14/05/2002
Stuck in a tree for a few days, think my ankle is broken, thanks for all the E-Mail support, especially Fffrank, Greta, Campian, Abbo Fred, Micheal Garland, Josh Right and Tandy. Thanks also to Raffi Balmanoukian for his kind words on the newsgroup rec.travel.budget.backpack . I risk my life every day in the pusuit of backpacking Nirvana and there is always one person who has some weird problem just because of my unique financing arrangements. Still, you are a brother backpacker Raffi and I wish you well on your life journey, keep the straps tight and your eyes on the road.
I am having technical difficulties updating the site, so forgive me for any gaps in the diary.
The plane started quite a nasty fire when it landed (crashed), and I am beginning to feel the heat from the fire as it appraoches, has it made the news yet? The tower of smoke is miles high.
Some might say that I am at odds with my ecological ideology, what with being responsible for burning down acres of unspoilt rainforest, and I would have to agree with you. Today, go plant a tree and think of me eh?
My priority is outrunning the fire now, animals are thundering past me as I type this, trying to escape the blaze, I hope it rains soon, it IS a rainforest.
07/05/2002
Don't know if anyone will be able to read this, a friend is trying to get my diary online again. The plane takes me into the jungle today. I'm nervous about parachuting down on my own, I lied to the pilot and said I was an experianced base-jumper, I think he believed me. Infact I've never used a parachute before, still how hard can it be?
UPDATE+++++++++
The planes run into problems, we are flying over the jungle now, smoke is coming from the tail, the pilot is screaming a lot in some native tongue, can't get him to make sense.
He bailed out, I'm flying over dense jungle and have no idea how to fly a plane.
can't stop
going to try and bail out, clutching my backpack and my laptop, have parachute strapped on, plane is on autopilot (i think) , how hard can it be?.
Wish me luck. I'll update and let you all know I'm OK as soon as I can.
02/05/2002
Problems, my site has been closed down again, I think the military might have been responsible , am trying to get it up again somewhere.
29/04/2002
I need to get out of this stinking hotel room and back out there in the rainforest. Here I am , in one of the most beautiful parts of the globe, and instead of trekking through unexplored undergrowth, I'm looking at cracked plaster and soiled sheets.
The military police came by early this morning, wanted to know if I had talked to anyone. I told them no, forgetting to mention the six billion people that can read about my treatment on here. If by chance anyone in authority in Borneo is reading this, have a look into the activities of Roden Martinezi , Officer 45876, he has a black perm, a goatee and dental hygeine issues.
Only two more days until I get dropped back into deepest Borneo, I hope to buy a new digital camera before then. I haven't seen a branch of Tandy, Comet, Dixons or PC World out here yet, so there's still a chance that decent electrical consumer goods still exist out here.
I am online a lot more for ther next couple of days - so E-Mail me any questions or comments.
28/04/2002
Slept a lot today, my body needs to rest before I throw it out of a plane on Wednesday.
Thanks again for all the E-Mail , I've answered a few personally, but Tom sent me this E-Mail with some good questions- Why not elaborate on what kinda trouble that town has had?
What's the size of it (population).
Any good brew there? What's the nearest city?
I've always loved the look or Borneo and Sumatra, but I'm not goin if bugs is on da menu. heh
How come ya did'nt explain more about the kidnapping/bust?
They make ya not talk as a condition of release?
Man, I'd like to know what that green paste the natives fed ya was, an them bugs they trip on. Don't recall hallucinagenic bugs, toads yeah, bugs not that I recall.
Tom
Well, Sambas has seen it's fair share of problems according to some of my drinking partners last night. Apparently there was a period when cannibalism and beheadings were a daily occurance, some sort of ethnic problems between Dayaks and Madurese according to one man and the 'Melayu' and the 'Madura' according to a second, where one bunch were trying to wipe out the other. (The last tribe I stayed with were Dayak, and they seemed quite peaceful and friendly for the most part). They would leave the severed heads in the middle of the road and then eat the rest. Ick. I was sceptical at first, but it's all there on the web - CNN report Severed head pic
Why had I never heard of this happening? Things seem to be calm now, aside from the odd beating in the street and the level of poverty and disease here, it's quite a nice spot.
No idea what the population of Sambas is, but the locals call it a city, if it IS a city, I must be in the outskirts, it seems pretty small to me, three main streets and a small airstrip. Jimmy's Bar has a fine selection of liquers, most of them illegal, most of them toxic.
I can't say much more about my detention, I was unconscious for the most part. The police had my laptop for a while and I presume they checked out this site, I think that's probably why they let me go as it substantiated my claims.
The green paste was made from a large green/grey beetle and it's larvae, I think it was also mixed with some plant, not sure what. I'll get the recipe if I ever pass by that way again. Mmmmmmm.
Hope that helps Tom, thanks for asking.
27/04/2002
Still holed up in my hotel room. Thanks for all the Email, I've had over 200 messages, including four marriage proposals (Sorry to Sally, Harriet, June and Bill but the answer is "no"), two people calling their baby after me (That's one new Marlowe in Idaho and one in Wyoming) and one death threat (Come and get me 'Rob' and we'll see who has the biggest knife).
BORNEO DIARY 
