I am sitting in the restaurant at Eco lodge wondering how I survived the day. My feet are asking what they did to deserve the treatment they took today. Every toe and metatarsal pad burns. My ankles are rigid and sore, and my knees have said enough already. We trekked, as in climbed, up through jungle on rooted muddy paths then down the slippery channels only to climb our way up again. I asked about a walking stick yesterday, and thank you, Deslim for finding one, because without it, I'm not sure how I could have done it. Each step is a carefully planted foot; there's not a lot of casual walking or strolling.
Six hours trekking through the jungle. We would walk through an area, then watch and wait. Move on, watch and wait. Most of what we were hoping for was there, but we did not see the orangutans in the wild--only in the relatively familiar environment of the park. But there was lots to see! Countless orangutans with adolescent children and tiny babies still learning to walk the jungle tightrope.
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| Mom and baby |
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| The grand pooba male |
The one giant alpha male orangutan who rules the area and mates with them all to keep this population viable.
Lots of long tail macaques, a pig-tailed macaques who hung out with us over lunch, while munching on the last bits of some careless tourist's discarded pineapple (not by us, God forbid!).
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| Pig tailed macaque |
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| Long tailed Tomas's leaf monkey |
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| Long tailed Tomas's leaf monkey, with mohawk hairdo |
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| Tomas's leaf monkey |
The other big sighting was a hornbill, the giant macaw with two bright yellow horns atop an orange beak and massive black body. He was very hard to see while perched in a tree but in flight, it was like seeing a boldly colored streak awkwardly bolt from tree to tree. I don't t know if they are long flyers or not, but there were two and this one followed the call. Our local guide slithered down the hill with my camera and grabbed a few shots; I was content to watch him from my own perch higher up the gulley.
I am totally aware that the presence of these semi-wild animals is not entirely a good news story. Although there are several species and a big count especially of the endangered orangutan is an a achievement. It has to better than living on the end of a leash as someone's pet, walking,ing urban streets, like eye candy for gawking spectators with cameras. But I did my share of gawking, and I haven't yet sifted through a disk filled with photos to see just how easily I fell into the pattern of privileged tourist seeking a thrilling experience with wildlife. I also know that both Tangkahan and Buket Lawang rely on tourism. The economy of tourism is only just emerging in Tangkahan, but here in Bket Lawang, it is thriving. On our trek, we encountered many others just like us. Some were small groups, others large. Some were quietly making their way through the forest; others noisy and disruptive, not unlike so many tourists we see at home.
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