Paul Walters

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Funnel vision. Travelling Up River In Kalimantan, Borneo.

Funnel vision. Travelling Up River In Kalimantan, Borneo.

In July, the rivers are low in Borneo, as we discovered having arrived at the banks of the mighty Rungan, an impressive tributary off the even mightier Kahayan River. Standing on the dock, one actually has to 'look down' at the ‘Rhui Rahayu’, an altogether, stately looking Klotok, which was to be our home for the next three days, moored sixteen meters below us! It's bulky rear structure and elevated foredeck reminded me of a 1950’s drinks cabinet.


Funnel vision. Travelling Up River In Kalimantan, Borneo.



It was love at first sight.

I’m in Palangkaraya, Kalimantan, (the big, Indonesian owned, bit of Borneo,)   a two - hour flight from Jakarta. What intrigued me about this provincial capital, even though I saw very little of it, were the rows and rows of wooden, co-joined houses perched, anxious cheek by nervous jowl, clinging limpet-like to the river banks.




A few of these houses sit at curiously acute angles, tottering on stilts as high as twelve meters, keeping the structures safe from the river’s dramatic rises and falls. Running through this hotch -potch collection is a wooden boardwalk connecting the water- borne residents to dry land. As we step aboard the boat, the last sound I hear is the clack, clack of the boardwalk’s slats as a scooter scuttles along its surface.

Our boat, or klotok is a traditional Indonesian riverboat used primarily to ferry goods and people along the bigger rivers of Indonesia. Its gets its name from the sound the diesel- powered engines make when travelling, “Klo tok, Klo tok, Klo tok”.




The Rhui Rahay is the latest (and smallest) addition to 'Wow Borneo’s' rapidly growing river fleet. It accommodates four with ease in absolute comfort while a skipper; a guide, a cook and an impossibly cheery mechanic attend to our needs.

The engine bursts into life with a throaty cough and a satisfying belch of black smoke and we begin to chug our way north, into the heart of Kalimantan. Within minutes, the city boundaries are behind us; the only other boat traffic we will encounter from here on in will be the tiny ‘alkons.’

These canoe- like structures, are just half a meter long and powered by ‘long tail’ engines; they zip nimbly along at high speed, their gunwales, just centimeters above the waterline. Fishermen crouch low in the bows staring forward, ever vigilant for signs of sandbanks and sunken logs; we barely warrant even a cursory glance.

The river is extremely low and apparently we may have trouble up-river if it has silted up. This announcement provides not even a hint of concern as gin and tonics are sipped, hornbills and eagles spotted, soaring high overhead as we slip willingly into a somnambulant cocoon, as a breeze, soft a gossamer wafts over us.





The river –banks glide past seemingly deserted but actually alive with activity. Fishermen, drawing deeply on their ever present clove cigarettes, squat silently under low - hanging trees,  their lines dangling hopefully in the water. A troupe of monkeys scamper along the banks, deftly stealing the bait from the fishermen’s hooks, three wiry Dyaks roll a gigantic tree trunk out of the forest, while mud -splattered illegal miners toil waist deep in mud as they dredge the river bed in their quest for gold.

We veer left and  are on Rungan’s big brother, the majestic Kahayan or Dyak River.  A kilometer wide, when the river is high, it meanders like a brown snake over six hundred kilometers south from Borneo’s high mountains to empty itself into the Java Sea.




We anchor for the night under the canopy of a huge banyan tree and a sky, peppered with a million stars. Our trusty crew, ply us with more drink and snacks before we tuck into a sumptuous dinner of local fish, rice and a variety of perfectly prepared vegetables.

As a lazy moon makes its way into the tropical night, I have to keep reminding myself where I am, exotic Kalimantan, a gigantic place of steamy jungles; home to the hornbill, orangutan and the ever-smiling Dyak people. Kalimantan is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word, Kalimantan, meaning  'burning weather island. ’

An ironic word as, just two months after I took this trip devastating fires engulfed this magical place. These, deliberately lit fires were started by palm oil companies to clear land for planting.  It seems that our insatiable desire for more and more palm oil has led to one of the world’s largest (and hardly noticed) environmental disasters!! It’s heartbreaking to think that in a few years, this corner of paradise could be converted into plantations.

Cries of howling monkeys, screeching parrots and cockatoos and the high pitched whine of alkons making their way up – river, wake us at dawn.

Fresh, local coffee and breakfast is laid out on the foredeck as the klo tok, klo tok, klo tok from the engine adds to the morning cacophony. We are heading for the small Keleweit Island in search of three wild orangutans who have made it their home.




It turned out not to be our day as we tramped stoically in the equatorial heat all over the island searching in vain for the elusive trio. Undaunted, we travel further upriver to Bappalas island, a monitored orangutan sanctuary, and there they were. 

Three or four orangutans stretched out on their backs, enjoying the mid-morning sun. They seemed not a least bit concerned as we drifted into the bank to get a better look. These particular orangutans are in the last stage of their repatriation in readiness for their journey back into the wilds of North Borneo, many of them having spent much of their early years in captivity.



One of them, Kasey sits in the shallows splashing herself to ward off the fierce midday heat. She apparently has become rather famous and has her own Facebook page.  She was rescued after being caught in  a poacher’s trap where she lost her left hand; now with fires, poachers and an ever diminishing environment, these loveable orangutans could soon be staring into the abyss of extinction…shame on us!

Our floating gin palace suddenly feels like a sanctuary, far from …well anything or anyone really. Life for the remainder of the journey, is a series of visual feasts as we meander sedately at four knots, gliding past  tiny villages, desperately clinging to life on the riverbanks, camouflaged, doe- eyed fishermen eking out their days catch and children romping joyfully in the shallows as only children can.

Let us hope sanity prevails and we allow this almost pristine environment a chance to recover so that the people and wildlife that inhabit it have at least a decent opportunity to survive.

Images by Paul v Walters



Paul v Walters is an internationally acclaimed author and when not cocooned in sloth and procrastination in his house in Bali he scribbles for several international travel and vox pop journals.His latest offering, "Scimitar" will be released in August 2016


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Komentar

Paul Walters

7 tahun yang lalu #7

#11
Pamela I posted a piece a few weeks ago on be BEE on mass cremations in Bali which you may find interesting.

Paul Walters

7 tahun yang lalu #6

#11
Thanks Pamela, Over the next few weeks I will post a few pieces from Sulewesi, West Papua, Flores and Java . Thanks for the support as well as your kind comments .

Paul Walters

7 tahun yang lalu #5

#3
Thanks for the comment Dean. I'm told Kasey is nearly ready to head to the high hills of North Borneo where hopefully she will be safe from poaching and palm oil companies!

Paul Walters

7 tahun yang lalu #4

#4
Thanks Oliver, Fire up there gets worse every year. In September 2015 Singapore, Jakarta and KL airports were forced to close due to the haze! Palangkaraya residents had to endure weeks of visibility of just 10 ft!!! Maybe, just maybe someone will see sense someday. In just one generation over 75% of the forest on that huge island has gone forever!! Sumatra is not far behind !

Paul Walters

7 tahun yang lalu #3

Thanks James, as mentioned the fires this year were the worst on record. God knows how many orangutans perished. Maybe the current government under Jakowi will see some sense at some point. heres hoping anyway.

Dean Owen

7 tahun yang lalu #2

My heart goes out to Kasey. If we want to save the Orangutan from extinction (The Sumatran Orangutan population is down to 7,300 primarily due to deforestation), we need to stop our consumption of Palm Oil based products (including my favourite Skippy's Peanut Butter).

Paul Walters

7 tahun yang lalu #1

#1
Thanks Phillppe, much appreciated . Your sentiments are in a way mine even though as a travel writer I travel far and wide to try and find relatively out of the way places. Indonesia can provide numerous destinations where no tourists have ever been. Hopefully in my lifetime they will remain slightly untouched! Bali is indeed a good compromise but even this paradise is choking on its own success with more and more hotels being built each year,

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