Today we traveled from Pontianak to Ketapang by speed boat. As usual in Indonesia, the speed boat packed to the gills with people – luckily we were in “first class” (with air conditioning, movies, lunch, and seats provided). For those in economy class, there were no seats (everyone on the deck of the boat, sitting on the floor in whatever space was available).
We arrived in Ketapang at about 4 pm. Ketapang is a sleepy town at the mouth of the Pawan river, and is a hub of travel for those entering the greater Ketapang District, including Gunung Palung national park. The town is filled with funny-looking houses, with no windows and many stories tall, and at all times of day the sound of swallows can be heard. Apparently the houses (see pic) are actually built for swallows – people in Ketapang harvest the nests and sell them to China for birds nest soup. Strange!
Tomorrow 5 members of our team will go to Cali (the first village study site of 10) while Dessy and I stay in Ketapang to get approval for my research in the district.
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