PICTURES FROM AN EXPEDITION: The Lake of Seven Peaks

Gunung Tuju or 'the lake of seven peaks', is a large, deep lake in the caldera of an extinct volcano in Kerinci National Park. It is biologicaly impoverished with only one species of fish and one species of freshwater crab. However, it is in the surrounding jungles that most orang-pendek sightings come from. In these jungles Dave and Sahar saw the creature and we found footprints, hair and chewed rattan vine.

The jungles are cool and damp, much like the one inhabited by mountain gorillas in Africa. Adam found fresh tiger tracks in the jungle and thought the beast was only a few hundred yards away from our camp.

Twice, whilst crossing to the far side of the lake, the antiquated fisherman's canoes sprung leaks and were almost swamped when the lake's waters became choppy. The holes had to be plugged with black paper bags and we had to bail out the water.