Kumai, Kalamantan, Borneo Island, 7/10-11/10 2018
6/10 Sail to Kumai, First 6:00. We get good speed from the start but soon also big swells. We hose main and jib and turn of the motor. Later in the day we take a reef. First night we sail with jib alone. 7/10 At five a clock when Lars came up we sat the main and it gave 2 knots more in speed a short while. We can made water now for 1½ hour. Now we can stop the gen-set and start the motor. We have wind in the nose. Finally we were in the bay and could drop anchor. A boat with an arranger of house boat trips came by and we told her who we wanted to sail with and they talked to al the boats. We go in with Sven end Lisa and met the tour arranger at the little hotel and we pay our part of the trip and Flora and Damien, on Skybird, and Diana on Samara 11 could pay the next morning. We got nice chicken sate at a very small family restaurant on the main street. A little shopping also in the small shops.
8/10 Bus tour with the rally. We were picket up by two big buses and went to a village with old dayak houses. Before entering the main house they had a welcome sermon that meant that a man cut down a bamboo fence with a machete. Everybody got a bracelet out of rope that should give good luck. In the big hall we all could taste home made rice wine served in a bamboo mug. There were things to do outside like blow out an arrow threw a bamboo pipe, see how rise were cocked in bamboo tubes and learn traditional dances. Also try to play on traditional instrument.
The bus took as to another traditional house and also here they had a sermon when entering. Weal got a dot og ash on the forehead. Some local snacks were offered us while touring around the big dark old, but beautiful, building.
The bus took us to a Festival by the river. Unfortunately it was raining a lot so Lars and I did not go sailing longboats in the channel but some did and got very wet. There were a competition on making the best dresses out of trash and that was amazing creations showed there. Also on Esperanza Florian and Trevor on Snow Flight competed in sailing a canoe in opposite direction to each over. Florian, using foul tricks, won. It was a lot of fun, (on U-tube).
Up on the bus again and the dinner were served at a forth place and before eating there wore several speeches. The famous Canadian researcher (zoology and psychology degrees) in orangutang, Dr Birute Mary Galdikas were introduce on the scene. She has lived close to the animals almost al her working life. Michael on SY Henrietta hold a speech both on English and Indonesian!
9-10/10 Two days on a houseboat in the Kumai National orangutang park. We were picked up at 10:30 on our yachts. Alexandra Lars and Maria, Randivåg Sven and Lisa, Sky Bird Damian and Flora and Samara11 Diana. While sailing we got a nice lunch. We went to feeding station number one and waited a while for the orangutan to come and get bananas. The boat stopped at a tree with Male Proboscis monkeys. Lovely dinner with local bintang beer. Night walk. Slept under mosquito net. Next day we visited two more feeding station. we had a great time with the other sailor and also good guide and great food. The last picture show buildings for swallows making birds-nest and for harvesting birds-nests. The chines love to eat them.
