With a sense of anticipation we set off to encounter the natives of this jungle paradise. And it doesn't take long before we do. This fine looking headhunter is giving us a demonstration of his blowpipe shooting prowess.
It's not surprising that eligible young males should seek out a partner, and of the hundreds of tourists in the crowd, who should he desire but a lovely fair-skinned young lady from New Zealand?
After the obligatory courtship rituals, Nik has to prove she can use a blowpipe as well as he can.
And she does a pretty good job, with the dart just glancing off the balloon without popping it. Standing closer, it pops with wild applause from the audience.
Suitably impressed, the headhunter makes his move. Can Nik resist his charms? Does she want to spend the rest of her life in a longhouse deep in the Borneo jungle?
You can perhaps tell from the body language that Nik's not that keen, and besides, our headhunter hasn't yet proved himself in battle else he'd have a head dangling from his belt. Most of you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing Nik's returning to NZ with us.
The remaining time at the village was somewhat less exciting but no less rewarding. Interesting seeing the style of housing still in use in the interior today.
And we even had a go at blowpipe shooting ourselves.
Not as easy as it looks, even with a rest. Nik's definitely our star shooter, and clearly a headhunter's delight. Go Nik!
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