Location : Kampung Muara Nayan, Kecamatan Jempang, Kabupaten Kutai Barat, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia.

After covering the ‘belian’ event at Melak light was fading fast and there was no way that we could make it back to Samarinda that night. Antok our guide suggested that we broke the journey at Kem Baru for the night. The township was created out of necessity for the workers of the palm oil and coal industries. It looked like a cowboy town with just 2 straight rows of cheap hotels and food shops. Hotel water was dirty looking if any at all. Shared bathroom was filled with mud and sand from the boots of the workers who stayed in all the hotels on a long term basis. When you do not have a better choice you just have to put up with all the discomforts and pray for an earlier sunrise.

View from the balcony of our hotel roomWest Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Muara Pahu, West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Muara Pahu,Had a quick breakfast and head towards an abandoned village Muara Nayan. The village had existed for more than 150 years. Most of its beautiful totem poles still in place, unappreciated among overgrown grass. What a pitiful sight.

Totem Poles (Tonggak Keramat) West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native,

West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native,
Iron wood posts – remnants of an abandoned village

Tempelag (makam or cemetery) where bones are kept West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native, West Kutai Barat, Jempang, Kwangkay, tempelag, coffin, Lamin, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak Benuaq, East Kalimantan timur, hard wood, traditional longhouse homestay, Indonesia, outdoor, village, Statue carving, sculptures, Belian, totem pole, Tonggak Keramat, native,After shooting it was back to the bone breaking drive to Samarinda. A road devastated by the heavy trucks carrying either oil palm fruits or coal. Had ‘gado gado’ for lunch at a roadside cafe. The lady gave me a crash course on gado gado making.

East Kalimantan Timur, West Kutai Barat, Resak, salad, vegetarian food,
Ingredients for making peanut sauce dressing
East Kalimantan Timur, West Kutai Barat, Resak, salad, vegetarian food,
Lady boss

On the way back to Samarinda 

West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, Samarinda,
Rumah walet or swiftlet farm
West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, Samarinda,
Church with Dayak motif decoration
West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, Samarinda,
Truck had a long pole with a flag. Reason-the coal mines are so dusty that truck drivers cannot see each other and the only way to know if there was a truck in the opposite direction is by the sight of the red flag.

West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, Samarinda,

West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, Samarinda,
Oil palm nursery
West Kutai Barat, adventure, Borneo, Indigenous Dayak, East Kalimantan timur, Indonesia, outdoor, Samarinda,
A coal mine in the distance.

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