Medan, Jakarta, Bogor and Yogjakarta

Thursday 28 July

Yesterday I was surprised when I saw Carrefour and 2 branches of the Commonwealth Bank in Medan. Also i booked a load of flights; trying to decide what to do in the coming months was driving me crazy, too many choices. SO I just made some decisions and locked them in; feel more relaxed now!

I met Ben and Jenny for dinner at a night stall and we had ice cream in MacDonalds.

Last night a big storm came through. My room was on the top floor, with corrugated iron for a roof. So when the rain and thunder and lightning started about 10pm it was very noisy, no chance of sleeping. So I went down to the front porch to be sociable and watched the road turn into a river.

When I went back up to bed, rain had come in from the far end of the room, flooding the small corridor that leads to the bathroom, it was up to my ankles. And the water had flowed down to where my stuff was, somehow it didn't quite reach my bag before I got everything off the floor. I have stayed in some dingy places in my time, and with the never-been-cleaned toilet, the grey brick bathroom walls and the flooded bedroom floor, this was another such place. But you get what you pay for and it was fine! The storm must have been quite something because there were pictures of it on the front of this morning's paper.

I checked out and got a becak (motorbike and sidecar) to the airport. The check-in desk reminded me of the ticket counters at train stations in Inida: it was a free-for-all with two or three people checking in at the counter at the same time; I had to stand my ground and push a bit to keep my place in the non-existent queue, nobody pays attention to the faded yellow line.

The flight from Medan to Jakarta, in Java, was good, not sure why they put the only non-Indonesian speaker next to the emergency exit - if someone shouted 'open the door' or 'close the door' in an emergency, I wouldn't have known the difference. In the pocket behind the seat in front of me was an Invocation card which has Protestant, Catholic, Islamic and Hindu prayers related to the safe arrival of the plane. Possibly any local who already had their doubts about the white guy being in charge of the emergency exit, would have been even more perturbed to see me reading all the prayers!

It was easy to get the shuttle bus from Jakarta airport through the city and bright neon lights to Gambir station. From there it was a sweaty 15 minute walk to the hostel area of Jalan Jaksa, where I found a dorm bed. I walked half an hour to Pasar Senen station to get a ticket for Saturday. Along the way the locals called out 'hi mister' and we had some banter and they gave me helpful directions. At the ticket office the girls were quite shy and giggly to be serving a white guy (although there are plenty of us about) and their male boss asked me what I thought about one of them; I just said 'she's better than you', and they laughed. 

Back at Jalan Jaksa there were plenty of travellers around, and locals outside the bars watching Indonesia beat Turkmenistan 4-3 in a world cup qualifier.


Friday 29 July

Back to Pasar Senen to get a ticket for Tamara, then on the way to Gambir I stumbled upon a small village within the city. I felt a little intrusive since I was walking through narrow alleyways right outside people's houses but the locals smiled.

I got the commuter train 1.5 hours to Bogor. The trains are clean and efficient and have come from Japan; they still have signage in Japanese. Bogor feels like a small country town. I had bobur (rice porridge with prawn crackers) for late breakfast and then went to the Botanical Gardens, which cover a large area in the centre of town. I saw the back of the Istana Bogor (palace) and deer behind the fence. The gardens and lawn were nice but it was mainly trees and felt more like a park. The orchid garden had some flowering orchids but it was a bit underwhelming. Still, I wandered around for a few hours and saw the cacti in the mexican garden.

I fell asleep on the train on the way back. As it was getting dark I walked along to the National Monument which is a huge obelisk surrounded by a park, which was peaceful with young people and families hanging around. I hadn't expected to like Jakarta but it's ok and the people are welcoming.

As with most 'losmen' (cheap hostel, often family-run), the shower does not work and there is a 'mandi' instead. Water is stored in a brick water tank (sometimes tiled!) and a small plastic bucket, normally with a handle, is provided to pour the cold water over the body; it's refreshing but it can be tricky trying to apply water and soap at the same time. Plus a little dance is often necessary at the same time so that the mozzies can't hang on and bite your ankles.

Had dinner with Tamara and a girl who was just off the plane from Europe; you can tell she has only just arrived because she looks so clean!

Saturday 30 July

Up at 5:30 and we got a tuk-tuk to the station and on to the train, 8 hours to Yogjakarta (Yogya). It was pretty comfortable and not too smoky. As we went along there was an almost constant barrage of hawkers; for sale were many types of snacks and drinks, belts, combs and nail clippers, massage instruments, toys, plastic jewellery, maps etc etc, as well as buskers and beggars. It was a bit like a theatrical performance.

Yogya is a popular stop on the backpacker trail and is a base for visiting the surrounding area. After checking in to the nice hostel, I went for a walk. The town was busy and there are many motorbikes. Off a side street there was a small concert in a courtyard. I think local community members had been given half an hour each to perform. There were guys there dressed as native Americans, very elaborate dresses.

Later I headed out to the traditional Javanese music concert that I had heard about. There was a large stage with many instruments and it was like a drive-thru, cos most of the audience were still sitting on their motorbike to watch the performance. It was a shadow puppet story, with one guy controlling the puppets and narrating the story with the musicians accompanying him. The story goes for 7 hours so there were quite a few quite times; the female singers took this opportunity to eat the tea and snacks that were brought to them and to check for text messages! For some reason the audience was mainly male. It wasn't touristy or cheesy, it seemed to be very sincere and it was great to witness some culture; I really enjoyed it.

On my way back the town was still throbbing with nighttime activity. A group of teenagers sat with their cool bikes upside down, resting on saddle and handlebars; I asked them why and they showed me that the bikes don't have a stand, because the idea is that the bike is as light as possible. The coloured bikes looked cool, lined up and upside down. On the next corner was another small concert, a punk band who were pretty good and they had a crazy old dude trying to join in. I wouldn't have expected a punk concert in Indonesia. As in India, the locals don't really applaud when a song finishes, which is a shame.

Back at the courtyard there was a ska band playing, and then a reggae band played and the singer sang Bob Marley songs in English and had a great voice and all the band mates were dancing down the front, as was a guy in a skeleton suit, it was great fun.  I was pretty tired so left before the end but was very impressed that their were 3 live, free, music events on in the same night, all of good quality. A great night out!

Sunday 31 July

Last night for dinner I had vegetables soaked in chilli and garlic, I shouldn't have eaten it, I had a feeling it might be too much; from 4am this morning my stomach rebelled and it was all very unpleasant. 12 hours later I think I am ok now. I did manage to change hostel, shave and do my blog.
 

Medan

Sunday 24 July

Um. Today I just sat around reading. That's it.

Monday 25 July

After breakfast I said goodbye to Jenny and Ben and got the ferry back across Lake Toba to Parapat, and straight on a decent coach to Medan. Still get a bit annoyed with guys smoking on the bus, especially when there are kids there, like the little one next to me with his Mum. Mum had a plastic bag by her feet and about 15 minutes into the journey it started to twitch. I looked at her and with a smile she said 'fish', and I laughed.

Last night, my new friends gently persuaded me that it made more sense to come up to Medan and fly to Jakarta than take the 2/3 day bus trip. I normally prefer the bus because it is (usually) cheaper, it is more eco-friendly, you get to see the countryside, it's more of an adventure and flying is cheating. But notwithstanding all this I decided to take their advice.

So at the domestic terminal here in Medan I went to the airline ticket offices only to find that it is cheaper to book online and that it is more expensive to book a ticket within 48 hours. So I bought a ticket for Thursday, so I am stuck in Medan which is a big busy city.

Oh well, I had a wander around this evening. I have liked Sumatra and the people so will just take in the atmosphere, and pollution, for a couple more days before I can move on. While having dinner at a street stall, a metalworkshop across the road caught fire. The flames were high and I expected the whole shop to go up but after a short while they put it out. Phew.


Tuesday 26 July

This morning I moved from one hostel to another, to save 10,000 rupiah ($1). Well, over 2 nights that will be $2. The lady owner here is more friendly than the guy at the old hostel, and there are more people to talk to here. I went to look for a raincover for my small backpack since I left the other one in Pulah Weh. An Indian guy directed me to Medan Plaza and after much determination (stubborness) I finally found one in a department store, about 4 kms from my hostel. On the way back I went via little India; had delicious egg roti. Medan is not very pedestrian friendly, the pavement has holes an elephant could fall into, or has cars and bikes parked along it, so I spent some time walking on the road. I walked about 10kms today which is ok, I had nothing else to do.


Wednesday 27 July

Lazy lie-in. Walked to Istana Maimoon which is a palace still lived in by the Sultan of Deli (not really sure what this means but his role in ceremonial). Visitors can only go into the front room, to see his throne, which was ok, and the building is worth a look from the outside. There was a ceremony in the garden. I asked the lady receptionist what it was and she made a cutting gesture and smiled; it was a circumcision ceremony. She smiled again and said 'you want?'. Um, no thanks. I asked whether they actually do the operation there and then. She said 'yes' but I am not sure whether she understood me.

Next I went to the Grand Mosque, just around the corner from the hostel. This is where the prayers emanate from around 4:30am waking up most of the neighbourhood. I turned up in my shorts so they gave me a purple checked sarong to wear. It was ok, not as good as the mosque in Banda Aceh.

Berastagi (traditional villages and active volcanos) and Lake Toba

Tuesday 19 July

Jenny and I got a taxi to Kutacane and then a minibus (bemo) to here, Berastagi. It took 6 hours but wasn't too bad; sometimes its good to be short. Berastagi is a nice enough town in the cool mountains of Sumatra, a bit noisy and dusty but friendly and easy to get around. Had dinner with Ben and Jenny at the night food market.

Wednesday 20 July

Today's mission was to head out of Berastagi and visit some traditional villages which are inhabited by the Batak people. We caught a bemo (minivan) to Kabanjahe and from there, with a bit of negotiation and banter with the bemo drivers got a bemo to Lingga. As we got off the bus in the town square we saw about 200 people gathered under a wooden building with a roof but no sides, obviously for some kind of meeting. A guy quickly whisked us off to register our presence and to tell us a bit about Lingga. The village is a mix of Muslim, Christian and Animist. He showed us some of their traditional crafts such as a flute and a garlic pot, the garlic being used to ward off evil spirits. He was a bit pushy trying to sell us things so we just made a small donation towards the upkeep of the village and then went for a look around.

The main feature of the village is the old houses built in traditional Karo Batak style, which the locals claim are upto 400 years old, though my LP says its more like 60-100. Either way they are picturesque and looked good against the morning blue skies, with volcanoes in the background.

Back in the square, the locals invited us into the building and explained that the meeting was for two families to discuss plans for their children's upcoming wedding. The families were sat on opposite sides of the building and the immediate family members sat in the middle discussing the plans. It was a bit like going back in time being in this rural village and we were the only tourists there.

We had early lunch then got back in a bemo and went back to Kabanjahe and got on an empty bemo towards another village, Dokan. Along the road, the bus filled up with school kids including about 10 sat on the roof, it was fun hanging out with the kids. We got dropped off at the turning for Dokan and a local soon came by and we got in the back of his ute.

At Dokan an old guy met us and took us to his traditional home. We took off our shoes and headed up the steep steps and into his wooden house. The old guy's grown-up Granddaughter talked to us about the house. It has no nails and is kept together with dowel joints. The house is shared by 8 families. There are 4 kitchen areas and they cook using wood, stored above the living area. The old guy claims to be 91 and he looked it, but he knew what was going. It is expected that you make a donation, which we did.

After, the Granddaughter showed us around the village and we met the kids and watched some guys making baskets from bamboo. Again we were the only tourists there, apparently they get 2 or 3 people each day.

Back in Berastagi I wandered around doing a bit of shopping and then read my book at the hostel. Early evening we followed the rubbish map and directions that the hostel gave us and eventually came to the viewpoint outside of town. We were in the countryside again and it was very pretty. We could see the sun going down over the volcanic hills and the Gunung Sinabung volcano in the distance. Had my photo taken with some excitable young ladies. Dinner at the nightmarkets again; talked to a teenage/early 20's muslim girl about her job and her family, after they had taken pictures with me.

Thursday 21 July

Jenny and I walked out of town toward Gunung Sibayak, a 2094m-high active volcano. You can see the volcano and the gases it emits from around town. We walked along the road for about 2 hours and then saw another tourist who pointed us to the rough steps up to the crater. The broken path and steps go up through the jungle and eventually we came out on a ridge and then we could see the crater, it was a pretty awesome sight with a steady stream of smoke rising above the rim. And in the crater we walked in there were many holes in the rock with smoke hissing as it blew out like steam from a pressure cooker. I was very impressed and kept saying 'wow!'.

The gas was sulphur and it leaves a yellow stain on the rocks around the exit. It was a gradual incline across the crater, across volcanic rock. We reached the far side and looked down on one part of the crater where previous visitors had written their names using rocks. On the other side we looked down on the villages. The weather was looking a bit suspect and we figured we had seen enough so we walked back down the same way that we came. It seemed to take ages to walk back down the road but we made it back to town at 3pm, having walked about 15kms today.

Friday 22nd July

We caught the local bus to Kabanjahe and then straight on to another to Pematangsiantar, packed in like sardines. Some of the locals there were a bit annoying and some guys told us it was 7000 rupiah each in their minivan to the our next stop and then when we got in the minivan they asked for 20000 each before we could leave, which wasted our time. If they had been honest and told us from the start that it was 20000 each, we might have gone with them; instead we got out. Eventually we found another cramped local bus and after a bit of a wait we left for Parapat. It rained alot on the way and our stuff was on the roof so got a bit wet.

At Parapat we got a small ferry 40 minutes across to Samosir Island, which sits in the middle of Lake Toba, which is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. The island is quite well developed, tourists were in the hotel restaurant watching a Hollywood movie when we arrived, and there is 'chips and gravy' on the menu (not really what I had expected). I had Gado Gado for dinner, which is vegetables in peanut sauce, with tofu and tempe and prawn crackers; delicious.

Saturday 23rd July

I rented a decent mountain bike and headed out to see some of the island. A quick spin around Tuk-Tuk and then 5kms to Ambarita and the Stone Chairs which are 300 years old; this is where Batak meetings and trials were held and nearby is the beheading spot. I carried on along the road, with the lake in view. I passed many traditional Batak houses and many churches. Before the missionaries, the people here were Animist. The churches look mainly like ours but have a Batak-style roof.

The road had its ups and downs and it was a good work out. After another 10kms I came to the small village of Simanindo. After a quick look at the lake from the jetty I headed back up to the village. I was the only tourist there and it was good to mix with the locals going about their daily business. There was a food market on so I left my bike outside a shop and had a wander around. I managed to use my fledgling Indonesian to buy some fruit, and deep-fried tofu with vegetables inside. The locals were friendly, except one older woman who raised her voice at me and slapped me on the arm and shoulder.

I cycled back, stopping along the way to enjoy the views, the green hills on one side, the lake on the other with traditional houses and water buffalo dotted around. At Tomok I got some water and chatted to some nice guys at the shop. Then I walked up to King Sidabutar's grave. He was the first King to accept Christianity here. Next to his tombstone are some stone human statues and the tombstone of the main missionary man.

Back at the hostel I tucked into the pineapple and bananas I had bought. I cycled about 45kms today.

Banda Aceh and Ketambe (wild orangutans in the jungle)

Thursday 14 July

In Pulau Weh. I should have caught the 7am bus to the jetty this morning but was too lazy to get out of bed. So later I paid, packed up and headed down to the dive school to hang out there until the afternoon. I read my book and chatted to the other divers. At 3pm, my mototaxi arrived: a motorbike and sidecar, but with no roof, which was fine for a while, once I had persuaded the driver to slow down a bit as we hared through the countryside.....

But then the storm soon came in (being the tropics, the weather can change very quickly) and we were thrashed by the rain. I got him to stop while I put my poncho on (he didn't have a raincoat and didn't seem to care) and it got worse, almost like hail, it hurt our faces a bit, I don't know how he could see. Still, we got there in plenty of time for me to catch the fast ferry back to Banda Aceh; the sea was pretty rough and we bounced up and down a bit.

The taxi driver from the jetty into Banda Aceh was friendly and even gave me a tourist map. I wouldn't like to start a conversation here about the Boxing Day tsunami since they were so badly affected (170,000 people died in Aceh Province), but the driver talked a bit about it, showing me how far the water came into the town and pointing out the Tsunami museum.

After checking in I walked around the market and to the Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman mosque, which is set in a park. The white walls inside and outside remind me of Christmas cake, and it has black domes, it looked good in the late afternoon light. I approached the entrance slowly and caught the eye of some guys outside and asked if it was ok for me to go in. They nodded so I took off my shoes, washed my feet in the shallow moat and stepped inside to see the stone white columns. But after another step a security type guy came over and asked if I am a moslem and when I answered, he politely ushered me back out. But he did let me take a photo from the entrance. I walked in the park and admired the mosque from the outside.

From a stall I bought some local food called sirih. It is a paste wrapped in a leaf which tasted very leafy and I don't think I will have that again. (since found out that it is from a betel (nut) tree. I came back over the river and got tasty nasi goreng with a few vegetables.

The locals here seem really friendly, many of them say hello or smile as I pass and ask where I am from, and the girls working in the shop were excitable and shy as we talked.


Friday 15 July

Up early and walked out of town, to look for 'the boat on the house'. This is a fishing boat that was swept inland by the tsunami and dumped on top of a house. It has been left as a memorial. I felt a bit voyueristic going to look for it, but it is marked on the tourist map so I guessed they want tourists to see it. I walked alongside the river and the fishing boats. I didn't really want to ask for directions, but after I couldn't find it for a while, I asked a policeman and his friends (who had stopped me to have my picture taken with the policeman) and they pointed me in the right direction.

There is a walkway up to the side of the boat, which is in relatively good condition. Below is a stone monument about the boat and some photos on the wall. Of course all the houses around there are new and I wondered whether the people I saw had lived in that area at the time? Surely they wouldn't have survived?

I walked back into town and got late breakfast. I ordered roti, expecting Indian-style pancake but it came out as toast. I walked across the river and to the Aceh Museum, but it was closed, being Friday. And the same for the Tsunami museum. Oh well. Then most of the town shut for Friday afternoon prayers so I decided to hop on a bus at 2pm to Medan. The scenery was good with paddy fields and cloud hovering among the mountains.


Saturday 16 July

The economy bus is actually quite comfortable with a cushion for your head and a blanket, against the aircon. The bus makes many stops and they play loud music around the same time that you want to sleep.

The bus arrived at Medan at 5am. Medan is Indonesia's 3rd biggest city and so I didn't want to stay there. Instead I got a tricycle across town to the minivan terminal. (Although I am wary of being ripped off by any form of taxi driver, I was grateful that there was someone there who could and would take me across town. For all I knew, I might have had to wait there for hours). There were already quite a few people at the minibus terminal. I waited until 6:30am for a minivan to Kutacane.

The minivan driver played Indonesian pop and dance music very loudly for most of the 7 hour journey to Kutacane. I did ask him to turn it down a bit, which he did for about one minute. It seemed pretty rude and annoying but of course it is because of this kind of thing that backpackers are supposed to bring a sense of humour with them. We picked up an Aussie and Belgian guy along the way. One of the locals was vomitting most of the way.

We arrived at Kutacane at about 1:30pm. The locals stared a bit and all ask the same questions 'where you go?', 'where you from?', and the kids shout 'Hey Mister'. We walked for about 40 minutes with our bags before finding a jeep to Ketambe.

Aceh province is under Sharia Law, which among other things, means that a married adulterer/ess can be stoned to death. Indonesia also has strict anti-pornography rules, which has led to the banning of some traditional dances. Our taxi driver also had rubbish Western pop and dance music blaring, with accompanying videos playing on a screen mounted on the dashboard. I am pretty sure that they would be deemed pornographic under such laws. It also seemed inappropriate and immature to have those videos showing when you have a conservative muslim lady sitting in the passenger seat.

Anyway, we arrived in Ketambe around 4pm. Staying in a basic hut with a very faint light-bulb and intermittent power. Met up with Dutch Jenny (who was at Pulah Weh at the same time as me) and her Dutch friend. The five of us made plans for tomorrow. The guides seem quite expensive so we are going to see how we go finding our own way.


Sunday 17 July

Up early. I thought going to the waterfall was the relatively easy option, but not at first it wasn't. It was steep, through dense forest and not much to hang onto and we were not sure we were going the right way. But after half an hour we came up on a path and from there walking was more straightforward. The forest is nice and we saw a few locals hanging around their small wooden homes.  But after a couple of hours we couldn't find the waterfall. The boys decided to carry on but Jenny and I turned back and headed back down a proper track. Had a much-needed bath in the river, it was clean and refreshing and flowed quite quickly but only up to my knees.

Last night the nearby Ketambe (flora and fauna) Research Station was burned down completely as were a few other buildings. Apparently this might have been a deliberate action by people involved with another research station. Apparently it is to do with corruption, bribery and funding.


Monday 18 July

At 8:15am Jenny and I set off with local guide, John, to look for wild Orangutans in the jungle in Gunung Leuser National Park. This is a proper thick jungle and the plants and trees are more randomly spread than in a rainforest. The trails are not marked and anyway John soon had us heading off the trail and down into a ravine. We walked and clambered through the jungle, using the trees and vines for support, it was a great adventure.

After a couple of hours John spotted a couple of orangutans; a mother and baby. They were quite high up in the trees right above our heads, and at first we couldn't see them very clearly. We lay on our backs on the jungle floor and watched for a while while John walked around looking for a better viewpoint for us. We moved with them and then the mother came out onto a branch and hung there for a while, facing us, leaving the baby behind. The baby then followed as if it was learning to climb by itself. A bit later on the mother was sat on a branch facing us and the baby joined her. So we got to see orangutans in the wild.

We trekked a bit further and I got to swing like Tarzan from a vine above the jungle floor (picture to follow). We walked to the river and had lunch of egg and rice and mangostein and duku fruit, before trekking back out a different way, seeing Thomas Leaf Monkeys on the way. At 5pm we came out on the main road. As we got back I realised that I had blood trickling down my leg; a leech had got inside my leech socks and trousers and had a good nibble on my leg. They use an anti-coagulate so the blood runs freely and it took a couple of washes and a plaster to stop it bleeding.

John was an excellent guide and we enjoyed our jungle trek and seeing the orange people of the forest.

Final score : Orangutans 2 Leeches 1

Diving in Pulau Weh, Indonesia

Monday 11 July

Up at 4am, and taxi to Kuching airport for 6:15am flight to Kuala Lumpar. KL at 8am, sat around, checked in, free wi-fi. 12:15pm flight to Banda Aceh, Sumatra in Indonesia. (As we flew out you could see acres and acres of Palm oil plantations below).

Indonesia is 1 hour behind Malaysia and so we arrived at 12:45pm. I met a Swiss girl and a Croatian girl who were coming to the same dive center so after rushing to the ATM we jumped in a taxi to the jetty at Uleh-leh hoping to catch the slow car/passenger ferry just before it left, which we did. It was just blowing its horn, and the gate for vehicles was already closed so we ran along in the rain and grabbed a ticket, with the locals hurrying us along in a friendly way. Phew.

Well, the slow ferry was slow so we went up to the first deck and stood with our bags and chatted. Some of the locals stared at us a bit, but they seem pretty friendly and smiley. The sea looks pretty rough but it took less than two hours to arrive at Sabang port on Pulau Weh. A taxi driver found us as we got off the ferry, but he quoted the normal fare so we jumped in with him. It was still very rainy, dark skies and windy. The new road has forests and small wooden houses on both sides, this seems like a remote place which is good.

We arrived at Lumba Lumba dive centre at Gapang. I chatted to the owner about doing a couple of boat dives and explained that although I did my PADI years ago, I am basically a beginner again, so he quite rightly said I shouild do a refresher dive first and asked me to pop back in tomorrow afternoon to organise it. Fair enough.

It's too expensive to stay there so the Dutch owner let us leave our big bags while we found somewhere cheaper along the beach. Croatian Tamara and I found some nice cheap rooms at Ramadillas up the hill among the rocks at the end of the beach. It was an adventure carrying our big bags up the rocks in the dark and the rain. The rooms are basic but comfortable with outside squat toilets and just a bucket shower, for $5. We saw some crabs and frogs along the way. I am sharing my room with a cockroach, a furry spider and a smallish rat.

We met up with Swiss Esther and dinner at Barracudas, a small family restaurant (their home) facing the ocean. The veg curry and banana and chocolate pancakes were great and the family really nice.


Tuesday 12 July

Lazy lie-in. It was stormy most of the morning, strong wind and rain. Apparently it hadn't rained for a month until I got here! Of course the rain is good for the locals, but not so good for tourists. Read my book at the restaurant, and had a lovely cat nap this afternoon! I arranged my diving refresher course for tomorrow morning. Anyway, the forecast is for better weather in the next few days, and it was already better this afternoon and evening.


Wednesday 13 July

Met my dive instructor, Dutch girl Iris, and after a briefing where she explained which underwater skills I would have to perform, she put her dive equipment together while I watched and then copied with mine. I put on a wetsuit and the equipment and we walked down the beach and into the ocean just as it started to rain. But the rain doesn't matter once you are underwater.

Iris would demonstrated each safety skill and then I copied to show that I could do it. It went well, including when I had to indicate to my buddy (Iris) that I was out of air and take my regulator out of my mouth and take her spare regulator to breathe with. We had a swim around, just down to 7m and saw Trumpetfish, razorfish, nemos, an small octopus and a bandit boxer shrimp. When we got back Iris said I did well and was good to go on a proper dive.

So in the afternoon I joined 4 other divers and 2 local dive guides and we headed out into the choppy ocean. For, I think, the first time, we went backwards off the side of the boat; I am sure I have only ever stepped off a boat before. Anyway, the guide wasn't very clear with any advice about entering the water but the German guide showed me what to do.

Because the sea was quite rough, we agreed to head straight down but we went too fast for me; partly because I didn't have enough weights and so everyone else was below me, and anyway I couldn't equalise very well and my ears hurt a bit. All I really needed was time to get used to it, but the guide wasn't too helpful, although he did then come up and add weight to my belt to pull me down and my ears didn't get any worse. But having not dived for 6 years, going straight down to 20m was not good!

We swam around and saw ribbon eels, nudie branch, lionfish, butterfly fish and porcupine fish. As instructed I let the guide know when I was down to half a tank, 100bar, and we carried on for a bit, but the others had more air left so the guide took me part of the way back up for 3 minute? safety stop and then I carried onto the surface while he stayed with the others, which is fine.

At the surface, as expected, it was quite rough and waves were coming up behind me and crashing into the rocks 50 metres away. But I had plenty of bouyancy from my BCD and just swam backwards against the waves until the dive boat came and picked me up. The others emerged about 10 minutes later. Everybody breathes at different rates so my tank emptying sooner is no big deal, but possibly I had breathed a bit more heavily as I was a bit stressed at the start. But I wasn't scared and I didn't panic, we had just gone down to quickly.

When the guide got back in the boat, he said "How many dives have you done". Well, maybe he should have asked me that before we went down, then he might have given me more time to descend. Most people that dive here are quite experienced so I guess he assumed the same of me. So after the dive my ears were a bit sore and I can hear my voice in my head, like when you have a cold, so I have decided not to dive tomorrow, and I will move on. I will have other chances to dive in the coming weeks. At least I have refreshed my skills and feel confident about diving again.

It was fun looking at the other divers' photos and finding out the names of the fish. In the evening we all went to Barracuda's for dinner. Up at our huts there was a group of about 5 large lizards hanging around the outside light, preying on the flying insects that were drawn to the light. It was a great show and funny to watch them stalking and then sticking out their tongues, catching and gobbling up their dinner.

Borneo Rainforest World Music Festival and Orangutans at Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

Saturday 9 July

At lunchtime we (English Lynsey, Dutch Linda, Aussie Treece and me) got on a shuttlebus to the Borneo Rainforest World Music Festival which was held in the Sarawak Cultural Vilage. There were bands and performers from around the world, as well as from Malaysia. The setting was, obviously, the Rainforest and with good weather, a crowd of about 10,000? people, it made a great setting for the festival.

In the afternoon, 'workshops' were held; jamming sessions seems like a better word. Some of the performers who would be playing on the big stages in the evening, came together indoors to jam with members of the other bands.  At the first session we went to there was a digeridoo (a PVC digeridoo, played by an Aussie guy, PVC is easier for travelling with), a banjo, a sax, a drummer from Togo and a couple of local guys.

Next, we gathered at the Lake to watch the Leweton Women's Water Music. These six ladies from Vanuatu, dressed in traditional costumes, make music just from coordinated splashing in the water. They kind of produced beats and rhytmn, it was unique and a highlight.

Next was Rhytmn Method which included percussionists from the bands, and under the direction of a sikh English guy from the band Kissmet, they built up to a crescendo that had the 200-strong crowd jumping and cheering, we were right at the front, and it was great fun.

We had a wander around. I got the chance to play a local instrument, made from bamboo, which you just tap on your knee. I surpised myself by being able to reproduce the sound and rhythmn that the local guy was producing. ( I guess I should found out the name of it!)

The festivities stopped for an hour or so for dinner. With stomach lined, I got stuck into the bottle of cheap ($2) brandy that I had smuggled into the festival inside my poncho in my bag, adding a small can of Red Bull as I went.  Treece also had a stash of beers in a fridge in one of the visitors' longhouses, so that was a result!

As it was getting dark, the main performances alternated between the two adjacent main stages. We saw The Shin from Georgia, then Pacific Curls from New Zealand who were mostly good, although the singer was going on a bit too much about "being yourself" and "loving one another", "Peace" etc...But I liked their violin and guitar sounds. Ilgi from Latvia were good and got the crowd going. Paddy Keenan was a bit mellow for the now excitable and tipsy crowd. Next we saw Warsaw Village Band from Poland and they were great, more Indie than world, and as the brandy and Red Bull kicked in I was really enjoying myself.

We shuffled over to the other stage to see Joaquin Diaz from the Dominican Republic, under a bright halfmoon. We got quite close to the stage and by now there was lots of crazy dancing going on. I have not danced and/or been drunk for a long time but I was certainly in the zone last night. I would have stayed for the last act but the others wanted to head home so I reluctantly joined them. It was a great day/night. The festival is actually for 3 days, but I think my decision to just go one day was just right.


Sunday 10 July

Yesterday a group of 6 girls and 2 guys who work as interns for UNHCR in KL arrived in the dorm, for the festival; they are from various countries but all speak good English. Today I went with the UN interns and Dutch Jamal (who like me has been here all week), to see the orangutans at the Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. We chartered a minivan for the 40 minute drive to the main gate, where the driver waited for us. I wasn't too keen on seeing the orangutans in this controlled environment, especially as I had done the same in Sepilok a few weeks ago, and I am hoping to see them in the wild in Indonesia. But, just in case that does not work out, I thought I would go along with the others today.

So we walked half an hour from the car park down towards the feeding area, and there was already a small crowd gathered, watching an adult and baby resting on a bench in the shade; this was already the closest I had got to an orangutan. The adult had its arm resting along the top of the bench the same way a person might do while sitting on a park bench.

Two adults and 2 youngsters made their way infront of us as the Park guide ushered us back. They climbed up some trees and onto the Welcome sign that leads to the feeding area. Before inviting us to walk to the feeding area, the guide spoke to the crowd about the animals and safety precautions such as making sure water bottles and food are hidden and not to use a flash. unfortunately I couldn't really hear him because many people were chattihg rather than listening and this reminded me of why I would prefer to see the animals in the wild. Still, obviously the rehabilition is good for the orange guys.

We walked about 300 metres through the forest to the viewing platform. Across the clearing was a raised feeding area. One guy put some fruit out and soon enough a smallish orangutan came along the ropes and onto the platform. He took a few bananas in his hands and mouth and cheekily carried a piece of watermelon between his toes. He climbed up a tree where he settled down for his snack. To be fair, the orangutans are semi-wild, they have been released back into the rainforest but down for feeding when they fancy it.

Then, in the distance, we could see the shape of an enormous orangutan; to be honest I hadn't realised they could be so big, it looked like an rust-coloured gorilla. I am sure it could kill you with a swipe of its arm. It climbed down onto the platform and the guide providing the food moved well away so it could enjoy its fruit. Its belly is hairless and its arms and back are hairy, it made me think of a king in a brown furry suit. Mostly it was sitting side-on to us but often it looked around and straight at us. It was like watching a monster!

Meanwhile, behind our viewing area, a few smaller orangutans came down to be fed by a guide with a bucket of fruit. Mostly he would pass the fruit to them and they wouldn't leave until their hands and mouth were full. One orangutan did take straight from the bucket. One orangutan collected food and then passed it on to another, like human friends would.

So, it was a great experience. Better than Sepilok because we saw more animals, they were closer, it was much cheaper and it seemed more intimate, apart from the chitter chatter.

We got the minvan back into town and Jamal and I got roti then just came back to the hostel.

My week in Kuching

Sunday 3rd July

Slept in, then spent most of the day in the hostel. I am in Kuching all week so taking it easy, don't want to do the sightseeing and errands too soon.

Monday 4th July

Monday morning lazy lie-in. In to town to see about some flights, got my beloved old sandals sewn and glued back up by a guy on the pavement. Spent an hour looking for a bicycle hire shop, then it was too expensive. For dinner, I went with some of the guys from the hostel, across the river on a boat-taxi in the pouring rain. Good veggie curry over there and it had stopped raining when we came back.

Tuesday 5th July

Slept in longer than planned but no worries. I went to the Sarawak museum. It was pretty similar to the KK museum but they had some good ethnic carvings there, designed to keep away evil spirits. And there was some good taxidermy in the ethnology museum, lots of native animals. Walked around Chinatown.

Wednesday 6th July

More pottering about town and hanging out in the hostel. I sat by the river and read my book. The locals are friendly, some said "Good morning" as they walked past. And I found some good veggies for lunch, served cold of course, even though they were straight out of the kitchen. Had sweet potato muffin but it didn't taste of anything. And a Red Bean paste steam bun for dinner.

Shared my $2 bottle of whiskey while we watched NSW lose to QLD.


Thursday 7th July

It has been good to just relax in Kuching this week, and not be dragging my bag onto a bus every other day. (not that I am complaining) But now I am ready to do something else. Looking forward to the festival on Saturday. I went across the river this morning and to the old Margherita Fort, which is empty and not much to look at. I was near the large parliament building but couldn't get to it from there. Sat and read my book by the river.

Came back to the hostel and chatted to Nora, who is running the place by herself at the moment. She is a good hostess and a good laugh. She has 2 children back in her village.

In the evening I went out with the guys to the bar at the hostel across the road. We played pool and table football and I had 2 beers! The others went out drinking and dancing all night, but that's not for me. Back at our hostel I chatted to an Aussie guy about Indonesia as he has lived there for 7 years.


Friday 8th July

Hung out with the guys and their hangovers this morning, then at lunchtime I got the bus 11kms out of town to the Cat Museum. It is housed in a large UFO-shaped building. It's a fairly big museum and has many ornaments, paintings, poems, posters and information about the history of cats, types of cats, famous people who had cats, cat behaviour etc. It's quite light-hearted and just fun. Some of the links to cats were quite tenuous as they have a "Curiousity Killed the Cat" (English 80's pop band) Tour poster and a poster of the Cat Ballou movie, which, as far as I remember has no cats, and is only named that because the main charatcer shortens her name, Catherne, to Cat. And hanging from the ceiling was a 'Cat Burgular'. It kept me occupied for an hour or so and I enjoyed hanging out with feline friends. I walked back down to the main road to look for a bus to town, but a couple of guys in a van stopped and gave me a lift; no seats in the back, so I was sat on a spare tyre, next to their plants.

Read by the river. It was been even hotter than usual the last couple of days so I had to have a lie down in aircon room in the late afternoon. Dinner with English Lynsey. 2 soft serve vanilla ice creams each.

Day and Evening Treks in Bako National Park, and Kuching

Thursday 30 June

I met the 3 English travellers at the bus station at 10:30am and we caught the bus out to the jetty at Bako Bazaar where we chartered a half hour boat ride out to Bako National Park. We checked into a comfortable 4 bed hostel. After lunch Lynsey, Danie and I walked past the mangroves and onto the Paku Trail, looking for probiscus monkeys. The trail was a little slippery and mostly across the huge network of thick tree roots, with boardwalk and wooden steps now and again. We soon spotted some probiscus monkeys, quite high up and far away but this was my best view of them so far. Half of the fun is trying to spot them and you usually hear the trees rustle as they move about and swing from tree to tree.

After a while the girls turned back and I continued through the forest, eventually coming out at the small picturesque beach. I sat there for a while then started to head back, as did the few others. The small gray langur monkeys then headed onto the beach to see if the humans had left behind anything they could eat, so we followed them down the beach. There was one adult male and 5 or 6 youngers ones. They didn't find anything to eat but they sat facing us as we sat in a semi-circle watching them; it was a bit like a meeting or a school class.

I walked back through the forest over the tree roots. It took about 45 minutes to get back. As I got close to HQ, one of the locals told me that there were probiscus monkeys in the trees by the beach so I went with a couple of french guys to have a look. With our backs to the ocean, facing the trees we followed a group of probiscus monkeys as they swang their way along from tree to tree, it was like a show. They would stop now and again and grab a branch and then sit on another branch and pick off the leaves and eat them. We were all quite excited and it was funny how everyone is silently animated, pointing out each monkey to eachother, without saying anything.

Back at the canteen we saw the large bearded pigs which are very ugly and spend their days snuffling in the grass.

In the evening there was a huge storm and the temperature dropped.


Friday 1 July

Up early, and after eggs and toast for breakfast I headed out on the Big Loop trek, the others didn't fancy it. When I asked, the lady at reception she said that parts of the trail are slippery and swampy and the water would be up to my knees....hmmmm....

The Big Loop is actually a combination of a number of smaller trails so I met a few people who were heading off in other directions. All the trails are clearly marked by painted squares on the trees as you go. Initially the path is a little uphill over tree roots. I saw a pitcher plant which lures insects with an attractive smell and then captures and eats them; a meat-eating plant! Then the trail was wet and sandy and it was easy to slip. Along the Tajor trail it was back to typical rainforest and a few steep slippery descents and I was holding on to trees for support as I went. There was a part where I had to climb up using tree roots above me to pull myself up.

After nearly 2 hours I came to the Tajor Waterfall, which is not really a waterfall, just a wide stream over some rocks. There are 2 ways to cross: either across a felled tree or by walking on the slippery rocks through the stream. When I got there a french woman was crawling across the tree on her hands and knees and her two children were already on the other side so I didn't want to make too much fuss! I didn't fancy my chances with crawling, with my heavy backpack, so I threw my boots and my moneybelt across the stream to the french family, in case I fell in, and stepped carefully into the stream and back out; the rocks actually had some moss on them and I was able to get a grip.

After a short rest and a banana I carried on to the Bukit Kruing Trail. The next obstacle was a faster flowing stream that ran into a natural pool. The only option was to walk across. Luckily I had brought one of my trekking sticks and used this to help me balance as I waded in, only up to my shins, and walked across the slippery rocks. I continued through the dense forest, then I came to the Ulu Serait Trail, and as the lady had told me, it was swampy.

Sometimes you could walk around the knee-high swamps and often logs had been strategically placed so you could walk across the water, but I still had to hang on to trees, and use my stick for balance as I went; it was fun! I would have taken my boots off and walked in the swamp if really necessary but I just carried on in my not-so-waterproof hiking boots. I only slipped once, onto a log, and quickly stood up before the water started soaking into my shorts. I was in the swampy area for about 1 hour and it was hard work, and you have to concentrate on where you are putting your feet and to look ahead for finding the best route through.

Eventually I came to the Lintang trail which is the last part of the Big Loop. This trail was sandy and wet and then I was back to walking over tree roots and down wooden steps. 6 hours and 10kms after setting off, I arrived back at the HQ, pretty tired, and pleased with myself for successfully completing the Loop.

After a shower I went for a leisurely walk to the jetty, where the tide had gone out. Under the jetty I saw groups of mud skippers heading out to the water. They look like fish but they crawl around and can skip across the water. They seemed quite nervous and would skip away if I got too close.

Near HQ there were a few probiscus monkeys in the trees, and this time they were even closer than last night. They were right above our heads and they just sat there eating while we watched. One of the big males seemed to be posturing for a fight against an unseen male rival (according to a local), and he was getting quite feisty. It was great watching them in their natural environment and they were not the least bit intertested in us.

After dinner we joined the night trek with about 20 others. First they took us to see the bright green highly-toxic pit viper that was hanging around next to the reception area. Then we walked along a boardwalk into the forest. We saw stick insects, spiders, another pit viper, a crab, tree frogs, spider crickets (crickets that look like scary spiders), moths, a kingfisher, a snail and gekkos.


Saturday 2nd July

After breakfast, Lysney and I caught a boat back to the jetty with a dutch couple, and from there we got a bus back to Kuching, I checked into Tracks Guest House. The dorm room is a bit smelly; the staff opened the window and sprayed some air freshener but couldn't tell me the cause of the smell (maybe it's another traveller?)

I got lunch and had a slow wander around town. Then I went to the rugby ground, hoping to watch a game. When I got there there was just one Aussie guy, and a big friendly Kiwi (Islander) guy getting ready. Soon the whole squad turned up, for the practice match, mostly local guys. And there were 5 or 6 retired expats there too, including the Club President, and an English architect who had travelled Africa in the 1970s, lived in Neutral Bay and retired here. They were a nice bunch of guys and each shook my hand as they arrived, and gave me ("smuggled") Singha beer and we swapped stories; I felt a bit like a guest of honour.

The usual torrential rainstorm arrived at 5pm, and the guys carried on playing, rolling around on the flooded pitch, it was fun watching from the shelter of the small covered terrace. There was a rainbow and the early evening light was kind of orange.
 The expats are not the snobbish types just living it up here; they have a genuine interest in the town and the people and the culture.

After the game, I said goodbye to the expats and walked across town to the Weekend markets where there were many fruit and veg and clothes stalls as well as food. I bought apples from South Africa and oranges from America! For dinner I had mee goreng pattaya, which is still rice with chicken and egg, but it is Malay food, and nothing to do with Pattaya in Thailand. It was good. How come with all that wonderful veg at the market, it is so hard to find it in a restaurant?

Bintulu to Kuching

Monday 27 June

Up early and Tan, the minibus taxi man, came and picked us up from the park and brought us to Bintulu. After breakfast we went down to the waterfront to look for a 4x4 to take us to Belaga. I wanted to go to Belaga to take the boat to Kapit and then onto Sibu. After an hour or so we managed to get a 4x4 with 5 other passengers. We were heading into the Borneo interior and the road was bumpy at times. After 4 hours we stopped for a toilet break and I was chatting to the driver; and he said that there is no boat to Kapit anymore, not since they built the dam upriver. Doh! Should have done my research.

So an hour later we arrived in Belaga checked into a Guest House. We talked with the owner who said he could arrange a Longhouse overnight tour but I had read bad things about this guy and didn't trust him to give us a good trip, so I will leave the other guys here and head back up to Bintulu tomorrow, so coming here has been a waste of time and money!


Tuesday 28 June

So another 5 hours and 50 MYR to get back to Bintulu in the 4x4. At midday, got straight on a bus to Sibu. At Sibu I realised it would be quicker, cheaper and easier to get the bus to Kuching tonight, rather than taking the shorter boat journey there tomorrow. So waited around at bus station for 6 hours, mostly reading, it was ok.

So today and yesterday were both a bit of disaster really, I should have done more homework before heading to Belaga.


Wednesday 29 June

Arrived in Kuching at 5am and got to the hostel around 6am, after waiting for the local bus for a short while, just as it was starting to get light. Crashed out for a bit. Then went to the tourist information office and arranged trip to Bako NP for tomorrow; I kind of invited myself along with 3 English people who there for the same reason. Kuching seems like a good place, lots of other travellers which is cool.

Got a text from the Canadians saying the Longhouse tour was great. I should have trusted the guy. Oh well....I still think there was something wrong about him....and he did have a large live snake wrapped up in a big plastic bag all night, which is cruel. I think he plans to eat it, which is one thing, but don't keep an intelligent animal hostage.

On a bit of a mission around town to book accommodation for the coming week and during next weekend's festival, places are booked out and hiking their prices up. But I found a good spot at a good price so pretty happy about that, that it's sorted, as there will be 10 or 20,000 more people in town next weekend.

I went looking for Indian food, it's mostly Chinese around here which I don't really like. I found Indian but it wasn't great, it's still impossible to get a good plate of veggies anywhere. On the way back I walked past a clean housing estate that could easily have been plucked from England. And also a rugby pitch, there is a game on on Saturday afternoon. And I bought some binoculars so hopefully get better wildlife views...

Kuching means cat, and there are a few large cat statues dotted around the town. While I feel bad about not doing the Longhouse Tour (it's too expensive from here) it makes a nice change to just be in the same place for a while without thinking about getting the next bus etc....(well, except going to the NP tomorrow!), although I am not sure what I will do all of next week....sleep in?

Currently sat in the hostel communal area while 3 Malaysian Liverpool fans play Premier League soccer on the x-box.