We have left the jungle of Kalimantan behind and are having a needed day of rest at a beautiful property in central Java, a former Dutch coffee plantation, MesaStila.  We are in the mountains so it is a bit cooler but still pretty humid. But the national parks in Kalimantan were worth seeing.

Kalimantan is the name of the Indonesian section of the island of Borneo. The way into the park for tourists is by klotok, or wooden boat, up the Sekonyer River.  The boats dock at trailheads which lead to the feeding stations about ½ mile away. Most are fairly easy to navigate although there is lots of mud. The feedings are at scheduled times. . Although this is shoulder season and pre-covid tourism has not yet fully rebounded, there were lots of boats navigating up and down the river and stopping at various stations.

We stayed at an “eco-lodge” on the banks of the river for one of the two nights we were there but ate all of our meals on the boat. We spent the second night on the boat which had a lovely bedroom and a bathroom below in addition to the bed on the main deck – this way we could accommodate a flight schedule change without having to wake up at 3:30 a.m.  The boat was all ours with cook, captain and one or two assistants. Our guide, Tina, was with us the entire time — a warm beautiful Muslim woman, very knowledgeable about the jungle and the animals. The food was fresh and delicious —and plentiful. Lots of fresh fruits not usually part of our diet — mango, passion fruit.

The orangoutangs were amazing. At a given time the rangers dump piles of bananas and fruit on a platform and they congregate, sometimes wandering right past the assembled tourists to get there — huge males, moms with babies. On our trip to the third feeding platform at the Leakey Research Station it poured — the large male was so distressed he spent a good bit of time with his hands on his head. But one or two got inventive and began tearing off branches with leaves and holding them over their heads as sort of makeshift umbrellas. A few macaques showed up, tolerated if not exactly welcome.  There are also proboscis monkeys(the ones with the huge nose that resemble Jimmy Durante) in this jungle but I found it impossible to get a good shot of one.

Spectacular visit!!!

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