KALAWEIT, Indonesia - Boxing day!!! (Back at Hampapak)

Dinner was good. More chicken. Clearly the sights of the day (upside down chickens at the markets and various body parts on display) had not put me off my food.

There was rice and something tasty with tofu and bamboo shoots. Adam was saying that

everything (ev.er.y.thing.) she cooks, she cooks with oil. So, as healthy as this all sounds, it isn't! But, my goodness, it is all delicious.

I also stocked up on 'provisions', so at camp, we have oreo cookies and crisps and such treats to get us through the week, or more realistically, 2 days.

4pm. Feeding the gibbons was another treat!

We made it back just in time to feed Smikey. We had to get him from the big cage where he is being kept at say time to train him to be a bit more independant. But tonight, we brought him in for feeding . I had a job giving him the milk. I kept pushing the syringe too hard and squirting the milk in his face! Luckily, he didn't seem to mind so much and licked his face and fur. He had 6 syringes of milk. Bless him.

(We always noted how much they drank and ate while they were under observation.)

8pm. I fed Tongki again. He was being rather timid and wanted to hang in the branches as he ate. At one point, his hands, one with a banana in it, were attached to the branch and he was determined not to let go. Stretching his body and head up, he eventually reached out and ate his reward. For the most part, he would take the fruit from my hands, preferring the lengpak and edging his head out of the cage to how me.

A-mazing!

We just hung out after that at camp. Me writing, the others reading, the staff watching television. It was Saturday and there there was an Islamic programme on but we couldn't even try and follow it. I did see a cockroach, big and fat, and in my bedroom!!!! but he escaped. Gaaaarr.

I taught Ayung (the cook's son) how to play snap.

He was a genki little boy. We played at high 5-ing too, heaps of lovely fun. What a wonderful experience to be spending time with the locals and enjoying the very simple life.

As I went to bed, I saw that the cockroach had returned with a friend! I let out a sudden and loud shriek and one of the staff was there straight away with a broom. I think they are getting used to me and my squeamishness already. They seem to come to my rescue very quickly!!