LOKSADO - Bamboo Rafting in the Mountains, South Kalimantan
And this is it! Not the longest hike, but definitely one of the most beautiful. Welcome to Loksado! What's up guys! And welcome back to the channel. My name is Kristian Hansen. I've had an absolutely incredible stay here in Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. I've been staying at the Aston Banua Hotel.
And these guys, they have my highest recommendations. This has been like a next level experience for me. The view has been fantastic from the room, the room itself, the food here, the staff. So if you ever come to my Banjarmasin, you gotta stop by here. And now it is time for adventure once more. Because in this episode we will be heading further north.
First stopping at the mountains in Loksado, before heading to East Kalimantan. So let's get back on the road, because it's Kalimantan's time. Let's get to it! Wow, it is so weird to be back on the bike. It's been like over a month since I've had all the things on Macan and been out touring.
So it's well overdue. So let's get to it. Okay, guys. Thank you yeah. See you! So I continued further north with my motorcycle, Macan, towards the mountainous area of South Kalimantan, Loksado.
And on my way, I stopped to make a few drone shots. And you should always remember to ask for permission if you're shooting from a local's property. Luckily, the landlord was happy to let me send it up. So I'm just making a quick stop here besides the road. Because I quite often get questions about which camera I use, how I use them, how I set it up.
So I just quickly wanted to show you. What I started using lately is what's called 360 cameras. Actually the it's called insta 360 X3 and it looks like this. So I place them on different places on the motorcycle. I have some on the back.
I have some on the front. Because along with the cameras I've gotten their motorcycle mount package. Super smart! So you can place them on different kinds of places around the motorcycle and get different kinds of shots. It's so smart. Previously, I had to set my GoPro to a certain angle to get that angle.
But now with 360 I can put it in any angle and I'll capture, yeah 360, all of it. And yeah, let's see how it goes. And on the way, I was pulled over by some local kids We turned out to appreciate a bit of attention a lot more than I had expected What's your name? Me? I'm Kris. Nice to meet you. Ivan. Who? Ivan.
Nice to meet you. What? (white) White, yeah? He's going to Merauke, traveling around Indonesia. How many years? Pardon? How old are you? I am 29 years old. This if... Take this if you want to watch my YouTube channel. I have a lot.
Thank you. Yea, you're welcome. You can speak English, yeah? Thank you. You're all most welcome.
Where did you learn English? From school? In Kandangan I learn from his mother. Oh, that's great! Could you take off your helmet? Oh yeah, sure. Wait a minute. In Europe, are all Christian? You want to take picture? Let's join us! Come on! This is what happens when you bring a big motorcycle to a small village here in South Kalimantan Guys, see you! Don't forget to watch, yeah? Okay And don't forget to learn English.
You recorded this. You use the camera. Oh yeah. Hello! See you! Bye! Byeee!! I had made it to Loksado. And it was time to find my stay for the next few days called Meratus Resort A place I had booked in advance through Instagram Oh, it's not as remote as I thought it would be. Hangout spot. Hello, guys!
And street racing. Illegal street racing. Ahh, fancy, yeah. And I see the place is busy. Should be okay. Let's go and check in.
It is so nice to be back outside of the city areas, back into the nature. You can hear the birds, you can hear the river, you know. You have the beautiful views here from my little...
Hut as the sun is about to set Now it's time to go up and get some dinner. And uh.. yeah let's see what they have prepared. And then I think, unless it gets super dark, I'm gonna head out to the village Just outside here of the the resort and see how that looks.
Kris! Hello, bro. Look at the MasterChef. Barbeque, chicken. Chicken, sweet potato. This is so "gewd"! Ooh, you're from South Jakarta. So "gewd"!
So "gewd"! Always a good idea to make new friends when you arrive at a new place. Don't be too shy. Talk to anybody you see. And you might end up getting delicious chicken. This, I like a lot as well. The guys are just hanging out playing games.
Who's winning? So I just talked with the guys about this before. Here in Indonesia, you show up, you don't know anyone. Before the night is over, you have talked to everyone, learn about where they're from.
Probably even eating something together. At least had coffee, smoke cigarette together. Very different from.. from my culture. You know, it's so much easier to make new friends in Indonesia. One of the many benefits of living in Indonesia.
So after dinner here I've just come out to the small village, that is 50 meters outside of the resort. Because, here's a pro tip: whenever you get to a new area, especially if it's in a quite local area. They might not have a lot of either room service or snacks at the hotel. So I always go out in the evening, make sure I buy some snacks. So if I get hungry during the night, during the evening, I will have something in the room.
So let's see if we can find some snacks here. The locals were very excited to meet me. Because they had seen many foreigners here before, but very few who would actually speak Indonesian.
So I found a small shop, where young Arya helped me get some supplies for the evening. And it was then time to head in for the night and get ready for another day of adventure. On my first morning at Maratus Resort, it was as if the weather was trying to tell me to slow it down.
As it's located in the mountains, it's a bit chilly in the morning. So I enjoyed my hot coffee on the balcony, until breakfast was served right to my room. I had booked the honeymoon cottage.
Even though it was a rather lonely kind of honeymoon, it was just perfect. With the balcony. The big bed. And downstairs, I had my own bathroom and shower. And there was even a water heater, so I could take a hot shower. And as it kept raining, I then had time to catch up on a bit of editing from the room.
So the weather wasn't so good this morning. So instead, I decided to go out on a run. Here in the local area. And it's just.. it's so beautiful here, you know. This is why I sometimes like just going out on my two legs, instead of just taking the bike. That's because you can find places like this.
Now here I can't even go on a bike, so... Such a quiet, such a peaceful area. And the guys down here, they're building the bamboo rafts.
There is a lot of them in this area. So I think tomorrow we're gonna try and go down the river, on one of those bamboo rafts. So on my run, I met Jansing. Jasnik. He is a driver. He is bringing these long bamboo, yeah? From seven kilometers inside of the forest, down here to Loksado where they use them to make the rafts that I will try tomorrow. And how many kilograms are they? 100 kilos? He's driving with a hundred kilos of bamboo. Let me just show it like this.
Look how long it is! Have you ever crashed while carrying this? Yeah? Well, because it's a bit dangerous, right? Safe trip! Thank you, bro. See you! Look how long that is. That is crazy. And on my way back, I was challenged by some of the local kids to join them for a bit of badminton. Guys, check out who is Ronaldo fan. Are you ready?
Ready!!! Before starting my two upcoming excursions here in Loksado, I came back to the resort where I met with the kind owners, Reniere and Utari. They built this place, knowing the potential that Loksado has. And turned it into what it is today. Expanding little by little over the years.
And as the weather had gotten better, what better way to cool down than with a quick swim in the natural swimming pool. So this afternoon I am going to a small village, here close to the resort with Ayuf. Yes, hello! From the resort. He's gonna be my tour guide this afternoon.
Apparently it's an interesting small village to visit. And you know that when the asphalt stops, it's going to be good. Always where you get the best experiences. It's only supposed to be about 10-15 minutes here from the resort, so... let's see how it looks. So we're making a small stop at one of the houses here because it is very rare that I see pigs running around like this.
So I asked the family here if it's okay I'll stop by. Good afternoon. How are you? Good! How to say "how are you" in Dayak Meratus? "Apahabar". "Apahabar". That's the answer. [Laughter]
How many years have you been living here? Since our very first ancestors. We've been here since we were little kids. Oh ya? You were born here? We were born here. But there is no hospital here, right? There is. [speak in Dayak Meratus language] This is Dayak Meratus language. Yes! [speak in Dayak Meratus language] Smile! Can you also speak Indonesian, or you only speak in Dayak Meratus language? Dayak Meratus saja.
[speak in Dayak Meratus language] Talking with elderly people on my trip is always a pleasure. Even though we might not understand each other's languages, we still always end up having a lovely conversation. And just a few minutes from the village, you can find a small yet beautiful waterfall as well.
This is like a God's gift for the children of the village, as they use this every day as their own private swimming pool. And they were happy to give us a virtual tour, as I had forgotten my swimwear. And as a kid here, if you're not about swimming, you can always build your own slingshot and go hunting. Or maybe just laugh out loud for no reason whatsoever. You made this by yourself? Yeah. But it's a bit dangerous, yeah? A bit dangerous. Yeah, it's a bit dangerous.
Only for trees, not people, yeah? [Laughter] Bye bye! Do you remember the time when you were a kid, where you would laugh at anything? It's the same with these kids. Look at this. [Laughter] It's funny, yeah? You wanna try it too? Oh, I love that. You know, when you were a kid, you would always laugh for like no reason. That was the exact same thing. Hello, guys! What a great place to grow up. They even had a volleyball court, where it was clear to see they have practiced a lot.
Even without the need for expensive sneakers. And as we had an early adventure ahead of us the following morning, it was time to head in for an early night. Good morning, guys. It is 5:30 in the morning. I'm getting up super early today.
Because we're going on a special trip. We're going to be hiking a mountain that's close here by the Maratus Resort. So now I'm just waiting to get some breakfast, and then I'm gonna grab my things. And then I'm gonna go with a tour guide. And we're gonna see if we can get on top of that mountain for some great morning views.
It's gonna be another good day here in beautiful Indonesia. Let's get to it. Alright, guys! And we are on the road at 6:10. Let's do it. I am here once again with Ayuf. Hello! Okay, this is from where we start today's hike. 2 hours from here, right? Or 1,5 hours? If we start from here, it will be around 1,5 hours to hike.
I'm not sure that running yesterday was the best idea I had the day before hiking. Because it is super steep already here, from the beginning. And we can already hear and see monkeys within two minutes of the beginning the hike. That's just perfect. I will say this, it is incredibly humid here. Luckily the sun is not up yet, so it's not super hot. But if it starts raining later, we're gonna have a problem.
You don't want to slip on these rocks, that's for sure. Wooww!! You have to be a bit careful where you put your hands here. Because some of these rocks actually quite sharp. Wooww!
Whoaa!!! How is it, bro? Amazing! Amazing, yeah? Wow, Look at this! Good morning, Borneo. So we still have a long way to go. But for now, this view will do. Okay, it's good, isn't it? It's good!!! But actually, we're only a few minutes away from one of the most beautiful morning views I have ever seen in Kalimatan. Welcome to Bukit Langara. Alright. Time to go down and go back to Maratus Resort because... It's hot, yeah? It's hot. It's very hot.
It's getting really hot. So let's go down, let's go back. This is a great little experience. And now, time to go down the rocks once again. Let's go, bro! You wanna use this? Yeah, may I? Thank you. Okay, let's go! And we are back at the bike.
Aargh, so hot! Good job, bro! Okay, let's race on! Oh yeah guys, it has been another great day here in Loksado. Imagine this. You've had a fantastic day out under the sun. You've met a lot of new people. You've done some activities, sweated a bit.
And then you come to your bungalow. You go down, take a cold shower, put on some fresh clothes. And then you come out and sit here on your balcony. Overlooking the trees. Overlooking the forest. With the sound of the river, right in front of you.
It's like meditative stuff. It is so good. But the day is not over yet. Because in about 15 minutes, I'm heading down to the restaurant to meet up with the staff, because they're cooking a special Dayak Maratus traditional dish for me tonight.
It's called Nasi Hubal, I believe. Yeah, you know what, let's head down there and check it out. And see how a traditional Dayak Maratus dish tastes like. Let's do it! Alright. I am telling you guys it smells so darn good when they unpack those bamboo. And start pouring out the juices of this chicken.
So basically what's in it is chicken, chili, lemongrass. I think some curry and probably some garlic. It smells so good, so fresh, you know, when you are using lemongrass. And then we have this rice inside of the, what I'm guessing is, banana tree leaves.
But let me try and unwrap it. So, let's get to it! So I don't know how popular this is for the Indonesians watching, but I really like to chop up all the rice and then pour some of the sauce on top of my rice like this. Look at this. Bon appetite!
Perfect amount of fatty, salty, spicy, a little bit of sour from the lemongrass. And you know, when you cook chicken inside of a bamboo like this, the meat gets so tender. I love that. Because I'm filming it, we're eating with our hands as well.
Indone... Argh, so hot! Indonesian style, that's what I was trying to say. The last time I made food clips like this was when Magnus was here, and we were eating in Medan. I missed that guy, my baby brother.
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to say. If there's one thing that looksado is really famous for.. it is their bamboo rafting and that's what we're doing tomorrow. We're gonna get on the bamboo raft right here in front of the resort. We'll start at six o'clock in the morning. And apparently we can go on the rafts for like 2-2,5 hours and..
Yeah, it will only take us 10 minutes to come back here to the resort. So, let me eat my food. Then I'm gonna get to bed and I will see you guys tomorrow. Good night. Good morning, guys. It is 6 o'clock in the morning here in Loksado. And this morning we're doing something super special. This is actually a dream of mine coming true. I remember before starting the Sabang to Merauke trip I was thinking, one day I want to be on a raft, going through the jungle in Kalimantan. And this morning we're doing it.
Because we're going out on the river, out on traditional bamboo rafts. And we're gonna be going down the river for, yeah around 3 hours. And meet the crew for today. You know Ayuf from yesterday. Hey, bro! And this is Utari. Hi!! Nani, nice to meet you. I'm Kris.
Nice to meet you. Morning, boss! My name is Kris. Otoy. Nice to meet you. Okay. And here we have the big boss. Big man, Reinere. Morning, bro. Are we ready? Ready!
Good, let's get to it. And we are on our way. And the water is rather cold. Because you know, you're sitting with your feet, pretty much in the water here. It's cold! But we decided to start very early today. Because if you go in the middle of the day or in the afternoon, it'll be very very hot, directly under the sun. So we are starting before sunrise.
Oh, I hope I got to capture that. I have never seen an otter out here in there nature. Okay, let's sit. And within just a few minutes on our bamboo rafts, the real rafting could begin. And there goes my dry underwear. It is incredible you know, he knows where every single rock is. Otoy he told me he's done this trip more than 700 times. And now I will sit down.
Good morning! Morning! Welcome to Loksado! Seeing as how the guys captained our rafts, I thought, well it can't be that difficult. And it all went pretty well. But shortly after, our captain clearly lost complete faith in my abilities as co-captain. Now look who is the captain, yeah? Yeah. Turn left here. Turn right, yes. Turn around. Unfortunately my captain got rather tired of my bragging and decided it would be fun to leave me to fend for myself.
Come back! So scared! It's always nice with warm and sunny days, but the real adventure starts in the jungle when the rain comes. Right, yeah? Right! Rainbow style. The rain made this trip beautiful in a very different kind of way.
It reminded me how far I had come. All the way out to the mountains of South Borneo, sitting on a bamboo raft of all things during the rain season. But even though the temperature was above 27 degrees and we were having a blast The rain, the wind, and the chilling river water was starting to make us all friends a bit. But to our luck, a small restaurant appeared on the bank of the river Ready to serve us some fried snacks and hot coffee. Wow, there's giant fish. Wow, look at those mountain views! And the clouds as they come over, it's so beautiful.
And now we're gonna make a small stop. There is a Warung Kupang, a rest area where we can get a bit of.. Maybe some Indomie. Maybe some fritters.
There will definitely be tea, coffee. A pro tip, guys. If you come on this tour, make sure that everything you bring is either in a waterproof bag or it's okay with being wet, because everything will most likely be wet.
And if you have, wear sandals. Because like I said everything is going to be wet. Okay let's get some coffee. Good morning! This is "kubuduk". Kubu what? Kubuduk. Fried banana.
Now we're getting some snacks. "Kubuduk" and "sanggar". Some fried tempeh. And nothing better when it's a bit cold to get some ginger coffee. It's a little bit taste of coffee, mostly taste sweet and with ginger. It's really really good. And that is it, guys. Unfortunately the rain never really stopped, but we still had a great experience.
Now we're back at the village. Time to go back to the resort. How was it? Good? Good. Good. Very good. Highly recommended. Thank you. You're welcome. And that's going to be it for this episode, guys. Thank you so much for watching.
And for exploring beautiful Loksado with me here in South Kalimantan. If you ever come here, don't forget to visit Maratus Resort. I've had an incredible time here. And stay tuned for the next episode where Macan and I continue our journey from Sabang to Merauke. I will see you guys in the next one and until next time.
Bye bye, guys! [Music]
2023-04-04 11:14
