Center of Universe: River cruising, Ben Orford, Hairy Creatures and fishes

[naturalist]

I am living in a relatively new settlement.
It was created on "Old Order" of Indonesian political periods, base on the idea of our first President, Sukarno.
My real home (it is not mine, i rent it), about 38km from the town.
The town itself called Palangka Raya (Raya means big/grand or great), Sukarno choose the center of the city base on advice of Russian's experts. Sukarno asked to the Russians, i want to make our future capital city where the center of Indonesia. So, base on their calculation, the center of Indonesia is in Borneo Island, Central Kalimantan, Palangka Raya.
And i am living in a place called Rungansari, it one of the main base of Subud Community. This community belief that Rungansari is the center of universe.

Today, i went to our islands. Started from Kaja Island.
First i met with the BBC team, to make sure that they happy with the filming.
The two gentlemen of BBC, brought their Ben Orford "Eban Parang"

[

One in micarta, one in wood

On my hand, handy and real user, great design

Sei Gohong village

Blue tarp is temporary hut which build on floating rubber sap. The hut is as a place to stay every single day for the people who look after the rubber, they awaiting for higher price. They sitting in a floating material which has value >US$100,000.00

What is it?

It is a Dayak sacred place, it has yellow fabric sign

More pics later

 

[Joezilla]

that parang kicks ass

 

[Joezilla]

With the Micarta, how back heavy was it in comparison to other versions that you have handled?

Annnnd yes I will be visiting at some point in the next 2 years. We'll get in contact

 

[naturalist]

With the Micarta, how back heavy was it in comparison to other versions that you have handled?

Annnnd yes I will be visiting at some point in the next 2 years. We'll get in contact

Almost no differences, both handy, same weight. The wooden handle bit longer. It has jimping but, i think it's not really useful.


Common scenery of Rungan River, Rungan River is a branch of Kahayan River, one of big river in Central Kalimantan

Small patch of rubber plantation

The most common big tree, rengas

More pics to come

 

[naturalist]

Tangkiling and Sei Gohong are two oldest settlement in Rungan River, its inhabited by people before Palangka Raya City established.
Tangkiling port, before trans Kalimantan road built is one of the most busy river, since the villagers used the river as the main access to the heart of Borneo.
Tangkiling Port, a tourist boat, nice boat. The serve nice foods, it has several cabins, you can have your second honeymoon. Run by westerners. But they serve various foods, European, Thai and local

Behind of Tangkiling (Tangkiling is the capital of Bukit Batu regency), lies hills. Hills in Palanggka Raya is rare. Palanggka Raya almost flat. Central Kalimantan has size about 15km square, and almost flat. Only northern part of Central Kalimantan where has mountains.
Those hills are sacred.

The hills from different angle

Sacred cemetry

Illegal mining, gold mining

Another gold mining

The effect of minings

Still have more pics

 

[jdk1]

Awesome photos and very cool parangs. Thanks.

 

[TheGame]

Thanks for sharing the pics. Looks like an interesting area.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Beautiful country.

 

[naturalist]

Awesome photos and very cool parangs. Thanks.

So sorry for the pics, it use cellphone camera..

A boy fishing, using circle net ( i don't know the right term in English)

What they usually made, salty fish (its called Pondang in Dayak or Ikan/Fish Asin/salty in Indonesian language)

A hut, a shelter for watching their lake. During dry season they will set a fish trap up called Selambau in the outlet

Pandanus is common, in the middle is fish trap, especially to trap tembakang and ikan pipih.

A kind of carp

Tembakang

A typical hut of fisherman, in the middle of nowhere

Ikan Bodoh (bakut in Dayak), one of the most expensive fresh water fish, i think it is member of Gobiidae

The silvery one, called tembakang, when it has egg, The Dayak belief that the dry season will ended

What i brought back to my home

Cut my thumb

Ready to fry

 

[naturalist]

Ambang, people usually said Mandau. But for working tool mandau called ambang

Finally, last pic... Hairy man

 

[jacksterp]

Really good pictures. Absolutely love them!

Is the Ikan Bodoh some kind of catfish?

 

[lambertiana]

Great pics! And all those fish make me hungry!

 

[naturalist]

Really good pictures. Absolutely love them!

Is the Ikan Bodoh some kind of catfish?

Nope, it is marble goby or marble sleeper, Oxyeleotris marmorata
It has so many asian names.
I used to do fishing of this fish in the past.
They bit bodoh (bodoh is stupid), they will eat the bait if we put it in from of them.
Even the first try does not work, such as because of the hook not really hooked them up.
If we put it again in front of them, they will take it again, and again if we failed again.
Smaller size will be very yummy if we fried it after soaked it into a garlic and salt.

 

[JV3]

nice pics! heh, asin means salt to us too (philippines/tagalog).

look how brown that river is, looks almost like chocolate. are the bbc crew drinking from it? i wonder if they're even filtering it or just boiling it? jeff/mike/esee instructors have said in the past that brown amazon river in peru made various filters they've tried almost useless since it clogs very quickly with all that silt/water output to frequency of maintenance ratio was low, or something to that effect.

 

[naturalist]

nice pics! heh, asin means salt to us too (philippines/tagalog).

look how brown that river is, looks almost like chocolate. are the bbc crew drinking from it? i wonder if they're even filtering it or just boiling it? jeff/mike/esee instructors have said in the past that brown amazon river in peru made various filters they've tried almost useless since it clogs very quickly with all that silt/water output to frequency of maintenance ratio was low, or something to that effect.

Ahh, i think there some similarities on Malay/indonesian/Javanese and Tagalog. I have no talent in language, but i saw in Philippine note LIMANG PESO for five peso, is n't it? Javanese and Indonesian also use lima or limang for five. Our islands especially where BBC filminh now is only 5 minutes by small boat from the nearest village. So they did not do any survival thingsBefore no deforestation in Borneo, the water is clear dark reddish, typical peat swamp water. But becAuse of erosion and illegal gold mining its became just like what you seen on the pics

 

[lmalterna]

Thank you very much for sharing your home with the rest of us!

I like the parangs as well. Hoping for a Golok for my birthday and really enjoy using my Philippine barong.

Brown water usually means a coffee filter or muslin pre filter for me.

My wife is Filipina nad said she was taught the first people in Philippine islands were Indonesian/Malaysian. Can anyone else verify or correct?
Tagalog is something I am trying to learn- I need to better know what she is saying when she is mad at me! LOL!

Bill

 

[tknife]

great pics, those Orton parangs are sweeeeeet!

 

[JV3]

I have no talent in language, but i saw in Philippine note LIMANG PESO for five peso, is n't it?

yup, that's correct!