LifeInContrast.com

A couple of weeks ago we began our adventure in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo) by flying into Banjarmasin, the largest city. We discovered to our dismay that there were NO flights at all to Pangkalan Bun, the starting point for the jungle river journey that we were planning. The only other option was an 18-hour bus ride, to which we said “no thanks”. So we were forced to change our plans drastically from the outset.

Banjarmasin is a hot, largely uninteresting city that does boast a picturesque canal system that serves as transportation for much of the populace. A floating market is one of the main attractions, which we visited at 6 in the morning (pictures below). But the bulk of our adventures took place outside of this metropolis.

Soon we met Tailah, a very nice guide who offered to take us to the Loksado area to do some jungle trekking and meet the indigenous Dayak people. The first day involved a hot and sweaty four-hour bus ride, and then four hours of hiking. Granted, the first day’s hike was on a fairly well-kept trail, but it was hot and humid, and were carrying very heavy packs up steep hills. When we arrived at the Dayak village where we would be spending the night, we were sticky, sweaty, stinky, and looking forward to a bath/shower/hosedown of some sort. No such luck, and no way to clean up at all.

We spent the evening in the community long-house, handing out clove cigarettes to our hosts and candy to their children, at the recommendation of our guide. We ate dinner and tried to communicate, although most did not speak Bahasa Indonesia. Then we went to bed on thin mats laid on the wooden floor, still sticky and sweaty. The sound of pigs squealing under the floorboards and dogs rustling around in the long-house kept us company throughout the night.

The next morning, stiff and tired, we headed out for seven hours of trekking. My shirt was 100% soaked with sweat within half an hour of starting. This time the trail was minimal to non-existent. Hacking with machetes was the only way to get through in some cases. Branches brushed our bodies at all times, depositing gifts of insects on our clothes. Steep clay paths meant slippery slopes and occasional falls. Denise almost fell down a steep embankment on one side of the trail, but I was able to grab hold of her somehow. We drank water from a tree trunk, saw rubber dripping from rubber trees, marvelled at giant ants and brightly-colored dragonflies, photographed some frogs, and laughed at an angry little snake.

We stopped for lunch at the edge of a river, and our guides prepared lunch. In the picture below, you can see our food cooking on the right, and water boiling (for tea/coffee) in a green bamboo shoot on the left. It was really tasty, and helped energize us for the rest of the hike. Late in the afternoon we took a refreshing swim in a river with a waterfall (see picture below). Finally feeling clean, we changed into our last pair of clean clothes for a 20-minute walk to the Dayak long-house where we’d be spending the second night. Of course that’s when a torrential downpour started, and we got soaked.

The third day was a bit less strenuous but no less exciting, as we rode simple bamboo rafts for a couple of hours down a river. You could hear the bamboo squeaking, grinding, and adjusting as we shot over white-water rapids in thrilling fashion. Many times the water splashed over the raft, and our pants were thoroughly soaked. A few times it felt like the raft was going to tip over. Near the end, they decided that I should take the wheel, or the stick, rather (see picture below).

Overall, it was an unusual vacation. It didn’t go according to plan, and the jungle trek was challenging - one of the most physically difficult things I’ve ever done. But I’m glad I did it, and it was quite an experience. It’s worth noting that we also saw proboscis monkeys (long-nosed monkeys native only to Borneo) on a separate boat trip.

Read part one of Denise’s account here.