Borneo Trek Day 3 - Because I have no choice, I go on....

Friday 27 August

After a breakfast of frogs and vegetables with rice served on sewn-together palm fronds, we commenced the hardest day of trekking I have ever done!  We were heading over a (small) mountain to Long Kerong village.

Breakfast

The walk was beautiful, but for me it was very very tough... The landscape and environment changed alot.  Sometimes it was quite temperate, with tall trees giving cool shade and solid ground. At other times the jungle was hot and humid, with muddy ground and sap oozing from the trees around.  The climb upward was very steep at times and I had to rely on the two amazing porters to help me up and carry my bag.  There were also some narrow bridges to navigate and very steep descents.  There is no way I could have managed without the help of the porters, Allan and Hagai.

The others at the base of a steep slope (which I was about to descend!)

Allan and Hagai helping me navigate slippery rocks.  Hagai is carrying both my backpack and his.

A little stream running through jungle

We had a rest to admire this view

Leeches!! I was lucky not to get any in my shoes, but I caught one that had slipped between the buttons of my shirt. One of the others had one in an even more personal spot....They were very brazen, those leeches..

J balances on a narrow bridge

Tall J is dwarfed by the size of the trees around

The trek was incredibly humbling because we were in complete reliance on our guide.  Many times, I walked off the path because the trail through the forest was so hard (for me) to see.  Each time, the porters set me back on the path.

At the end of a grueling day, we arrived at the village of Long Sait, where we stayed the night.  We bathed in the nearby stream.  I honestly have never seen so many stars in my life.

Day 2 - Into the Wild (well, it's wild to me!) :)

Thursday 26 August:


After another meal of the Penan's staple foods (rice and tapioca) we left the village and set off through the jungle!

The jungle looked a bit like this

And this

And I looked like this...not at my most glamorous I know:)

On our trail, we crossed the path of a Penan couple who still lived in the traditional way, in the jungle. By way of explanation, the Penan have traditionally been a nomadic group, building temporary shelters at one location in the jungle, exhausting the surrounding area and moving on.  By the time they returned to the previous location, the area had been replenished.  However, due to pressures and incentives by the government, many Penan have settled in villages.  My guide and porters are settled Penan.  The couple we came cross in the jungle were nomadic Penan (as I understand it).

This is a rather cool photo of two generations of Penan - our porter Allan on the right and an elderly Penan jungle-dweller on the left.

That night we stopped at a very scenic location to set up camp - me cooling off with a swim.

 When we arrived at a lovely scenic spot near a waterfall, we set up camp.  Well actually, our guide and porters got straight to work finding wood for a fire, cutting branches to make a cooking frame, making a rain cover and benches to sit on. We tourists just went for a leisurely bath by the waterfall.

Isaac, Allan and Hagai cooking rice

My hammock in the trees (not very comfortable!)

My very muddy Adidas Kampung shoes

That night I had a miserable sleep, with aching legs.  It was ok though, because I got up out of my hammock and saw lovely fireflies buzzing around me.