Monday, September 18, 2023

The Grand Old Lady of the Kahayan River

Recent renovations to the Rahai'i Pangun improved the cabins, added ensuites and replaced equipment. She is returned, happily plying the river she has serviced for 50 years. A grand old lady, she was built in the locally famous Mandomai carpentry school near the regional capital of Pulang Pisau on the Kapuas River. Built solely from the first-grade hardwood called ulin growing prolifically in those days, she has outlived many other vessels on the river. Launched with the name Noah, she was purchased by Wow Borneo in 2014 and comprehensively converted and upgraded. We take maintenance seriously, and in spite of the worst possible conditions - extreme tempratures, heavy rain and widely variable river conditions - she continues to live up to her new name, Rahai'i Pangun. It means big development in Dayak, and she continues to pioneer a river tourism industry along the Kahayan River.