Kalimantan - the Indonesian side of Borneo

 After seeing the very impressive Malaysian side to Borneo, the next leg of the journey was to compare the Indonesian side. It is possible to fly, however the bus was calling and you always see more of the country that way.

The immigration process between Malaysia and Indonesia was fairly low key with a few chances offering dodgy exchange rates as you cross the border. Gradually the style of houses changed from mainly concrete block buildings and a few wooden houses, to more wooden shacks either on stilts or surrounded by water. The gulleys alongside the houses were deep enough to have your own kayak. There were boardwalks too which are tricky for the motorbikes to navigate, however they all seem to manage it.

Pontianak, the first stop in West Kalimantan is famous for being situated on the equator. Ever wondered about the water going down the plug?  No, it doesn’t change direction, interesting thought though. However, it is possible to stand in the two different hemispheres and here is the tourist attraction developed to be able to do it.

The Kapuas river runs through Pontianak and connects small river based villages further inland. It is possible to travel on a cargo boat along with the supplies of water, noodles, rice etc that connects the tribal villages to civilisation. There are not a huge number of activities for tourists, so an evening cruise on a rickety old boat is definitely a must. A glance between the wooden planks of the river below our feet was a little disconcerting, however despite buckets of rain, the cruise was really enjoyable with great views along the river through the city.

A striking feature of Pontianak and subsequently, Kalimantan in general, is that Kalimantan is poorer than the Malaysian side of Borneo. Sanitation was sparse in areas with a swill down in brown river water the only option for some folk.

Housing is generally worse, the infrastructure seems less sophisticated and people own scooters rather than cars. Even though it was the start of the rainy season, this did not stop the locals from loading up their scooters with the number of people and the cargo they would normally load into their cars. You take a photo of an overloaded scooter then see another even more overloaded one five minutes later.

Following on from the rather uneventful and characterless Pontianak was Balikpapan and accessible with an hours flight. This is in eastern Kalimantan. In terms of history, architecture, culture and character, it was similar to Pontianak and quite different from the Malaysian side to Borneo.

However, where there’s a will to find adventure, there is a way. 

There was a crocodile park, with lots of crocodiles and some rather bored staff who were very keen to demonstrate how the toothless old croc manages to swallow a half chicken whole. What a sight. They have a good money making sideline in selling old crocodile teeth - a bit like selling old rope, lots of money for something you didn’t know you needed.

The capital of Indonesia is moving from Jakarta as it is so busy, over crowded and sinking, to Nusantara. It is as yet an undeveloped area of Kalimantan where they have razed a large area of rainforest to build impressive government buildings and offices. There is an electric bus to take visitors into the centre of the town and there are areas of parkland and greenery to demonstrate how environmentally acceptable the new town will be.

As ever, it is great to look out for opportunities to view indigenous animals and wander through rainforest with hidden snakes, spiders and other delightful creepy crawlers. Samboja Lodge offers these treats. It is a spectacular lodge run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS). The building is in the heart of the rainforest with breathtaking views into the forest, however it is surrounded by coal mining areas and palm oil plantations. The orangutans are housed on three islands and depending on their personality traits, they share with same sex, opposite sex pals or if they're really grumpy, they live on their own. They cannot be rehabilitated back to the jungle for various reasons and receive food (jack fruit, dragon fruit, watermelon or greens) thrown to them from a keeper in a small dingy twice a day. They catch the fruit and ignore the greens, similar to children methinks. They really are spectacular animals. Rambo is my favourite. (He's the one on the right.)

The trip round Borneo ended on a high after visiting Samboja Lodge with the next leg of the journey in Australia. Such an interesting country, however after rice, noodles and no wine for two months, a few chips and a wee glass of Sauv blanc are the order of the day/week/month for a while.