Thursday, February 07, 2008
`Borneo - Evidence of Orang Utans in the Vicinity!
Half-eaten food discovered on the rain forest floor - orang utans are pretty messy eaters and don't usually eat every last scrap.
Nests in the treetops. They build a fresh nest every night.
Nests in the treetops. They build a fresh nest every night. Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Borneo - Long House Living
Communal living is an art which which we found particularly difficult on this occasion!
Borneo - Learning Local Skills
Amongst other things, we learned how to weave mats & baskets, how to help ourselves to a drink of water & make a whistle from the surrounding lush vegetation, how to catch fish & how to butcher a deer (these last 2 we just watched!).Monday, February 04, 2008
Borneo - Insect Life
Some very beautiful, some not so beautiful!
The top photo, though not the clearest image, had to be included because it´s a leech in action on Howard´s arm!! We were leeched on a regular basis - sometimes we felt it happening but at other times we only realised we´d been leeched when we noticed the blood soaked clothing (& we mean blood soaked - for little creatures they can do quite a bit of damage!!)
The top photo, though not the clearest image, had to be included because it´s a leech in action on Howard´s arm!! We were leeched on a regular basis - sometimes we felt it happening but at other times we only realised we´d been leeched when we noticed the blood soaked clothing (& we mean blood soaked - for little creatures they can do quite a bit of damage!!)
Borneo - River Travel
The only way to reach the Iban settlement was by boat - there are no roads into their area.
Borneo - The Rain Forest & The Iban
Our week of trekking in the Borneo rain forest was wonderful in many ways & definitely an experience we would not have wanted to miss. We didn't actually spot any Orang Utans during any of our 4 treks into the heart of the jungle, but we did see evidence of their presence, mainly in the form of nests, tracks & the remains of their meals. The trekking was challenging but fantastically satisfying. We just loved being out in the forest.
We were privileged to get to know a community of Iban people (luckily their days as head hunters are long past!), staying in one of their traditional long houses. We were slightly surprised (& foolishly disappointed) to discover that the lifestyle of the Iban people is much more westernised than we had expected - their long boats are powered by outboard motors, they have electric generators installed & can therefore watch TV, DVDs & videos. We even had showers & toilets at our disposal. The really big disappointment, though, was the huge amount of alcohol that was drunk both by the younger members of the Iban tribe & by all the other British members of our group which threatened to completely ruin the whole experience for us. The noise went on late into the night & was inescapable in the shared accommodation - there was no privacy, nowhere to hide!
We were privileged to get to know a community of Iban people (luckily their days as head hunters are long past!), staying in one of their traditional long houses. We were slightly surprised (& foolishly disappointed) to discover that the lifestyle of the Iban people is much more westernised than we had expected - their long boats are powered by outboard motors, they have electric generators installed & can therefore watch TV, DVDs & videos. We even had showers & toilets at our disposal. The really big disappointment, though, was the huge amount of alcohol that was drunk both by the younger members of the Iban tribe & by all the other British members of our group which threatened to completely ruin the whole experience for us. The noise went on late into the night & was inescapable in the shared accommodation - there was no privacy, nowhere to hide!
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