a test in kawa...

shortly after leaving nangabulik the asphalt disappeared for good and the endless steep-as-all-hell hills began. i was getting into real dayak country with only sporadic small villages always on small rivers, typically without electricity.. i was exhausted when i reached kawa and was well short of the days goal of reaching kudangan where i heard there was a police station.. i rode into the village and crossed the delan river bridge.. many people would stare at me and return my smile.. i saw a man walking with his daughter and asked if he knew where the 'desa kepala' (village chief) was.. he said he was the chief's son and that i was welcome to stay the night in his home.
'wow that was easy' i thought after slightly worrying about whether or not i would find a safe place to sleep..
then he said 'but you are very dirty, first you must bathe'' and he pointed to the river..

so this was it, my moment of truth.. my first time bathing in a river and with an entire village watching me with silent stern looks on their faces..

all i could think of was a story told to me when i first arrived in indonesia by my scottish friend, robin, who cycled across east borneo.. he was asked to bathe in the river in a manner suggesting that he 'prove himself' before staying in the village... i tried to recall any details i could, but robin has been cycling for 5 years (all the way from scotland) and had no problem comfortably going about his business.. this was my first time and i was slightly nervous with many questions:

'where do i use the toilet?'
'i only have one outfit, do i bathe naked, even with all the people watching me?"
'should i just go down to the river bank or is there a place for bathing?'

i acted like i knew what i was doing and so the man pointed to his home across the bridge and walked off.. by now my bahasa was adequate (it would be weeks before i would speak english) and a young boy noticed my confusion and asked what i was looking for..
'where am i supposed to bathe?' i asked with an innocent smile..
with the attention of all the people, i followed the boy to the top of some steps that led down to a raft over the river.. i walked down then balanced across the two thin logs connecting the stairs and the raft about 15 feet out on the water.. the river current was strong and i saw 3 young women, 1 with child, bathing and washing clothes on the raft next to mine.. they were about 20 feet away but i could hear them whispering and giggling over the sound of the river, also they were very attractive which didnt help my already tense nerves... the last thing i wanted was to get 'excited' so i tried my hardest to ignore them and focus on the river..
i saw that the women were wearing underwear so i took off my clothes and rolled my shorts up to the top of my thighs.. i noticed many people laughing from the bridge overhead.. the skin on my arms and legs was as dark as theirs, but on my torso and thighs i was white as a ghost!! i laughed with them and began to feel like they knew what i was going through.. in the center of the raft was a waist high stall with a hole in the middle, so i crouched down and did my business.. im not shy, but i was not used to 'relieving myself'' in a river with an audience.. after that it began to rain so i finished bathing and washed my clothes..

the afternoon sun was peaking through a gap in the clouds, and i was up to my neck in a murky borneo river in the drizzling rain surrounded by smiling people who were no longer paying attention to me.. i felt so happy to be there.. i remember thinking 'this is exactly why im travelling' and i was overwhelmed with respect for the simple but beautiful lives these people were living.. i eventually made my way back to the man's home, he was in the doorway smiling and asked if i had ever bathed in a river before..
'no that was my first time' i said proudly and we laughed.. we ate next to candlelight and i slept like a baby on a mat on his wood floor.. the flickering candle and sounds of the rainy jungle put me out in seconds..

this would be the first of several similar experiences with the dayak people in west kalimantan, but by far the most memorable...