Men Working Wood

Today was our second day with the National Geographic photographers. The plan was to drive to a village called Cali and take photos of illegal logging. We met our driver at 5 am in front of the hotel, and immediately realized the trip would be uncomfortable: the vehicle we hired was like a Jeep Cherokee, but without a trunk. When we packed ourselves and gear into the jeep we noticed another problem. The front passenger seat was broken, so the passenger couldn't put any weight on the seat back. So instead of the largest person in the front seat, Dessy (small Indonesian) sat in the front seat and the photographers and I (large Swedes) packed into the back like sardines. To top it off it was raining as we left (and had been all night) so the road was slippery as well as the usual bumpy.

After driving two hours we arrived in Manjau, the village we finished surveying just a week ago! Instead of continuing to Cali as planned, we stopped in Manjau hoping to find illegal logging. But the rain was problematic; loggers (like most human beings, I think) don't like to work in the rain, and we didn't hear chainsaws all morning. In the afternoon, a bit discouraged, we finally heard chainsaws and excitedly found guides to take us to the source of the noise.

Illegal logging is a very sensitive issue here in Ketapang District, and our guides were reluctant to take us to the chainsaw noise. They finally agreed after talking with us for a while; I think the three tall blonde tourist-like buleh probably looked so ridiculous we were not threatening.

After walking for about an hour, we found the "orang kerja kayu" (man working wood) in the middle of a burned area, cutting a small partly burnt fallen tree for firewood. So sad! But the photographers took some photos anyway, before hiking back to the road.

We packed into the car again (after taking a few photos of us with the villagers) and started the long drive home, tired and slightly defeated. But as we were driving along the road, we noticed a small river with many people standing nearby, and....timber! A red flag for logging. We hopped out of the car and discovered a very interesting phenomenon: transportation of belian (a high-value timber, so dense it will not float) via rafts, from forest to trucks waiting along the road. Loggers cut the timber into 2-by-4s and nail the 2-by-4s to poles to make a raft that will float. Then the loggers string the rafts together with twine or vines and guide them down the river, two guides per raft.

We stayed at this "port" for a couple of hours. The photographers took many photos while Dessy and I chatted with the workers. Some of the workers are extremely young - maybe 10 years old, already learning to be loggers. Sad, because logging is very tough work.

As it started to get dark outside, we hopped in the car and headed back to home sweet hotel in Ketapang. Upon arrival at the hotel (after a long trip that included a flat tire) we unexpectedly met with the minister of forestry in West Kalimantan. He was in an incredibly bad mood due to an incredible amount of wood (all illegal) that had shown up on the nearby Pawan River. The reason? The military operation against illegal logging finished last week, and all the wood that has been hidden for the last four months is now being shipped to market.

Now to bed...we return to ponti tomorrow by private plane, so posh!