Day 65 - Basaga Kuching - Productivity was the order of the day

I awoke early as Rebecca left for her plane, finally some alone time with a room to myself. I returned to sleep but soon woke up again and headed to breakfast. It's much cooler here which I have no complaints about they guys were right when they said it was compared to Ketapang but you don't realise until your back. After two coffees and some scrambled egg and beans I was ready to start my day and I had a list. First and formost repack. 

My backpack has become a jumble over the past few days of travel. I also left a bag at Basaga of clothes unsuitable for Ketapang along with extra mosquito sprays and shower gels. It was now time to make it all squeeze back in my bag in an orderly easily findable manner. For those that know me it was a relaxing experience. Once finished I headed outside to sit by the pool and catch up on my neglected blog.

The coffee had done wonders to bring my brain to life and soon I was emersed in it, typing away before heading to the in house computer to upload the photos. The internet is quick here so within the hour I had completed the task. I even got a chance to look through my photos deleting ones that didn't look great blown up on a screen, giving me valuable space for the next leg of the journey.

After an immensely productive morning my tummy was grumbling but having been upset for a few days I stuck to salad which was a mountain and delicious. After downloading a few additional books it's was time for me and Kristi to head to Matang. Leo had kindly offered to let me stay at the facilitators house tonight with a view to work as requested by me tomorrow. 

The house is similar to Matang, tiled floors and a beautiful view of the mountains about a 10 minute walk from the centre. I settle into the guest room, popped some washing in the machine and then Kristi and I popped a DVD on. Twenty minutes in though it started to play up so we switched to another one. It took about three hours to get through as I dyed Kristis hair I the process. Never would have put a girls night in and Kristi in the same sentence but it was really nice. 

After the film we joined Dom outside enjoying the evening breeze. Eventually I decided to cook them dinner as it was getting late. We chatted a lot about the Orangs and Dom said we could join him tomorrow to go and work with them. Awesome! 

Day 64 - Basaga Kuching - Bamboo Tattoo Take Two

 
At 8am my alarm awoke me from my drunken slumber. My head was banging and I felt more than a little ill. I headed to breakfast to line my tummy. At 9.30 Krisit kindly dropped me, Becs and Kerry at the Tattoo place. It was then I realised last nights antics were a bad Idea. 

On the table I could see the design I had chosen over a month ago but slightly different. Ernest's had redesigned it to fit under my current one. I was so happy the decision had been made as I had been fretting over its location for a few days. And frankly I was in no position to be making any kind of decision in my hungover state. After about an hours wait it was time. It took a few attempts and size changes to get right before he started. 

OMG the pain. Being in a more painful place and hungover mean I had lost the ability to control it. It was certainly not this painful last time. After a few hours of being hammered with a needle attached to bamboo it was complete and not a moment to soon. There were points where it was obvious how painful it was and he took great pleasure in making up Stories I could tell my friends as to why it wasn't finished. It made me laugh at least.

The finished result however was beautiful. I am so pleased with it and will forever be a reminder of this wonderful experience and the people I shared it with. If you were wondering its a slow loris after the house I stayed in at Matang. It is also similar to the one Mel had last month. An agreement we made with each other. 

We all returned to Basaga where we grouped with some of the remaining Matang lot and had some lunch. We said a few more goodbyes to people and then I had to sleep. I wasted the afternoon in bed before getting up and going for dinner. Becs, Aleta, Jaye and Kristi are still here so we thought we would go to a restaurant in town. Junk. It's a brilliant little place serving western food. It's like a labyrinth of rooms filled with random objects from a vintage dentist chair to bottles washed up from the sea. The food was also great.

Full and tired we headed straight to bed.
                                                                                                      

Day 63 - Basaga Kuching - Monkee Bar Madness

                                                                                                                
...so it's 10am, I have had broken sleep over the last 24hrs. My brain is not really functioning and working in autopilot. I head to the beauty salon to make myself feel human. After a full body overhaul it was time for some lunch. I ordered chips because I am a bit over rice. The car coma hit so I went for a sleep.

I woke up at 5pm, had a hot clean shower and straightened my hair. First time in 2months it felt amazing! A dash of makeup and I felt human, although it will take some getting used to in the mirror. We all regrouped and head to an Indian restaurant in town. The food was to die for. Especially the chicken. No bones just succulent meat. How I have missed meat these past few months. I was absolutely stuffed, but the Monkee Bar awaited us.

It started off nice and civilised but before long it was carnage. Shots were the downfall. We were all busting out the new routine much to the amusement of the locals who I think were laughing at us not with us. Then came the dancing on the bar stools, which I am pretty sure I fell off a few times. Eventually Kerry wanted to find karaoke. I am not sure any of us realised it was 2am, needless to say we didn't find any so made our way on foot back to Basaga. Becs and I crawled into our room at about 3am. This did not bode well for tomorrow's morning appointment! 

Day 62 - On the move - 24hrs of Transport

It was an early start this morning as we had to have our bags ready at 6.30 so they could take them to the dock, they then came back to collect us. I was sad to be leaving Ketapang. This place has been my home for three weeks, the locals make you feel so welcome and the customs and traditions for etiquette should be installed at home. These things include when shaking someone's hand you then put your hand to your heart afterwards. If someone is sat on the floor which is most of the time here, and someone walks past it is customary for them to lower their body and arm below that of the persons heart on the floor. 

After a short drive taking in the last of the sights and smells of this wonderful place we arrived at the port. The same early morning hustle and bustle greeted us. It wasn't nearly as daunting as the journey here and I was looking forward to sitting up on the deck. After a short snooze I headed out onto deck for a few hours before returning to the blissful cold of the air conditioned cabin. After 8 hours we were pulling into Pontianak port. We past a massive barge carrying half a forest, the result of deforestation and bringing home the reality of why we are here. 

Upon docking the madness ensued. Bags being launched off the boat scrambling to seize your own. We were then whisked into our waiting taxis and headed for a hotel where we would sit in reception until it was time for the bus. Pontianak doesn't have the same feel as Ketapang, there is an air of unease. I am not sure I would walk alone at night round here like I would there. A few scantily clad woman were in and out of the lift in the hotel it was a little bit seedy to say the least but it was a base for a few hours. We ventured out to Pizza Hut where I overdosed on carbs and dairy till I felt sick. Although we have been fed well I haven't felt full like this for a month. 

After another few hours and a quick FaceTime to the parents it was time to head to the bus station. The taxi driver put on the Indonesian rave songs and we all danced in the back seat creating what we have affectionately named the bridge building routine. Moves based on the tools we have been using. It is hilarious and I would be happy to demonstrate upon my return home :) 

We had time for a quick fluid refill at the bus station before boarding our luxury bus. The seats were massive we were each given a pillow and blanket like on a plane. I settled down and within seconds I was asleep. I slept on and off for the next few hours until I was awoken by Kristi at the boarder. It was 5am I barely knew my arse from my elbow. As we queued we were told that when the gates opened we had to run. There were hundreds of people and the thought was quite daunting in my current state. It didn't help it was chucking it down so the ground was slippery. The time came and it was every man for themselves. We pushed and shoved and ran like our lives depended on it. It paid off and we were front of the queue.

After another few hours and some more sleep we arrived back in Kuching where Leo was there to collect us and return us to Basaga. It was now 10am so I will continue this day on the next post.....
                                                                                                                                    

Day 61 - Ketapang Borneo - Final day and Facials

Annoyingly I woke up this morning ready for work, I even got up and had breakfast before realising it was my day off. So I went back to bed and snoozed till 10am. When I got up everyone was milling about getting easy to go to the tailors to pick up our additional trousers. Some were off to get their hair done and I decided it was high time for a wax. Unfortunately this clearly isn't something that's common in Ketapang so I opted for a facial instead.

It was epic. After an hour and a half of lotions and potions, scraping and masks I was done. I was so relaxed but this was to be ruined as I hadn't taken enough money so had to run back to the house. On my way back to the salon I spotted Sarah walking aimlessly trying to find the others who had gone to lunch so said if she wanted to walk with me we would then go and find the others.

By the time we made it to lunch the others were all finished, we were roasting and drank our ice jeruks in one. We ordered and sat with Kristi and Aleta who stayed behind. I had fried rice which was delicious. Afterwards I headed to the cafe to upload some photos to the blog. Unfortunately half of the teenage population of Ketapang were already there busily playing games on the net. This made the connection very slow and I managed one days worth of photos in just under an hour. I have up and returned to the house.

I spent the rest of the afternoon packing and milling about until dinner. I tried on my new trousers which I love and will come in useful for my next part of the adventure in Thailand. We went back to the restaurant we went to on the first night which was a perfect ending the the trip. Noel gave out presents to each of us to thank us for the work we have done. Each of was given something that reminded them of us. I got some fridge magnets in the shape of chillis for my successful magnum challenge win. The presents were so thoughtful, I got a bit emotional. 
                                     

Day 60 - Ketapang Borneo - Venetian Blinds for a Slow Loris

The final day. A chance to get more photos on the way to work. I am not so sure I will miss the bus journey it's a little bumpy I much prefer the bike. I will miss the houses we pass where children always wave and say hello, the random shops and the sense of community these people have. The smells that change from morning to evening and of course the high risk of death by erratic scooter drivers with half their family on board.

Upon our arrival at work we still had jobs to do, some went to clean the van, others the logistics and all the tools. I got to go with Noël to help fix a Venetian blind for a slow loris. Oh yes you read that right. They have a slow loris at the centre called Uut. He is caged under a giant water tank. Until he can be tagged and released he has a lovely little place to reside in the meantime. Unfortunately the sun rises directly into his cage and being nocturnal he likes to sleep during the day. Therefore there is a Venetian blind that can be pulled up at night and released in the early hours of the morning by the night staff. It involved a little climb up a ladder and threading some rope through. Then we had to play around with the weight of the bottom so it would fall.

After this we spent a few hours waiting around, Kristi made herself at home in a wheelbarrow and we all chatted, told jokes and riddles, drew in the sand. We were waiting for Pinky an adult female Orang to be released from Quarantine into the big socialisation cages after having have some dental work done. Like Shirley from Matang she is a big girl and took a long time to go under, hence the two hour wait.

It was great to see her go in, even if she did still look a bit high from the sedation. Just as we were due to leave the heavens opened and cooled us all down a treat. I made my way to the Island to help Noel tighten the last nuts and bolts on the bridges. He went back to get tools so I was on the island on my own. A perfect chance to enjoy the peace and quiet and reflect on the time I have been here and all the incredible achievements our group has made this month. Eventually Noel joined me and we set to work. We shared the workload and soon had all the bolts tighten and hopefully Orang proof. The call of prayer signaled our departure back to the centre with a little detour to the new feeding platform which I hadn't yet seen. Full marks to the guys who built that it's literally in the middle of the jungle with no space around it! 

We packed away and said our goodbyes to the centre and made our way home. Dinner was at a lovely seafood restaurant where we ordered half the menu and all tucked in. Some of the best food so far. We were accompanied by Ibu the lady who cooks for us and her family. Christine, Iyu and Adi the vets as well as Spanish Paloma the researcher. It was a a great atmosphere and enabled us to say all our goodbyes. It won't be for long I hope to be out here before the years out.
                                                                                                         
                            

Day 59 - Ketapang Borneo - Hery knocks up three hoes for the threesome, and a chance to see the baby orangs

I felt much better today, the aches have disappeared and my energy has returned. We made a slight detour on the way to work last the old centre before they bought the one they are in now. It's very central to the town within a small settlement with houses either side. The big cages you have seen before were squeezed into an area about 20 x 30m. All the Orangs at the centre were squeezed in this area, with a field out the back for the exercise of the youngsters. What an amazing transformation to the 60hectare area the centre has now. Karmele truly is an amazing woman to have pushed so hard to improve their conditions in only a few years in a country where things happen at such a slow pace.

We headed off to work where I was back to being a hoe with the hoes. Hery one of the locals knocked up some new handles for our near broken hoes. It's so clever how they do this so quickly. It was good to be back on the farm. I dug a whole new trench just in time for lunch. Half way through some of the others left for some enrichment but Kristi and I battled on, when we stopped for a break we managed to catch a glimpse of some wild macaques. Just one of the awesome things you get to see working here :) They were literally jumping from one tree and hoping they caught the one below it was a great way to spend a short break. By the time I finished I was dripping with sweat but the achievement was worth it. 

Unfortunately I think I slightly overdid it on the farm as I felt a bit sick by the time I sat down to lunch and couldn't really stomach all of it. I even had to have a little snooze.

After lunch I was on enrichment on my own, so I set up a pile of all the things I needed, made myself comfy and popped an episode of Breaking Bad on. I was stuffing cereal boxes with sandust, peanuts and popcorn, then sealing them with tape. Once I had made twelve the others joined me and we headed out to baby school. We got to watch them for a good half an hour. It was amazing. We were so close and were opening their enrichment with such excitement, their little faces when they discovered the sawdust and threw it at each other was so cute. Some were hanging from the trees whacking the others over head with the empty boxes others were sat quietly picking through the sawdust. 

A few of the were curious of the weird people wielding cameras and you had to keep a constant eye out for invaders from all angles, they are very clever and quick when they want to be. It's incredible to think one day these lucky little ones that got a second chance may one day have the chance to live wild again. The babysitters do a great job teaching them all the skills they need for their future.

Soon it was time to go, we left the babies covered in sawdust and headed back to the island to carry the rest of the wood back. What a wonderful afternoon on our penultimate day at work. We arrived home and had our dinner which was noodles then all sat chattering, I retired to my room to watch the rest of Breaking Bad before carrying on with book 14. It was so warm sleep didn't come quickly and kept me awake for some time.