation. Here we were given a traditional Dayak welcome ceremony, had a go at shooting “poisoned” darts, watched local dancing, ate sticky rice cooked in bamboo over an open fire and enjoyed some local cakes. We are never hungry on these tours.!

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Skipper having a go at dart shooting, the target did look just like an archery target.

They were also selling cuddly toys to help raise money for the reservation, so 2 Orangutang later, we trooped back to the coach to visit a long house, not in the least traditional and watch a propaganda film about the local regent, a women as it happens which is very unusual. It was all in Indonesian so we had no idea what it was really about, but it did include a section on rubbish management, so we were able to say something about reducing the use of plastic and proper disposal of litter as being important to us.

After the “discussion”, dancing and lunch. The dancing is becoming more lively as we travel west, with less sarongs and in the case of the Dayaks, beautiful beaded decorations.

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Dancers and musicians with Maria from Cattiva

Then a visit to the statue of Tanjung Puting, where we learned about the international meeting that was held there to discuss the preservation of critically endangered Orangutang and other species. The declaration promises all sorts of commitment to limitation of habitat preservation etc, but the official presenting the information did admit there was very little government support for slowing down deforestation and palm plantation expansion etc. We all went on to our next stop feeling a little discourage at the new “NATO” organisation - No Action Talk Only as so aptly described by one of the guides on Belitung.

With a busy afternoon and an evening at the welcome dinner at “Istana Kuning” the “one and only historic palace in Central Borneo” to come, time to finish this blog.

Alcedo

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