Tanjung Harapan Village

Jackamy
Paul & Derry Harper
Sun 14 Nov 2010 14:01
 
Sunday 14th November
 
Back on the water again to enjoy a spot of lunch as we cruised to our next destination, Tanjung Harapan village. Yet again we had an uninvited guest, but very welcome, a huge really really wild male orangutan, right on the rivers edge.
 
  
 
Absolutely incredible - still breathtaking!
 
Tanjung Harapan Village is around 1 hour up the river from Kumai. The village used to be located on the opposite side of the river but was relocated to this side when the National Park was founded, the national park is only on the right side as you cruise up the river. At first glimpse you'd think it was a very poor village but as you take a look you begin to realise that these people do ok, not by our standards but for Indonesia they do well. The reason being because it is government funded. The cows grazing in the field were supplied by the government as well as many other things. Every 4th or 5th house will have a generator and each family has 5 hectares of land for farming. Walking around the village I got the feeling that these people didn't want us there. I think it has become a tourist attraction and in the peak season they must have hordes of visitors making their way through. It's a bit intrusive really if I think about it.
 
  
 
The sign is the villages 7 commitments; 1 example is to keep the village beautiful..........Cleaning teeth in the polluted river
 
  
 
This boat was waiting for the best part of an hour.....for this lady, doesn't she look beautiful, but how old is she!?!
 
 
Happy to see us
 
  
 
Ladies sat outside the shop............We were given a few reasons for the white face, one was that it's sun cream, the other is that they are village leaders, who knows the answer!
 
  
 
Cheeky kids playing outside the hospital where a nurse works 3 days a week. Lets hope no-one is ill on the other 4!
 
  
 
Houses built either side of a tributary.............The shape of the rafters is to symbolise the hornbill
 
  
 
Ladies fishing with the cleared land behind
 
  
 
Some houses were beautiful..........Others in need of a little TLC!
 
  
 
Walking the plank over the swamp..............Or crossing a bridge
 
  
 
A wild orchid lay amongst the rickety chicken coop
 
 
I think I'll hold it in!
 
  
 
Hand weaving a basket on his doorstep