The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered and this summer I spent a couple of weeks setting camera traps to see how many of these magnificent creatures are still alive. Pekanbaru is one entry to Sumatra and from KL it’s only a 40 minute flight. But you cannot imagine a place so different to KL with it’s shiny buildings and affluence. Pekanbaru is a miserable place, like a boil on a beautiful face. In fact the only thing I liked about Pekanbaru were the yellow taxis. How can you not be happy when the driver has created a living room on his dashboard complete with teddy bears and a sofa.
But I am afraid this is where the fun ends. I looked on Trip Advisor to see what there was to do in the city and found the top two ‘attractions’ were two of the mosques. That says it all. Luckily I was not there for longer from a couple of nights on the way into and out of the jungle.
The jungle in question is the national park called Rimbang Baling which is about 3 hours drive from Pekanbaru. The park is only navigable using flat bottomed boats and on foot using machetes to cut your way through ghe sometimes impenetrable undergrowth.
The rewards for those who get far enough into the jungle was mosquitos, leeches and flying ants. I don’t mind mosquitos and I can tolerate flying ants but leeches – that’s where my tolerance ends.
I would rather have a thousand mosquito bites than one leech stuck to my stomach. The others weren’t so bothered by these blood suckers but every time I saw one on my boot or trousers or hand I went into melt-down, screaming for someone to get it off. Leech socks are a great invention and I made good use of a pair I found in the hut we stayed in.
The river was not just a breeding place for leeches and our highway but also our bath and playground. On first sight of the river I decided that there was no way I was going to get into it, no matter how hot and sweaty I was. I decided the cold shower was the better option.
However after the first day of slogging it up and down mountains with clothes stuck to me I was one of the first to jump into the river. Unfortunately locals chuck all their rubbish in the river and disposable nappies were spotted several times. The banks were littered with plastic bottles and other human waste.
Why is it that people who live in such beautiful places don’t mind defacing it by littering it.