Emails home: Cairan

For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health... 28 June 2000

Ahh Pontianak. Marvellous city of ATMs and food I dream of being able to eat before I leave tomorrow.

Hello Acicis you crazy kids. I have crossed Kalimantan! East to west by bus, boat, smaller boat, really small boat, legs, walking, hiking, tramping, struggling, huffing, puffing, almost collapsing, then leaky boat, bigger leaky boat, motor-bike and bus.

Samarinda to Pontianak. Along the way I have sakit perut beraaaat (diarrhea) twice (Dammit! I never got it in Yogya!), been sucked anaemic by leaches (I had hypertrophic visions of a Gadjah Wong Ostrich steak), fleeced to poverty by guides, been uncharacteristically saved by the Catholic Church of Pusussibau (or rather by their treasury), read sixteen national geographics, seen enough for sixteen more, eaten delicious mango on the Mahakam, eaten undefinable bits of pork on the Kapuas and it has all been an unforgettable roller-coaster ride. There is far too much stuff for me to tell you all about so I will just tell you the good/interesting bits. I should start off with the leeches, as I am sure you are all in a morbid state of curiosity waiting to hear about them. Leeches suck. They are a bit like a chopped up piece of earth-worm with a sucker at each end. Or rather one sucker (me) at both ends. I forgot to bring an adequate supply of Baygon. I thought socks would keep them off my ankles. I was wrong. On one particular day in the stunningly beautiful rain-forest of the Muller Ranges, I spent too long looking at the endless monochromatic rainbow around me and not long enough checking myself.

I don't want to give you the impression that it was all hard work and suffering; although most of it was, the rewards were always there: in the old Punan Dayak I met on the Mahakam river telling me of his youth spent collecting heads (that's people heads), in eating mango on the bow of my river boat as forest flowed by, in the incredible ride up through the rapids, in the trek, where it seemed the profound lifefulness of the forest parted before me and closed behind and I wanted to lose my alien body that crashed and tumbled through the undergrowth, in the joy of rest on the other side, in the people I have met and the lessons I have learned. In the end though, the journey was it's own reward. I am glad I have done it, but I am also glad it is done.

Unfortunately things have conspired against me to embark on the next leg of my adventure as planned. The planes to Medan are full for a week and I can't wait that long. Anyway I am still sick and running low on money (the trek was not cheap). So Aceh will have to wait.