JCP FEATURES: SURVIVING

“Human in nature is profit-oriented, while animals live just to survive the harsh wild”

My recent trip to Balikpapan, East Kalimantan was a life-changing trip ever. Not only because I went there with my best friends (and we had a blast bonding time after 18 years of friendship), but also because of what I found out after the trip. I’ve mentioned it sometimes on my blog or videos that I’m not an animal buddy and hates mountains, but those didn’t make me dislike this trip at all, even though mostly we were visiting forests and encounter with wildlife. My friend is doing research about why Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia choose this island to be the next capital city. The three of us flew to Balikpapan, East Kalimantan to find out the answer. Well, we couldn’t really find out the answers, but we found out a sad truth about this island.

2020 did not start pretty well in Indonesia, especially, Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. Flood every part of Jakarta on the first day of 2020. It was the first massive flood after 3 years. Probably, you have heard about this, that Indonesia is moving its capital city to Kalimantan island, the second largest island in the Indonesian archipelago. Kalimantan is gifted to have 40.8 million hectares (well, not sure if this number still valid) of tropical forest, becoming the world’s lungs. But, deforestation (which includes illegal loggings and greedy palm oil companies) and modernization play a huge role in reducing the tropical forest. But, this doesn’t make Mr. President take back his plan on moving Indonesia’s capital city to this wide island. 

A view from the resort. This is what a forest should look like.
Well, with higher and denser trees it will be great. 

We visited a wildlife survival center where we can encounter the endemic residents of Kalimantan or Borneo island’s forest, orangutan and the least known endangered sun bear. I knew sun bear as a honey bear ( beruang madu in Indonesian) before, thanks to this visit, I finally knew the official name of this bear species. There are lots of new information that I got after this visit and I’m so grateful for this unforgettable encounter.

Sun bear in training their hunting skills.
Photo credits to my friend. 

Extremely closer look of a sun bear. I trembled and worried that my phone will be their lunch, so this is the best photo I could get.

Blessed with fertile soil is not always a good thing. Borneo island may not have a volcano, but they have everything else. Palm oil, coal, woods, tasty tropical fruits, and much more. Those natural products made this island a profitable target to be explored. Well, human in nature is profit-oriented, while animals live just to survive the harsh wild. Humans will take chances and will do anything for their needs. This is human nature because that’s how we survived and be different from other creatures. And because this same reason, orangutan habitats were gone and eventually they became an endangered species.

Many of the orangutans in the conservation center were the victim of deforestation and illegally-owned. Deforestation made orangutans puzzled when their home was gone and changed to housing. I just knew that orangutans live in semi-nomad, they build their homes then leave it and build other houses, going around and around like that, then they might come back to their first home. Unfortunately, not many people know about this and thought it’s an open and free space, they burned orangutans’ hardly made houses and changed it to their house or a commercial area. Some people raise orangutan as a pet when their nature is in the wild. It was so devastating that many people in rural areas didn’t know about this.

The conservation is working hand-in-hand with the locals, raising awareness that orangutan is not a pet. The awareness program seems to bear some result, there were no more orangutan get into the conservation for the last 2-3 years with the reason found as a pet. It’s a good sign that the locals are aware of this endangered species and participate actively in the rescuing program.

Well, the 3 hours trail at the survival center brought so much insight for me. I got to realized that Indonesia has so many potentials but sucks at managing it. There are a few facts that I didn’t know about orangutans before. It’s the endemic animals of Indonesia, but not much information that I knew about this animal. A human can transfer illness to orangutans and also the other way around. That’s why we couldn’t interact with the orangutans directly, even though we want to.

Our DNA and their DNA is only 3% different, which is a huge difference in physical form, but psychologically we are practically the same. They can get angry, stressful, crazy, depressed, etc. The ones in the survival center many of them have trauma and will be very hard to live directly in the wild. But not all orangutans can go back to the wild even after joining the program. There are few orangutans that could not go back to the wild because they are severely hurt mentally and physically. The most common cause is baby orangutans were taken away from their mother to be raised as a pet. Just imagine, if your child was taken away from you, how do you feel? Baby orangutans naturally are really protective toward their mother, so taking the baby away as a pet is awful and stressful for both the mother and the baby.

The survival center serves as a training center for the orangutans before they go back to the wild. Because of that, visitors could not interact with them at all. Only authorized personalities and volunteers are the only human being that able to interact with them.I’m really sure when you heard the stories of the orangutans there, you will be very heartbroken. But, on the other side, there are a few bright and lively orangutans that will make you smile.

A few days ago, I got an update on one of the orangutans named Romeo. He seems very normal despite his old age. He could have to go back to the wild, but he is too old, it might be hard for him. The survival center is still watching him, whether if he can go back to the wild or not. The update I got was not a good one. Romeo is started to change in a weird way. Orangutan doesn’t like water. In the wild, they will find a shelter when it’s raining. But, Romeo suddenly splashing water to himself. This is not a good sign, because there is a change in behavior. I couldn’t think what we can do about this, but I hope no more changing behavior anymore.

This is Romeo. The oldest orangutan in the survival center.

Let’s be a smart human being. Less wasting, less greedy, and more caring. We only have one earth and it's getting old. Let’s do not do something we will regret later just for the sake of convenience and benefit. That’s how we will survive this life. We are way far from the Eden garden, but let’s work for it because all of these things are not ours.

I found some useful and interesting articles that might help you to know more about orangutan. You may check them out here.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/extreme-animals-that-live-in-jungles/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/12/orangutans-behaviors-borneo-sumatra/

Let’s reflect on our lifestyle and be more attentive to our surroundings.
Thank you for joining this first JCP Feature.
See you at the next one.

Source:

https://www.profauna.net/en/forest-campaign/kalimantan-forest/about-forests-in-kalimantan#.XlSyOKeB2Rs

Special thanks to Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), Balikpapan for the effort in caring for the Bornean Orangutan and the sun bears that need help. If you happened to visit Balikpapan, surely visit BOSF and get some insights about these orangutans.

VISIT INDONESIA: Bogor Short Adventure Getaway

Hi there!

My Adventure Team Mates!

So, today I'm going to tell you my little adventure in Bogor last week. On Saturday, my friends and I went to Sentul, which is an area near Bogor, West Java. It took us 4 hours drive from Jakarta to Sentul. Well, actually it is not that long, but we stopped at the rest area quite long. Sentul is famous with elite neighborhood, Jungle Land (a kind of theme park), and Pasar Ahpoong. But, this time, I did not go to any of those places. We went to Curug Barong, a hidden waterfall in Sentul. One of my friend, really wanted to see waterfall. Actually, we were planning to go to Bandung to see another waterfall, but since a few shortcoming, we cancelled the trip to Bandung, and going to Sentul/Bogor instead.

Curug means waterfall in Sundanese language. So, Curug Barong means Barong Waterfall. Barong in Indonesia, is a kind of popular mythology character especially in Java and Bali. But, I don't have any idea of why the waterfall named after it. Any ways, finding the waterfall is a thrill adventure to all of us. Oh, I forgot to mention that I went with 4 friends of mine. They are my high school friends. The trip went smoothly until we arrived at the front gate of Jungle Land. Then, we faced an extreme narrow path! We have to pass a narrow gangway in some unidentified place on the GPS. We have to hike those path for about 45 minutes I guess. We also saw a lot of bikers on our way to the waterfall. While on our way, we saw an woman 'bule' fell down from her bike. We asked her if she needs a help, but she is perfectly fine and continued to bike to the top. Cool woman! 

To break-up those long writing...

At around 10 AM, we have arrived at the parking lot of the waterfall. The sun was perfectly striking through our skin! It was damn hot! FYI, Bogor area is known for the city of rain, so it should not be that hot. Thanks to global warming, it was freakin' hot! Plus, I wore a wrong ootd at that time. :( From the parking lot to the entrance of the waterfall took us for 10-15 steps. HAHA! Then we have to walk up and down the hill to get to the waterfall. Going to the waterfall was quite okay, but coming back to our car was extremely tiring. Plus we wore sandals when we went back to our car. Nevertheless, it was very fun! :D

This place is a secret tourist destination. But, there are some local tourists that have come to this waterfall. Curug Barong cannot be apart from Leuwi Hejo. Leuwi means pool to take a bath (tempat pemandian in Indonesian) and Hejo means green or hijau in formal Indonesian. The water from the waterfall run through to the river and it is used by the local. The waterfall itself does not look like other waterfall. Since, the waterfall is quite short. But, it is unique, since it looks like a water park pool. But I do like it here. The water was cold and it perfectly match with the sunny weather at that time. Especially if you come with your friends! The waterfall looks like this:

 

Yes, it is the waterfall.

Oh! There is a monk up there!

Blissful day

Unlike most people say about Indonesian water, this waterfall is almost perfect! It has the clear water, quite clean, since there are some people that are still smoking in this beautiful scene and throw away their cigarettes in the bushes! I DO NOT GET THE IDEA OF SMOKING IN THIS KIND OF PLACE. What a freak! :S 

By the way, if you are interested to come here, I'll let you know how to down below. If not, just skip this part, and see my other adventure, which is culinary adventure in Bogor here.

How to visit Curug Barong:

1. If you come from Jakarta, just use GPS and search for Jungle Land. It is just a regular way if you go to Bogor. Jungle Land is located in Sentul, just before the exit to Bogor. 
2. If you have already found the front gate of Jungle Land, do not go inside the Jungle Land. When you see the gate, turn left, and you will see a small path.
3. Then follow the path all the way up until you see the banner of Curug Barong and Leuwi Hejo. Ask the locals if you are not sure. Oh by the way, you might have to across a terrible bridge. It feels like you are riding a roller-coaster. LOL. But, your car will be just fine. ;)

There you go! Have fun there! Don't forget to share your experience if you come here. :D 
Oh! By the way, not only this waterfall that is located here, but there are some other waterfall that you might like to visit. Also, another famous location is Gunung Pancar. It is a pine tree forest, and it was good also. I've never been there, but my other friends does. So, if you prefer forest than waterfall, you might check that out. 

Note for anyone who will visit this area, first there will be no signal. Second, wear light (in term of weight) outfit or use a swimming suit if you want to swim there. Third, bring a water-resistant bag or you put your belongings into a plastic bag then put it on your bag. Fourth, don't forget to bring sunblock, towel, underwear and cloth, and camera! :D

Well, that's all!! Have fun there!
See you soon on my next post! 
Bubyeee

Bonus picture! THANKS FOR READING!

XOXO,

VISIT INDONESIA : Eco-Tourism in Pramuka Island

HEY THERE!  Today, I'm going to tell and promote one of Indonesian's island, Pramuka Island in Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands Province), Jakarta. This is based on my own experience and reference.  Hope you enjoy it!  

So, last year on October, I've just having my field trip with my Eco-Tourism classmates to Pramuka Island in Kepulauan Seribu, Jakarta. From the city, we could take a boat or a ferry to the island. There are some ports you could choose, which are Marina Port in Ancol or Muara Karang Harbour in Muara Karang. But, for vacation purposes, I recommended to take ferry at Marina Port, Ancol. If you want some adventures, you may take a big boat from Muara Angke. You will witnesses the "brown" sea along with some plastics during your travel from Muara Angke. This is REAL and serious problem with Jakarta. 

By the way, we were going there to have a field trip and experience to be a soft eco-tourist. Please noted that you might experience better vacation here than I've experience. Because, first I took a traditional big boat from not so nice harbour, Muara Angke. Second, I have a limited time to enjoy all the facilities due tight schedule of our itinerary. You could ask me if you need some guide and I would like to help you, because it can be sort of training for my future job. ;)

So, the 3,5 hours of suffering and hot trip ended, we've arrived at the dock of Pramuka Island. We went straight to our accommodation to put our things in our room and got a little time to relax. We met our roommates and get to know each other, since I went with some seniors who are taking this course also. 

After short break, we had our lunch. The restaurant were very uncomfortable, because of what? ANTS! BIG RED ANTS!! (remembering that makes me creeps). I HATE ANTS! LIKE SERIOUSLY. :S So, if you guys hate ants, please stay away from the sands near the tree. Always bring your bug-free lotion. After the lunch, we got some short briefing from the local guide there, who was helping us through our days in Pramuka Island. 

The first activity we did here were seeing the sanctuary of sea turtles, which is Hawskbill. Their home was destroyed because of trash, contaminated sea, etc. Here, there is a place where they raise the hawksbill from an egg until they became strong enough to survive in the ocean. The place was not really big and does not seems like a sanctuary, but it does help the species. Across the sanctuary, there is a coast, where we could plant small mangrove. It was also one action to help the sea abrasion, breaking the waves so it won't go through the houses near there, etc. The point is it was to help the environment to be more healthy and reducing the global warming. Then, we also got to cultivate corals there. The corals was still young and small, but they implant it and then we got a chance to put it at the ocean. When, it's bigger it could be a beautiful coral reefs, where those thousands of fish could live in. It was such a good deed. :D We are let to have a break after those activities. The island has not much villagers or visitors, so at the evening it tends to be quiet. But, the island has everything from AC to street foods stall. It was a nice day. You could have diving near the cottage. We ate dinner at the same place with the one we ate for lunch. We also have a short briefing and then we went straight to our room. It was quite exhausting, but some of us were talking and playing around outside the cottage. 

Me, planting the mangrove ^^

the "baby" coral... ^^v

2nd DAY! We went for snorkeling today! Before we went for a snorkeling, we went to the sanctuary of Jakarta's iconic animal, which is an eagle. The species name is Haliastur Indus or Brahminy Kite or Elang Bondol. It was ironic that the icon of this city and country were almost gone. They were used to be hunt and sell illegally. They were only few of them alive in this area. It was very sad to know it. Before we went here, we don't know that this famous eagle were living near us. We don't know their name, we used to call it "elangnya kacang garuda" (the eagle of garuda peanuts). Garuda peanuts is a name of a peanut snacks in Indonesia. There, visitor should not make much noises, because it can disturb the birds there. Not only a sanctuary for birds, they also raised abused dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. But, not all of them were there. There, we could see the pieces of whale skeletons that was stranded and found dead. :(

Elang Bondol

the whale skeleton

After that visit, we were set off to the sea! We headed to a beach near the sanctuary. There, we learn how to snorkel. It was my first experience and what it feels like? hmmh. I would say it was salty! I was like eating a full spoon of salt. But, it was fun! I'm quite liking it. I would like to do it again some day! Indonesia has a lot of snorkeling destination and I aimed to saw it. The most memorable thing is I saw the cute clown fish a.k.a NEMO!! It was a cute little thing alive. We had our lunch at that beach. After lunch we headed to the sea of nowhere. We were really snorkeling there. IT WAS FUN!!! But, I can't really see what's inside cos I wore a life jacket. But, it was still greatt! :D After sometime in the sea, we headed back to the cottage, but we stopped by to see our coral that we planted yesterday and we also went to see a shark sanctuary near a restaurant there. Then, we headed to the cottage. We were so tired, that some of us slept on the boat. LOL. 

Finally, we took a bath! It was a salty salty day! our hair has this beachy wave. LOL. We cleanse our swimsuit and clothes from the sand. It was the worst part from swimming in the sea. Hahaha. After we took a bath, we have our dinner. After dinner, we have a briefing and we got to know each other more. We had game, where one table had to memorize all of name of people sitting there. It was quite fun, and yeah we really go to know each other names at least. I was really tired, when I got back at our rooms. I did some packing before I slept. Then, I went to sleep. 

3rd Day! We are going back to the city today! It was sad, because I'm going to suffer hot sunny days on the boat. BUT THANK GOD! It does not happen! YEAY! We got in an empty boat this time. Only us that got in the boat. It was hot and I can't sleep at the boat, so I'm bored. We saw cockroaches. It was terrifying for the girls. LOL. We went abroad early in the morning, at around 7.30 AM. We arrived at the Muara Karang at aroung 11 AM. We were separated with the others there. Some of them lives in Jakarta, so they went back to their home straightly. Some of us, including me, hop onto the bus and went back to Lippo Karawaci. When we arrived at UPH, our journey ended. Thank you for the adventures! :D 

free spaces on the boat!