Jeff and I headed off for a quick trip to Kalimantan last weekend for a chance to see the endangered Orangutans. In Indonesian orang means "person" and hutan means "forest", so orangutan means person of the forest. We'd been warned by friends to be ready to rough it and thank goodness we came prepared with wet wipes and snacks! It was sad to see that a mining operation has polluted the river water so extensively that it closely resembles chocolate milk. The wildlife viewing was unforgettable though and it felt like we could have starred in a nature documentary.
Most of the orangutans we saw were living near Camp Leakey, a research and rehabilitation facility. They're fed a supplemental meal of bananas and milk once a day and have become very comfortable around humans. We saw 2 wild orangutans along the river which was so exciting.
One of the wild rangas munching on some fruit
This gal seemed pretty used to posing for tourists
This mom kept stealing food from the crews backpacks and ended up spilling milk all over herself and her baby.
Splits!
This male had huge shoulders and arms and our guide said he still wasn't fully grown
We saw so many little babies clinging to their moms while they climbed from tree to tree. This pair came so close to us that we were nervous she was going to grab the camera as Jeff filmed.
This gibbon was getting ready to steal some bananas during feeding
Long-nosed monkey, a very common sight during the weekend
Beautiful sunset on the boat
Sun bear breaking into a beehive
It sounds crazy, but we both found the hole in the ground more inviting than the wet toilet seat. I wasn't nearly as excited when I noticed our dishes were washed in the same river water all the toilets open into. Our stomachs survived the weekend and I have a new respect for the "clean" tap water we're so fortunate to have in Jakarta.
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