Hillwaking and food for thinking

- August 05, 2011

Because it wouldn't be me without a lecture... here was what we saw on the morning of our third day...

Granite quarry

We went for the hilltrek on day 3. And set a Loola record i might add. We took 25 mins where it usually takes about an hour. Yep. Not bad for a 40 year old geezer, that would be me. But on the way there we saw a granite quarry. The main economy around the village that Loola is in, is breaking rocks by hand. Lorries drive up with huge boulders and people break these rocks by hand. It is back breaking, not very fulfilling work, but it is work. And it is screwing up the landscape. The area around it looks like the surface of the moon. It is desperate. The rocks are exported to Singapore. After a month in the rainforest and a month in Singapore, a some time in Europe, and watching Rupert Murdoch and the media circus, and the financial meltdown, and the insanity that is Orchard Road, the height of consummerist inanity, i have come to the conclusion that the world is going to hell in a handcart and there isn't a single thing we can do about it. Because the greedy, selfish and power hungry people who run the show have no imaginations and do not realise that they are screwing it up, not only for other people, but themselves as well... Welcome to the Desert of the Real.... any answers on the back of a postcard, please.

Mr Black and Oisin

Mr Black's story is really interesting. He is one smart guy with brains to burn. He is also really really nice. He is the head of activities in Loola AND the son of the fisherman who used to own the land that Loola now owns. He told me the story about how the land was bought, but i think i'll pass on that in this blog.

Oisin and Peter took a real liking to him. And i did too. But i would, of course, having fallen in love with most of Indonesia. Mr Black used to be a fisherman until he became the Head of Activities in Loola. He has two children, the most adorable wee girls. He visits Singapore often and enjoys it. Singapore. I found out that passports in Indonesia cost US$100, which is a LOT of money. I think it actually costs more than passports in Singapore. I have no idea why they would cost that much. Well, Dul will always have a place to stay when he comes to Singapore... he was a real STAR.

The other really amazingly wonderful thing about Loola is that it is an eco destination. This means that the place is run on eco tourism lines and principles, the staff are well paid/treated and there is a great social programme that comes with the place. This was fully established by Peter who took the opportunity to interrogate everyone about how they were being treated. After day 3 he was fully satisfied that it was bona fide and not just a PR exercise.

So i can highly recommend Loola to anyone who wants a great holiday with kids, and who wants to do it with a really good organisation.

Agus

Agus just walked up that hill with flipflops and a bottle of utan. That is the mosquito repellant that most of Indonesia seems to use. My greatest joy was watching pacats get sprayed with it. Die you filthy wee buggers, die!!!!

Agus told us that if we drank too much we would be capek more quickly. Which put an end to our drinking any water till we got to the top.

At the top... enjoying a wee smoke

The view from the top

You can see more exposed land

Forest?

I said to Dul, that forest looks good from here. You'd think that wouldn't you, he said, but it isn't. It's just like this one. Are there an more good forests left in Bintan. No, he said. But this area is protected isn't it, i said. Yep, but it's not really. Look at it. in fact there was illegal logging going on, it was as clear as day as we went up. Who does this? People. Why? Because they have no money. And when it is all gone, what are they going to do? Yes, what are they going to do? he replied. What are we ALL going to do...??? is my question. When does it all stop. Today i walked past a construction site and the scaffolding, that is all the fruits of illegal logging. Small trees from the rainforest... the future of our planet going down the toilet.