From the Logbook...Survey Trip to Tumbang Tohan (Pt. 2 of 5)

(read previous post for part 1 of this series if you haven't already)

We arrived into TOH about three hours after first leaving the airplane in the village of NAN.  (we would later determine that those three hours in the motorized canoe would translate to 4 minutes in the airplane!)

Because we were still fortunate to have good weather and a little bit of sunlight when we arrived into TOH we went right to work gathering data to determine if we could safely bring the airplane into and out of Tumbang Tohan.

Using a portable GPS and an app called Theodolite on the iPad, we were able to determine usable river length, width, climb out angles (VERY IMPORTANT) and make note of any above or underwater obstacles.  It really doesn't take that long to collect the data, especially with the modern day tools we have.  About 30 minutes after starting, we were done with the survey of the river.

We stayed the night in Pastor Roni's house (seen in the STIHL t-shirt).  In the photo above Roni is demonstrating his homemade black powder to us.  It seemed to work well.  Most everyone that lives in this remote part of Indonesia has a handmade powder rifle to use for hunting.  They make their own bullets from the lead in dead car batteries and then collect the ingredients for making black powder.  While traveling to TOH Roni actually tried to kill a few turkey sized birds on the river bank but he missed.  Life in interior Borneo is tough!!!

By the way, Rebecca does a wonderful job of writing about the experience from her perspective on her blog.  Be sure to read it.  Click here to do so.  She writes much better than I do anyway!

Because the river levels rise and fall so dramatically on the rivers where we serve, the locals have become creative to accommodate access to their docks with the variety of river levels that they experience literally in a matter of hours.  This "ladder" was one of the nicest and easiest ones we climbed in our 36 hours interior.  These are the kinds of things that remind you a few days later of muscles you didn't even know you had.

We had a great time in TOH and that evening we met with the village leaders where we discussed some of my findings and some of the things that needed to occur before I could bring an airplane into their village.  They were extremely excited that we would even consider doing this and vowed to set out the next morning in clearing trees and prepping the river for airplane operations.  This past month I have flown over TOH a few times since that meeting and they are indeed clearing the sides of the river bank in preparation for the airplane.  We may know more in 1-2 more months if we are able to actually bring the airplane in.  It will change the lives of the villagers in TOH to have air transportation to medical facilities, travel quicker, safer, and cheaper to other villages, etc.  The tool of the airplane has the potential to change their lives.

In a few days I'll have more to share about what else happened on our trip...