13. Day 2 at the Samboja Lodge: Off-site at Bukit Bangkirai and Black River (Oct. 12)

     The lodge had several available off-site excursions, and Imam made it possible for us to do two in the one day we had left. The first was going to Bukit Bangkirai (Bangkirai Hill), a protected rainforest area about an hour’s drive from the lodge. The second was taking a boat road on the Sungai Air Hitam, or the Black River, also an hour away but in a different direction. These two activities were separated by several hours at the lodge in which got to enjoy another delicious meal for humans (rice, eggplant curry, mixed vegetable fritters, a spicy oil-based condiment, and fruit) and watch the seven orangutans that we saw yesterday receive their dinner treats (pineapples and small eggplants).

Morning Trek at Bukit bangkirai

     The Germans joined us for the morning activity with their backpacks full of cameras and lens that probably cost more than my car. Along the route we passed by several active oil pumps owned by the Pertamina Oil Company. Imam said that every day 16 tanker trucks are filled with oil to talk to the refinery on the other side of Balikpapan. This answered some questions we had about the relative wealth of Balikpapan and its modern city infrastructure as soon as we landed. But we had also noticed extensive  mining and other industrial land from the air. We learned that the primary economic drivers are coal and lignite mining, oil extraction, and palm oil production. These industries have definitely propelled the region’s economic development but are also responsible for a lot of habitat destruction. In addition, conservation centers such as the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and Bangkirai Hill Protected Area have a hard time hiring and keeping staff because industry pays so much better. I am familiar with the lure of a larger paycheck.

      The tourism area of Bangkirai Hill was originally established in 1998 by the government, but the buildings and signage are in varying states of disrepair. The trails and the forest though – pristine. Other than the occasional fallen tree that had to be cut to maintain a pathway and some signage for their adopt-a-tree program, it was perfectly undisturbed. Imam is a master guide and naturalist and spotted several animals for us, including a red leaf monkey that he said he has only seen once this year. Until this trip I have been happy with the photo quality of my Samsung S10, but I was very disappointed when I saw the photos Imam was capturing on his S21 and the Germans were getting on their SLR. We also saw a giant squirrel scampering in the canopy at a distance, bees that make black honey (Apis Dorsata), ground holes made by the Borneo black tarantula, and multiple termite nests. Some of the plants that we saw were equally interesting, including rattan plants, 150-year-old bangkirai trees, a camouflage tree, spiral ginger plants with showy red flowers, staghorn ferns, blechnum ferns, and a “garlic tree” with bark that tastes like garlic (Scorodocarpus borneensis).

Trekking

Rattan

Rattan

Blechnum fern

Termite nest

Spiral ginger

View from the ground

Garlic tree

Termite nest

Red leaf monkey

     The site also had a multi-segment canopy bridge 100 feet off the ground that connected five bangkirai trees with 40-foot cabled walkways. The views were amazing, but there was no chance of seeing any animals with the raucous noise of other tourists laughing and squealing as they crossed from tree to tree. Once again, I was amazed at how the hijabi women survive the heat of their head scarves and layers of long sleeves and modest pants. I had to change my shirt when I got back to the car and take my second shower of the day as soon as we returned for lunch.

Canopy Bridge Entrance

Black bee hive 

Alla the Explorer

In the treetops

Overlook

Alla on a bridge

Hot and Hotter

Termites

Return to Samboja Lodge

Afternoon Orangutan Feeding

Evening Boat Ride at Sungai Hitam (Black River) Samboja

      The afternoon excursion was a private boat ride along the Black River. The river starts somewhere near the lodge and winds eastward to the ocean. The fishermen of colorful stilted fishing shacks at our turnaround spot fish in the ocean during the day and return in the evening. I felt like I was on one of Disneyworld’s water rides. The water, though opaque, had a bluish-green tinge to it. Huge palm fronds emerged out of the water blocked any access to land with their density. Behind those, and where our attention was focused, were mangrove trees lifting 50 feet out of the riverbanks. The ultimate goal was to see proboscis monkeys, one of Borneo’s endemic primates and another species with a declining population due to habitat loss. Imam said they are also known by the locals as “Dutch Monkey” because the original indigenous peoples thought the Dutch who colonized the area had similarly large bellies and noses.  

      Within five minutes of leaving the dock Imam pointed out a group of the monkeys sitting up in a mangrove tree on the left. Each time we saw a group, six groups in total, the boat operator would cut his motors and paddle to the best location to see the big males, the mothers holding their babies and to catch any action when they moved. Their movement through the trees was simultaneously graceful and terrifying. With complete facility of legs, arms, and tails they launched from one branch or tree to another, often crashing purposely into the palms to break their fall when descending to the ground. It was mesmerizing. Not only did we see the monkeys, we also saw multiple monitor lizards basking on a low growing tree root and a gold ringed cat snake draped over a palm frond, while swiftlets criss-crossed the river overhead. I even got several glimpses of a blue kingfisher bird and local heron species. It was a remarkable experience and I’m grateful to the local community that recognizes the importance of the habitat and takes care of the environment. 

 Back at the Lodge