Day 14 (November 1, 2018) Tajung Puting

Before   

   Second and last day of our two days one night tour through Tajung Puting National Park with Varada Borneo tours.

   Based on the itinerary they've posted in their website, this second day we'll be taken to a local village and, from there, to the camp we still have to visit: Tajung Harapa. After looking for Proboscis monkeys we'll be deliveres to our hotel in Pangkalan Bun.

Map of Tanjung Puting

   The spots marked at map are:

 0- Pangkalan Bun
 1- Kumai (quay)
 2- Rumba Eco Lodge
 3- Tanjung Harapan
 4- Pondok Tanggui
 5- Camp Leakey

After

   Cause and effect: as we went to bed early yesterday we’re awaken with the first lights from the windows. It’s around 7 AM when I go out from the room and immediately hear a noise that makes me look up to see a proboscis monkey just above me.
Proboscis monkey in front of our roomRimba Eco Lodge
   It runs away quickly following direction opposite of the river which recalls me guide commented these monkeys meet by the riversides to spend the night. So I go to the river to check that monkeys are gone from there indeed. River looks beautiful with these morning lights and the water is so dark that makes a perfect mirror.
Morning view of the riverMoring view of the river
   We get our breakfast and a bit later we meet our guide. He has scheduled a visit to a local village nearby, so we can see the way of living of the people here. We start walking through the jungle following a path made of planks. We pass by some areas with houses where we can see people from the hotel staff.
Way to the villageWay to the village
   First thing we see in the village is a couple of strange buildings with no windows, except for a small hole at the top. Our guide explains these are for a local business as they’re used with the bird singing we’ve been hearing since some time ago: they’re coming from a recording coming from inside these structures that are thought to make birds to come to nest inside them. It seems the nests from these birds are considered a delicacy.
Nesting buildingHouse in local village
   Main street in this village is just a line of houses in one side and the canal in the other. This village depends on the palm oil as most of the people here are working in the plantation just behind the canal.

Palm oil's plantationVV
   Women are mainly working in the lodge or school. Some of them are making wood carvings to sell to tourists. It’s very hot and we’re stopping in every shadow.

Sungat Sekonyer VillageSungat Sekonyer VillageSungat Sekonyer Village
   Our walk ends in the quay, which is usually the place from where the group of tourists are accessing to the village. If they’re not allocated in the lodge, they can only come from the river.
Sungat Sekonyer Village's quaySungat Sekonyer Village's quay
   There our speedboat is already waiting for us and our guide is concerned about how to keep us entertained until lunch time. He suggests going to see some works that are far, but we can free him from the responsibility saying we’re fine by spending the morning resting at lodge, where we’ll need to check out and lunch at noon. We like the thought of enjoying the peace of the lodge and we walk around looking and making pictures of the vegetation here.
flower in Rimba Lodge's gardenLobby at Rimba Lodge
   When time comes we leave our baggage at the lobby and have our lunch at the restaurant. The only activity we have before leaving the National Park is the visit to Tajung Harapan, the closest camp to the entrance – and exit – to the park. The feeding time here is 3 PM.
Rimba Eco Lodge's quayTajung Harapan
   When it’s time to leave it’s raining, so they put the canvas roof in the speedboat for our trip to Tajung Harapan, where we arrive at 2:15 PM. We stop in one of the houses in the camp to wait for a lower rain but, as this is not happening, we go to the feeding platform with the oilskins the guide gives us. When we reach the platform, the rain is already over.
Jungle at Tajung HarapanIndonesian squirrel
 This time there is no movement in the trees when bananas are put in the platform at scheduled time and, 30 minutes later, we’re talking about leaving the place. We’re now aware of how lucky we were yesterday in the first camp, when we thought then that was the usual. After 40 minutes a young orangutan appears.
Tajung Harapan's feeding platformOrangutan at Tajung Harapan
   Soon after that, a female orangutan with child come to the platform and then another one. They share the bananas between the five of them. We know these are the last orangutans we’ll see so we delay the moment of leaving.

Orangutan at Tajung HarapanOrangutans at Tajung HarapanOrangutan at Tajung HarapanYoung orangutan at Tajung Harapan
   We leave past 4 PM knowing the only thing left now is or way back to the hotel and, tomorrow, to home. So, we enjoy our speedboat trip through this beautiful landscape saying good bye to the place.
Tanjung Puting LandscapeTanjung Puting Landscape
 Once back to the wide river we can see how we’re approaching to Kumai. Once there, we say good bye to the boat driver and, while waiting for Wati, some local families ask for a picture with Eva, recalling this similar thing in India.
Sailing to KumaiQuay in Kumai
   Wati comes with the car and, in our way to the hotel, stops by a street food stand from where she brings a bag full of small cylinder pastries that can be stuffed with cheese, chocolate or green beans, but you cannot know in advance which one is what. So, I liked a lot more cheese or chocolate ones I had to eat some green bean ones as well.
Quay in KumaiPangkalan Bun
   We definitively are saying good bye at hotel entrance. It’s been two fantastic days and we’re kind of sad when they leave and only the feeling everything is ending remains.