See Simi Travel Blog

There is really too much to write about in this trip, but one place that deserves special attention, in my opinion, is: Lanjak.

We spent three nights here originally. My room consisted of a small rectangular space, with a curtain covering the door and a mattress on the floor. The first night, I fell asleep instantly. The second night, however, my usual paranoia kicked in and I succumbed to creeping downstairs and sleeping in the fully lit living room. The third night was like the first and I slept soundly.

I was therefore really excited to spend one more night in Lanjak on the way back to Putusibau: where the sleep was comfortable, the food delicious and plentiful and the “mandi” water clean and clear. This night followed our day excursion in the Danau Sentarum National Park, which was the highlight of the trip thus far.

Upon arrival we all slumped into the living room where I witnessed a cat bring in a dead mouse. I knew instantly that this was going to be a sleepless night. There was also the high incidence of large bugs invading my personal space…so not good. In the kitchen while were were having dinner, a mouse literally fell from the ceiling, quickly evading the household cat by slipping under the floorboards. The cat, not having caught his dinner, jumped up onto the stove and used it as a bathroom instead. That sealed the deal.

Although I have no proof, I feel it is likely that the following three weeks of fever, muscle ache, headache, fatigue, joint pain, skin rash and stomach related illnesses could be linked to this visit and may stay in Kapuas Hulu. Was it Dengue Fever? Typhoid? An allergy to MSG (???) no one knew.

Our great takeaway from the final day in Lanjak was my purchase of 5 kgs of red rice. A beautiful beet colour when cooked, the rice is as tasty as it is good looking. Although extremely heavy to carry, I knew that when individually packaged, it would make an excellent gift  and would be worth it. Although served at my Indonesian goodbye party instead, it reminded me of the good times I had spent in Lanjak.

You might also like: