Rutgers-Primates, Ecology, and Conservation in Indonesia

Written July 5th

It’s right before dinner time after my first full day in Tuanan. The jungle is such a cool environment, in the fascinating sense, not the temperature sense, because it is super humid here. The camp’s conditions are surprisingly comfortable and should be easily bearable for the next week. My pseudo bed/toilet/shower is better than nothing! We feast for every meal on local food made by the camp’s cooks, who are women from the local village Pasir Putih. And the cold bucket showers are refreshing after a long, sweaty day. (It is entertaining to reread my blog entries as I type them up back in the States because I can vividly remember wanting to do anything else almost every time I had to dump cold water over my head).

We explored the jungle today. reporting the orangutan nests we found. Pak Odom, our guide, is a veteran of Tuanan and we were lucky to be in his group. His eyes never missed a thing and we got to see many nests and he taught us about many of the fruits the orangutans fed on. I also got to see my first orangutans today, Ketambe and his mother Kerry. Ketambe is a five year old and is still not used to humans being around, so he spent most of his time breaking branches and throwing them at us. It was fun to play with Ketambe, but the experience of getting to see such an exotic and endangered animal is not lost on me and will be a memory I will not soon forget.

 

Picture credit to Andrea Pfaff for the great photo of Ketambe!

To get to Tuanan, we had a two hour boat ride up the Kapuas River, which besides being a fun experience in itself, was also a great bonding moment with my soon to be great friends. (The first time I wrote this I used the word peers, but I think they’ve earned a nicer description after the three weeks we’ve spent together).

Indonesia, as a nation, is certainly poorer than the US. Many of the roads and building are in worse shape, but there are some areas that are still quite developed. Many of the hotels were very built up and were equivalent to US standards. I think many Americans would be plenty surprised at the luxury they could find in Indonesia. This luxury is not for the average Indonesian, but for Americans, our money translates well. (Throughout the trip, I routinely purchased meals for $5-$7 that would have been $30 in the US).

I am glad I do not have to drive in Indonesia, because I am not sure there are actually any rules to the road. Motor bikes and cars swerve around each other, drive on the shoulder, and get inches from each other. It is interesting interacting with strangers here because I am something of a celebrity. Indonesians do not often see white people, and I have already taken photos with a few families who asked me to pose with them. All in all, a god start to the trip and I look forward to experiencing the rest.

It’s been a couple days since I’ve made it home after over 31 hours of traveling and I still can’t wrap my head around what an amazing experience Indonesia was. After editing my last few blog posts and reading through the earlier ones I realized just how many things I was able to do and learn. As someone who went into this trip relatively uniformed about primatology and conservation work done in Indonesia I came out not and expert but rather with just a taste of the many facets of these subjects that many dedicate their lives to there. I am intrigued by what I learned and can’t wait to continue to my own research about these things I as work though the hours and hours of footage I took while there to make several documentaries in the upcoming year.

Before I sign off I just wanted to say a huge thank you to my family for supporting me in this trip, my advisers for working with me as I planned, those who funded me and Erin Vogel/ Rebecca Britain for their leadership on the course. Not only was the contributions of all these people were the only things that made this trip possible but all of them also made it an experience above and beyond what I ever expected. These three weeks will be ones that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

And thank you to you all for your interest in my trip and for coming on the journey with me!

The last three days have been incredible and I can’t believe how many exciting adventures we’ve packed in our few days here! We headed out on the 8am ferry from the port in Jakarta to Seribu. Seribu translates one thousand in Indonesian which is how they island chain get their English name of the thousand islands but in reality there are actually only a little more than 100 islands with only 57 inhabited ones. But when you are in the middle of them and tiny islands dot every coast line as far as you can see it’s not at all hard to understand why without a birds eye map they were named Seribu.

We stayed in a “beach bungalow-ish” home-stay on one of the larger islands and were such a large group that we filled the home-stay to capacity and were the only guests. We only had a bit of time to get our rooms and settle in before we were back on the little motorcycle driven carts that make up the public transportation on the tiny island and headed to the main conservation headquarters where we met some of the main facilitators of the conservation efforts in Seribu who would be our guides around for the next couple of days as we toured the many outlets of their conservation efforts. They gave a short introduction presentation to their work before we were back on the carts and then on a little blue boat which would be our transportation about the islands during the rest of our stay.

Our first stop was an Island named Pari island (no not “party island” which is what we all heard when were first told) where the research station affiliated with UNAS is located. The station, like Tuanan and Halimun, has many researchers which study a variety of things in the islands but a major piece of the presentation was on coral restoration. As a Marine biology major who has spent much time reading scientific papers and giving presentations on the hot topic of coral bleaching this had to be one of my favorite presentations of the trip. To be so close to the source of all this research I had studied was exciting and informative. In many of these natural ecosystems there is a push for eco-tourism to support the research and protect the ecosystem by making its natural state an economic advantage but for coral reefs this can be difficult. It’s extremely easy for uninformed and careless tourists to unintentionally do over 200 years of damage to a reef by just putting their feet down in the wrong place or wearing the wrong sunscreen. To solve this issue the station has set of different coral zones all of which are protected but only some of which tourists are allowed in. This ensures there are reefs that can prosper without the danger of tourists while still providing the positive economic and awareness benefits ecotourism is known for.

After Pari, our captain took us to a sheltered lagoon where we all dove off the boat and swam around in the warm water. It was incredible. As we all piled back on the boat and whipped back over the waves to our homestay the sun set and shot colors about the sky. Sitting straddled on the bow of the boat bouncing over the waves with the spread of colors in front of me and wind whipping through my air was the most incredible feeling. It had been a good day.

After a dinner of the most amazing fresh caught Tuna and some star gazing we were off to bed to get a good night sleep before the next day which was jammed packed.

At the boat dock in the morning we all got some flippers and snorkels borrowed from the research station and all piled back on our vessel. Our first stop was Jakarta Animal Aid Network or “JAAN”. Their network is far reaching and protects a range of species from illegal trade and habitat devastation but the particular animal of focus on this island was the endemic kites/eagles that are at major risk of illegal trade. The eagles we saw were the ones the unfortunately will never be able to be rehabilitated and returned to the wild because they were injured so badly during their captivity but hear stories of successful rehabilitation from the Dutch woman who runs the island was quite a treat. Her three dogs were also quite a hit with us and we spent many minutes petting their fluffy heads. We then headed to the next island over which is a private island owned by a Chinese business man. While he is not there he allows other tourists upon request to come snorkel on his reefs which is just what we did! The reef was large, healthy and teeming with life! Sea stars, Urchins fish and coral lined the sea floor and it was easy to get lost in the labyrinth of coral that made up the reef and we spent a couple hours doing just that.

On our way to the next stop we unexpectedly found the conservation boat and after a short conversation between our guide and the conservation boat we were invited to jump of the boat and swim ashore to go follow the conservationists to see where the sea turtles lay their eggs. This unplanned excursion was the perfect complement to the sea turtle release that was next on the list. At the next island we started off with a tour of the sea turtle and mangrove restoration. This group collects the eggs from the island we were just on, hatches and raises them to about two months in captivity. This greatly increases their chances of surviving in the wild thus increasing the sea turtle population in the neighboring waters. About 20 of the turtles being raised there were ready to be released so we each were given a turtle to release. The proper technique to release the turtles is the place them with their heads facing away from the ocean and allow them to figure out they need to turn around and head back into the ocean. Gerald (what I named my turtle) got the idea very quickly and was the second of all 20 to get himself in the water and swim out into the open water. As a longtime lover of sea turtles this was an experience I never dreamed I would be able to have and one I’m so glad to have experienced. We then headed back to our own island and showered, ate and then crashed in bed.

Our last full day in the country was no less pack full of fun than the others! Coral rehabilitation was our last stop in Seribu. We were taught how the conservational its harvest and grow coral and then with cement and PVC pipes plant I back into the ocean moving into successively deeper depths thill it’s relocated to its permanent home making ton of artificial reefs. Many of us commented that these artificial reefs while not quite like the real ones were far healthier looking and inhabited than the natural ones we had seen. We got chance to plant our own reef in the pvc pipes and drop it in the shallow water next to the station. Then we snorkeled a bit around the artificial reef and head back to pack up our things. We were back on our ferry that evening and we just finished our last dinner together. He dinner was full of tears of laughter as we all went around and shared our favorite and most embarrassing memories from the trip. It was till then that it really hit what an incredible experience these last three weeks have been.

Tomorrow I’m up at four am to get on a flight home and while I’m excited to be home I can’t help but be sad about all the wonderful places and people I will be leaving behind here. There’s been nothing in my life quite like Indonesia and I would change a thing about my experiences here. Thanks for coming with me on this adventure!

Good morning from Jogja or as it’s called by Indonesian Yogayakarta! The morning after we got here we headed out on our “party bus” (a large tour bus with built in Karaoke system and neon purple and blue lights) to our first of two temples for that day. Borobudur is a Buddhist temple famous for its size, well preserved carvings and imagery to the ideal Buddhist’s journey to enlightenment. Our tour guide for the temple was named Murah which translates to cheap which he thought was quite a funny joke and made us all laugh by weaving that punch line into his tour of the temple several times.

Other than the extremely intricate well preserved carvings the real highlight of that trip for me was not actually the temple but the chance to talk to some students who were also touring the temple but for a slightly different reason. They were middle school students that came to the temple to practice speaking their English with the English speaking tourists so I had a lot of fun having long conversations with them about where I was from and why I was Indonesia. They were very sweet and very excited to talk with me and take a picture with me for their presentation.

Also while at Borobudur we had the chance to listen to a short lecture given by one of the conservationists employed by the temple to help protect the wildlife and natural setting while still making it the major tourist attraction that it is. It was really interesting to hear about their care for the environment in addition to their catering to tourists.

For lunch that day we had the opportunity to go to a restaurant that specialized in all things mushroom! Jamur, as they are called in Indonesian, were in every dish on the menu and as we ate our dishes we got a chance to look at the in restaurant mushroom garden where they grew many of the mushroom for their dishes and where you could purchase a mushroom of your own! It was not quite like anything I had ever experienced in the US which made it quite a treat. As we left the restaurant with happy bellies full of mushrooms we got a chance to stick our feet in a “terapi Ikan” (therapy fish) pool where little fish came to nibble the dead skin off your feet. It is an Asian spa fad that I had seen all over Facebook but never thought I’d get the chance to try so I was understandably ecstatic when I unexpectedly got the opportunity to for free! It was the oddest sensation and as someone with particularly ticklish feet I’ll admit I wasn’t able to keep my feet in reach of the fishes mouths for more than a couple seconds at a time and finally let them eat dead skin off my less sensitive hand instead but none the less the screams and laughs from all our group as we tries it amused us as well as all the Indonesian on lookers.

After lunch we were off to Prambanan which was the famous Hindu temple in the area. This temple was serval structures together rather than one large temple like Borobudur, which each structure as a different temple to a different god. We started off at the temple with a tour guide but opted near then end allow Sneha, one of the Rutgers students on the trip, be our tour guide as reciting the stories of these gods was like reciting her childhood nursery rhymes it was great to hear her perspective and take on the tales and was what made Prambanan enjoyable for me. By the time we finished there it was very late in the day and we were still full from our mushroom shmorgishborg so for dinner we opted for some small takeout chicken and friend instead a larger sit down meal. Also, takeout meat we could year as we watched the open air traditional Indonesian ballet that was that evenings activity! I ca’t express enough how much I enjoyed seeing the beautiful dancing, colorful costumes and pyrotechnics that all made up for one of my favorite evenings on the trip. Despite my exhaustion from the long day of temple touring, watching the ballet with the temples lit up in the backdrop was an experience I am sure never to forget.

After a good night’s sleep we were out again for one of my favorite days the whole trip. To start off we went to a traditional Batik village where we learned how to use bees wax and dye to create the traditional Indonesian fabric called Batik which I had grown up loving in the states but never really experienced firsthand. We also got the chance after creating our own to purchase some of the handmade fabric that the women at the village was made and since my mother loves Batik and to sow I made use of the rare opportunity to get many many yards the real deal!

Then we were off to a coffee shop run by researchers who are dedicated to gibbon conservation. Cultivating the coffee trees in the study area not only gives an alternative source of income for the locals who tend them but it’s also healthy for the forest, provides funding for the research, raises awareness about their work and is very tasty way to accomplish all these things! The researchers gave us a brief presentation about how they got started, the benefits of the coffee as well as the challenges of getting their coffee to interested markets (they currently sell it in country and at a zoo in Taiwan), and the two genus of coffee they make: Robusta and Arabica. Then it was coffee tasting time! Without knowing the type of treatment of any of the grounds we smelled each of the nine types and discussed our opinions. Then we smelled them again after the grounds were poured and finally after the appropriate brewing time got to finally taste them! After that we finally were told the genus and treatment of each type and were given the chance to purchase bags of beans of our favorites. I purchased  dark roast Robusta with a high caffeine content from the research area on Java and a low caffeine Arabica which had been fermented in wine before they were roasted an gave a very original fruity flavor I had never experienced before. I also purchased the awesome awareness t-shirt they had for sale and am excited to wear it around Rutgers and tell all my friends about this awesome experience!

Then after getting back to the hotel we were sent out to Malioboro Road which is famous for its lines and lines of stalls which so many beautiful batik clothing and general souvenirs before I knew it I had spent the majority of money I had taken out of the atm at the beginning of the trip on gifts for all my family and friends! That evening I also had the unforgettable experiencing of an art show being put on by the art school of Yogyakarta. I was shown the entrance by one of the shop vendors who’s sister was a member of the art school and once I get there was offered tea and shown around b one of the five professors of the school. I ended up haggling for and purchasing one of his pieces which is a beautiful rainbow piece which hand drawn fish. Can’t wait to get home, frame it and hang it up.

Walking back to the hotel with a smile and my bags and bags of purchases I suddenly had the realization I needed to fit all of these things in my bags to fly back to Jakarta and then home but thankfully the clothes all folded up small and I even had enough room to spare that when I woke up this morning I headed back out to purchase the last few things I didn’t get a chance to last night. I haven’t spent any money on this trip and was worrying that I had taken too much cash out but after the past two days I’m so glad I had the ability to purchase all these things to go along with my wonderful memories from Yogyakarta!

I am all packed up now and waiting to leave for our flight back to Jakarta! We only have a couple days left in Indonesia and we’ll be spending those in Seribu aka the thousand islands so I’ll update you all from the beach! Till then

Indonesia is typically upwards of 80^oF during the day and similar at night with a humidity of 80% of more, but not up in the mountains!

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We left Bogor July 13^th with a new batch of UNAS (our partner Uni) students  and made the adventurous trek to Halimun and other than the amenities which I described in my last post the first thing we noticed was the temperature. As the night rolled in we rolled out the layers as the temperature dropped to around 55^oF which after especially hot weather a Tuanan was a physical shock. Comforters abounded that night as we snuggled up in our five person rooms.

Early the next morning we got up in the pitch black ate some Mei Goreng (fried noodles) and hiked out behind the research station. Hiking in this jungle was a lot more of what I was used to hiking wise compared to Tuanan. At Tuanan the peat moss forest meant you always sunk in to the flat ground as you stepped and often encountered muddy pits making tall rubber boots a necessary addition to any forest outfit. At Halimun there were a lot of ups and downs on the solid ground which meant sneakers were far superior to rubber boots. We headed out quickly and quietly on the trail following the research assistants at Halimun. These research assistants, like at Tuanan we locals from the neighboring village, but unlike at Tuanan these assistants had been eco tour guides for Halimun National park before the research station was ever there. This means they provided an interesting perspective on the relationship between the environment, tourists, business and research and their whispered commentary as we walked was much enjoyed by all. We met up with the Gibbon team led by Rahayu who completed her undergrad in Indonesia and studied abroad in South Korea for both her masters and PhD. She now heads research at Halimun with her focus on Gibbons but began there as a student just like us visiting for the weekend during her undergrad.

When we met up with her team, she was excited to show us the gibbons especially since a very rare phenomenon was occurring. The team here regularly follows three family groups of gibbons (group A,B and C) and each group has a very well established territory. Group A and B have somewhat overlapping territory and group B and C have somewhat overlapping territory but for all three to be in the same place at once happens extremely seldom. But when we got there that was exactly what was occurring and while it made us excited I made the Gibbons uneasy. The female released many whopping calls to alert the other groups (only the female gibbons sound in the forest) and they were so close at one point the males from each group tried to chase each other off. This was probably the most incredible thing I saw at Halimun because to watch a Gibbon brachiate (scientific term for their movements) through the tree tops you get a sense of just how well suited they are to their environment. Sure you can see a bit of this in gibbon enclosures but the enclosure is only so big so watching the gibbon just swing on and on at tremendous speeds taking more than 50 ft leaps in pursuit of the gibbon in front of him.

We stood with our heads up and mouths gapping for almost an hour following group A as the moved way from B and C. At this point we all split up and followed different groups of gibbons after another hour our assistants led us all back to their homes in the villages where a couple of the village women had cooked us lunch. The tempe as this lunch was soooo good! Is was cooked in a teriyaki like sauce with peppers and chives and I had so much; following gibbons through the mountains makes you hungry!

After lunch we got to walked back to the station and got to experience one of the ecotourism attractions the park service has created: a 20m up canopy trail. The trail itself isn’t more than a half mile long but it was still incredible to wander through the tree tops with the slight sway of the bridge beneath you feeling just a little bit like a gibbon yourself.

The afternoon ended with a little walk down the road to a waterfall where we all took at rinse of in the pool below. The mountain stream was freezing and refreshing and made for the perfect end to a long & exhausting but happy day.

Next morning we were up a little later and spent the majority of the morning out on a bird watching walk. The unskilled birdwatchers among us, aka myself, didn’t see too many birds but watching the mist rise of the tea plantation was just as enjoyable. The bird watching walk concluded with another trip up into the canopy trail and ad splash in the river to cool off our feet.

That afternoon was hardcore class work business since it was the last opportunity we would have to use a projector n Indonesia. Among the presentations was my own on the follow data we had collected in Tuanan from Kerry and Ketambe as well and a presentation on Erin (our leading professors research). It was fascinating to learn about the variety of studies Erin has tied into her work about a variety of primate nutrition habits as well as human metabolic rates as well as impacts her research has on the proper diets for Orangutans in captivity as well as but eating methods for our own species.

After these presentations and dinner we wandered out in the forest to spot some bio luminescence fungi and then on the road to the tea plantation to lay back and watch the stars for our last night in the jungle. It way cloudy at first but as the clouds cleared we saw a whole new sky of stars none of us had seen before (the southern hemisphere has different constellations) and we stared in awe at the sparkling sky.

Some mischievous members of the crew found the dark surroundings to be a perfect atmosphere for their trickery and there were several shrill screams that rang out through the jungle that night as on more than one occasion many, including our TA Rebecca popped out with a “boo!” from behind a bush. It was quite amusing as long as you weren’t the target audience of the scare!

The next morning we said sad goodbyes to Halimun and the researchers there as we began our longest travel day for the whole 3 weeks. With a 7 hour bus ride back along the treacherous cobble stone mountain roads and then a plane ride to Yoga Jakarta fishing off with a short taxi the hotel we were all happy to flop into real beds once again and sleep soundly all the way through till morning. Today were off to see some temples and I can’t wait to update you on our adventures! Good bye fore now!