Raffles
In the woods
After getting enough sleep, this morning we packed up and waited for the arrival of the car invitation to the camp site.Yes today the real journey will begin. Soon a large truck stopped by the road not far from our camp site. I think that truck will take us from here.After receiving instructions from the squad leader who will lead our journey, one by one we boarded the big truck.
Today's trip will begin by visiting the resort office which is a management area not far from the forest lips that we will go. In the office we will rest for a while and store goods that are not taken to the forest. The journey began.Fresh winds hit our faces one by one. The air this morning felt so warm with the wind blowing not too strong and the sunlight that began to rise to the surface.
Shortly after, we arrived at the resort office. After storing goods we buy snacks at a stall near the office for supplies on the road and also in the forest later. We are human beings who cannot stand hunger, we are strong on foot hundreds or even rb
thousands of kilometers, out into the forest is no problem for us. But when we're hungry we can't stand it.
After all the business in the resort office was finished then.we continued our journey to the forest by still riding the big truck earlier. This truck will only take us to the highway near the forest. Then we will walk to the designated location. Reportedly we will need about 8 to 10 hours to reach the location. The new time shows at 8 am when we arrive at the lips of the forest.Means we will arrive at the camp location at around 5 or 6 pm later if not late.
This is where I saw a little boy who will be part of our activities this time. He came with his father and mother who served as porters. The mother will be in charge of cooking and preparing food during our stay in butan while her dear will be a companion when we enter the wilderness to retrieve the required data.
The kid is very small. I guess he's about 8. He was wearing a small boot that looked right at his feet. We all also use boots because when compared to mountain shoes or sandals, these boots will make it easier for us when we have to go into the water or step over a bush of thorny bushes. But the porters are coming again. They only use flip-flops even without footwear, because so often they go in and out of the forest so that their feet are immune. Likewise with the mother of the child and one other mother, they only use flip-flops as footwear.
A friend led us to pray before we started our journey. One by one began to step foot into the forest area. At the beginning of the journey there were not many obstacles that we faced. Only grass or small trees along the way. The right left of the road is filled with a variety of orchid flowers. Said the porters were forest orchids and there will be many more we find after being in the middle of the forest later.
Along the way I observed the different types of plants I encountered. It looks very different to what I often see in Java. Maybe because the first time to see and while walking so it is not easy to recognize the type of plant here I thought. We continued our journey and occasionally took a break to recover.
We are now entering the middle of the forest. It was getting late, the clock was showing at 11pm but it seemed like we were still not half way. The longer our bodies get tired and the slower the pace. Every 2 km walk we stopped to recover energy on the riverbank. Yes, this journey has been dominated by a river that stretches long somewhere.
The escorts were from the office and our students were already very exhausted. But unlike the porters who follow them like they do not feel tired at all. How can they look relaxed when we are all out of steam? Because according to the story of one of the porters, usually they only took 3 hours to get in and out of the forest and how could they wait for us who had not even half the trip was exhausted. The face has been reddened and sweat where, but the sun is not too hot because it is blocked by a large tree in the forest.
The clock shows at 12:30 and we decided to have lunch on the riverbank where we rest this time. Everyone took out their lunch from their bags. This lunch was prepared by the person who helped us during the camp the other day. Before leaving for the resort office, we have been given lunch each pack of rice.
Eating at the waist of the river accompanied by the sound of the current turned out to be pleasant as well. The little boy we didn't want to talk to, little by little, approached us. Then I knew his name was Raffles. Unique in my opinion, because as far as I know the name Raffles is the name of the largest carcass flower in Indonesia, Rafflesia arnoldi. Why did his parents give him that name? my thinking. It's none of my business either. Raffles seemed to be enjoying his lunch. Great also the child, his face does not look tired at all even though it has walked so far.
Memei is the name for the two porter women who came with us, one of whom was Raffles' mother. Memei means mother, and usually they are called that way. From the memei story I know it turns out Raffles has often been invited to the forest whenever his parents got a task like this. He had an older sister but he didn't want to be left alone at every mother's father's house in the woods. And what about school? Yes Raffles is 8 years old and he should have been at school instead of going to the woods like now.
The boy was a 2nd grade Elementary student in his village. But the school rules here are quite unique as well in my opinion. Most of the people's livelihood is hunting or fishing here. Like Raffles' parents they were burglars, since a few years ago they have been involved with the national park office where we conducted expeditions and were assigned to be porters whenever there were visits like we are today. By becoming porters, they can spend days or even months living in the forest. When that happens, Raffles will have a school holiday and the school does not dispute it.