I flew directly from Jakarta, Indonesia to Balikpapan on the island of Borneo, to do school visits at an international school. The island of Borneo consists of Kalimantan, the Indonesia portion as well as Brunei and east Malaysia. I’m struck by how clean everything is: streets are continuously being swept by city workers with tiny bundles of branches. I don’t understand how people, especially the children, stay so immaculately clean while living in shacks and walking dirt roads. The children wear bright white socks, school uniforms starched and pressed, hair all combed and perfect. Yet all around is dirt and dust…En route to the airport, the taxi driver comments that there is a lot of unemployment since logging of the rain forest became illegal. Has that really stopped?
At the airport, a young man immediately starts a conversation, wanting to practice his English. He tells me, “Everyone says we live in such a beautiful country but we have to learn how to protect our forests and wildlife.”
I enjoy picking up more and more words in Bahasa, the Indonesian language. There are also many Dutch words sprinkled in, in which you can see the Dutch history here: kantir (kantoor meaning office), apotek (apotheek - drug store) etc.
I was the only westerner on the flight from Jakarta to Pekanbaru. The security man smiled and wished me “A happiness journey and a happiness day!”
A room with a view.
As soon as I step out of the airport, I’m hit by a humid wall of hot air. The only place to wait is outside in the heat under a roof. There are hundreds of people in colourful dress sitting on the sidewalks, waiting for flights or rides. They all smile and bow. I stand out like a sore thumb.
The International School is on a hill overlooking the city of Balikpapan and the Java Sea. It’s a small compound and teachers walk and bike into town. They can also choose to live in town - very different from the other schools I visited in Indonesia where staff often lived in gated compounds.
I have the VIP suite in a 3 story condo buildings overlooking lovely gardens, town and sea - right next to the pool. It has a living room with kitchen corner and breakfast bar as well as a bedroom and bathroom.
My fundraiser t-shirt!
My first day here is a Sunday - no school. But the wonderful librarian has arranged a special trip. We leave in 5 cars with 15 kids, teachers and drivers, to go to a nearby orangutan reserve. First I was given an orangutan t-shirt that looks like an orangutan hugs you - a fundraiser for the reserve. Then we embarked on a WILD ride through town and several other towns along a narrow, winding road. The towns and road hug the coastline. There is no beach because they’ve used all the sand for building. The driver kept passing motorbikes, cars, trucks and pedestrians in curves with absolutely no views and without changing gears.... We passed roadside stands loaded with pineapples, chickens scratching in the dust, boys bathing in the river, women laying out laundry, scrawny dogs, tables of fruit for sale, carts of gasoline jugs. Such a colourful, vibrant jumble of life.
After an hour we turn left up into the hills and jolt along red dirt, rutted roads until we reached the orangutan reserve. The man who runs it, Pak Pete, first shows us the enclosures housing sun bears, small black bears with a “sun” pattern on their chest. As with all other wildlife here, their habitat has diminished greatly due to the cutting of rainforest and the animals are endangered. Here they live protected but without the freedom they should have.
The orangutans live on an island in relative freedom. They swing in trees and have a lot of space but can never be returned to the wild.
We went up into the eco-lodge, a gorgeous building with roofs made from the thready fiber of palm trees, where you can stay overnight and wake up high over the canopy of trees and look out over Borneo.
The kids at this international school were chatting about their weekend trips to Singapore and Jakarta. Teachers are from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Scotland. And they have all lived in many countries: Syria, Kuwait, Venezuela….
This is a gamelan, a traditional instrument in Indonesia. To hear it, click the link below.
The middle school has 15 kids, the total school is 60 kids and the kids are nice, keen, curious, interested in stuff. It’s nice to work in such small schools that you can really work on a personal basis with the kids.
My batik shirt in the making.
One teacher who works here grew up at international schools. His parents taught in International Schools around the world. He was born when they taught in Brazil. During his childhood he lived in Kuwait, Iran, Africa, China and more.
During the week, I did author talks, slideshow presentations and writing workshops all day. The funnest part for me came after school when the librarian and I went to town together. We drove to a narrow alley, lined with carts selling all sorts of different foods. There we found a tiny shop with fabrics. It was more like someone’s home, with a baby sleeping on the floor in a backroom. The lady showed us fabrics and I chose two different ones. I left her one of the shirts I was wearing and she promised to make me two shirts in the right size by Saturday! It costs about 5 dollar to have a shirt custom made from batik fabric!
We also visited some local markets. People smiled and bowed and pointed at their wares - they are so friendly! Stalls offered for sale papaya’s, rambutans, durians, mango’s, bananas. There was fish, meat, chickens both dead and alive. Plastic trinkets, slippers, cloth. It’s all a feast for the eyes. I love markets in Asia!
Fish, anyone?
Rambutans for sale.
Suddenly, from one second to the next, it can start POURING rain. These tropical rains are amazing. They will literally hit out of the blue. Within minutes the gutters and roads are raging rivers. Rain comes down in a solid curtain and bounces up on the pavement. It can last ten minutes or 2 hours but it will stop suddenly and dry up in no time.
A mask I bought.
One of the most amazing things I learned about here, was the stories of the librarian from her recent trip to Kalimantan. They had been lucky enough to be invited to a funeral ceremony there. Traditionally, people who die there are completely preserved in formaldehyde. Then the family starts saving money for the funeral. They will need to buy about 23 buffalo, depending on their status. They also need to have a cave chipped out in a huge granite cliff face. After two years or more, hundreds of relatives and villagers are invited to the funeral: with much dancing, singing and eating. They sacrifice a buffalo. And all the while, the deceased person is present! I saw photos of this beautiful elderly lady, with her hair all done, her best dress on, nails polished, make-up on a good looking face... But she had been dead for 2 years. Absolutely mind blowing. The children and grandchildren sit with her during all the days of the “celebration”. Finally she was put to rest in the cave, with others. But a look-alike statue will sit upright on the edge, overlooking the valley where she spent her life. Amazing… Below is a link to a website with more details about this unusual ceremony. Indonesia is a fascinating country with beautiful people and ancient traditions!
My favourite souvenir: a beaded baby carrier.
