Monkeys Sighted Again on Route B2 Pancawati

Robert (Baldy) Baldwin, who lives in Pancawati village, submitted this post.

Empad and I took off from my cabin in Pancawati village at 06:45. The weather was fine having rained most of the previous day, the views of Mt Salak and Pangrango majestic. Walking through the farmlands south of Pancawati village was a little discouraging, the locals crops have been hammered by viruses, with too much rain and fog. We got to the forest edge around 8:00 and heard monkeys calling off to the right. After a search through the trees we spotted a large black monkey sunning itself. After a few minutes, branches in surrounding trees started waving and we saw smaller grey monkeys frolicking around in the top of the canopy in Pasir Kramat.

After entering the forest we headed up Pasir Pancawati. The walk was pleasant as the tree cover shaded us from the sun and the forest floor was damp and cool. Upon reaching the top of the ridge we encountered another group of monkeys. Seeing us, a group of 5 or 6 black monkeys bolted from high in the canopy and disappeared from sight, leaving only the crashing sounds of cracking branches behind as they decided we were best avoided. After 2 and a quarter hours we emerged from the forest. It had been a couple of months since we’d passed through there and the grass was significantly higher.

By 11 o’clock we were at the chicken farm. We soon turned left on Jl LBC and after 200 meters turned right into the asphalt road at the top of Leuwilarangan ridge, the valley a lush green with new padi. Many villas here are owned by senior media folk, so I’m told. After about 700 meters we descended the valley to cross to Legok Nyenang. Awesome views until cloud rolled in and drenched us. No bridge over the stream, rock hopping is the order of the day, wet feet virtually guaranteed. By the time we got to the Modern Training complex it was raining heavily. On the Cikereteg main road we stopped for lunch at Pak Nip’s roadside stall. The food was hearty, the coffee great and the hole in the wallet tiny. After lunch we headed down to Lembur Pancawati to finish a couple of beers I’d left in the fridge at Fran’s place a week earlier. The beers were still cold and, as usual, the service superb.