Bali – einst und heute

Posted on October 21, 2014 by schdani

The Island of the Gods Bali under the spell of mass tourism

Even as I, 2007, the small Indonesian island of Bali visited for the first time could speak in some areas from mass tourism. Back then visit annually less than two million foreigners the island. For 2014, over 4 million tourists are expected !!

Visitors are mainly from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. Just for the Australian tourists, Bali is a cheap holiday destination that is so different from anything they are accustomed to. But what the island has to offer so really everything?

Granted, there are many luxury resorts are famous for their Balinese spa, around the clock you can be pampered at high prices here. You will pass under the tourists producers like Kuta and put one foot on the road, we pulled one of the countless stalls, bright billboards and especially the ever-moving traffic quickly from the paradise thinking. Although the majority of the population can afford only a moped anyway, Kuta bursting at the seams:

Clearly stands a the contrast between the very modest living conditions of the Balinesier compared to the abundance of goods and services for tourists in the eye.

However, the two most important problems far in my opinion are the sex tourism and the drugs. On every street corner you get "massages" available and already in the advertising posters of meistsn beauty salons can you guess which are attached notes Services here in the back rooms.

Again and again we see men of all ages who are accompanied by local beauties. Even the way from Australia I heard stories of guys whose friends were sold at a bar already on the way from the airport by taxi driver in the back room and had sex before they were even at the hotel.

The drug scene in Bali has long gone by the press and on the street you can buy various souvenirs except substances. Not infrequently, drunken or drugged drug tourists dan night attacked and robbed on the way to the hotel. Therefore, local groups have organized the patrol go to the tourists to protect.

Too bad that where formerly fruit stands are shopping centers were located and can be seen only in the background the numerous temples.

Many locals have sold their reasons for investors, there will arise new hotels. The surfers paradise Bali will continue to be a popular destination for young and old. I will probably not among the millions of visitors who gods island of Bali has lost all charm for me.

Labuan Bajo

Posted on October 6, 2014 by schdani

Labuan Bajo - gateway to the Komodo National Park

Only 1.5 hours flight from tourism to Bali, past smoking volcanoes, in the middle of nowhere an ultra-modern, semi-finished airport is suddenly visible on the as always if you need it urgently the ATM is not working ....

The rest of the sleepy fishing village is located in the Indonesian rural style: Dusty roads, most shops are open at the front wooden huts on the street humans and animals abound, even in non-usual number of different means of transport.

The roads wind their way up the small hill and from the top you can observe in the individual lanes the daily lives of Indonesians.

I try to log in waste separation although there probably still very much educational work for the population needs to be done.

The majority of the population belongs to Islam and especially if like me you exactly the fasting month of Ramadan travels through Indonesia you see a lot of closed restaurants and hears the prayers of the mosques at night.

Actually, I asked myself this island of Indonesia just something tourist before, but we can

Again, in these remote areas especially the younger people wanted to be stylish on the go, this indicates this poster of a hair salon.

There are either luxury hotels which are outside of the village and its beaches are unfortunately dirty just like almost everywhere here, or you quartered themselves in simple accommodation. These are relatively expensive for Indonesian standards. Here one must reckon with nocturnal animal visitors ....

Unbelievable that only a few minutes away from the chaos ship, dirt and noise from Labuan Bajo away one of the most beautiful Marine National Park is located. Here around the islands of Komodo and Rinca can see the sea from sheer fish almost did not. The coral glow in unique colors, one is simply in a different world.

The brown hills of the surrounding islands are the perfect contrast to the deep blue sea. You meet fishing boats of the locals who have settled on the smaller islands and is fascinated how these people survive practically in such circumstances without an existing infrastructure.

Although I due to the intrusive Men do not recommend it as a woman traveling alone to Labuan Bajo, the Komodo National Park offers by far the most spectacular underwater life that I have ever seen and the sunsets are a culmination of each exciting day on Flores.

Young and playful orangutans at Camp Leakey

Posted on July 28, 2014 by schdani

Die jungen Wilden! - Orangutanteenager im Camp Leakey

Orangutans have a life expectancy of about 50 years old. The reach sexual maturity occurs in females the age of seven. Among males with eight to fifteen years Whether it is a young or old monkeys, can be recognized by the color of the face which darkens with age and is finally black. In the males, the throat pouch and the Wangenwülste form only between 15 and 20 years of age.

More specifically comes close to the ape at Camp Leakey, which has established itself as a research station for the endangered primates. Dr. Biruté Galdikas has set up the camp in 1971, which is now also a central place for the Orangutan Foundation International is.

At the young age of the male organ still play with each other and so test their strength. Later they are against each other struggling for the hierarchy in the group.

This Orangutandame barred our way to feeding, lazy they just remained so motionless on the web are all up about 25 tourists on them have risen over it!

As we made our after feeding with the boat on the way to our sleeping place, I saw this young male orangutan named Atlas in the trees on the riverbank.

We stopped and the monkey approached the boat hoping to grab some food! Quick fruit pieces were brought from the kitchen to give to the curious and hungry Pongo pygmaeus. Be sure he wanted to climb directly onto the boat, we could very nearly avoided!

So the impossible came true, we could touch a Orangutan shortly after we have assured us that he has fully eat the mouth naturally 😉

Baby Orang-Utans auf Borneo

Posted on July 23, 2014 by schdani

Orang-Utan Babies – sooo flauschig!

Especially sweet are of course the very young orangutans. The babies are always to be found together with the mother. Constantly they cling to and take off when then only briefly from her.

After about a nine-month gestation period, the baby monkey is born and spent the first five to eight years with the mother. During this time, the boys learn everything they need to survive.

Every day build the rebuilding process-utans a nest that serves as a place to sleep. Also, this ability must learn the babies. At Camp Leakey, the animals are also fed with milk, which is very well received.

The babies are nursed by the mother, but also eat bananas and other fruits.

Just because it often comes to a dispute over the seizure and the males scare the females, including the orang-Utanbabies, the mothers do everything to get hold of enough food. In this case, the lady was walking upright from the dust by reaching for the top, so that no one comes to the fruits.

The fact that the babies spend so long time with her mother, so get a monkey Mama often only two to three cubs in their lifetime. Very rarely it happens that she rears two cubs of different ages.

As I said, the visit to the Tanjung Puting National Park with its orang-utans was not only despite the scorching heat of the skin thanks to Boots the most comfortable jungle tour I've ever done, but the encounter with the primates was a unique experience. Nowhere in the world to get the apes so close and can quietly observe their behavior. Hopefully it succeeds in clearing work and the pollution of the river to stop to prevent the extinction of orangutans.

Orangutanmännchen in Borneo

Posted on July 21, 2014 by schdani

The orang-Utanmännchen of Borneo

The males of these apes are almost twice as heavy as the females with 50 up to 100 kg.

On the 3 feeding stations Pondok Tangui, Tanjung Harapan Camp Leaky and there is a strict hierarchy among the males.

We witnessed a scene in which a male orangutan has attacked a female with her child, because this would take some bananas.

The central office of the National Park is the Orangutan Foundation International, which cares for the rescue of injured monkeys and their rehabilitation.

Last but not least we were still witnessing a mating ritual, in which the alpha male very brutal fleeing the females took from the tree and then fell upon them! Then how could it be otherwise, he remained sitting there calm and content.

It was really very impressive and a little scary to experience the Orangutanmännchen so close, especially as a direct waited on us on the way and we had to make returns march ......

And at last again some video clips of the great apes

Orang-utan in Borneo Tour

Posted on July 10, 2014 by schdani

The orangutans von Zentralkalimatan

So a trip around the world is not to have completely visited without the orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park National Park !!

Our check in was done from Kuching via Pontianak to Pangkalan Bun with small propeller planes, where the airport was waiting for our guide. The 4 nights / 5 days tour we had booked in advance via the Internet. Although there are several providers, all boats are very similar and you always meet all tourists at feeding, so that also the program does not differ by much.

The aerial view shows the rainforest Zentralkalimantans, but unfortunately I had to help with the colors more on environmental issues but later!

From Pangkalan Bun it goes half an hour by car to Kumai, a small port town where are many important goods for the Indonesian main island of Java shipped. Kumai but is also the gateway to Tanjung Puting Nationalpark, One of the most important of Indonesia.

The trip itself was by far the most comfortable jungle tour I've ever done! It is on a 16 meters long and 3 meters wide houseboat you here Klotok calls on the river kutschiert on which the vegetation is constantly changing.

The crew consists of a guide, the cook, the captain and his assistant, who are in the lower deck. The upper deck is one of the guests, here you can sleep on a mattress under a mosquito net and in addition to sun loungers, a large dining table that has the most delicious dishes are served in Indonesia.

At night is then applied to a quiet spot on the river.

In the evening is the proboscis monkeys observed on the trees on the riverbank the best time. Here they sit comfortably together in the group.

But the idyll is deceptive: Not far from the feeding sites of the orang utans, some kilometers further upstream, it has opened a gold mine. To get there, the rock mercury to separate the gold used which then passes directly into the river and gives him this brown color. This is where two branches of the river, the dark water is pure, the brown of the pollution. Although the government has promised a long time to clean the river, this has not happened yet and the people using it still to wash themselves and their clothes and to fish there.

In the national park there are 3 Feeding Stations, Tangui cottage, Cape of Good Hope and the famous Camp Leaky. Here the orangutans are fed at different times of the day bananas and milk. Here are the first impressions of the Apes. They expected us already in the trees! More about the National Park and the orangutans in the next article!

Komodowarane

Posted on July 1, 2014 by schdani

Komodo dragons, the giant dragon of Indonesia

Such a world trip is not complete without seeing the largest living species of lizard in the Komodo National Park!

The arrival is the best of Bali from the plane to the Indonesian island of Flores, specifically to Labuan Bajo. From here you can make one, or multi-day excursions.

I've decided the few days that I have time to use for diving and then to take the same boat in the afternoon on the island of Rinca to visit the National Park there.

The Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis, come exclusively here on some Lesser Sundas. Since there are only around 3000 copies, the giant reptiles are threatened with extinction.

Even at the dock in the National Park you will be taken by the rangers in reception and the group was always accompanied by two, which of course can already guess that the lizards are not completely harmless.

But then lay about 6 adult lizards next to the farm buildings at the headquarters of the park. Lazy they began to rise up to 3 m long and up to 70kg dragon in the sun and let the photo session patiently endure.

Our ranger also said that we now make better photos, since it is unlikely that we will see on our one-hour tour on the island of Rinca Komodo dragons more!

And so that was it ... we .up shortly before the finish then still saw a lizard, the first fled before us. As we followed her but (of course, especially the Ranger), she took a Defense Position and hissed menacingly at us!

Yes, because you get pretty palpitations and wants to run the most, but that is exactly what not to do precisely. Therefore, we stopped in front of the dragon stand up then he turned and looked into the distance!

On the supply list of Komodo dragons are both insects and deer and buffalo, which they kill by a bite and the secreting blood faltering Gifts from their glands. It can take days to die and then the victim is eaten by the lizards.

Generally, however, the animals are afraid of people and only attack when they feel threatened. Hopefully the existence of Komodo dragons can be secured again with the establishment of the National Parks! To see the giant dragon in this backdrop on Rinca was certainly a great experience for me!

Unterwasserwelt Komodo: Batu Bolong

Posted on June 24, 2014 by schdani

The incredible underwater world of Komodo National Park

Most tourists visit the Komodo National Park from the UNESCO zum Weltkulturerbe ernannt wurde um die berühmten Warane zu sehen, doch für Taucher aus der ganzen Welt ist diese Region Indonesien schon längst kein Geheimtipp mehr!

Abgesehen von der unglaublich beeindruckenden und farbenfrohen Pflanzen- und Tierunterwasserwelt, kann man hier Tauchgänge zu relativ günstigen Preisen absolvieren. An der “Hauptstraße” von Labuan Bajo reihen sich die Tauchschulen aneinander, viele davon werden von Österreichern/Deutschen geführt sodass man hier auch gut seinen Tauchschein in der eigenen Sprache machen kann.

Allerdings sollte man sich im Vorhinein gut über die unterschiedlichen Tauchplätze informieren und sich nicht von den Überredungskünsten der Instructor täuschen lassen! Im Komodo Nationalparkt gibt es einige Divesites die wirklich nur Fortgeschrittene besuchen sollten. Die Gefahr lauert hier vor allem in den starken Strömungen.

Ich musste zum Beispiel einen Tauchgang nach 10 Minuten abbrechen weil wir sobald wir ins Wasser gesprungen sind, von der Strömung mit sehr hoher Geschwindigkeit mitgerissen wurden und wir die Kontrolle verloren haben. Schlussendlich konnte sich die ganze Gruppe an einem Felsen festhalten und dann in eine andere Richtung gegen die Strömung weiterkämpfen. Ich beschloss aus Sicherheitsgründen den Tauchgang abzubrechen, vom genießen der Unterwasserwelt kann hier wohl nicht die Rede sein…..

Nevertheless, despite there as almost everywhere dive sites suitable for all levels including beginners the Counselor Island. Umgeben von unzähligen Fischschwärmen taucht man gemütlich am Korallengarten entlang.

(😉 also called Nemo) the sweet clown fish cavort in the anemones swaying in the current. Despite brilliant weather a small flashlight while is beneficial to have, especially because the view is somewhat restricted by the flow normally.

Ein wenig furchteinflössend sind die Riesen-Muränen (Gymnothorax javanicus), die über 2 Meter groß werden können und ein Körpergewicht von bis zu 30 kg haben. Entgegen aller Vorurteile sind diese Muränen generell friedlich, wenn sie allerdings gereizt werden und zubeißen, kann das sehr schmerzhaft verlaufen.

The Oxycomanthus bennetti – Bennett’s Haarstern – gehört zur Familie der Seelilien und sind in den indonesischen Gewässern weit verbreitet. Sie können verschiedensten Färbungen annehmen, die schönste ist allerdings die gelb-schwarze.

The Clown triggerfish or Leopard-Drückerfisch kommt sowohl im Indischen als auch im Pazifischen Ozean vor. Der Mund des Clow-Triggerfish ist gelb umrandet, am Rücken hat er eine gelb-schwarzgepunktete Zeichnung und am Bauch große weiße Flecken. So wunderschön er auch gezeichnet ist, man sollte sich lieber von ihm fern halten bzw. ihn auf keinen Fall essen, dann die Gefahr hierbei eine Fischvergiftung (Ciguatera) zu erleiden ist hoch. Ein Umkehrung des Temperaturgefühls kann die Folge sein, sodass warme Dinge als kalt empfunden werden und vice versa.

In Folge noch einige andere schwimmende Zeitgenossen die man rund um das Tauchgebiet im Komodo Nationalpark findet:

Turtle

Heuschreckenkrebs (Stomatopoda)

Manta Rochen

Batu Bolong, einer der schönsten Tauchplätze der Welt!

Batu Bolong which means as much as Hole in the Rock was by far the most wonderful dive site I have visited so far for me. The first time I had the impression that was surrounded by soooo many fish that I had to schupsen downright aside to get through 😉

Batu Bolong with his Wall is really perfectly designed open-air aquarium, but I think the pictures say a thousand words!

Die fast künstlich wirkenden Kolonien der Blasenkorallen (Plerogyra) blasen sich tagsüber auf um eine größere Oberfläche zur Lichtaufnahme zu bilden, nachts schrumpfen sie zusammen und setzen ihre Tentakel zum Beutefang ein.

Wie an den folgenden Bildern zu erkennen ist, konnte ich bei super Sicht jede Menge Meeresbewohner aus der Nähe beobachten und fotografieren, sogar ein schlafender Hai gab sich die Ehre! Trotz der eher mühsamen Anreise und selbst wenn man kein Reptilienfan ist und die Komodowarane nur im Rahmen eines Tauchausflugs als Stippvisite abhakt, als Taucher sollte man sich diesen Teil Indonesiens auf keinen Fall entgehen lassen!

Skorpionfisch

Seeanemone

Feuerfisch (Lionfish)

Whitetip reef shark

Giant Clam

Trompetenfisch

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