Into the Wild (My Come Back to Forest) Part 1

This April, my come back into the forest after almost one year of hiatus. I got many things from this trip included hands and legs full of scars and bruises (no need to mention my burned skin). Well, I must admit that peat forest isn't joke (God bless people who have long legs).
Where did I go? Have you heard about Sebangau National Park (Sebangau NP), one of two peat swamp national park in Indonesia? Because one of my office site work located there, sometimes I get field work in there (read my post 'February travel notes').

Our 'combat' equipment

This time, I was fortunate to feel the taste of deep peat in km 10 of SSI field station (one of research station in Sebangau NP) although no Orangutan has found during the trip. How to get there? Of course most trip that take place in Sebangau NP area use boat as a main transportation. We used one small speedboat and one boat which was tied to the speedboat to cross along the SSI canal. Yups, not the river but canal, before established as National Park, this area was used as wood transportation track in forest concession area. They used heavy equipment to made this SSI canal.

One of dam that must be passed during the trip

 To reach km 10, we might across 4 dams and most of them already broken. So, we should raised up our boat to pass the dam. We should be careful because water flow around the dam is heavy. If you can not swim or your swim ability is poor better if you use life jacket.

Pull and Lift the Boat

After we passed km 7, the forest become dense and the canal become narrow. Suddenly, we faced new challenge, branch, and trunk that blocked our boat and sometimes we should deeply bowed to avoid them. Once, we might cut the big trunk to make a way for our boat. Okay, enough   with the obstacles during the trip, that were nothing if compared with the experience to feel the taste of deep peat forest. I felt so excited and wondered what would happen to me when I stepped on the peat later (simple answer, I fall and my body full of scars and bruises but at that time I still didn't know).

Jump or Bow (your choices)

(To be continue on the part 2 of my trip)