Friday, September 02, 2016

xameliax: Move Over Bali, Borneo Is The New Place To Be


Ok, ok, let’s not completely dismiss Bali just yet, it’s got it’s own hidden wonders to explore but we’ll get to that later in my Indonesia series.

Today I want to talk to you about one of the hidden gems of Indonesia – Borneo.

You probably wouldn’t think of the jungle when planning a trip to this part of the world.

The humidity, the mosquitoes, the not so conventional sleeping conditions but this should 100% be on your list if you’re planning on visiting South-East Asia and here’s why…

Have you ever been somewhere that feels like you’re the first to wander there? A place that completely blows you away and envelopes all your senses? This was Borneo for me.

If you had told me three months ago I would be sailing along the black river in a traditional wooden boat, nearly being bowled over by a fully grown orangutan female and sleeping under a mosquito net in the middle of the jungle, I wouldn’t have believed you.

This isn’t my usual kind of travel and I was petrified before my arrival – so many unknowns, unanswered questions.

But the time we spent in the Borneo jungle surrounded by wildlife and new friends was one of the highlights of my #WonderfulIndonesia Trip and is something I would recommend for everyone to put on their life bucket list.

We arrived in Tanjung Puting and took a bus to the river where we were greeted by traditional dancing and a lot of smiling faces.

Flights from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun range from around £70-120 return depending on airlines and when you fly so it’s incredibly easy and cheap to hop over as part of your trip.

Once our welcome was over we were led over to the river and our accommodation for the night – a group of traditional wooden boats called Klotoks.

No flushing toilets, no beds, and just a few pillows on the deck to lounge on. Deep breaths.

We climbed and jumped over and through the other boats to get to ours and met our boat buddies we’d be spending the next two days with.

I don’t think any of us had an idea of what was to come and just how much it would stay in our minds for weeks, months, even years to come.

We waved goodbye to the shore (and our phone signal) and sailing off down the river for a once in a lifetime experience with nature.

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