Awestruck in Borneo

 We just completed a 5-day trip to the Indonesian portion of Borneo, in the large province of Kalimantan.  This was an unforgettable trip, as we were transported physically and mentally to a remote and amazing place, Tanjung Puting National Park on the southern coast where a sizable population of orangutans is thriving.  We stayed in a rustic camp environment and visited this lush rainforest via the Sekonyer River that snakes through this part of the park.  We were awed by the orangutans, as well as gibbons, proboscis monkeys, macaques, monitor lizards, butterflies, all accompanied by the incredible sounds of the tropical jungle environment.

I'll probably post more about this trip, as I want to gush endlessly about what we experienced, but I must get on a flight to the US tomorrow morning, so it will have to wait (I can hear you holding your breath! Ha!)

In the meantime, please visit http://www.orangutan.org/rainforest/tanjung-puting-national-park if you are so inclined.

Proboscis Monkey

A curious macaque

Pangkalan Buun

Feeding time

Bohan

On the river

Bar Bar Black Sheep

Yes, that's the name of a neighborhood hangout we discovered a while back.  It kind of has the feel of a British pub, and serves very good Thai and Indian food, if that makes any sense.  Usually filled with expats, but Singaporeans seem to like it as well.  The good news is that it is within walking distance from our condo, and they are fine with pooches on the patio.  We try to get a table on the outside so Lucy can lie down in her favorite spot and block the sidewalk.  Folks don't seem to mind...  For those of you in Singapore, Bar Bar Black Sheep is located at 362 Tanjong Katong and there is one at Robertson Quay as well.  http://www.bbbs.com.sg/  Cheers!

Chinatown Tailor

Had a small adventure this week on Pagoda Street in Chinatown.  I needed something to wear for a quasi-fancy performance at the American Club  -  a gig with the American Women's Association Choir here in Singapore.  Normally, I'd just grab a black pair of pants and a black blouse, but these gals tend to dress to the nines for events like this, so I figured I better make an effort.  I was thinking about something simple - a long Chinese-style dress with a mandarin collar and short sleeves.  So I headed to Chinatown, wandered around a bit, worked up my courage and walked into a shop called, "Silk of the Orient".  The owner and head tailor's is Feroz Akbar and he's apparently been in the business for 30 years.  We discussed what I wanted, surrounded by colorful silks, wools, cashmere, a large cutting table and accompanied by the soundtrack of a mesmerizing Moslem prayer recording.   I selected a gorgeous black Shantung silk, Mr. Akbar's assistant measured me and we were off and running.  The whole transaction lasted not more than 10 minutes.  It was ready two days later, so I returned to Pagoda Street, tried on the dress (it's beautiful) and could barely sit in it, let alone imagine playing the piano in it.  That Chinese style, after all, is meant to be slim-fitting.  But, not to worry - they let out the seams a bit in the hip area, so I'm good to go.

Woofy Nanny

Hey, Folks!  Lucy, here!  Just wanted you guys to know that whilst Chris and Ricky are galavanting all over SE Asia, I'm actually having fun, too!  They finally heard of a nice human who loves dogs, and runs a great doggy hang out place out of her home.  It's a small operation, hosted by my buddy, Frodo (that's the guy in the middle of the pack there with the big smile), so the number of dogs are minimal and I get lots of attention!  And if I visit on a Monday, we go swimming!  So, if Ralph's humans are out of town when I need a place to stay, it's OK; I'll come here and play!

Rainy Season

Can you see the rain in this picture?!!!?  I think I need to up the ISO or the speed to capture the volume of water that is currently descending on this part of Singapore.  Holy cow - we have a rainy season with a vengeance this year!  More frequently than not, the rain arrives horizontally, in sheets, so any kind of "brelly" or waterproofs are useless.  Glad I ran Lucy out before it started - still caught a bit of it, whereupon, she tried to do her usual drying off by going back and forth between my legs.  She gets dry; I look like I peed myself....

Nikoi

Nikoi is a lovely 15-hectare private Indonesian island - between Singapore and Sumatra.  We booked two nights there earlier this week, and I could have stayed a third....  One gets there by an hour-long ferry from Singapore to Bintan (another, bigger, island), an hour and a half car-ride across Bintan, followed by a private launch from Bintan to Nikoi.  It's worth it, and it's still better than getting on a plane.  There isn't much to do there, hence the allure.  Accommodations are all sea-front bungalows, open to the outside - breezes are such that A/C is not missed - with a lovely deck for reading, sipping a glass of wine, or just gazing out to the horizon.  It's a bit pricey, but I think one pays for the low density.  40 is the maximum number of guests, and since we were there off-season, there couldn't have been more than 20 on the island - indeed, we seemed to be outnumbered by staff!  The style was "elegant casual", if that makes any sense.  For example, the dining area, also open on the sides to the elements, included linen napkins on the tables, yet no floor, so one could dine and sink toes in sand for the duration.  Lovely.

Saigon and the Mekong Delta

Chris scheduled a business trip to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) last week, so I decided to tag along.  We had been there in 2007 with our dear friend, Joni, but we hadn't made it to the Mekong Delta area just southeast of the city, and it was on my list.  So, I contacted a tour company with a fleet of sampans and scheduled a day in the Delta while Chris had meetings. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  We arrived on a Sunday morning, and since Chris was free until Monday morning, we wandered around the Dong Khoi area of the city, a kind of tourist section with hotels, restaurants and shops.  We visited the cavernous indoor Ben Thanh Market and I tested a new zoom lens on the thousands of motorbikes whizzing past.  (I was told that there are 10 million people in Saigon, and 9 million motorbikes.)  Indeed, we had to keep our wits about us crossing the street!

Monday morning I was picked up at the hotel by a driver and guide, and then we drove a couple of hours to the Ben Tre area of the Mekong Delta.  Ben Tre is a sizable town, but we stuck to the river, bike paths and villages.  I could hear the sound-track to "Apocalypse Now" as we motored down the small tributaries with the palm fronds nearly touching from either side.  Occasionally, we'd spot a sampan carrying fish traps or bags of rice going to market.  My guide, Tho, and I disembarked and mounted a couple of 3-speed bicycles that took us to a few family-run businesses all using rice, which is abundant in the area, or clay from the river banks.  To picture our route, just imagine a partially-paved bike path snaking through verdant jungle with small houses peaking out from behind palm trees - it was magical.  We observed rice noodles being made, using a machine that looked like a primitive shredder; we watched a woman making rice won ton - style wrappers on a clay steamer; and toured a small brick factory with ovens fueled from rice and coconut husks. Later, we enjoyed an incredible 5-course lunch at a river-front house used by the tour company as a home-stay.  (Will chalk that up for future reference....).  It was quite a day - just wish Chris was there to enjoy it as well.

Inside a brick oven

A denizen of the Delta

At the War Remnants Museum

A side trip:  I flew home to Singapore on a Tuesday evening, so that morning, I decided to seek out the War Remnants Museum which was founded shortly after the "American War of Aggression".  It was sobering to see the exhibit of photographs, guns, airplane fragments, tanks, choppers and claymore mines from the Viet Cong point of view.