Dig far enough back through the Archives on Go Backpacking, and you'll find Bali was the first place in Asia I visited on my trip around the world.

It was my first time in Asia, too, so the culture shock hit me hard and fast.

Walking around Kuta my first day, I quickly learned to stop making eye contact with vendors and touts and focus on going about my business.

My first hotel had a beautiful swimming pool, complete with Swedish women. I quickly learned how much those platinum blonde Scandinavians love Bali and Southeast Asia.

I remember it all like it was yesterday, yet here I was, landing on Bali over four years and thirty countries later.

Would it look and feel the same since the Eat, Pray, Love craze took hold?

Upon our arrival from Komodo National Park, we ran into traffic on the ordinarily quick, 45-minute drive from the airport in Denpasar to Seminyak.

This wasn't a little traffic; it was bumper to bumper, reminiscent of the 495 Beltway around Washington, DC traffic.

But, hopefully, it is temporary--the result of a construction project south of Kuta that is ultimately aimed at reducing congestion on the main highway.

Upon arrival at the Kokonut Suites, we were greeted by friendly staff with fresh coconut water and lots of smiles.

We hopped back in our vans almost immediately and drove south, past the airport, to Uluwatu Temple.

Uluwatu, as I learned in 2008, is a popular place to go and watch the sunset. We arrived just as the sun dipped below the clouds on the horizon.

Unlike my first visit to the temple complex, I didn't witness a monkey steal anyone's hat, it didn't start to rain, and I had the chance to attend an exciting Kecak dance performance.

We slipped into the show and were seated on the ground behind the performers.

The shirtless men of varying ages chanted in unison, providing the soundtrack to a theatrical performance involving a love story and a heroic white monkey.

We'd previously seen the same story performed in the Javanese style in Yogyakarta, but I found the version at Uluwatu to be much more exciting.

It was also less than half as long (about one hour), which we all appreciated as well.

The following day, we left for Ubud in central Bali. I have fond memories of my first visit to Ubud, which I did as a day trip from Kuta.

Visiting the Monkey Forest in 2008, I completed a reader dare (bet) and earned myself $20 for getting a monkey to climb on me.

This time around, I didn't feed the monkeys, but I did manage to capture some adorable shots of the babies.

It was interesting to observe how the older monkeys moved around the baby and mother to interfere with the tourists taking photos.

We outsized them, but thanks to survival instincts, it didn't mean they weren't going to try to protect their young.

We also visited Bu Oka to sample the local delicacy, roast suckling pig (babi guling).

I had previously been here, too, as it had been featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.

My taste for pork skin and blood sausage has not changed, but the tender, juicy meat remains worth the trip.

The suckling pig was a snack, and we'd later have lunch at a restaurant famous for its duck, but I'll be sharing those photos in a future post.

I was signed up to go surfing on our third day, but I was feeling exhausted and unwell by then, so I relegated myself to bed rest.

(See Stephen's post on Bohemian Traveler for terrific photos from his and the others' surf session in Kuta.)

By late afternoon, I was feeling better. I joined the other bloggers, along with our entire supporting crew and a representative from the Ministry of Tourism, for happy hour drinks and dinner at Bali's hottest nightlife spot, the Potato Head Beach Club.

There, we were treated to another gorgeous sunset. Along with India, Bali is one of the few places I've seen purple sunsets.

Dinner at the beach club was one of the best of the two-week trip, and along with the duck restaurant in Ubud, I'll be sharing those photos in a future post.

On our final morning in Indonesia, we were all treated to one-hour Balinese massages at Taman Air Spa.

Over the last four years, I've had massages in a dozen different styles and countries around Asia, and the world and the Balinese aromatherapy massages are still my favorite.

With time running out before my flight back to Berlin, I squeezed in a quick stop at Kuta Beach. It was just as I remembered it, though more developed.

Modern hotels were built amidst the fast-food restaurants, and a stone wall divided the beach from the street. The sidewalks had also been improved.

I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and modern image presented by the new development along the main street in Kuta.

My return to Bali was a mix of reliving old memories and experiencing new restaurants and bars.

The more upscale Seminyak better suits me four years later. However, for the budget-minded who still go to Bali for the surfing and parties (Australians, I'm looking at you), Kuta appears to be heading in the right direction.

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Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. We took all of the trash associated with lunch with us when we left the beach.

Way back in March 2008, when I first visited Indonesia, I learned Komodo Island was known not just for being home to the world's largest monitor lizards, but for the high quality of its dive sites and underwater life as well.

But unless you're a diver, you're probably not aware of the crystal-clear waters, teeming with coral and all forms of marine life in Komodo National Park.

After coming face to face with Komodo Dragons in the morning, we boarded our speed boat for a short ride to Pink Beach, on another part of the island.

Arriving at high tide, we were able to pass over the coral and jump directly off the boat and onto the sand.

When standing on the beach itself, it's hard to see the pink hue, a color given to it from the red coral that erodes and washes ashore here.

Luckily, there's a small bluff at the far end where you can get a better perspective on it.

When I asked about the fact that we were still on an island filled with dragons, I was told they don't inhabit the area where we were.

Pink Beach may be the most popular and visited beach in Komodo National Park, but we were kindly informed it was hardly the only one featuring rose-colored sand.

We were told the beaches of Indonesia get increasingly pretty the further east you go.

And if you look at a map, you'll realize Komodo Island is far from the easternmost island in the Indonesian archipelago.

Once we were all ashore, it was time for lunch. Staff were already making use of a small gazebo to barbecue a fresh seafood feast for us all, including fish and squid.

But our collective attention was on the sparkling waters awaiting us. A few people from another tour were already on the beach when we arrived.

One girl in a red bikini was sunbathing on her own, clearly in a state of bliss. A few of the guys in her group were lounging around in the shallow water further down.

At one point, two of them decided to race, bare-chested, the length of the beach. That certainly caught all the girls' attention.

Once lunch was hastily consumed, we grabbed the snorkeling gear.

The shallow depth of water, combined with the sunshine, allowed for terrific visibility. I've never seen so much live, healthy-looking coral in my life.

There were dozens of fish species too. I even found Nemo!

If it weren't for the high likelihood of getting sunburned, I would've spent all afternoon swimming around.

Emerging from the waters, I reached into a plastic cooler and pulled out a cold Bintang beer. It was the perfect way to cap an epic day of dragons and clownfish.

During our time at Pink Beach, the first group left, and another arrived. By the time we were ready to leave, just before the sun had begun to set, the tide had gone out.

Stephen, against others' advice, and in what turned out to be one of the funniest moments of the trip, tried to swim to our boat, anchored further out.

He soon returned, shouting that we should not try to swim out. He'd discovered, the hard way, that there wasn't enough water covering the coral for him to swim.

Instead, some locals with dugout canoes helped shuttle us from the beach to the boat.

Between both the dragons and the snorkeling, Komodo National Park exceeded my expectations. With short, direct flights from Bali, it's going to quickly become a trendy side trip for visitors to Bali.

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Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. We took all of the trash associated with lunch with us when we left the beach.

The stories began on Rinca Island.

A park ranger ambushed in his office when the door was accidentally left open.

An elderly villager attacked. A local child killed.

Our guides seemed to take it all in stride, having grown up amongst endangered Komodo monitors, the world's largest living lizard, all their lives.

As a visitor, I was both fascinated and increasingly worried.

The only tool guides carry to fend off aggressive Komodo dragons, as they are more commonly known, is a carved, two-pronged stick.

The lack of weapons, even a hunting knife, reminded me of my game walks in Botswana's Okavango Delta, where it was illegal for the local guides to carry guns.

Instead, the guides' knowledge of dragon behavior minimizes the potential for tourists to find themselves in dangerous situations.

And if such instances do occur, they could be handled by non-lethal means by following the guide's instructions (which, I kid you not, may include climbing up a tree).

Rinca Island

It was a few minutes' walk from the pier leading to a stone gate, welcoming us to Komodo National Park.

To recognize and further protect the dragons, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Beyond the gate was a small village, where we met the guides who would be taking us on a walk to observe the dragons. Rinca currently offers visitors two short trail walks, two medium walks, and one long walk.

For safety reasons, all visitors are required to walk with a guide, and no visitors are allowed to sleep overnight on the island.

After a short briefing, we only needed to walk a few meters before spotting our first dragon, camped out in the shade underneath a building.

Like all reptiles, Komodo dragons need to regulate their body temperature continuously. In the early morning and late afternoon, they search for food.

During mid-day, when the sun is strongest, they lie in the shade. After sundown, they return to their nests at the forest's edge or in the ground and sleep through the night.

The dragons on Rinca Island are smaller than those on Komodo Island, however, because Rinca is also smaller, the density of dragons make them easier to spot.

Nearby, an emaciated dragon with two broken front legs also lay motionless, except for its eyes. The injuries occurred years earlier, probably in a fight with another dragon, yet it continues to survive.

Komodo dragons do not actively hunt their prey. Instead, they rely on camouflage, and patiently wait for prey along game trails. There, they execute surprise attacks.

Our guide, for example, said he recently saw a Komodo Dragon eat an entire monkey in a single bite.

As a result of this behavior, the injured dragon is still able to catch small prey, which unwittingly walks in front of it.

In addition to small animals, such as monkeys, common prey includes deer, wild boar, water buffalo, and horses.

The larger prey, such as the buffalo, can require up to 20 dragons working together to take down.

It's this violent image of multiple dragons ferociously attacking an animal that has stuck with me from the little footage I've seen in nature documentaries.

Under the kitchen was another dragon. I was astounded to see the villagers sitting casually on the elevated staircase directly above it.

The dragons are drawn to the kitchen by the smell of food, but the people and park have a policy against feeding them.

We walked a short distance further, out of the village and into the forest, to a dragon's den.

From our perspective, it was a short mound of dirt with two holes used to enter and exit.

Unlike orangutans, dragons re-use the same nests, perhaps to save themselves the work of always having to build new ones.

Dragons reach their sexual maturity in 6-8 years and can live up to 50 years.

Interestingly, female dragons can birth male dragons without mating, but to produce female dragons (and therefore ensure the survival of the species), they require intercourse with a male.

This might explain the ratio of over three male dragons for every female dragon. Perhaps the ladies like to see all those males fight over them? It might be their way of ensuring a strong mating partner.

Male dragons, we were surprised to learn, have two penises. Science has yet to explain the purpose of their second reproductive organ.

Mating season occurs every year between July and August, with the females laying 15 to 30 eggs in August and September. It can take 8-9 months for the eggs to hatch.

It's common for young dragons to live in the trees in their first few years, to avoid being eaten by their elders.

While I would've liked to follow the trails further into the island, our time was limited.

We returned to the village, where we enjoyed lunch in a newly built, open-air building while watching long-tail macaques run through the surrounding fields.

From Rinca Island, we left by boat to visit another, smaller island, for an afternoon of snorkeling.

Komodo Island

If Rinca Island was the teaser, arriving on Komodo Island was the main event.

In 2008, during my first visit to Indonesia, I was aware of Komodo but passed up the opportunity to join a friend for the trip, which required two days to reach from Lombok, the island just east of Bali.

I always imagined Komodo to be an unfriendly and ugly place, so my preconceived notions were immediately smashed when we approached the clear, turquoise waters washing up against the beach.

Disembarking the boats, we walked down the long pier and onto the island. Local guides greeted us immediately, carrying their tell-tale sticks to fend off aggressive dragons.

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that we didn't even need to leave the seaside village to get our fill of dragon action.

The dragons on Komodo Island are larger than those on Rinca, growing up to three meters (nine feet) in length and weighing up to 150 kilograms (330 pounds).

It's a common misconception that they are poisonous. Still, it's up to 50 different kinds of bacteria in their saliva that can cause infections and death in prey (and human victims), not venom.

After the dragon bites its prey, death does not always come immediately, especially with the larger animals.

Instead, the dragon will follow the injured prey, for several days if necessary, until it is further weakened, or dead. Then, it feasts.

In the village, a large, alpha male Komodo dragon was especially active upon our arrival.

It was interesting to see deer just 20 meters away from their predators. Such a site is common during safaris in Africa, as well.

Toward the end of our visit, we followed an enormous dragon onto the beach, where the direct sunlight fully illuminated its scales and colors.

Komodo dragons are capable of swimming several hundred meters out to sea.

After seeing the dragon on the beach, we walked back to the pier and hopped in our boats for an afternoon of snorkeling.

Believe it or not, we would be snorkeling off Komodo Island.

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Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Stumbling out of bed, I skipped the shower, brushed my teeth, and stepped outside into the cool darkness.

Craning my head toward the night's sky, I was greeted with a scattering of white stars. It was a good sign.

In a trip filled with early mornings, getting up at 3 AM to watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo in East Java was the earliest.

We'd been warned to dress warmly, as temperatures can drop close to freezing, but I didn't even find a hat or gloves to be necessary.

Upon meeting the rest of the group outside the entrance to Java Banana Lodge, we piled into a caravan of 1970's-era BJ40 Toyota Land Cruisers for the short ride up to the lookout point.

After 15 minutes of twisting and turning in the dark, we reached the parking area at the foot of a dirt path leading further up Mount Penanjakan (2,770 meters). From here, we were on foot.

It was hard to see in the pre-dawn hours, but the entire path at this point was covered in a fine layer of grey ash from Mount Bromo's latest eruption in 2011.

At 2,292 meters, Mount Bromo is hardly the tallest mountain in Indonesia (that would be the 4,884 meter Puncak Jaya on the island of New Guinea), but it draws a crowd on account of its setting.

The walk to the lookout point took 20 to 30 minutes. By 4:30 AM, a crowd of several hundred tourists and their guides had arrived for sunrise.

Coffee, tea, and snacks were being sold by the members of the indigenous Tengger community, whose ability to wake up at an ungodly hour every morning amazed me. 

While the Javanese are predominantly Muslim, the Tengger practice Hinduism.

Our guide handed us surgical masks to help protect against the ash being kicked up by everyone.

I felt funny wearing it at first, but later, it'd be essential to hiking on Mount Bromo.

The first signs of sunlight began to appear behind a horizontal band of clouds hovering over the horizon.

Unlike the sunrise at Borobudur Temple, it appeared we would be in for a colorful sky.

Forty-five minutes later, at 5:15 AM, I was watching one of the most spectacular sunrises of my life.

The sun also cast a warm glow over Mount Bromo and the surrounding Sea of Sand, the name given to the vast plain between us and the volcanos.

Almost as soon as the sun had risen, groups were already leaving the lookout point for the drive down and subsequent hike to Mount Bromo's crater.

Our group lingered, taking photos, and was, therefore, one of the last to make its way down the mountain.

Upon reaching the Sea of Sand, we began driving over a carpet of grey ash.

In the parking area, we were immediately approached by locals offering horse rides to the crater.

A few people in our group chose the horses, while the majority, including myself, opted to walk.

It was at this point that the surgical masks became necessary.

A lot of ash was being kicked up by the people and horses as they walked to and from Mount Bromo.

The closer we got to the volcano, the deeper the ash.

At the point where the incline to the crater begins, the ash in the middle of the trail was several inches deep.

Walking became more comfortable on the edges of the trails, where you were more likely to connect with solid ground.

My camera had begun giving me lens error messages, the result of ash getting into the spaces around the lens.

I began to choose my moments more carefully, to prevent further damage.

The horses let off their passengers just before stairs leading to the crater's edge.

Here, the winds whipped ash across the side of the volcano, making the surgical masks or any face-covering a necessity.

The staircase had seen better days, though the broken steps and rails seemed fitting considering its location on the side of an active volcano!

We were informed that if you watch the sunrise from Mount Bromo's crater, you can see the red from magma in the crater. 

During the daylight hours, though, you were only able to see the smoke.

I've hiked around the active Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, and as a kid, walked up to flowing lava in Hawaii, but this was the first time I'd peered into the crater of an active volcano.

Surprisingly, there wasn't an odor of sulfur in the air.

See also: Hike to Diamond Head Crater

The walk back to the vehicles went a lot faster. The scene on the valley floor was reminiscent of Egypt and images of the Middle East.

But instead of a sandstorm, we were shrouded in volcanic ash.

I worried about the health of the indigenous people and horses, who were there every day catering to tourists and trying to earn a living.

In the distance, we could see a lookout point halfway up the mountain from where we watched the sunrise.

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My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Approaching the stone steps of Borobudur Temple in the pre-dawn hours, the sky slowly began to lighten, revealing a blanket of grey clouds.

Getting up at 4 AM was no longer about seeing a multi-colored sky, but experiencing one of Indonesia's most celebrated cultural landmarks with as few people as possible.

Borobudur Temple is the world's largest Buddhist monument, its construction dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries (300 years before Cambodia's Angkor Wat).

The stone structure, built atop a hill, measures 123 square meters and features more than 2,600 carved reliefs and 500 Buddha statues.

The monument is dedicated to Buddha, while the reliefs depict his life and teachings.

The precision required to construct such a perfectly symmetrical building, 1,000 years before modern construction equipment was developed, boggles the mind.

In 1991, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has since become one of Indonesia's top tourist attractions, thanks in part to its easy access from the nearby city of Yogyakarta in Central Java.

Entrance to the Borobudur monument before sunrise is gained through the nearby Manohara hotel.

A sarong is required for men and women, and available for free to visitors (as well as a flashlight).

The climb to the top of the monument is steep, but short, and can be done in as little as five minutes.

Upon reaching the top-level, visitors are offered a 360-degree view of the lush landscape covering the surrounding Kedu Valley.

In the mornings, light fog drifts through the valley, adding to the mystical nature of the sacred location, which remains first and foremost, a site of Buddhist pilgrimage.

A guided tour will help you get the most out of a visit to Borobudur Temple. 

There's too much symbolism and Buddhist iconography for a layperson to decode on his or her own.

It wasn't until I began preparing for this trip to Indonesia that I became aware of Borobudur.

Given my long-standing fascination with Buddhist culture, I found the monument to be a welcome surprise in the world's biggest Muslim nation.

Borobudur Temple, along with the orangutans in Borneo, is another example of how much this country has to offer beyond Bali.

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Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

This is the third installment of a three-part series. Check out part one and part two as well.

Following the epic photoshoot with the delightful Sweet Hope, we devoured a breakfast of toast, fruit, and fried rice aboard the klotoks, and then disembarked.

By then, two dozen other tourists had arrived to watch the morning's orangutan feeding.

We walked a few minutes along another raised boardwalk until we reached the ranger station.

Behind one of the buildings, a mother orangutan was hanging from a tree trunk, along with her adorable baby.

The mother was making a distinct noise every thirty seconds, her way of warning us not to come closer, but as one guide mentioned, a sign of impatience as she awaited the morning feeding as well.

Female orangutans raise their young for 7-8 years before parting ways. This timeframe is the longest of any mammal, besides humans.

Remember, orangutans and humans share 97% of the same genetic code.

The long period mothers devote to raising their young is another example of how easy it is to relate to the behavior of orangutans.

It's easy to think they are similar to us, but in reality, it is we humans that are similar to them.

Feeding #2: An Alpha Male in Action

A few minutes before 9 AM, we proceeded further into the jungle to a raised wooden platform.

Bundles of bananas, along with a yellow plastic bucket of vitamin-fortified milk, were placed out.

In the distance, a large nest of leaves and branches could be seen perched high up a tree.

There was a rustling, and then the profile of a significant figure slowly descending the tree trunk.

Tom, an alpha male orangutan, was making his way to the food. None of the other orangutans in the region would approach the platform while he was on it.

As a dominant orangutan, Tom gets to eat first, unless another domineering, or up-and-coming male orangutan chooses to challenge him.

Dominant males, like Tom, can be distinguished by their large cheek pads, which can appear in as little as six months.

Not all male orangutans will grow them, and it's believed that certain males are genetically predisposed to be dominant.

Disturbing but true is the fact that Tom's preferred mating partner is his mother.

Once Tom had consumed his fill of milk and bananas, he departed the platform.

Within a few minutes, the mother and baby descended a tree to collect bananas, as did other medium-sized orangutans.

Most of the orangutans chose to grab the bananas and return to the treetops to consume them.

Orangutans spend most of their time in the tree canopy, where they're less likely to run into danger.

After observing the second feeding, we headed back to the klotoks, and a boat ride further upriver to Camp Leakey, where the observation and preservation of wild orangutans in Borneo first began, decades earlier.

Tanjung Puting National Park features several species of primates, in addition to orangutans.

Crab-eating macaques (aka long-tailed macaques) are easily distinguished due to their grey color and long tails, which often hang perpendicular to tree branches.

Proboscis monkeys are also common, especially at dusk in the trees along the river.

They are identified from a distance by their orange color hair, though they also feature huge noses (and thus the name).

According to our guides, the male monkeys are known for always being ready to mate.

Specifically, they always have an erection, which makes it hard to motor past them without a good laugh.

In addition to these two species, and the orangutans, you can also spot the occasion gibbon in the park, as we would soon find out.

Other exciting animals include sun bears, clouded leopards, red leaf-eating monkeys, and crocodiles (one of which is known to have attacked and killed a tourist on the river's edge near Camp Leakey).

By the time we reached Camp Leakey, the water had turned dark black.

Contrary to what you might think, the black water is cleaner than the brown water we'd seen downriver.

Unfortunately, there's a mining industry that sends a steady stream of pollutants downstream. The black water is the natural color of the unpolluted water.

Feeding #3: The Main Event at Camp Leakey

Camp Leakey was established in 1971 by Dr. Birute Galdikas and Rod Brindamour.

Galdikas was encouraged in her dream of studying wild orangutans in the forests of Southeast Asia by the late paleoanthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey who also mentored Jane Goodall and the late Dian Fossey in their respective studies of chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.

Camp Leakey is the site of the longest continuous study by one principal investigator of any wild non-human animal in the history of science.

Dr. Galdikas and her associates have logged over 100,000 hours of observation on focal wild orangutans in the 50 km (squared) study area associated with the camp. -- sign at the entrance of Camp Leakey

At Camp Leakey, we first toured an information center filled with photos of the local orangutans, and information gained from the tens of thousands of hours of study that have happened there.

Today, the biggest threat to the already endangered orangutans is deforestation.

As jungle is cleared to plant palm oil plantations or mine for precious minerals, the orangutans are losing their habitat.

Without the trees, they lose their source of food, as well as their home.

While they are protected within Tanjung Puting National Park, it occupies an obscenely small portion of Indonesian Borneo and the island of Borneo altogether.

Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), which was set up by Dr. Birute Galdikas in 1986 to help protect the orangutans, is actively making an effort to buy additional land, as well as educate the local landowners and workers.

Sadly, many Indonesian workers come from other islands and having no experience with these large yet gentle primates, kill them out of fear alone.

We heard one such story from Freddie Galdikas, son of Dr. Galdikas. He told us about how an orangutan, in search of food, was in a tree on a plantation.

The orangutan wouldn't come down, and the workers, unsure of what to do, lit a fire at the base of the tree, which eventually lead to the orangutan's death.

Another threat comes from poaching. As the mothers take care of the young until 7 or 8 years of age, the poacher's must kill the mother to kidnap and sell the baby.

Baby orangutans are sold for $1,000 in Jakarta, and more in Thailand, where they are kept as pets.

These stories are heartbreaking to hear, and after hearing them direct from Freddie, who grew up around the orangutans at Camp Leakey, I had to get involved.

Orangutan Foundation International offers a host of ways to protect and save these beautiful creatures.

There are a variety of products that can be purchased online, and for as little as $100, you can foster an orphan orangutan, or sponsor an acre of land in the Rawa Kuno Legacy Forest.

OFI is trying to raise $640,000 to purchase 6,400 acres of critical forest habitat.

Every $100 donated allows you to sponsor one acre of forest. This was the option I chose.

Whether you choose to help by sharing this article via social media, and thereby helping to educate others about the plight of orangutans, or by donating yourself, I ask that you please do something.

The Orangutans of Borneo may be endangered, but together, we can still work to protect and save them.

This is the third installment of a three-part series. Check out part one and part two as well.

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Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

This is the second installment of a three-part series. Read part one here.

Upon waking up around 6 AM on the morning of our second day in Indonesia's Tanjung Puting National Park, I surveyed the scene.

We were tied up to the same dock where we'd eaten dinner the night before. A few crew members were up and about, while most of the other bloggers were still asleep.

In the trees to the right of the boardwalk, I spotted an orangutan. Her name was Sweet Hope, and for the next 40 minutes, she entertained us like no other orangutan we saw.

She played and posed, and approached us with curiosity and comfort. When it was all over, I looked back at the photos, amazed at the wide range of expressions and poses she gave us in such a short time.

Without a doubt, she knew she had our undivided attention, and she was going to have fun with it.

I felt strangely emotional putting these photos together as if we formed a bond during our time together early that morning.

Our group would observe two more feedings, but none of those experiences would hold a candle to my time with Sweet Hope.

This is the second installment of a three-part series. Read part one here, and check back tomorrow for part three.

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Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Looking deep into their eyes, knowing you, as a homo sapien, share 97% of the same genetic code, it's hard not to feel a kinship with orangutans.

The endangered orangutans in Borneo first entered my consciousness when I met Gela, my Dutch trekking partner in Nepal.

I remember seeing a photo of her sitting next to one of the large, orange-haired primates and knowing then that I wanted to see them too.

Borneo, the commonly known name of the Asian island shared by both Indonesia and Malaysia, has always sounded extraordinarily remote to me.

My mind conjures up challenging travel conditions, thick jungles, machetes, and remote wilderness. In short, I'd built up a trip to Borneo to be a chore and an expensive one to boot.

But so many of my preconceived notions about travel to Borneo, specifically to see the wild orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park, were smashed during my three-day.

Commercial tourism has arrived in Borneo, and while it requires an adventurous spirit, it's a surprisingly easy experience for travelers of all ages and budgets.

This is not something I can say about visiting the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, which requires $1,500 for the trekking permit alone.

Flying From Jakarta to Central Kalimantan, Borneo

My journey began in Jakarta, where seven other international travel bloggers and I met with representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy of Indonesia.

Visiting the orangutans in Borneo was our first stop on a two-week tour of the country.

We departed Jakarta's International airport for Pangkalan Bun on Kal Star Aviation, an Indonesian airline in operation since 2007. 

The flight was just one hour, and they even provided us with a snack.

The proliferation of flights offered by regional and discount airlines in Indonesia is helping to improve accessibility to the country's more remote islands.

We landed at Pangkalan Bun's little airport and exited the plane directly onto the tarmac (a process I always associate with landing in remote areas).

Inside the terminal, I saw the world's smallest baggage carousel - it wasn't a full circle but a straight, 15-meter conveyor belt extending from a hole in the wall.

Despite the regular flights, it was good to see the growth in tourism had yet to necessitate a more extensive baggage delivery system.

Adapting to Life on a Klotok

Upon exiting the airport, we jumped into air-conditioned SUVs for the 20 to 30-minute drive to the river dock where we'd be boarding our klotok.

Klotoks are the traditional wooden boats used to navigate the local rivers.

Due to narrow sections and areas of shallow water, the maximum width of a klotok is 4 meters (12 feet).

The standard klotok is two levels. The lower level features the bathroom (with a Western-style toilet), crew quarters, and a "kitchen" where the food is prepped and cooked.

Some larger klotoks also feature showers and air-conditioning, though the generator required to keep guests cool creates noise pollution, thereby drowning out the sounds of nature in the evenings.

If given a choice, skip any attempts at air-conditioning, which will probably increase the cost and the noise.

The upper level is for the guests, where the meals are taken, and sleeping mattresses (with mosquito nets) are laid out at night.

We quickly adapted to life on our klotoks. Our group was large enough to require two, as they could carry four guests each.

There were other klotoks and tourists on the river. Most were occupied by couples, though there were families and what appeared to be the occasional group of backpackers too.

A group of women on one of our klotoks was responsible for preparing the food during our two-day trip.

Given the working conditions, we were impressed with the consistently excellent meals.

It reminded me of the time I went trekking in northern India and experienced some of the best food in the country, all prepared in a rock cave barely big enough to fit four people.

Our first lunch set the stage: fresh crab and fish, vegetable salads, soybean cakes, and fresh watermelon.

In addition to the meals, every time we came back to the klotok from observing the orangutans, there'd be a snack, such as fried bananas, waiting for us.

Cold beverages were also a treat, with Coke, Sprite, and bottled water on offer. Due to religious reasons, beer is not available on the Indonesian side of Borneo.

Feeding #1

After a few hours of riding upriver in our klotoks and enjoying a fresh seafood lunch, we crossed back onto land to observe the first of three orangutan feedings.

Park rangers established these feedings for the local orangutans to ensure the population remains strong and healthy.

If no orangutans show up, it's a positive sign because it means they can find enough food on their own.

They gobble up a plentiful supply of bananas and vitamin-fortified milk if they do appear.

Of course, tourists don't appreciate it if none appear, but as long as you avoid the first few months of the year, there's a high probability you'll see them every time as we did.

Being close to them as they did their daily business was a fascinating experience.

We were the last tourists to arrive at that particular camp, so a few dozen other people, who'd already taken their photos, were still around.

A few of these people were especially loud, so I asked them to keep it down. The disbelief on their faces was unforgettable, but I didn't care.

I was annoyed that they were carrying on as though they were drinking cappuccinos at a Starbucks.

Ultimately, it's up to the guides to ensure their customers respect the environment, orangutans, and other visitors around them.

Overnight on the Klotok

Dinner was taken back on the klotok after we motored further upriver, past the other boats, to the dock of the second camp we'd visit the following morning.

The tables and chairs were moved to the old wooden structure, and we ate by candlelight.

The chicken satay was popular with everyone and among the best of our two weeks in Indonesia.

As we ate, the crew set up our beds and mosquito nets for the night.

It may not look like much in the photo above, but I and most of the others slept surprisingly well.

The nets kept the bugs out, and the tarps blocked the three kinds of poisonous snakes, and crocodiles, from boarding our vessel.

The orangutans spend their nights sleeping in nests built in the trees. 

They build a new nest every day, a process which can take 20 to 30 minutes (which sounded fast to me, but if you're doing it every night, you must get good at it).

In the morning, I would awaken to a sweet surprise.

________

Note: My visit to Indonesia was in conjunction with a blog trip hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

One of the highlights from my recent trip to Indonesia was a chance to see endangered Komodo Dragons in the wild.

We visited them on two of the only four islands in the world where they exist: Rinca and Komodo.

Now, I'm happy to share that Indonesia Travel is giving away a free trip to Komodo National Park, so 5 lucky winners will have a chance at the same amazing adventure!

To enter and be eligible to win, participants must:

1. Fill out a complete profile via the quiz page.

2. “Like” the Indonesia.Travel page on Facebook.

3. Follow the official tourism account, @indtravel on Twitter.

4. Then, answer the quiz questions (using the available hints). Each correct answer gets you 5 points. You can answer a maximum of 5 questions per day, earning you up to 25 points.

To earn additional points, and increase your odds of winning one of the 5 free trips, you can invite others to participate by using the Facebook “share” button, or your unique promotional link. You'll earn 1 extra point for each person that logs in to take the quiz.

The goal is to earn as many points as possible in the 30-day qualifying period, which runs from October 18 until November 18, 2012.

The quiz winners will be announced on November 23, 2012, at Indonesia.travel, Indonesia's Facebook page, and via the @indtravel account on Twitter.

Terms and Conditions

Indonesians, related parties, and quiz organizers are not allowed to participate.

The 5 people with the highest point total will win a free, 3-day/2-night trip to Komodo National Park, including international airfare (economy class), domestic flights in Indonesia (economy), accommodation, and meals.

Winners will be contacted via email. Winners who are not eligible will be replaced by the participants with the next highest point total.

The cost of traveling outside the trip period will not be covered. For example, if you win, you may choose to stay in Indonesia for 8 additional nights, however, all of the costs associated with the extra time are the sole responsibility of the winner.

* Note: I've paraphrased a few of the most important terms here, but please read them all on the Indonesia.travel website before participating.

If you have any questions regarding the contest, quiz, or terms, email quiz(at)indonesia.travel

I would love to see one of Go Backpacking's readers win this trip.

Good luck!