Tim Duy's Fed Watch

Muddy Rivers, Gold Mining, And Blackwater

As I mentioned in my last post, the Borneo river we traveled is not safe to drink. In addition to its use for washing and as a sewer, there are fairly extensive gold mining operations in the river. A typical gold mining barge:

As you can tell, like the fishing boats, these are handmade. Very ingenious devices. The motors pump the silt from the bottom of the river over the chute at the of the barge. The heavier sentiments sift out, and I am told are subsequently treated with mercury to leach out the gold. Sometimes you will see a flotilla of barges operating together:

Needless to say, this in not the most environmentally freindly activity. Our guide explained that rubber prices are very low, driving more people into gold mining. The rewards are reportedly limited as minimal gold is actually collected. 

The gold mining contributes to the overall impact of human activity that leaves the rivers a muddy brown color. Not safe for drinking or swimming, although locals persue the latter. Toward the end of our trip the guides treated us to a trip up a tributary into virgin forest. A clear difference:

You can see the clean water of the tributary in the foreground. It is a blackwater river, so named because it is colored black by the tannins of the decaying matter of the forest floor. In this case, the forest sits on a massive peat bog. The color is striking:

It looks like oil:

Despite its color, it was safe for swimming, which made for happy kids:

While reportedly biologically safe for drinking, its higher acidity is not good for your teeth. The guide claimed, however, that it is good for your skin.

Orangutans

This post is not about monetary policy. No metaphors, no hidden messages. It is about orangutans. Mostly.

Hot, humid weather greeted my family and freiends as we emerged from our plane. After many, many hours - days, actually - of travel, we finally had arrived in Panlangkaraya, Indonesia on the island of Borneo. If you have traveled to tropical lands, you know the feeling as the heavy air engulfs the tired and disoreinted traveler as they walk onto the tarmac. But you also know the feeling of excitement as you prepare for a completely new experience that is 180 degrees from your typical weekend.

Not that the first night was completely new. We stayed in a Western-style hotel, albeit with traditional Indonesian food, as we fought jet lag. And I tweeted the jobs report, which again has not that different than a normal friday. One differene: Since it was friday night in Indonesia, I was able to enjoy the jobs report with beer rather than coffee.

The next morning we began our cruise aboard the Rahai'i Pangun:

The ship was fairly luxurious by junlge standards, with some cabins even boasting air conditioning. And the food was top-notch. Freshly prepared Indonesia fare; I can honestly say that not a single dish disappointed. Meals were served family style:

 

The ship lazily - very lazily, as the three-day cruise ended with a one hour drive back to the airport - traveled north along the river. Despite the slow pace, we quickly left civilazation behind. We first stopped at a small village of roughly 500. Colorful clothing drying slowly in the moist air decorated homes:

Clothes are washed in the river, as are people:

The river is also used as a toilet. It is not used for drinking; the locals have a community well. It is, however, used for food. Fishing is a way of life:

The boats are handmade and powered by fairly standard small engines - the kind you might find on a lawnmower. Each boat costs roughly $400 to make. Beautiful craftsmanship in this boat under construction:

The village stood on stilts, with the water rising to the top of a wooden path during the rainy season:

Local children loved the camera:

And were happy to photobomb my kids:

This man was 82 years old!

The children had a new library:

Later we boarded smaller boats to find the orangutans. And we were successfull:

We saw the orangutans from the boat. Sometimes they approached the edge of the water, sometimes they stayed in the trees. These orangutans were part of a reintroduction effort by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. BOS cares for orphaned orangutan babies. The babies don't naturally know how to live in the forest - they need to be taught by their mothers. In the absence of their mothers, they will not survive. BOS provides a foster home and "forest school" that teaches the orphans how to live in the forest with the ultimate goal of releasing them into the wild. The ones we saw were older students that had been released onto protected islands to learn greater independence. After they have proven their independence, they will be released in a remote location in Borneo. 

More pictures in subsequent posts!