hey there folks...sorry it has taken me so long to get an update out...but life is way busy this time of the year and the great chinese firewall has been working overtime....not really sure why...but it has been a pain these past two weeks....hopefully i will actually finish this update the same day i start it....but i finally got all of the pictures uploaded and now can write about the amazing trip i took to indonesia at the end of sept/beginning of october....it was amazing....
things with me besides traveling are busy, busy, busy....this week was parent-teacher conferences...and i did about 60 in two afternoons....its good that i am a fast talker and don't really give the parents time to say anything....and its good that i have mostly good kids this year...nothing to say but good stuff....i also am in the busy part of starting the job search....wrote to seven schools this week in africa and have heard some good things/leads back from some of them...which is exciting...nothing is definite by any means, but things may be promising....i am headed to a job fair at the beginning of december in south africa and hopefully something will come of that....
so....on with the trip....this fall break i headed with three friends to borneo (kalimantan) & sulawesi in indonesia....the focus of the trip was animals...specially orangutans, proboscis monkeys and things in the sea we could swim with...tropical fish, sea turtles, nudibranchs, etc.....we lived on a boat for two nights and then went to a resort on the sea and also spent two nights in jakarta....borneo for the orangutans was incredible.....and snorkeling in sulawesi rocked.....so all in all it was terrific trip....below are some pictures from the adventure...
this shot was taken as we were going down the river on the way to camp leakey, where they have been studying orangutans for about 50 years....this is the proboscis money....named for their large noses...the male above was just hanging out, while the rest of the money crew was flying through the air around him....if you look close, you can see his huge nose...
this was one of the female monkeys in the same group....she was still carrying her baby...who is looking at the camera for this shot....they were all over the forest on the way to camp leakey and we went to sleep next to them and had them wake us up the next morning with their shrieking and fighting and jumping through the trees.....we slept on the top part of a wooden two story boat....open air, in mosquito nets....it was incredible to see the stars at night and wake up to the sounds of the forest at sunrise....simply amazing....
on the way to camp leakey, we stopped to see some of the other orangutans found in the forests of borneo....there are feeding platforms in parts of the forest, where workers bring bananas and milk to the orangutans everyday....so we would walk into the forest...the workers would bring the bananas and call to the orangutans and the orangutans would come....this shot is from one of our stops...this was a female, with her baby, trying too grab a few bananas for her meal....i love the expression on her face...
at the same site, this is the male who dominates the group....he allows other males to stay with their mothers, his sons of course, until they reach the age of about 7 or 8....then he chases them away so they can start their own group....there are never two large, older males in one group....some of the baby males in this group were reaching an age where he was definitely bossing them around and keeping them away from "his" bananas....you can see where he may have gotten into a "fight" on his face....again...love the look on his face as well...could put captions with orangutans, as their faces and eyes are so human-like....and so are their hands....
in this shot, its one of the males of another group eating the bananas...he is younger than the other male, as his face pads are not fully developed yet....again, the eyes say everything....and really their hands were incredible....they look just like human hands....and they are so strong....like rock climbers they generally have three points of contact with trees they are moving through...but sometimes they just use one arm or a foot to hang on and swing...simply impressive....
this little guy was hanging around our boat as we got to camp leakey and had lunch...him and his mom really wanted to climb aboard and join us with our meal...his name was mario and his mom's name was moot (or sounded like that)....they are wild orangutans who do not live at camp leakey, but live around it and have gotten quite used to people and all the good and evil they bring with them....including lunch....
mario really did try to come onto our boat...not sure how that would have gone....he also did a bit of showing off for us...look at those arms & legs....so strong....and he's just "hanging around"....our guide, bain, was incredible....he was an amazing photographer and all of the orangutans knew his voice...he used to work at camp leakey helping with research, but now the camp is for tourists....so most of the local workers lost their jobs there and became guides....he was the best one there in my opinion, as all of the other guides kept asking him where to go and which orangutans were which.....he also had an incredible camera and you will see two pictures of his below....we got really lucky....
this is the entrance to camp leakey....this particular camp was started by a woman named Dr. Galdikas....she was one of "leakey's girls"...along with dian fossey and jane goodall...they all started their own research stations for different members of the primates family and he, as one of the most famous anthropolgists in the world, help them start their research facilities...she started camp leakey in 1971 in borneo to study orangutans in the wild...and she has done so ever since...orangutans are threatened by poachers (as their hands are ingredients for chinese medicines) and by destruction of habitat...jungle is being cut down for the planting of palm trees to make palm oil...it is said that if the destruction & poaching continue at the current rate, orangutans could be extinct in the next ten years....this camp is one piece of land they are currently safe on because it has become a tourist destination....many of the orangutans have been there for years.....
i love this picture of one of the orangutans in camp leakey....her name is siswei and she has been at camp leakey for quite a long time....she was just hanging out next to the path as we walked in....and really took no notice of us...not angry, not excited, just chillin' and seeming quite content, as you can see from this shot.....
as i said, one of my favorite things about the orangutans besides their eyes, are their hands....so much like human hands....it was amazing also how they used their feet just like hands...in this picture you can see siswei's hands curled...i have so many of these pictures, just because they are amazing to look at....it's like looking at my own hands...okay, maybe they are more hairy and a bit more wrinkly...but really....so similar....
what i also found amazing was how close they came to humans...if you were in their path on the way to the bananas and the milk....they would just push you out of the way...gently, not in a mean way....but humans did not seem to be a threatening factor to them here at the camp or wherever we went that they were fed....we did not go up on the platform with them, and just watched, but they walked among us to get where they wanted to be...incredible....this is one of the females with her child...and you can see how close people are behind her....no zoom here....just a quick hello and she was back up a tree....
as i said before, our guide bain was amazing...he knew where to go and at what moment to see orangutans up close and personal...this was one of the moms we walked with...and he took this shot of the two of us...she wasn't so much into it...but how amazing....this really was an incredible trip....
this is an up-close shot of the female from above - rani - and her baby....i love this shot too, but cannot take credit for it...i actually stopped taking pictures at one point and just watched...this incredible shot was taken by bain....like i said, he had an amazing camera and the ability for us to hang with the orangutans up close and personal....and i love that this little one is just chillin' on his mom...seems to be what they do :)
this is the front of the boat we were on for a few days...and you can see the cool folks i was traveling with, our main guide and the tracker who walked with us as well...we also had a captain of the boat and a cook along who made delicious food...one of the things she cooked with, and i guess it is a main staple in indonesia, was tempeh...who knew it could be made so many ways and taste sooooo good....from left to right - alyssa, the tracker guy, bain, maggie & darby....all-in-all a great group of folks to travel with and explore indonesia with....
this was the top deck of the boat, where we slept and ate and hung out when we were traveling down the river...not too big and not too small...just right...there was a bathroom...but the shower was with river water...so most of us bypassed that aspect of the two days....it was sturdy and safe and lots of fun :) i really do recommend this adventure....but if you plan on going, get in touch so i can put you in touch with our amazing guide...he made it even more amazing than it was and i know would do the same for anyone else who went.....
from borneo/kalimantan we went to sulawesi....a different island of indonesia that is known for its amazing diving and snorkeling....maggie got certified for diving in open water while we were there and the rest of us went snorkeling....it was awesome....and we even swam with a sea turtle....i have decided i need to go diving again soon and get re-certified, as it has been way too long....didn't work out on this trip....but maybe in the spring....
this was our pool overlooking the sea.....it was a great resort, but really the only reason i think folks would go here would be to dive...some of the best in the world...and therefore excellent snorkeling too, but not much else to do but relax...which is just what we needed after a crazy first quarter of school....
this was our sunset the last night in sulawesi....pretty darn spectacular if you ask me :) all-in-all it was a great island-hopping trip and i would recommend the orangutan trip for everyone and sulawesi for all of you who dive....we saw incredible photos from the dives people at our resort were taking....simply amazing what they were seeing under the water....
our last night in town we were in jakarta, where i had the good fortune to meet up with my friend julie again....she was going to do a live-aboard dive trip two weeks later...it was great to see her and to catch up with one of the families i used to teach - the salims.....i love visiting indonesia not only for the eco-aspect, but also because i can see friends and students and people i know when i go :)
i figured i would end this update with a common picture from previous up-dates...me and a beer...this time it's bintang...the indonesian beer...this was a surprise gift from bian....which was difficult to come by in this very muslim country....no alcohol and no pork....so it was very much appreciated....as you can see from the satisfied look on my face...
this trip overall was amazing and again, i would recommend it to anyone....its a difficult place to get to and from, but totally worth the time and effort to do so....the orangutans with melt your heart and you will be amazed how much they are like us....if you want to know more about the organization at camp leakey, the one Dr. Galdikas is part of...check out this link....www.orangutan.org
thanks again as always for reading....and i apologize for taking so long to get this out...but i hope you understand...also, i hope you keep your fingers crossed for me and my job search....the goal is africa, but you never really know what a job search in the international world of teaching will bring...feel free to get in touch and have a fab day :)
dani
