WWF - HoB School Trip

Blog 8: leaving the Heart of Borneo

2012-10-31

"Woke up feeling sad. I'm going to miss the people and places on this trip. It's been truly life-changing."

"I hope WWF and other organisations are successful in saving the Heart of Borneo. I was shocked at the amount of degraded forest I saw. I hope the HoB will stay just as preserved, pristine and amazing when I take my children there."

"I have learnt so much this trip. About the culture, the environment, the people, my friends and my self. The Heart of Borneo trip was no doubt a life changing experience for me."

"Thank you HoB for the amazing experience. It changed me...for the better. Hope to meet all you wonderful and inspiring people soon."

"I was hit by a strong feeling of sadness knowing today was the last day of the trip. Hard to return to real life after this. It has been an amazing week and I can't believe some of the things I've done. This has been an opportunity not many will have and I will cherish it for however long I can."

"It was truly an amazing experience and we cannot thank WWF enough for giving us such a wild ride. I salute the organization for its tireless efforts to help preserve the forest, culture and wildlife of Borneo."

"I was very sad as before I even arrive at Jakarta, I can already feel that I will miss the trip so much. I really do hope that we can reunite and visit Kalimantan together again in the future."

"This trip was one of the trips that will stay in my memory as this trip is fun yet unforgettable. It is challenging and it forced me to do something that I haven't tried before. This trip also pushes me to do things that are over my limit and now I know my real abilities (such as trekking)."

"It was a really emotional goodbye because everyone had bonded with everyone else. I guess that's what happens to you when you're put in unfamiliar circumstances! No words can explain how life changing and precious this experience is to me. I think this Is a kind of experience that money can't buy. If given the chance, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat."

Reading back over these entries as I added them to this blog post gave me goosebumps. It was truly inspiring to see these students open themselves up and jump in to the adventure. They were interested, intelligent and enthusiastic. The kind of change-agents I want to see in the world. Thank you for making the trip so memorable.

Blog 7: winding down - returning home

2012-10-31

The second last day of the trip. A slow day of travelling via boat and car to Putussibau. Less eventful than the first boat ride (the rain has meant the river has risen a little), we only have to contend with the heat of the sun. Most of us spend the 7 hours curled beneath sarongs, scarves, hats and raincoats – whatever will cover us – watching the world float by.

"We started the long 7 hour boat trip quite early. I'm going to miss our host. They were so friendly and so sweet."

I really noticed all the logs along the river bank on this trip. Apparently they are from the illegal logging that took place before the nearby border crossing to Malaysia closed. The logs are now unable to go through so they lie wasted by the river, or clogging it from within.

"When we have arrived at Lanjak we went straight to Putussibau and checked in at a hotel near the WWF station. For dinner, we went to a restaurant where we watched a dance performance."

"Went to dinner in the same yummy restaurant as before. Delicious food. So glad I could eat something other than fish!"

"Witnessed a pretty groovy concert. Saw some wonderful girls dance to some really catchy music. They were great!"

"After that, Nugie sang a song about our trip, the song was amazing and what makes it more amazing is the fact that he made it spontaneously. All the information about the trip was in the song, it was really good!! Other performance by the people from WWF is also performed and I loved it as I now know their other abilities."

"It was a great way to end the trip!"

Blog 6: rain delays and dancing

2012-10-31

We've been woken by Nugie's singing - it's a nice way to wake up. In the middle of a forest. The rain as the backup to Nugie's voice and his guitar.

The rain started during the night so we wait it out in the research station playing cards, singing, watching the rain come down.

"Today started off with a rainy morning. The cold morning dew greeted me with a heart delight. I was also awakened to this unfamiliar pleasant scent. I think it was the mixture of the rain and the forest. Today's schedules were all postponed due to the rain. However, I think it was really good since it gives us lots of time for a much needed relaxing time."

"Ever since I opened my eyes this morning, Nugie has been singing. The rain was with us from early in the morning, this makes us unable to start from the morning and we ended up talking and playing cards."

"After the lazy morning, we made our way back to the long house in Meliau by boat. Then, we had a lazy afternoon resting in the longhouse. It is moments like these that I treasure the most."

"At night we watched a traditional Dayak dance and were forced/threatened/dragged to join in. The sheer awfulness of our dancing caused fits of laughter."

"The 'cultural night' was a really memorable experience for me. During the 'cultural night' I realized how regardless of our race, culture and backgrounds, when it comes to just having fun we could all come together!"

"It was a really amazing experience and followed by Nugie who sang a magical song about Indonesia to the local people."

Blog 5: surrounded by trees

2012-10-31

We left the long house early on long boats that took us through a shallow, narrow river that left most of the boat drivers waist deep in water, pushing and pulling us along. The river opened onto Danau Sentarum. The pictures can explain the lake better than my words ever could.

I'll hand the story-telling back to the students:

"This is the day where we will trek along the habitat of orangutan. In order to go to the area, we have to get on the long boat again. There is a time where the boys have to get out of the boat to give ease to the one who drives the boat as the river is small and hard to go through as logs can be spotted. After passing the small river, we went through a lake, the lake itself is very beautiful and it is said that Arwana and crocodile can be found at this place."

"We passed Danau Sentarum, which was just beautiful. It felt so pristine. I hope it stays that way for a long time."

"Not much talking this trip. There was too much beauty to look at."

We landed at the research station which sits surrounded by trees in the midst of a forest. It's a simple wooden building with 3 rooms for sleeping, a bathroom (running water!) and a wide verandah. It was built here because the area was being logged illegally – the idea was that placing the station there would help deter the illegal activities.

We rested awhile and then separated into groups for a hike:

"And then...there was...the hike. It was AMAZING. I just had the time of my life walking through the dense jungle with no trails or any sort of man-made structures. We had to swing on trees, slip up and down super steep hills and avoid thorny plants. The hike was also quite educational as we learnt about the stages and positions of orangutan nests. We also learnt how to recognize edible plants in the forest. I hope I never get lost but if I did, I reckon I could survive."

"I learned a lot of interesting survival skills during the jungle trekking including plants that we can eat and how to get water from trees! Sadly, we didn't get to see any orangutan; I think we were too loud... At the end of the day, I think I shouldn't have been scared off by the jungle trekking because it turned out to be a lot of fun!"

"During the trekking activity, I had the chance to receive a photography lesson given by Pak Sugeng (WWF's photographer), I learned about the 1/3 rule as well as the right proportion of a photo. During the trek, we saw mushrooms, normal mushrooms as well as the black ones. We also saw 2 orangutans nests, but too bad we didn't encounter any of the orangutans. Although, we almost saw a gibbon but then it went away after hearing our voices."

"The hike was unlike any other hike I've experienced before...I was so exhausted by the end of it, but it was amazing! I feel like I have climbed Mt Everest or something!"

"The hike was the best part of the trip...we didn't see any orangutan but we did see nests. Hendri (our guide) taught us the positions and 5 classes of the nest and then tested us.

The jungle was thick and it made it more challenging and fun to trek. We only saw giant ants (no other wildlife) but I'm not surprised as we did often forget to be quiet. It was so inspiring for Hendri to express his love of trees."

We spent the night sitting around a bonfire, telling stories, sharing talents (or lack of!). These diary entries sum up the end of the evening nicely:

"Before going to sleep, my friends and I spend our time by playing cards, when we did, we heard someone singing and it turns out that the singer Nugie has arrived!!! whoaaa!!!"

Nugie, his assistant, and a handful of WWF staff serenade us into the night. Nugie, an Indonesian musician and keen WWF supporter, has joined the trip to experience the Heart of Borneo and help us promote our work here.

"There was a bonfire at night. We traded experiences. Went to bed really early. We had a 1cm pad for a bed and a mosquito net for a blanket. I fell asleep immediately."

Blog 4: into the thick of it

2012-10-29

We asked the students to keep diaries. I'll let them tell you their stories.

"Today was the most scariest and exciting and adventurous things I have ever done."

"Today will be a very long day as we will ride on a long boat and will have to be in it for more than 7 hours. Before facing the ride, we went to a plantation where they plant plants that will help the orangutans to migrate from one area to another. This will also help the orangutans in being able to have more food. I had the chance to plant my own plant, this includes digging the hole by myself, this is a new experience for me, which I enjoyed."

"It felt good to give back to the environment."

"We were also shown the different types of plants grown in the area, like iron wood. I also found out that some plants are specifically grown as food for the orang-utans."

"This was the first point in our trip where we were exposed to nature. In the restoration area, we planted plant and trees and also learned about the vision and mission of the restoration area. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the restoration area involved more than 100 families (and it's a voluntary work!). The reason why I was pleasantly surprised is because it was voluntary, and such a numerous number of families contributed, I realized how thoughtful and concerned the people are who lives along the restoration area. "

"After that, we made our way to a micro hydro plant located near a long house. On the way there, I rode in the trunk of an open trunked truck. For me personally, it was the zenith of the whole trip. The view on the way to the micro hydro plant was cinematically picturesque. Along the way I just thought repeatedly to myself 'Thank God I carped this one diem'."

"I'm pretty sure this was my first time seeing a long house in real life. It was so amazing to learn that the entire extended family lives in this one house. We were brought inside where we watched a lady traditionally make an Indonesian-designed cloth. The designs were so intricate – I probably would have gotten cross-eyed I was so impressed."

"We were then taken on a short hike down to a river where the local micro-hydro station, which supplied electricity for the people, was."

"I think the concept of the micro hydro plant to supply electricity and energy for the long house is a grandiose idea as the local people were able to take advantage of natural renewable resources!"

"The plant wasn't working at the moment because of a lack of rain but you could see how it worked. They piped off a section of the water into the generator. Idea is that if nature is providing them with power, they will think twice before harming it."

"We hiked a little more up the river to where the river was separated into two. One to supply water to the micro-hydro and another to continue flowing down the river. Because of the need for electricity, the local people now know that in order to get electricity, they need to protect the environment surrounding them. If they pollute the river or ruin its surroundings, it not only affects the environment, but it affects their source of electricity."

One group's boat ride went well – just long:

"After that, we went on a long boat ride to get to Meliau. It was honestly a bittersweet experience haha! During the prolonged boat ride, I bonded with my schoolteacher and my friends. It was really hilarious how we went "crazy" because the boat ride seemed never-ending. But it was an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. When we arrived at the local village, I was both relieved and sad that the boat ride ended."

The other group's ride wasn't so comfortable:

"The trip in the boats down the river to the long house was a real life adventure a city girl may only get once in a lifetime. For the river drivers of Borneo, it's just another day in the life...for me and my four students, it's a story we'll be telling friends for the rest of our lives."

"Had a few close calls when we smacked into submerged logs, our boat captain had incredible reflexes and even better eyes. The river was littered with logs so navigation was slow going."

"It started getting dark and our captain's light ran out of battery."

"We spent a scary 3 hours inching slowly down the river in the dark hoping not to hit anything."

"We recited poetry to the moon to light our path."

"Eventually all the last boats gathered together and sailed in a convoy. There were light signals between boats signalling safety and danger."
"Dinner was ah-mazing."

They made it safe and sound, hungry and tired to the Meliau long house.

"At the village, I just knew that the toilet is made out of two planks of wood and what came out of us will go straight inside the river, this pretty much amazed me. Although what surprised me the most is the fact that we have to use the water from the water to take a bath while the water itself is brown. In this village, the electricity is generated by genset which means that it is not possible for them to turn on the electricity all day long. The electricity itself is on when it is night time."

"To be honest our stay in this village was more or less a "wake-up call " for me. I realized how fortunate I am and that I should never take it for granted. As cliché as it is, I can truthfully say that I learned as much life lessons as environmental knowledge from this trip."

Blog 3: Putussibau to Lanjak

2012-10-10

We leave for Putussibau early. Our colleague Ochie, who we've sadly left behind to hold the fort in Jakarta, has already told us to try sit on the left side of the plane so we could see Danau Sentarum (Sentarum Lake) as we fly over but the smoke is still thick and we only see blurry shapes below.

Putussibau sits in the upper reaches of the Kapuas river, the longest river in Indonesia and one of the longest in the world. It's a small town but the centre of an important area of West Kalimantan – around 56% of the area surrounding Putussibau is national park or conservation area. We can see the green surrounding us - I'm excited about being in and seeing places that I feel I know so well from photographs and YouTube videos.

The town straddles a long, winding, busy main street which is where we find the WWF office and where we meet Albertus Tjiu, Project Leader for Kapuas Hulu in WWF-Indonesia and his team.

Although I know that there is a lot of work being supported over here by WWF (both Indonesia and around the world) - a brief rundown on the key focus areas for the team makes me realise just how enormous and diverse their task is. Their projects cover ecotourism, conservation biology, community empowerment, environmental water services, forests and a legal and policy arm that supports and builds the capacity of local law enforcement. It will be great to see how some of this is playing out on the ground and I've already started my list of potential stories to be used to promote their work.

A quick lunch and we're bundled into 4WDs to start the 3 hour journey to Lanjak, a small village on the edge of Danau Sentarum National Park. The road alternates between rocky, sealed and potholed passing smouldering blackened patches of land, forests and villages of roaming pigs and scratching hens.

Once we hit Lanjak, we've got 3 accommodation options – a small hotel next to the WWF office, rooms adjoining the office or a couple of rooms in houses down the road. I'm in a room in a house down the road and it's a nice way to see how people live out here.

The house is more like a guesthouse with around 10 bedrooms, mostly filled with young women or young families, and a communal kitchen and bathroom. I share a small simple room with Very which has thin mattresses on the floor and a sheet over a window. There's a little boy running around outside the room and I suppose he's not used to orang putih (local way of saying white people) around here because he sees me and stops, slowly opening his eyes and mouth wider and wider in surprise and once I laugh he runs off screaming in excitement. The camera comes out and I'm stuck taking photos of him and his brother doing ninja poses for the next half hour.

After dinner women from a local women's group came in to show us their craft and share their skills. They were initially using native seeds as beads and creating pieces for traditional dress but when WWF came along in 1996, they suggested combining the seeds with glass and plastic beads and selling the items. Most of the pieces (necklaces, bracelets, telephone holders, pencil cases) made by this group are sold to visitors passing through, at exhibitions in Jakarta and by special order. Not their main source of income – it's just a hobby for many – they'd just received an order from Germany for 500 pieces having been discovered at an exhibition. Some of the students had a go at beading but I think they'd need a lot more practice to keep up with these women!

Slowing down for the night, our last stop is the long-delayed National Indonesian Independence Day celebration that the village chief has invited us to. They're keen for our group to enter the talent show but everyone seems to be looking at the ground/moon...

Blog 2: a smoky start

2012-10-09

An early start and we finally make it into Pontianak after a 3 hour delay...smoke from fires most likely set for land clearing have been causing problems for days, disrupting air traffic but also communities – let alone the disruption to the environment.

Land clearing is one of the biggest threats to Borneo's forests. Each year many hectares of rainforest are cleared for agricultural use – forests that are home to orang-utans, pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinos and many other species that seek shelter and find food in these forests.

'Slash and burn' is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to clear land for agriculture which is why it is so hard to control. It was a timely reminder of why we're here, why we're doing what we do.

With sleepy, smoky eyes, we enter Pontianak. A long, flat, busy city – who knew that traffic jams in Indonesia existed outside of Jakarta! – surrounded by green.

Our planned first stop, to visit students at Bhayangkari High School, was postponed due to our lateness so we lunch first and it is a good thing we do – we all seem in need of some revitalisation after our slow, early morning.

The feast we found at Handayani restaurant was incredible. A long table bowing under plates of local deliciousness like squid in squid ink, banana leaf flower, a local sambal (chilli) with mango and a delicious fern-like weed called pakis that grows wild around Borneo – I discovered it in Sarawak and was very happy to find it again.

Refreshed, we return to Bhayangkari High School for an afternoon of learning about environmental issues and sharing ideas on how to work towards a healthier planet – all under the direction of WWF West Kalimantan's Communications Coordinator and our guide, the very knowledgeable, insightful Jimmy. It's interesting to compare the perspectives of the students from Jakarta to those from Pontianak – the Jakarta students were directing us towards the big national picture while the local students were bringing the focus back down into the everyday – each complementing the other.

It was inspiring to watch these bright, intelligent young people interact with each other and talk about protecting our planet, fully aware of the earth's importance.

We've asked the students to keep a diary documenting their experience so keep checking back as we'll update these posts from their perspective soon.

Blog 1: Into the Heart of Borneo

2012-09-27

Sitting in an office in the south of Jakarta, it's hard to imagine what the next week is going to be like. I've been to Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysian Borneo but spent most of my time in places that catered for tourists. I think this trip will be different.

We're going into the Heart of Borneo.

By we, I mean Very, Charlotte (my WWF colleagues), a videographer and me (Jane), along with 10 high school students – winners of the HoB Youth Student Debate held earlier this year, two of their teachers, a national celebrity and WWF supporter, Nugie and a team of WWF West Kalimantan staff who will be our guides.

The next week will be spent moving from town to village to forest in planes, 4WDs and long boats, staying in hotels, a research station and a long house.

We leave at a time tomorrow that sits in the abyss between night and day. A time I'm not even sure really exists.

Flying into Pontianak, we'll stay for a night and then fly to Putussibau. A trip that is around an hour by aeroplane or 18 hours by car: we chose aeroplane (although that may change when I see the size of it).

From Putussibau, we'll go to Lanjak to visit conservation and livelihood project sites and speak with people from the local community. Then Semangit, a village located on top of Lake Sentarum. Meliau is next for (hopefully) some orang-utan spotting then Lubuk Liuk Village, another lake-top village, fishing-focused and tiny. And then we go back the way we came, only more quickly.

We're going to be collecting stories to share the unique social and natural capital of the Heart of Borneo to help people understand why we're working so hard to protect it. We'll keep you updated as we go, as much as we can.

Stay tuned...