The Day in Jakarta

March 18th

Light breakfast in the morning in the cozy hostel, the suitcases put inside a lift which will also serve as our luggage storage, then also our arranged taxis are here. We are going to the national monument of independence. We drive up to a large park, where we get out. Monument in the center of the park. The park area is very large. Everything is clean and tidy. For Jakarta residents, this is a favorite place for sports activities. We have reached the monument. With high-speed elevators we go up to the 115-meter high tower’s viewing platform. Stunning city panorama. The park is surrounded by beautiful skyscrapers. From the top everything it is so clean, beautiful and neat. Then we go to the History Museum, which is located 3 meters below the monument. The museum exhibition is arranged in a circle. There is 51 diorama in total, in which the whole history of Indonesia is reflected. Impressive. Indonesian history, like history of many nations, is dramatic.

In the evening begins our way home but we still have time – half a day. We have decided to go to the zoo, because we want to see those primates and birds, which we did not see in the wild. To the Zoo we go by taxi. It is more convenient, and, to some extent, a small city tour. The tickets are incredibly cheap for the zoo. In the zoo all of us disperse according to their interest. Ilgonis is looking for the dragon that he didn’t see on the island, Agnese – for tarsier, Andra – for gorilla. Me and Vitolds are delighted by orangutans. How wise they are! How they know how to communicate with us, to show themselves. Unfortunately Agnese must leave sooner and without seeing tarsiers, as her plane leaves earlier, but we will be together again in Cologne.

After an hour also the rest of us, more or less satisfied, leave the Zoo. By taxi to get our belongings from the hostel, then to the airport. We spend 3 hours in the taxi, after all it’s a 9 million-people city. We see the un-polished side of the city, many spend their lives miserably. Near the airport there is an unimaginable congestion. Then we notice something interesting – stretch by stretch there are guys with motorcycles standing who are ready to deliver travelers, being late for their flights due to congestion, by motorcycle, including the baggage. Motorcycles here are able to go through the eye of a needle.

We are finally at the airport. We change our clothes. Unspent millions of rupees exchanged for some miserable euros. We are in the Turkish plane, where we are awaited by wine and a hearty dinner. Goodbye Indonesia! It was nice to get to know you at least a little.

The day of unfound tarsiers

March 5th

We were sleeping in two rooms of hotel Victory – twelve people. There are 54km to Poso which Imants and Agnese drive within 1h 10min. The locals said it will be at least 2 hours. After fueling up we go to a grocery store.
We get from Poso to Wuasa within 4 hours. On the way there were four checkpoints with passport checks and proceeded by taking photos together with them, treating with fruits in the mood of good-willing mutual interest. We successfully get to Wuasa where we don’t manage to stay in guesthouse “Mona Lisa” as all the rooms have been taken already. We get a place to stay elsewhere in the direct presence of the religious buildings of different confessions.

We settle in and go to Lore Lindu nature reserve. We have prepared well for the dangerous walk in jungle. As a result we walk along a swampy lakeside path already in dusk. The return path is done in the darkness already. We heard loud voices of frongs and cicadas. In the darkness after the jungle at home we have a dinner together. Time from time the electricity turns off. We sleep 4 in each room paying 150’000 for a room. The washing was Indonesian style by taking water by a bucket from barrels. In the double room which we get it is quite tight for 4 people so I decide to sleep outside as I had done it in Tentena already. However my sleeping doesn’t last long as the local dogs get interested in me and so I need to go back in the room.

Agnese’s notes:
The road from Poso to Wuasa is narrow and winding but with 90% of good asphalt. Half of the way it is going uphill, we measured the highest place to be 1700m above the sea level. The views are beautiful! And the nature completely different from what we had got used to. Canada came to my mind. Meanwhile on the way up it was a real rainforest with trees looking like tripods (their roots growing down in the air before they reach the ground). In about 3 places downhill one had to cross big muddy puddles, but no problems for our drivers there. In the Napu valley after the crossroads for a place called Watutau the road became worse for one stretch (many potholes) but still not as bad as I had imagined.
The overnighting places in Wuasa are located all on the same street – Mona Lisa, also “Di Wuasa”, where we stayed and Sandy where it’s likely possible to order meal as well. There was not place to be found in this town with working mobile data, however, even though otherwise the coverage was good and theoretically available Edge speed internet.
There are no Tarsiers near lake Tambing, at least the ranger of the park was not ready to bring us to look for any even though previously I had got such information.