Riam Berasap

This weekend our team took a vacation and hiked to a beautiful waterfall in Gunung Palung National Park called “Riam Berasap”, which means smoky waterfall. The hike was arranged by a team member who has worked in the area in the past and has some good connections with park officers. The expedition was 13 people: Myself, seven SIMPUR team members, a village leader, a national park officer, and three village members. We hiked for about four hours on a “jalan tikus” (mouse trail) through the woods near a large river in the park. Before entering the park we were briefed about correct conduct in the area: no whistling and no comments about nature (e.g., I cannot exclaim about the large size of the fish in the river). We also prayed before entering the forest, which was admittedly the first time I had ever paid nature such respect before embarking on a backpacking trip.

Unlike backpacking in the US, where camping equipment is small and lightweight and self-contained, here they really set up house in the woods. We brought large pots, pans, plates and cups for everyone, 5 kilos of rice (which we ate all of – Indonesians cannot survive without rice, apparently), fresh vegetables, tarps as tents, and lots of fishing equipment. It was a beautiful and relaxing couple of days in the woods, and allowed me to let go of all the stress that fieldwork brings. I let my brain take a break from bahasa Indonesia, and spent most of my time swimming and reading English books, instead of talking and listening.

The waterfall itself is not the most beautiful, or the tallest, or the biggest I’ve seen. However, a huge, deep pool exists downstream of the waterfall, and the pool is ringed with large stones for sitting, relaxing, and fishing. The water is a bit cool, but tropical and definitely swimming temperature. Paradise.

We made this trip at the right time, because usually the buzz of saws from illegal logging can be heard throughout the forest. However, we did not hear chainsaws or encounter any recent logging activity, although it was obvious the area has been heavily logged within the last couple of years.