I would do well to be reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as I meander up the black river through the jungle of Indonesia's Tanjung Puting National Park. I could well liken the experience to exploring the depths of the Congo as for the majority of my 3-day trip, I have seen very little traffic deluding me slightly that I am on my own out here (aside from my guide, 2 man crew and incredibly diligent chef). That is until we reach the orangutan feeding stations at feeding time when all the boats emerge from their murky corners armed with SLRs aplenty to watch the spectacle. Though there's still less than a dozen of us and we're easily outnumbered by the primates.
Although my tourist comrades and I join forces at designated times, my personal guide Jenie (yes private boat is the only viable option and Kalimantan is not the easiest spot to find other backpackers it turns out) has gone to great lengths to conduct walks and find moorings where we can be alone amongst nature.
Ok, the orangtutan encounters are a little contrived given there are feeding times and places to help these semi wild creatures survive as their habitat is rapidly eroded. But goodness, it's still an awesome and intimidating sight to see a fully grown male orangtutan dominate whilst he defends his dinner. And seeing a baby orangtutan clinging to its mother as she swings amongst the vines, or watching them link feet in the trees. I've also had the dubious fortune of seeing a rather hefty male overestimate the strength of a vine and come crashing out of the sky!
As well as orangutans, I've seen the proboscis monkey, also endemic to Borneo, long tail macaques, silver leaf monkey, maroon leaf monkey, wild boar, water monitor lizard and countless bird species. My guide is a bit of an avid bird watcher so he's been luring them with bird calls and has an amazing eye for spotting the wily creatures before handing me the binoculars and watching me struggle to see anythin amongst the leaves.
I've been immensely well fed too - each mealtime consists of at least 4 dishes and a fruit finish, of which I can barely consume half of what's put in front of me. It is another reason why I would value a companion, as food waste greatly distresses me. And I feel like a maharaja, or more appropriately a maharani, being waited on in this manner - a feeling I'm not entirely comfortable with.
Food waste aside, it's been an excellent trip so far. I'm eager to see if the fireflies sparkle tonight like fairylights in the trees, and if the stars will reveal themselves as full blanket of sequins as they did last night. Though I'm equally hoping, rather optimistically, that the bugs might leave me alone. I am covered in bites. They even attacked my collarbone yesterday despite copious amounts of repellent and smoke deterrent. That is definitely one thing to look forward to about returning to Blighty - perhaps it was the itching and not the jungle that turned old Kurtz mad in the end. Though I think Indonesia's heart of darkness, with all its beautiful and fascinating creatures, is a much nicer way to go.
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