Volunteering with Go East part 3

By the time my third week on Dao Tien rolled round I felt I had settled into a relatively set routine on the island. This was however to be my last week volunteering on the project and in alot of ways it really felt like the best had been saved for last. A real highlight of my time there came that week as I finally got to go out and see the gibbons feeding in a semi wild environment (a vital part of the rehabilitation part of the project).

As I walked into the semi wild enclosure, I had a powerful moment of elation as I first saw the gibbons flying through the trees. This stage was an important part of the project, where the staff would take a step away from the gibbons in order to prepare them for life in the jungle. And although the staff would still go in to feed them twice a day (as we did now), it was great to know that these beautiful creatures would one day be ready to go back into the jungles of Cat Tien.

That week I was also taken out around the island to collect the seeds and leaves that the gibbons liked to eat. I perfected the art of catching the elusive grasshoppers that inhabited the thick grasses behind out lodge (these would then be fed the island's incredibly adorable Pygmy Loris), I gave tours and went out for a lovely evening meal at the home of one of the people who worked for Cat Tien national park. I also got to see first hand the truly innovative spirit that has served the Vietnamise people so well in their daily lives (A key for a padlock you say? Crazy talk when we have this handy sledge hammer right here).

On one of my last days my normal routine was set aside however and I was told to come with another volunteer down to the riverside. There we found one of the members of staff waiting for us with a rowing boat, we were taken out onto the river and got to drift serenely around the island river as the boatman rowed (with his feet no less). It was a real treat made even better when I got to see the island's wild Black Shanked Ducs leaping between the trees.

My last night was a wonderful send off, as I came in to find brownies waiting in the common area and me and my fellow work mates chilled out, chatted and watched Game of Thrones (which I was proud to be able to introduce to one of the volunteers).

In the morning I packed my bag, said some fond fairwells and set sail on what was approaching the final leg of my journey.