My Introductin to Indonesia

And what an introduction!!

First of all I went to Jakarta. Why?...I hear you asking did I go to Jakarta?

 I went to Jakarta to visit a friend (my ex boss actually) from when I worked in Viet Nam. We have always kept in contact and despite being very different people (tall, elegant and polished v short, tatty and a little rough round the edges), we have always got on very well. So I wanted to see Natalie and she happens to live in Jakarta.

I can't say I fell in love with the city but I had a great time and liked a lot of what I experienced. For those not in the know, it is a HUGE city, busy with lots of people and traffic. I made Ha Noi look like a quiet village in comparison. It is a grand city with wide streets and big buildings but not what I would call attractive, It is a  place to live, not really visit.... unless you are visiting friends who happen to live in a rather comfortable part of town......which I was fortunate to be doing!

From from the ridiculous to the sublime......we took a flight to Borneo to do a tip that Natalie has already done and had loved it so much, she was eager to repeat the experience....and with good reason.

We were greeted at the airport by our guide and whisked off to join our boat. We were going to spend the remainder of our time in Borneo on a tiny boat on the river in the jungle with the express intent of seeing wild and semi wild orangutans. As always happens, having the opportunity of seeing these wonderful creatures in their own, natural environment is as different as chalk and cheese to seeing them in a zoo.....no matter how good the zoo is. In one word, it was MAGICAL.

The Orangutans were all rescued and reintroduced into the jungle. Most were the victims of logging where  they were orphaned by some accident or intervention. Many of course never make it back into their natural habitat because of the damage (physical or emotional) that they received. The ones who we saw are the lucky ones.

Day One

We arrived on the boat around midday and set off immediately. Nats and I lived on the top deck while the crew inhabited the lower deck. We were so well looked after. The food was excellent. Although sadly the Indonesian food was not suiting me so I was unable to do justice to anything more than the fruit, I really appreciated the effort that the lady went to in very cramped and challenging conditions. We stopped at the first feeding station around 2.00. It was a long weekend (Easter) so the river was very busy with people doing the same as our good selves but in the end, it really was not a problem.
We set off early to get to the station allowing ample time to take the long walk through the forest. The whole expedition took in my two greatest loves in nature.....water and dense forests.....there is something deeply satisfying in being in or by both elements.

We arrived at the feeding station early and got a good place near to the feeding station. The guys and gals started to arrive a few minutes before the bananas offering us an impressive display of acrobatics as they swung effortlessly through the trees.  The first day, we saw a large male, a couple of his ladies and their youngsters. We were all there for about 30 minutes until all the banans had gone and then all went out own ways....us on the path back to the boats and our furry cousins swinging through the trees.

A cruise down the river in the afternoon and we began to see the proboscis monkeys. In the afternoon/early

evenings, they all come to the edge of the forest near to the river so we were able to watch them doing all the things that monkeys do in the wild setting.  They are seriously ugly with their bulbous noses but they do have a certain charm that is very engaging.

We decided to 'park' the boat away from the jetty where everyone else was and tied up to some sturdy greenery on the edge of the forest. We snuggled up in bed on deck going to sleep to the gentle noises of nature.

Day Two 
After breakfast, we set off for the second feeding station. What we missed out on in numbers, were made up for in stature. Only one orangutan appeared but what a handsome fellow he was. He gave us an amazing display of flexibility, swinging on tall thin trees that seemed totally unable to hold some weight and power.

He  came down at ground level on the edge of where we were all standing. People who had been enthusiastic in getting as close as possible to him while he was high in the tree suddenly retreated on mass as he headed for ground level. But he was not in the least bit interested in us and ambled leisurely towards the feeding platform where he enjoyed a feast of bananas and milk.

Afterwards, we took a long walk back to the boat and our guide pointed out many trees and plants that the local people still use as medicine including the bark of a tree that they peel and coil and use for keeping the mosquitos at bay. The Forest is so lovely......we were in the secondary forest, the areas that have been reclaimed and reforested. The Primary forest must be truly lovely. There are a peace and silence that are difficult to explain and impossible to replicate.

And so onto our third feeding station. And what a treat we have in store!

This was now Easter Sunday and the number of boats and people have increased with additional local day So we left the boat early and took a long walk around to the station. On route, our eagle eyed guide  spotted a mother and youngster in the trees. He called to the them and they came over towards where we were. The next piece needs a little explanation.....

The guides like our guy cannot feed the animals. The only people allowed to feed them are the people who work at the feeding stations themselves. They carry food with them to help to sort out any issues that might develop where they need to draw an orangutan away from people. It happened that one of these 'keepers' was following us on the same track. He saw mum and called her over offering her peanuts. Then much to my surprise and delight, he gave me peanuts to give to both mum and babe. We spent about 15/20 minutes engaging closely with these two and had the best time of the whole trip.

Eventually they both led us to the feeding station where we joined the rest of the visitors.
trippers. They did not have any bananas left to offer so the orangutans were given milk. This offered a whole bundle of interest both for the drinkers and watchers. One of the youngsters didn't seem to have any idea of how to manage the milk unlike his friend who made the best use of a splendid jutting lower lip and a large cupped hand to make the most of the milk....he didn't miss a drop!!! (this is a picture of the messy one!!). There is an adorable video of the other one in the attachment at the end of this blog.

After dinner, we were heading down the river and arrived at the right spot at the right time as a troop of proboscis monkeys were swimming across the river.....again, there is a short video of that on the attachment.

Then in hunt of the fireflies. When we eventually tracked a group down, they were clinging onto a large tree and making it look for all the world like a decorated Christmas tree. Dinner, a short night walk and we all climbed into bed.

Day Three
All too same, we are heading back to civilization. Thankfully the boat is quite slow and there was no rush but  all the same, it was just not long enough. I wanted more, much more but am also eternally grateful for this wonderful opportunity. These are a few more favourite images but if you want more, go to the attachment where you will find over 200 (edited down from nearly 500) photos with a few short videos.

   
Hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed taking them.

Pat
https://plus.google.com/photos/103791184164606873174/albums/5866564627103384945

Back in Viet Nam

After an absence of 14 months, I am finally back in Ha Noi. I have no idea why but I love this crazy, noisy city and its stern looking residents who are so easy with a smile and a helping hand when needed. I guess it took me all of about 3 hours to feel at home once more. It is only a visit but thankfully an elongated one for a total of 2 months.

My life when I lived and worked here was busy and pretty intense. Here as a visitor I am enjoying a more relaxed way of being something between a tourist and a visiting dignitary. I had many Vietnamese friends when I was here and have been catching up with all of them. Visiting my old haunts. I was astonished and delighted to find that when I visited the area in which I lived that I was recognized by a number of the local residents.

One elderly lady and her younger daughter live in a small house in an alley that I traversed every day to and from work. I walked by thinking A) they might not be there or B) they would not remember me. Far from it, I was greeted with such warmth, dragged into their room and regaled with a barrage of unintellible Vietnamese 99.9% of which I understood nothing of and it mattered not at all. We laughed and I looked at.she is totally adorable. We have never been able to 'talk' in the conventional sense but it really does not matter. I found the same with another older lady and her family who have a shop selling flowers and a young teenager who used to give me a ride on his motorbike sometimes when it was very hot and I was carrying shopping home from the market. The teenager has grown into a charming young man in the time I have been away.

their family photos that I have seen a dozen times before and basked in the warmth. I did get that the elderly lady is now 80 and looking just great. She goes out for a walk every day down the alley and back with the help of her daughter. Otherwise, she sits on her bed greeting passers by like some sort of Queen in waiting...

I spent the first few days in a hotel but since then the only 'problem' is deciding which offer to accept to stay at my friend's houses The welcome and warmth of heart is quite overwhelming at times and totally wonderful.

My stay here is going to be all too short...the longer I am here, the more that I know that to be the case. I simply must find a way of spending as much time as possible here for as long as I can.

So if you are reading this and are tempted to come.....do so. If you want information about travel etc, I can recommend www.hghue.com, a travel agent based in Hue but covering the whole country and Indochina. I own up to be a little biased as I have written their website and help with their marketing. And if you are planning a trip to Sapa in the north, visit www.sapatourguide. info. Again, I hold my hand up to being rather biased. Panh (pronounced Ban) is a local lady from the Black H'mong tribe and is a dear friend and I developed the site to share her wonderful skills and personality with anyone visiting the area. You will totally fall in love with her....... her English is impeccable and her sense of humor is quite wicked at times.

So yes I am biased. Which is why I spend time talking to whoever will listen about the wonders of this lovely country and supporting people I meet in any way I can to better themselves. So get your ticket, pack you case and come with an open heart and a big smile......and have a great time!!!

Pat