Tering

Locations
door panel of the meeting hall

door panel of the meeting hall

Settlement on both sides of the Mahakam River, large parts of which were inundated at the time of our visit

the main street, waist-deep, canoe territory

the main street, waist-deep, canoe territory

Tering is actually a collection of three settlements, a mostly Muslim one on the south bank, a Christian one on the other bank, and a third one we have never been able to localize, somewhere up or down river. Tering Sabarang, the Muslim part, the part connected by road to Barong Tongkok and the inland longhouse villages, is not particularly attractive, but was driest – much of Tering had been inundated due to the high water level in the river -, and contains the few amenities the village has, a couple of basic hotels, a restaurant and a few shops.

 

Tering village, inundated

Tering village, inundated

more inundations in Tering Lama

more inundations in Tering Lama

 

colourful windows

colourful windows

another window

another window

Tering Lama, the Christian part across the river, was much deeper under water, streets knee-deep or more, and many of the village people has mobilized their canoes to cruise the streets. There is a nice meeting hall, here, second best thing to a longhouse in a Dayak village, and several nice houses on decorated poles, with attractive gardens and flowers.

The next village upriver is Datah Bilang (or jump to the end of the Virtual Tour, at Long Bagum).

the boat landing in Tering Lama, on the far side of the river

the boat landing in Tering Lama, on the far side of the river

the meeting hall in Tering Lama

the meeting hall in Tering Lama

house on poles, with patongs on the verandah

house on poles, with patongs on the verandah

Barong Tongkok

Locations
the small Catholic church of Barong Tongkok

the small Catholic church of Barong Tongkok

Smallish town in the Mahakam area, notable for its patongs of Catholic priests

An hour, or so, inland from Melak is Barong Tongkok, a nondescript small town which wouldn’t warrant a stop, but for the two patongs of Catholic missionaries of the 1960s, that have been placed in front of the local church. The clearest indication that the art of patong making is a living art, that accepts any subject matter important enough to the villagers to eternalize – well, as eternal as wood carvings in the humid tropics can be.

Next on the Virtual Tour is Tering, back on the river.

 

one of the two patongs of Dutch missionary priests

one of the two patongs of Dutch missionary priests

and the other priest, in front of the church

and the other priest, in front of the church

Eheng

Locations
entry to the longhouse in Eheng

entry to the longhouse in Eheng

Another longhouse village, and some reflections on the merits of longhouses

 

Close to Benung is Eheng, another Dayak village with a working longhouse, ie a longhouse still being used by several families who have their own space in the building, alongside the large communal hall.

 

 

the longhouse

the longhouse

same thing, from another angle

same thing, from another angle

inside the longhouse

inside the longhouse

small patong at the entrance

small patong at the entrance

 

Having seen a few longhouses now, they are in fact mainly impressive because of their size, but they are not particularly beautiful. Architecturally, the houses in Tana Toraja and Mamasa, but also the Rumah Adats in Flores and the Batak houses in Sumatra are more advanced, and more artistic. And the same counts for the wooden sculptures, the patongs, which are mostly big and tall, but esthetically not very special, and rather coarsely carved. They are often funny, though, like one with a moustache looking very much like a Dutch colonial officer – although judging from the state of the sculpture, this is probably a copy, in this climate not much made out of wood will have survived from colonial times.

In Barong Tongkok, next stop, are some interesting patongs (or jump directly to Tering, back on the river).

Benung

Locations, Uncategorized
hampatongs in front of the longhouse

hampatongs in front of the longhouse

One of the oldest longhouses in the Mahakam area

An hour’s drive from Melak is Benung, a Dayak villages with a longhouse reputedly dating from the 1940’s. Unlike Mancong, the longhouse here is still being used by several resident families.

A short walk from the longhouse is the sanding, a mausoleum for the village eldest, with a number of decorated coffins resting on poles.

A similar village, next on the Virtual Tour, is Eheng (or jump to Tering, back along the river).

 

the longhouse, adapted to modern times, including motorbikes and satellite dishes

the longhouse, adapted to modern times, including motorbikes and satellite dishes

Benung longhouse

Benung longhouse

inside the longhouse, the communal space

inside the longhouse, the communal space

buffalo horn decorations comes in handy

buffalo horn decorations comes in handy

some of the poles inside have also been decorated

some of the poles inside have also been decorated

and inside, the individual rooms

and inside, the individual rooms, clearly in use

a hampatong of some very real-looking person

a hampatong of some very real-looking person

spirit hampatong

spirit hampatong

the mausoleum

the mausoleum

with coffins stacked inside

with coffins stacked inside

dragon-head front decoration of one of the coffins

dragon-head front decoration of one of the coffins

Melak

Locations
even the terra firma of Melak is, next to the river, inundated because of the high water levels

even the terra firma of Melak is, next to the river, inundated because of the high water levels

Comparatively large town upstream in the Mahakam River, and a good base for onshore excursions to Dayak villages

fishing nets drying

fishing nets drying

Perhaps the biggest settlement upstream in the Mahakam River is Melak, a fairly large mining town, which apparently has a small airport – private planes only, no scheduled flight -, and is even connected by road to the coast. Which is more: it is built on terra firma, one of the few places in this part of the river that is not dominated by board walks

The town itself is standard fare, not particularly attractive, but Melak is a good base for exploring the surrounding Dayak villages and their longhouses, by car. Besides, it has by far the best hotel north of Samarinda, with AC, Wifi and hot showers, quite a change from the very basic guest houses that are the only option in most villages.

From here, the Tour moves inland to the longhouse village of Benung.

outside Melak, comfy chairs on a private jetty

outside Melak, comfy chairs on a private jetty

well-stocked shop in Melak

well-stocked shop in Melak

coal barges on the river near Melak

coal barges on the river near Melak

Muara Pahu

Locations
somebody’s boot, drying in the sun of Muara Paho

somebody’s boot, drying in the sun of Muara Pahu

Nondescript board walk town on the way further upstream the Mahakam River

Muara Pahu is not more than one street, or rather, one long board walk, at the mouth of and along the Paho River, another Mahakam tributary upstream from Muara Muntai. Shops, a wooden mosque, some restaurants, and houses, all along the board walk. Some of the planks of the board walk are loose, to the effect that not only the obligatory motorbikes, but even I, walking alone, emulate the sound of a tank passing.

There is not much happening in the village. Water level is high, like in all the other places we have been to along the Mahakam, which affects, among other things, the outdoor table tennis court – although it doesn’t stop the youth from playing!  Many other parts of the village are also underwater, but the people aren’t too concerned, obviously, this happens more often.

the only one street of Muara Paho

the only one street of Muara Pahu

mobile shop along the board walk

mobile shop along the board walk

one of the houses along the main street

one of the houses along the main street

catch of the day, delivered by bicycle

catch of the day, delivered by bicycle

even the cemetery is inundated

even the cemetery is inundated

The river near Muara Pahu is, supposedly, home to the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins, but with so much debris, and rubbish, in the river, it is impossible to spot which hump on the surface is a dolphin’s head, and which is not. I take it that none of them were, as the Irrawaddy dolphin, like in so many other places where they occur, have a tough time surviving, partly from getting entangled in nets, but also because of the pollution from boats and from mining.

For us Muara Pahu is not more than a stop on the way, further upstream. For Carl Bock, who traveled Kalimantan and the Mahakam River in 1879 (see Indonesia reading list), it was the furthest he came on the main river, because any further would risk exposing oneself to head-hunting practices and cannibalism. Times have changed!

The Virtual Tour continues upriver to Melak.

children have the time of their live, with the high water

children have the time of their live, with the high water

table tennis match, never mind the inundated court

table tennis match, never mind the inundated court

Mancong

Locations
I would say the moustache of a real colonial office bearer, but apparently, or so I was told, the Dayaks themselves also grow such moustaches

I would say the mustache of a real colonial office bearer, but apparently, or so I was told, the Dayaks themselves also grow such mustaches – Mancong

Dayak village away from the main river, with a great longhouse and a huge collection of patongs

board walk entrance to the village

board walk entrance to the village

A few hours upstream on the Sungai Ohong is Mancong, a Dayak village situated on both banks of the river. Because of the high water, and the rubbish that has accumulated, the ces with which we arrive cannot get further than the first bridge, and we need to walk the last five minutes into the village, over the now-familiar board walks. Outside the board walks, the water has inundated much of the village, including the local volleyball pitch.

 

much of the rest of the village is also under water

much of the rest of the village is also under water

volleyball court under water

volleyball court under water

the two-story longhouse of Mancong

the two-story longhouse of Mancong

Mancong is famous for its longhouse, a two-story affair, which has been restored some time ago, but is now falling into disrepair again. Here, people aren’t living in the long house anymore, increasing welfare allows families to have their own house, away from the communal building, and other forces, like erosion of tribal values and increasing individualism, also work against the traditional way of living. Despite this, the building is still impressive, truly ‘long’. At several places are carved poles serving as stairs to the first level, where a covered veranda runs along the whole longhouse. Inside is a common hall, also the entire length of the building, behind which are the individual rooms, with stairs to a second level. The stairs are blocked, which is probably for the better, because the floor boards of the second level have started to collapse in various corners: I wouldn’t want to find myself crashing through it. On the other side of the building are further rooms, probably once used as store rooms, bathrooms and toilets.

patongs in front of the longhouse of Mancong

patongs in front of the longhouse of Mancong

the “stairs” – a carved pole – to the first level

the “stairs” – a carved pole – to the first level

a very real-person patong

a very real-person patong

a more spirit-like sculpture

a more spirit-like sculpture

another wooden sculpture

another wooden sculpture

the common hall, inside the longhouse

the common hall, inside the longhouse

In front of the longhouse are the patongs, of hampatongs, the wooden sculptures of people and spirits that define Dayak culture. Some are phantasy figures, but other have recognizable features, a hat, a moustache, a knife, clearly modeled on a once existing person. A great collection, which wouldn’t be out of place in any anthropological museum. And which is even more impressive in its original environment.

From here, we continue to Muara Pahu, back along the main river.

 

a window in the village

a window in the village

each house seems to have its own, outside, toilet

each house seems to have its own, outside, toilet

Sungai Ohong

Locations
trees along the Ohong River, roots under water

trees along the Ohong River, roots under water

Narrow river with fabulous scenery, abundant wildlife and a rubbish problem

One of the more scenic Dayak villages, Mancong, is reached by way of Sungai Ohong – the Ohong River – , a tributary of the Mahakam River that in fact empties in the Danau Jempang. Following this stream, in between overhanging trees, is one of the most attractive trips one can make in the Mahakam area.

unpresuming entrance to the Ohong River

unpresuming entrance to the Ohong River

It starts with a short ride from Tanjung Isuy to the village of Muara Ohong, at the mouth of the Ohong River. The motorized canoe or ces – much bigger vessels won’t get far on this trip – finds its way through a narrow channel, full of weeds, which turns out to be the beginning of the Ohong. Initially, the banks are covered with low trees and reeds, but soon, the trees grow taller, the river narrower, and one is cruising through what feels like a tunnel, the trees overhead closing in. When we did this trip, the river level was very high, and many trees were standing in the water.

woman with whitened face in Muara Ohong

woman with whitened face in Muara Ohong

house in Muara Ohong, at the entrance to the Ohong River

house in Muara Ohong, at the entrance to the Ohong River

proboscis monkey in a tree

proboscis monkey in a tree

another proboscis monkey

another proboscis monkey

black macaque

black macaque

This is monkey territory. Groups of red proboscis monkeys, with their characteristic big noses, alternate with good old black macaques. Initially difficult to spot, we soon learn to pay attention to the moving tree branches: moving from a bunch of monkeys landing on top of them in search of food.

kingfisher

kingfisher

black and blue bird, don’t know the name

black and blue bird, don’t know the name

white heron along the stream

white heron along the stream; there are many of them

Elsewhere, brilliantly painted blue and yellow kingfishers and other beautifully coloured birds – one blue and white with a red chest and a light blue beak – cross the stream, disturbed by our presence, perhaps. High above a hornbill, and several other large birds which we don’t recognize, fly along the top of the forest, out of reach of our cameras. This is wildlife spotting as it is supposed to be, deep in the Bornean jungle, far from what we know as civilization.

rubbish collecting in a bend of the river

rubbish collecting in a bend of the river

rubbish collecting under a small bridge

rubbish collecting under a small bridge

Except that in every bend, and at every whirlpool, rubbish has collected, plastic bottles, paper boxes, bags, anything really. At some of the villages we pass, the water under the small bridges is clogged with rubbish, mixed with forest debris. It transpires that what we call civilization has in fact arrived: and everybody just dumps whatever they don’t need anymore in the water; the water will take care of it, no? Which it doesn’t of course, but that doesn’t seem to bother people. They seem to be quite at ease with living in between their own waste. Never mind that they wash their clothes, and themselves, in the same water that contains the rubbish, as well as their excrements, of course; one of the advantages of a house on stilts is that the sewerage is taken care of.

Even this jungle is not so remote anymore.

Along the Sungai Ohong is the Dayak village Mancong, next stop.

an ugly big bird, name also unknown to me

an ugly big bird, name also unknown to me

The Travelers’ Century Club

Uncategorized
TCC's Worldmap

TCC’s Worldmap

Travelers are always looking for fellow travelers. But whether the Travelers’ Century Club is what I was looking for, I doubt it.

There is something called the Travelers’ Century Club, TCC, for people who have traveled to one-hundred countries or more. Recently, I saw a copy of The Centurian, their monthly newsletter, where on the back page several members were congratulated with their newly achieved Diamond membership, for having visited no less than 300 countries. I didn’t think there were that many countries in the world, despite the ever-expanding numbers from collapsing empires and successful independence movements, until I checked the TCC countries and territories list on their website. In fact, they recognize 324 countries and territories, thereby observing that “some are not actually countries in their own right, but they have been included because they are removed from the parent country, either geographically, politically or ethnologically”. Right!

Intrigued, I had a closer look at the list, to see what that means, “removed geographically, politically or ethnologically”. Predictably, the UK is not one, but five countries (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Jersey/Channel Islands). Hmmm. Cyprus is two countries, one a Republic and the other a Turkish Federal Republic. OK, I can live with that, clearly politically separated, more so than the UK, at least for the time being. But whether Crete and Corfu need to be identified as separate entities from Greece is more debatable; equally doubtful is the split in European and Asian Turkey, or African and Asian Egypt (the Sinai). Indonesia exists as a country, but so do Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Irian Jaya (the Indonesian part of New Guinea, helpfully also called Dutch New Guinea by the TCC, although the Indonesians themselves call it Papua, already for quite some time), Moluca and the Lesser Sunda Islands, covering all the other Indonesian Islands – including Bali, the one island that really stands out as culturally, religiously different. There are definitely ethnological and cultural differences within Indonesia, but this to me seems to have been mostly designed to create as many countries as possible, so that more and more people can become member of this illustrious club.

The rules defining a visit to a country appear to confirm this. According to the site, “it was decided that even the shortest visit would suffice — even if only a port-of-call, or a plane fuel stop. This greatly widens the field and will give the traveler a better chance to qualify for one of the most unusual clubs in the world”. Right! Had you flown with the cheapest possible ticket from Amsterdam to Harare in the 1980s, some Bulgarian carrier would have made 11 stops on the way, giving you a head start towards membership. In my case Brazil would have counted, from a brief visit to the Iguazu Falls some years ago, and I could even add Mozambique, from the time I stepped across the road that forms the border between Malawi and then civil-war-torn Mozambique in 1987.

Why would you want to become a member of this club? Well, they have a website with a traveler’s forum, and several chapters – local clubs – throughout the US (mostly) and the rest of the world (which is Canada, Germany, a new one in The Netherlands, and, surprisingly, all of the UK, this time not split up in individual countries). And all this is yours for the humble registration fee of 100 US$, plus an annual subscription of between 75-95 US$.

I haven’t reached the 100 countries yet, not even by the TCC definition (which, the site assures me, is no problem, I could become a Provisional member, as long as I pay up). If and when I do, I am not sure I will register. A little too opportunistic for my taste. Which doesn’t diminish my admiration for somebody who has already visited more than 300 out of 324 territories.

Or are there more than 324? There is also a list of some 50 retired countries, and there is the so-called Grandfather Clause, that determines that an area which was recognized as a country or territory in the past and is deleted from the active list will still count for the purposes of having reached the minimum number of destinations required for membership. Did I say opportunistic?

Have a look at http://travelerscenturyclub.org

Montevideo

Locations
Uruguay’s liberator in front of one of the most characteristic buildings of Montevideo, in the Plaza Independencia

Uruguay’s liberator in front of one of the most characteristic buildings of Montevideo, in the Plaza Independencia

A pleasant, but somewhat run-down provincial-style capital city, without many highlights.

The fortunes of some cities go up and down, and I suppose Montevideo’s was down, when we visited. Accustomed as we are to Argentina, the Uruguayan capital compares to any large provincial town of its Southern neighbour across the Rio de la Plata, with plenty of two-story houses in the outskirts, and some highrise in the centre; broad tree-lined avenues, a few large government buildings, a fountain here and there, and a statue of a liberator, invariably a general or a colonel.

 

corner house, somewhat dilapidated

corner house, somewhat dilapidated

and one of its typical balconies in front of shuttered windows

and one of its typical balconies in front of shuttered windows

one of the less attractive apartment buildings at the Plaza Independencia

one of the less attractive apartment buildings at the Plaza Independencia

but if you zoom in, you can get interesting photos of the windows and air conditioners, distributed across the building

but if you zoom in, you can get interesting photos of the windows and air conditioners, distributed across the building

sometimes, new buildings reflect the old ones better than if you would have looked at them directly

sometimes, new buildings reflect the old ones better than if you would have looked at them directly

another attractive building in a corner

another attractive building in a corner

The touristic attraction is the Ciudad Viejo, the old town, but unlike Colonia del Sacramento, which is well maintained and kept immaculate, historical Montevideo has a run-down look and feel: rubbish in the streets,  the occasional sewerage smell. And many of the old buildings, the ones that are supposed to provide the attraction, falling apart, windows broken, walls stripped of stucco. Which is really a shame, because those buildings do have some beautiful details, a decorated door, stained-glass windows,iron balconies with beautiful balustrades, filled with plants in front of high window frames hidden behind wooden shutters. Lots of potential, so far unfulfilled.

fruit and vegetable shop, to add some colour to the town

fruit and vegetable shop, to add some colour to the town

the iron market structure of the Mercado del Puerto

the iron market structure of the Mercado del Puerto

inside the market stands a huge wooden clock

inside the market stands a huge wooden clock

Several squares interfere with the standard street lay-out. Plaza Independecia hosts the sculpture of the liberator, and has some great buildings surrounding it – as well as some positively horrible apartment blocks, also a feature of the old town. The other feature worth mentioning is the Port Market (Mercado del Puerto), an iron structure which has been transformed into an eating paradise, full of restaurants and bars – invariably with a particularly keen eye to the tourists –, all of them serving Uruguay’s national dish, the parradillas, every piece of meat you can think of grilled to perfection. But that, you also get in Argentina. Hard to think of a compelling reason to come to Montevideo.

the standard fare at the Mercado del Puerto, ready to be cooked

the standard fare at the Mercado del Puerto, ready to be cooked

the quintessential Uruguayan tool: bombillas for drinking mate

the quintessential Uruguayan tool: bombillas for drinking mate