Day 3 of Klotok Trip

I woke several times through the night and but I cope quite well with little or interrupted sleep.  We set off for the our return journey after breakfast.  Our itinerary says that we just go straight to port in the morning but Ita said we had a village visit.

Not long after we started, we saw a small backlog of klotoks ahead.  There had been a large floating island of bakung (waterlily-like) vegetation that had broken off and was obstructing the river.  The crew on the klotoks before us had hopped off onto the floating islands to try break it into smaller pieces and perhaps tie the pieces to trees nearby in the wider parts of the river.  But I didn’t understand why they had to chop the leaves down so much when they only had to do that where they had intended to break the dense root system.

Anyway, our boat, being the largest provided the engine power for attempting to pull the floating island (while the other boats provided the manual labour).  In total I think we were stuck for about 2h.  It was the most scenic delay I’ve had anywhere.  The crew doing the hard labout were still jovial and smiley!  With all the noise, I was told that they are quite safe from crocodiles.

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With the delay and recent rain, Ita suggested that we skip the village visit.  As it is a Malay village rather than a Dayak longhouse, neither Natalia or I would have experienced anything new.  So I agreed to that.

A simple lunch of nasi goreng was served on the way.  It was unexpected as it wasn’t on the itinerary but kinda necessary since we weren’t due back on land till mid-afternoon.

We saw a salt water crocodile on the journey back to Kumai, and also an orang utan eating nipah fruit.  Ita showed us some remarkable nature videos on her phone.  A group of proboscis monkeys jumped into the river from high up!  They usually do this after a boat crosses the river to minimise the risk of a croc attack.  Then there was a large snake slowly swallowing another snake whole!

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We then saw a speedboat coming in the opposite direction.  Ita told us it was Birute Galdikas even though it was just a fleeting glimpse.

It poured as we approached Kumai.  They couldn’t put the blinds down as we were in the open estuary area where strong winds could destabilise the boat with the blinds down.  We were back in Kumai port around 1500.  We could hear the chirping of birds but Ita explained they were recorded noises to attract swifts to the swift towers for nest harvesting.

Dian brought us back to the Alibaba for our overnight, but stopping briefly to buy some local kerupuk called amplang or kuku beruang (bear’s claws) for Natalia to take back to Jakarta as gifts.

The both of us had had an awesome time on the boat and seeing all the wildlife.  To top it off, we had nearly no mosquito bites.  The Indonesian mosquito repellent “Autan” does work well!

We grabbed dinner together opposite the hotel at a Chinese place in the evening.  It was surprisingly un-hot and un-humid for Borneo.  And we both thanked our lucky stars for having a buffer night in Pangkalan Bun before and after the klotok trip.  Our first night became necessary due to having to substitute our flight with a land trip, and the second night due to the bakung obstruction to the river.

As I readied myself for tomorrow with washing and packing, I could feel myself sway.  I guess it is land sickness after having been accustomed to the boat.