Vietnam, Cambodia, et. al.

Post Script

seesea — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:18:00 GMT

Colorado looks so brown after all of the greens of Southeast Asia. Lucky for us it is unseasonably warm but still no match for the 90 degree weather of Singapore. The dry air is already taking its toll on our skin and hair. I am suffering from a combination of the altitude (we are at 6200 feet elevation) and jet lag; it is always worst for me when traveling eastward.

It is nice to be home but it will take a while to re-adapt to the pace of life in America. It seems strange to see more cars than motorbikes. When people ask what we miss most when we are away the answer is always ‘our bed.’ Being able to drink water from the tap is nice, hot water and a refrigerator are convenient and having more than one electrical outlet and bulb in a room is enlightening. But this time food comes to the top of the list. We have been eating out for five months. You may think, “I love Vietnamese/Thai/Indonesia/Balinese (choose all that apply) food,” but that is for the occasional dinner out, not for weeks on end. It doesn’t take long before you are searching out a pizza joint or a place with pasta on the menu. Even a KFC or, god forbid, a McDonalds makes your mouth water. I never knew what ‘comfort food’ meant until now. We had food dreams regularly in the last month and I look forward to cooking again – but no rice!

All together we were gone for five months and visited nine countries; Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore. We stayed in 52 different hotels in 40 towns. We also spent four nights on trains, one on a boat, one on a sleeper bus and one on the cold, hard floor of the Kuala Lumpur airport. We visited six national parks, twelve UNESCO World Heritage sites and spent three weeks in the forest in Borneo. And all this for less than $7,000.

It is time for our annual medical and dental check-ups and to get back into an exercise routine. Thanks to daily doses of vitamins and anti-malarials we remained healthy the whole time but we had medical/evacuation insurance just in case. As in all developing countries clean drinking water is an issue. If we each purchased two liters of water a day it would have cost over $500 and there would have been the 600 empty plastic bottles. Instead we brought along our $50 water filter and refilled the bottles from the sink. We also shunned the ubiquitous plastic bags and stuffed purchases into our pack.

We will get back into our volunteer mode next week with the Museum of Nature and Science and The Wildlife Experience. We may also have an opportunity to work with The Nature Conservancy in Colorado this summer. In Singapore we met with fellow Explorers Club member John Potter who inspired us to make presentations about our travels and projects. He is the real deal, a Cambridge PhD who spent four seasons conducting acoustic research on the ice in Antarctica. He also sailed his young family across the Pacific on their 60 foot boat and spent another year conducting research with them in the Indian Ocean. He reminded us the governments and NGOs haven’t been able to affect the changes the world needs. It’s up to individuals and our job is to inspire them. So we will talk to social groups, libraries, schools and Roots & Shoots clubs and spread the word.

Homeward Bound

seesea — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:08:00 GMT

We leave for home tonight, just before midnight. The problem with using frequent flyer miles is that you get the worst connections and long layovers. We will reclaim that day we lost on October 20, or more correctly we will get back two more nights of March 17 which we will spend sleeping on planes; Singapore to Tokyo and Tokyo to LA.

Here is the scorecard for the trip: In five months we stayed in forty towns in nine countries. We have slept in 52 different hotel rooms, four trains, two planes, one boat, one bus and spent one night on the floor of the Kuala Lumpur airport. We visited seven national parks and spent three weeks in the forest in Borneo. We lost track of the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites we visited but Angkor Wat tops the list. Connie has added 450 new birds to her life list which now totals over 2,000 and there are a few less of the 1000 places we have to see before we die. We met tons of new and interesting people and are more inspired to travel than ever before. Best of all the whole trip cost less than $7,000. Not bad, huh?

S'pore

seesea — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:03:00 GMT

Singapore is a city and an island and a country of 4 ½ million people. It is sparkling clean (spitting carries a hefty fine), restaurants and bars are smoke-free and traffic jams just don’t happen. Like Georgetown and Melaka in Malaysia, Singapore is one of the Straits Colonies and the influence of Brits like Raffles is still present. Christian churches nestle next to Hindu and Buddhist temples and skyscrapers somehow fit nicely among pastel-colored colonial buildings and shophouses.

Everything is expensive, it is one of the world’s ten most expensive places to live. Our S$110 room at the Southeast Asia Hotel – the cheapest mid-price in Lonely Planet – would have cost less than $20 in Hanoi. We expected to pay a lot for our first meal at the deli in the Raffles Hotel but it doesn’t really matter where you eat; it costs a lot even at the Chinese food stalls.

The public transportation system is clean, efficient and economical. We have used the MRT trains to go to the Wetlands Reserve and the Singapore Bird Park. The 45 minute rides cost about $1.50 and the connecting buses half that. The signs and announcements are in English so we had no problems figuring out the system. Once the train emerges from underground you see countless blocks of high-rise apartments but they somehow seem livable, nothing like the ‘projects’ of Chicago or NY.

The Wetlands Reserve feels larger than it actually is due to the meandering trails. There are several hides and a couple of towers for viewing the birds but most people seemed to come just to escape the city. This is the first time on the trip when we have seen shorebirds – curlews, plovers, sandpipers, redshanks and such – plus a number of herons and kingfishers. The Bird Park is one of the best in the world, with 600 species from around the world. It is a real pleasure to visit.

We have a birds-eye view of the pedestrian mall beneath our window. It is packed with flower vendors and carts selling incense to the thousands who stop to pray and make offerings at the Hindu temple next door. There is a lot of bowing and the smell of sandalwood incense fills the air. The booths come down and everyone disappears at dusk and things quiet down nicely.

Gallery: Singapore

seesea — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:54:00 GMT

Bali

seesea — Sun, 8 Mar 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Bali is one of the 17,000 islands in Indonesia and is probably the most visited by tourists from North America, Europe and Australia. We have heard that many visitors don’t even realize that they are in Indonesia! South Bali is the over-touristed and ultra-commercial center for sun, sand, surf and shopping. For us it is an opportunistic afterthought, a little R&R after Borneo.

Stana Puri Gopa hotel is in Sanur, a low key beach compared to the hectic tourist center at Kuta. Our room is large with AC and hot water. There is a nice pool, many western channels on TV and breakfast is included. It is only two hundred meters from the beach and minutes from several nice restaurants. The weather is hot and humid but there is usually a nice breeze. We have been walking along the beach and birding in the mornings and hanging out at the hotel pool in the afternoon. I feel like a real jerk with the disposable camera I bought but we should take some photos.

Sanur lives up to its nickname “Snore” which is fine with us. The beach is dominated by a few mega hotels. The rest of the strip consists of smaller resort villas, restaurants, souvenir stands and countless massage tables. The beach itself is narrow and the palm tree shaded sections belong to the big hotels. Offshore reefs block the waves and despite the heat and humidity we see no reason to swim in the sea, opting instead for the hotel pool. The equatorial sun is brutal and even with SPF 50 sunblock we are getting some color. We found an area of mangroves near the harbor entrance. It smells and is filled with trash carried in by the tide but the birds seem to love it. We humans may pollute the planet until we all perish but the birds will outlive us all.

The food in Bali is a pleasant change from Borneo. There are several western options including one fabulous Italian restaurant, not a fast food chain in sight and rice is an option, not a staple. Bali has one other thing going for it – no one stares at us here. There aren’t many Americans but there are enough Europeans and Aussies that we don’t stand out. And I am no longer one of the oldest visitors either!

Ubud is the other part of Bali and some say it is where the real Bali begins. Like Luang Prabang it’s a wonderful place to do very little. It is touristy, for certain, but it still feels exotic. The small hotels sit on gangs, a maze of narrow alleys separated by banana trees and coconut palms. The hotels are in the villa-style of Balinese homes. Ours, the Oka Wati, has 25 foot ceilings, brightly painted carved doors and beams and a balcony where breakfast is served. There is no aircon or hot water but the bathroom is large and the ceiling fan keeps things cool.

The main drag, Monkey Forest Road, is a one way street of restaurants, lodgings and shops with designer clothing, jewelry, batik, art and local tours. Bali is mostly Hindu and the call of the muezzin is replaced by bells, gongs and chanting. The only real distraction is the dogs which bark when they are not lying in the middle of the walkways. Sometimes they form packs of a dozen and stroll the street barking and fighting.

Last night we attended the Kecak “Monkey Dance” performed to the rhythmic “cak cak cak” chant of one hundred monkey soldiers. It’s the story of Rama’s victory over Rahwana which we first saw in the carvings at Angkor. It was pretty good but we wonder how they make any money. Admission was six dollars and there were more performers than spectators. The food in Ubud is fantastic, especially the salads which have been sorely lacking in our diets. The ingredients are fresh and the prices are reasonable. You can choose from Balinese, Chinese, Japanese or western foods, alcohol is readily available and there is plenty of Diet Coke. We can understand why so many people come for a day and stay for a week. Our original plan had us spending only a week or so in Indonesia and Bali wasn’t even a consideration. But when our flight to Kuala Lumpur left this morning we had spent more than seven weeks in Indonesia, nearly twice as long as in any other country on the trip, and half of it working with TNC, time well spent.

Gallery: Bali

seesea — Fri, 6 Mar 2009 13:55:00 GMT

Just Like a Term Paper

seesea — Wed, 4 Mar 2009 23:05:00 GMT

Real researchers spend a month in the field and the rest of the year analyzing their data and preparing their papers. We had only three days at TNC headquarters to massage information that took three weeks to collect. Luckily we don’t have to prepare a proper scientific paper but we are still trying to combine our observations with those of two other birders plus Erik’s own sightings. We also have five birding books to reference and photos to examine before we can develop a format for the final report. Just like college. I guess it will have to wait until we return to Colorado.

Bas van Balen, a transplant from Holland and an expert on the birds of Indonesia, was kind enough to go through our list. Bas was cited in several of our reference books and is currently updating the guide to the birds of Indonesia. He confirmed that most of the sightings by the TNC guys that we were skeptical of were, in fact, unlikely to be found in Wehea. So even with all our final count will now be around 150 species.

It's a Wonderful Life

seesea — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:47:00 GMT

Why, with all of the difficulties and inconveniences – the heat and humidity, the leeches and ants, the food and our inconsiderate mates – why do we consider it an honor to be here? Well, there are the bragging rights, of course. “When we were in forests of Borneo….” For some reason the most inhospitable places are the ones you are most proud of. And where else could you see langurs, gibbons and orangutans all in the same day? There are about 200 species of birds right here if you are so inclined, including nine kinds of hornbills.

An entomologist could spend an entire career here just identifying the bugs; it would take a month for the butterflies alone. There are enough plant species to keep a bevy of botanists busy for a lifetime. To be one of the few people in the world to see this is a privilege and to be a part of TNC’s effort to protect the forest is priceless.

The Day the Camera Died

seesea — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:50:00 GMT

My digital camera died on Tuesday. I suspect it was a combination of the twelve hours of rain on Sunday and the ambient humidity of Borneo that did it in. I have been trying to dry it out in the sun with little success. I feel naked without it and no longer have a role in the birding project. We don’t expect to see too many new birds – we have already identified 155 species – but there are many I would like to photograph.

We really miss Mex, both his expertise and his enthusiasm. Oman speaks better English when it suits him but Sugi has already picked up his “couldn’t care less” attitude. They usually go off into the forest without us so we are pretty much on our own, bird-wise. When they are here at the station they sit around carving handles for their parangs, the machetes that no self-respecting Indonesian male would be caught without, and smoking. They do the cooking and we always thank them for the meal. But they don’t say a word when I wash all the dishes, a cultural thing, perhaps?

We have only a week left in Wehea but it seems like the end will never come. In retrospect this project could have been done in half the time but we will probably look back on our stay fondly. We have been mentally planning the rest of our trip and it looks like we will go to Bali for a few days between Balikpappan and Singapore – all subject to change.

In the Forest

seesea — Sat, 7 Feb 2009 14:43:00 GMT

The first thing you notice about Wehea is its remoteness. Few people will ever see this stand of virgin rain forest in Borneo – and for good reason. Depending on road conditions Wehea is 12 – 20 hours from Balikpappan and it took us ten hours to drive here from Berau. Before the logging roads were bulldozed, rivers were the main way to travel. There are a few small settlements where the road crosses the rivers but not much else. We are truly isolated from the outside world. There is no two-way radio and the nearest place with cell phone coverage is a two hour drive away and we don’t have a vehicle. Heck, we don’t even have a phone.

As we have come to expect from other Nature Conservancy sites, the facilities at Wehea are simple yet comfortable. It would make a nice rustic lake cottage back home; three bedrooms, a deck, open dining area and a detached kitchen and a generator that provides electricity for a few hours each night. A brook flows in front of the center and we get drinking water from a tiny jungle stream. The pool beneath a waterfall is a great place to cool off or take a bath.

Despite its remoteness the forest is never quiet. There is the constant babbling of the stream and burble of the waterfall. Bubuls, babblers, hornbills and countless other birds serenade from the forest, occasionally punctuated by the steam engine whistle of the peacock-like great argus. Gibbons scream “who? who? what? what? wh wh wh wh.” Then leap through the branches. Overshadowing everything are the unseen insects. They buzz, hum, whistle, drum, scream and bleat. Some sound like horns, bells, alarms, power saws and dentist drills. Only the butterflies remain silent. Their beauty requires no fanfare.

If you are lucky, as we were on our first day here, you may hear an orangutan swinging through the forest. There are an estimated 5,000 of the solitary orange apes spread over 250,000 square kilometers and Connie spotted one building a nest above the trail. When it saw her it chased her back to the center but we went back later with Sugi and Mex and spied on him for a while. The photo isn’t the best I have taken but just to see an orangutan in the wild is a privilege.

The difference between the seasons in Kalimantan is negligible; the rainy season is a little cooler and a little wetter than the dry season . . . and vice versa. Either way, the heat and humidity are oppressive. Any activity results in a torrent of sweat. If it rains during a five mile hike (as it must) you hardly notice. The trails are slippery and often washed out. The “wait-a-minute” vines seem to reach out to grab trousers or scratch arms. It is very hilly and you are always going up or down drainages. Leeches are a fact of life on any hike and we both have many tiny sores. Insect repellant doesn’t keep them away but a little squirt makes them drop off. In spite of the hardships the forest is beautiful. From one of the observation towers we were able to see just how immense it is, all mist shrouded valleys and giant trees.

Wehea Forest, East Kalimantan

seesea — Thu, 5 Feb 2009 14:38:00 GMT

The Nature Conservancy – Saving the Last Great Places on Earth. For TNC Indonesia this means protecting some of the most biologically diverse coral reefs and lowland forests on the planet. A single hectare of forest in Borneo, for example, contains more species of trees than all of North America. Illegal logging and expanding oil palm plantations are threatening the forests while over-fishing and destructive fishing practices, like using dynamite, have put the reefs in peril.

TNC is working with industry, other NGOs, national and local governments and communities to stop the destruction of the rain forest. Their goal is to protect 250,000 square kilometers (about 90,000 square miles) of forest in Kalimantan. It is a difficult and expensive process to conduct the scientific studies that we hope will convince the government that these virgin forests are important and to demonstrate that sustainable logging practices actually increase profits.

We will spend the next three weeks at the TNC research site in the Wehea forest. We are not scientists or even especially gifted birders but when we were offered the opportunity to conduct a bird census we jumped at it. Wehea encompasses 38,000 hectares of protected virgin forest and is one of the most important orangutan habitats in Kalimantan though the orange apes are rarely seen.

We met the staff at TNC Tropical Forest Initiative headquarters in Balikpappan where they briefed us on their work and arranged our travel permits and flight to the field office in Berau. TNC Berau is at the sharp end of the stick when it comes to forest conservation in Malaysia. As Fahri explained it they have a seemingly impossible job. The government sees marine conservation as both sexy and profitable, while protecting the forest offers little potential for tourists’ dollars and conflicts with the lucrative lumber, coal mining and oil palm industries. Most Indonesians, including the government officials, have never seen an orangutan and can’t believe that people will spend money to see them in the forest.

Our keepers for the next three weeks are Sugi and Mex. They took us to the grocery where we picked up enough food for two weeks when we will be resupplied. As expected this included three 10kg sacks of rice. We paid for some emergency rations; bread, crackers, peanut butter and apples “just in case.” Joko picked us up at 8 AM and the five of us squeezed into the extended cab 4X4 for the trip to Wehea forest. As if the tight quarters weren’t enough, all three are smokers! I was squished in the middle back seat all morning but we shifted around after lunch when I got a window and Connie moved to shotgun.

An hour into the trip Joko learned the direct road was “broken” which forced us into a long, rough, hilly, twisty, unpaved detour. Just to make things more interesting it began to rain making for a slippery mess. It has been a long time since I was carsick! It took ten hours to travel the 275 km to Wehea, an average speed of just under 20 mph. It’s no wonder forest tourism hasn’t caught on. We did see a civet cat and several hornbills – small reward – before we arrived and unloaded the truck. We haven’t figured everything out yet but the facility looks nice.

Volunteers

seesea — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 00:12:00 GMT

Balikpappan is an oil town in East Kalimantan with all of the ambiance that conjures up. There are oil platforms offshore and the smell of open sewers in town. You would be right to wonder what we are doing here. This is the tropical forest office for The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia, and we have volunteered to work in the forest for the next six weeks.

We have learned not to anticipate what is to come, and for good reason. Since Erik was away in Papua New Guinea our new contact was Evan. What we didn’t suspect was Evan is a woman. So is Ira. Stanley is a guy but none of them really knew what to do with us. Even Nardi who has field experience wasn’t sure except that we would be spending time at the Wehea, either a 12-20 hour drive or a short flight followed by an 8 hour drive to reach the site. Nardi showed us some photos of the building we will live in and the waterfall where we will bathe. We have been in worse places but this time we will have TNC workers with us. Too bad they don’t speak English. They will also do the cooking so it will be nasi-this and nasi-that – rice and more rice! Living conditions will be Spartan but Nardi says there are no mosquitoes. Nothing was mentioned about leeches though.

We splurged on a room at the Pacific Hotel. It is the plushest place we have stayed in on the entire trip but we were able to negotiate the weekend rate for all five nights. We have found a couple of decent restaurants and with a lot of sign language and laughter managed to get our laundry done. But there isn’t much to occupy us except for the internet and TV. Tourists are a rarity in Balikpappan and not many people speak English. Kids stop and stare when they see our blue eyes and even their parents do a double take. We have seen only one other non-Indonesian here. Jo Wilson is an Aussie who lives in Bali and works for TNC. Small world, no?

When we stopped by the office this morning Ira was finishing our applications for permission to visit Wehea and Nardi gave us our tentative schedule. We are looking at three weeks at Wehea working on a bird census. Then we go on to Pulau Derawan for some diving and snorkeling. We should be back in Balikpappan to spend a few days with Erik around March 6. In Derawan we would be tourists and the resorts are pricey so we think we would prefer to spend more time in the forest instead. We will wait and see. There is no sense obsessing yet.

Gallery: Kalimantan

seesea — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:09:00 GMT

Working for TNC in Borneo

Yogya to Jakarta

seesea — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:07:00 GMT

We returned to Jakarta at the height of rush hour and it took our tuk-tuk more than 30 minutes to reach the hotel. I had a splitting headache from the noise and the exhaust. Our last day in Yogyakarta wasn’t much better. We avoided the batik scam artists and headed for the Sono-Budoyo Museum where Yando, who works at the museum, took it upon himself to be our guide. He told us about Javanese art, music, culture, shadow puppets, masks and of course batik. I am beginning to wonder if such a thing as “Indonesian” exists. Sumatra, Bali, Java and the other islands are all so different that it is difficult to find much commonality. We were also treated to a display of the art of making shadow puppets. Each piece of the puppet is painstakingly cut from water buffalo hide and meticulously hand-painted.

After lunch we headed towards the Sultan’s palace, the Kraton, only to learn that the Sultan was using it that afternoon for his political schemes. So when the rain started we hopped in a becak and headed for our hotel. I paid the driver double for getting soaked while he kept us dry.

In Jakarta this morning we had the National Museum nearly to ourselves until the school groups came in screaming. Predictably the history began with the earliest human fossil discoveries but these were new to us; Java Man, the original ‘missing link,’ and the diminutive “Hobbit,” the new ‘missing link’ which was discovered in 2005. From there the exhibits took us through the development of language and writing, art, commerce, architecture, and technology. The exhibits were generally excellent and the signage was very good but occasionally they would forget to put in the English version.

Borobudur

seesea — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:35:00 GMT

Most visitors to Borobudur come from Yogyakarta for the day but we stayed for three nights. Our room in the Lotus 2 Guesthouse is huge and the balcony overlooks the rice paddies in the rear. We are the only guests, there is plenty of hot water,the breakfast is great and the price is right. The only glitch is the nearby mosque. We could tolerate the volume if it was only the call to prayer but this one reads complete suryas from the Qur’an and played an hour of Islamic music – at 5:30 AM. We have spent time in many Muslim countries and have never heard anything go on as long as this, even during Ramadan in Cairo.

Borobudur, “Buddhist Temple on the Hill,” is Java’s biggest tourist attraction and it was packed on this long weekend. The temple was constructed between 750 and 850 AD and unlike Angkor Wat to which it is compared, it is monolithic. The square base is more than 100 meters on each side and the six terraces represent ascending incarnations leading to enlightenment. If you walk around each of the terraces you will cover about 5 km before attaining reaching the top. Along the way you will pass 3 km of sculpted murals depicting the stages to enlightenment and traditional Javanese life. There are 432 images of Buddha before you reach the latticed stupas which contain 72 more. The paint is long gone and many of the images of Buddha are headless but Borobudur is generally well preserved. It was abandoned soon after its completion, possibly because of nearby volcanic activity that covered it in ash until 1815 when Gov. Raffles ordered the first restoration of the site. It even survived a 1985 terrorist bombing by opponents of Suharto.

Our room is great. We can pick passion fruit and papayas from our window – it’s easy since there is no glass, only shutters – and get coconuts across the road. And don’t forget, we have the mosque. The muezzin went on for a full hour Sunday evening and gave us another blast at 4:20 this morning but, thank Allah the merciful, he has stuck to the calls to prayer since. It was sunny this morning so we were able to see from our balcony the smoking peaks of Gunung Merapi and Gunung Merabubu, two of Java’s active volcanoes. We have also noticed a change in “our” rice paddy during our short stay. The rice stalks have grown taller and more yellow as harvest time draws near. The rich volcanic soil and wet climate allow for two or three crops a year so adjacent paddies are often in different stages and have different shades of green. Huge dragonflies swarm above the paddies while cisticolas and munias perch daintily on the stalks for a bit of rice. Twice we saw an otter cross the dikes to compete with the locals for tiny fish and snails.

We have become common figures about town; the tall Americans, one with golden hair, the other silver. We visit the local store several times a day for Diet Cokes and the cashier always shouts, “Cold Coke” and “No bag!” as we refuse the plastic bag. Young kids and parents always have a smile and a "Hello, Mister" when we pass. We both got much needed haircuts this morning and were surprised both by the price (less than a dollar) and the quality (quite good.) Now we are presentable for The Nature Conservancy. We finished the morning with a 3 km walk to Mendut Temple with its three meter tall statue of Buddha. Not only is this Java’s best preserved statue in its original setting, its pose is unique; Buddha is sitting western style with his feet on the ground. On the way back we stopped at the last remaining site, the tiny Pawon Temple.

Prambanan

seesea — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:27:00 GMT

It has been more than a month since Ayuthaya, Thailand, our last archeological site. We have spent most of the time at the national parks and traveling from country to country but today we are in ‘Yogya’ to visit nearby Prambanan.

Prambanan is only 20 km from our hotel but the trip took nearly an hour by bus, bemo (minivan) and becak as they call trishaws here in Java. Prambanan is another World Heritage site and is the best example of the Hindu cultural period in Java. The temples were built in the 9^th century but were hit with a major earthquake in the mid-fifteen hundreds. It was rediscovered the late 1800s and the temples were restored in 1926 and renovated again in 1992. Another earthquake hit the area two years ago and many of the structures at Prambanan are being repaired.

Two young tour guide wannabees offered to show us around and practice their English so we relented. It is the same story we heard in Cambodia and Thailand; about Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, their different guises, their consorts and their battles. Our understanding of Hinduism becomes clearer with each telling but it was interesting to hear it from young Muslim ladies. Prambanan also has some Buddhist temples which predate the Hindu ones. Unlike Angkor, where the Hindu temples became Buddhist, the Buddhist temples at Prambanan are in a different area but they, too, suffered earthquake damage.

Three Capitals in Twelve Hours

seesea — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:21:00 GMT

While the rest of the world tuned in to Barack Obama’s inauguration we joined about 200 other travelers and tried to get comfortable on the cold, hard tile floor of the Kuala Lumpur airport. KL has become the budget priced hub of choice for SE Asia but we weren’t prepared for its austerity. We had to walk about half a mile from the plane to the terminal only to learn there were no chairs inside the terminal and it was still eight hours until our flight to Jakarta.

When we finally arrived in Jakarta we had traveled from BSB in Brunei to KL, Malaysia to Jakarta, Indonesia – three capitals in just over 12 hours. Groups of people were crowded around outdoor TVs to watch news coverage of the inauguration. The general consensus in Indonesia is relief that ‘W’ is out and hope for the new administration. We didn’t get to see Obama’s speech until later this afternoon at our hotel.

It is easy to get ‘sticker shock’ in Indonesia where one US dollar buys 10,500 rupiahs; in other words $100 equals about one million rupiahs. Jakarta is more expensive than in other places but it is still a bargain by US and European standards. We treated ourselves to an upscale hotel for the night and bought train tickets to Yogyakarta for the morning.

The Taksaka “Exsekutif” train takes nine hours from Jakarta to Yogyakarta but it is much more comfortable than bus travel. The cars are modern, the seats are roomy, the bathrooms are clean and lunch is included. The music and movie weren’t too annoying and the little girl in front of us alternated between sleep and flirting. All we saw of Java for nine hours was pancake flat rice paddies. The philosophy seems to be if you can’t build on it plant rice. It isn’t so surprising in a country of 280 million rice eaters and it looks like it will be a good harvest.

Gallery: Java

seesea — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:32:00 GMT

Brunei Darussalam

seesea — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:20:00 GMT

Some people get Brunei confused with Bahrain but Brunei isn't in the Middle East. Nor is it in Africa; that would be Burundi or maybe Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It is an oil producing country but isn't a member of OPEC. It isn't a major tourist attraction. It is difficult to reach by land and expensive by air.

The bus ride from Miri in Sarawak to Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei Darussalam, takes five hours and requires four buses and a small boat but immigration was as smooth as silk and the bus connections were nearly seamless. Once we crossed the Brunei border the landscape was dotted with those oil pumpers pecking like crazed birds. They were in schoolyards, in a petrol station, next to apartment complexes and along the beach. Oil has made Brunei wealthy but for a nation with the highest per capita income it sure has crummy buses!

Like most tourists we came to Brunei mainly to get another stamp on our passport and to travel somewhere else, for us Indonesia. The main tourist site in BSB is the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in the center of town. It is really special at sunset even though it is surrounded by the floating villages, the lowest of low income housing. Our other mission was to get our work visas from the Indonesian Embassy and arrange for flights to Jakarta. At the travel agency we learned out that you can’t get there from here. Actually you can but it costs twice as much. A flight from BSB to Jakarta then on to Balikpappan takes two different airlines and costs 775 Brunei dollars ($500) each. But if we fly from BSB to Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta and later to Balikpappan we can do the whole thing on AirAsia for about $300. So what if we have to spend a night at the KL airport.

I haven't been totally fair to Brunei. BSB is a clean, quiet and friendly city. The people are wonderful and several stopped us on the street to welcome us to Brunei. It is very definitely a Muslim country. We haven't seen any alcohol for sale and the call to prayer sounds five times daily. Many women and girls wear traditional dress and headscarves but their clothing is brightly colored unlike that of women in the Middle East. I wouldn't make a special trip here but it is worth visiting if you are in the neighborhood.

Similajau National Park

seesea — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:03:00 GMT

We are beginning to feel jinxed by SE Asia’s national parks; the weather never cooperates. It was pouring as we arrived at Similajau and it has rained off and on ever since. Our driver was able to deliver us to the doorstep of Chalet B with a kitchen our chalet; living room and bathroom downstairs and two bedrooms and a bath upstairs for only $16. We also have a nice covered porch facing the ocean. If we could cook here and had hot water I would consider moving in permanently.

The staff are busy demolishing older buildings to make way for newer residences giving the place the feel of a war zone. The walkways to park headquarters and the canteen are flooded and Tevas are the only sensible footwear. There were only four other people staying last night, a Dutch couple we have seen in Kutching and Baku and two girls, also from Holland. They left this morning and we have the park to ourselves.

We should have stocked up on supplies in Bintulu. The food offerings at the canteen are slim and they can’t seem to get the orders right. "Normal" fried rice, eggs or French fries seem to be safe choices. We went to bed around ten expecting a quiet night but were awakened by thunder, lightning and the heaviest downpour since Hanoi. It has been better this morning but it is due to change.

We have been told that this is the worst weather in years. The beach is covered with logs washed ashore in the recent storms and all manner of plastic flotsam and jetsam. Birding near park HQ is surprisingly good but once you cross the suspension bridge and the boardwalk through the mangroves the jungle closes in reducing visibility to a few meters. Still we have been able to identify many new species and get some great photos incuding the fiery minivet, black hornbill and several sunbirds.