(The uncommon and adventurous week in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with the personality-plus Orangutans can be read in prior posts on TravelsWithSheila.) Most travelers have the common belief that airplanes depart either on time or late. That is not the case in Asia. Asian carriers call your flight, load up the plane, and leave as soon [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Borneo”
Fly From Kalimantan, Borneo to Yogyakarta, Java
October 24th, 2009 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in Borneo, Indonesia, Java and Bali 
Tags: adventure, culture, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Java, log, nature, sightseeing, touring, transportation, travel, Wisma Gajah Hotel in Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta 
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Downriver From The Dayak Village to Pangkalan Bun, Borneo
August 25th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Today’s program was a 20-minute ride upstream to Tapinbini, a semi-modern Dayak Village, see how locals live, trap animals, and hike up to a holy place. Up before 4:00 a.m., because the Dayaks were loudly saying prayers in the village courtyard (they are not Muslim) and then the roosters started in. Sorry, but I can’t [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Borneo, culture, Dayak, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Kalimantan, log, nature, Pangkalan Bun, sightseeing, Tapinbini, touring, travel No Comments »
The Dayak Hornbill Dancing Party Got Hot in Kalimantan, Borneo
August 24th, 2009 Sheila Simkin The Dayak welcoming ceremony continued. We moved from the floor to ceremonial seats in a place of honor while they draped head scarf on ex-Marine, and one across my shoulder. Two village elders sat on the floor in front of us with the ceremonial dish. He picked up ugly chicken and touched the chickens head [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Borneo, culture, Dayak, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Kalimantan, log, nature, sightseeing, Tapinbini, touring, travel No Comments »
Bakonsu Dayak Welcoming Ceremony, Kalimantan, Borneo
August 23rd, 2009 Sheila Simkin Dinner time and about 7:00 p.m., preparations got underway for the our big Dayak welcoming ceremony. The bonang, a series of kettles in a rack related to gongs…View image… was set up and the Gamelan ensemble musicians…View image… began arriving to tune up, smoke and play. Some people call the bonang “gong chimes.” Mrs. Dinson [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Bakonsu, Borneo, culture, Dayak, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Kalimantan, log, nature, sightseeing, touring, travel No Comments »
Speedboating Up The Sungai River to A Dayak Village, Borneo
August 22nd, 2009 Sheila Simkin Even if you have the best bladder in the world, after jolting over the river for one hour and surrounded by water, a person has to pee…or at least, I do. Crammed into the speedboat seat with ex-Marine hogging the limited space, I asked Fery where to “go.” Fortunately, there are little pee huts all [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Bakonsu, Borneo, culture, Dayak, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Kalimantan, log, nature, sightseeing, Sungai River, touring, travel No Comments »
Upriver to The Dayaks in Kalimantan, Borneo
August 21st, 2009 Sheila Simkin Lots of mosquitoes last night on the Sungai Kumai River and the crew woke us during the night while chopping away Nipa Palms as the tide rose and fell. Breakfast and the short, 1-1/2 hour ride back to Kumai. I bruise easily and am covered with amazing black and blue marks from navigating around the [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Borneo, culture, Dayak, Dayak peoople, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Kalimantan, log, nature, Pangkalan Bun, sightseeing, Tapinbini, touring, travel No Comments »
The Orangutans of Tanjung Harapan, Kalimantan, Borneo
August 20th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Feeding time at Tanjung Harapan Orangutan Reserve…View image… is at 3:00 p.m. This reserve had the longest, and most difficult walk to the feeding platform. The dense forest was swarming with mosquitoes. The walk led over slippery branches, through mud, always keeping an eye out for those nasty fire ants and other beasties, e.g. poisonous [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Borneo, culture, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Indonesian Borneo, island, Kalimantan, log, nature, Orangutans, sightseeing, Tanjung Harapan, touring, travel No Comments »
Revisit Pondok Tanggui’s Orangutans, Tanjung Puting Reserve in Kalimantan, Borneo
August 19th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Today was our last full day and we headed back downstream for visit number one, back to Pondok Tanggui Reserve for the 9:00 a.m. feeding. Pondok Tanggui had only the gigantic Alpha male orangutan last time and, impressive as he was, we were hoping for more orangutans today. There were five boats tied up at [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Borneo, culture, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Kalimantan, log, nature, Orangutans, Pondok Tanggui, sightseeing, Tanjung Puting Reserve, touring, travel No Comments »
Lazy Days on The Sungai River in Kalimantan, Borneo
August 18th, 2009 Sheila Simkin A person could spend most of the day in the little cold shower run by generator…View image. Hotter than blazes during the day, it becomes surprisingly comfortable at night. ex-Marine kept muttering that the last time he stood still and sweated like this was during his Marine Corps stint in the Philippines, circa 1958, and, [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, boating, Borneo, culture, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Kalimantan, log, nature, Orangutans, sightseeing, Sungai River, touring, travel No Comments »
The Camp Leakey Orangutans, Kalimantan, Borneo
August 17th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Dr. Birute Galdikas uses up to five Dayak trackers who have no trouble climbing into the rainforest canopy for fieldwork since tracking the orangutans on the ground isn’t easy because of swamps. It is probably thanks to her groundbreaking work that there are any orangutans left at all in Borneo with rampant tree cutting. She, [...]
Posted in Borneo, Featured, Indonesia Tags: adventure, Borneo, Camp Leakey, culture, destination, events, important sights, Indonesia, Kalimantan, log, nature, Orangutans, sightseeing, touring, travel No Comments »
