Bukit Lawang, Sumatra - The Jungle

After days of not doing much we decided we needed to be a little more active. So we got flights to Medan from where we could travel to the jungle to see Orangutans.

Medan is a bit of a hell hole but we found our first large scale Indonesian supermarket so we had plenty to amuse ourselves with, namely biscuits and sweets at crazy prices. Everything was about 3p so we brought LOADS! It was raining when we finally emerged from the shoppping centre so we sat on the steps and munched our way through our purchases. We got quite a few strange looks from the locals but we were in sugar heaven and didnt care!


The next morning we jumped into the local mode of transport - a motor bike with a small seat on wheels attached to it. We somehow managed to get to the bus station even with Tim half hanging off the seat. The bus ride was long and hot but eventually we made it to Bukit Lawang. It was a total contrast to Medan - there was a chorus of animals nosies instead of beeping horns, the air was fresh rather than smoggy - we were in THE jungle, rather than a concrete jungle.

Suddenly we could see why people came here just to chill, the whole village was set along a flowing river with the jungle behind. You were practically living in the jungle but with the comforts of nice guest houses and resturants. It was a pretty long trek with the bags to the nicer guest houses but it was worth it when we ended up with a great room with a unique two storey outside bathroom at Green Hill. As we checked in we were greeted by a load of monkeys and that well known jungle creature, the tabby cat.

We went for dinner down the road and saw a huge lizard, the size of a baby aligator and then we were entertained by a little brown monkey trying to steal the resturant's vegetables. Jungle life was fun.

We signed up for a day trek in the jungle so the next day we were out the door at 8.30am with our two guides. I was a little aprehensive about the trek as I thought i was going to be eaten alive by mossies, I should have been worried about how hard core it was going to be!

The first couple of hours were great, the track was quite easy to follow and it wasnt too strenuous. Our guide Amin had followed Orangutans for a year in the jungle as an observer so knew his jungle stuff and pointed out rubber tress, natural coffee and mango plants. We also got to taste Quinine from the bark of a cinchona tree. Quinine was the first effective treatment for malaria. It was so bitter I had to eat an orange to get rid of the taste!

We got to a little clearing and were told we had a choice, the short route or the long route. The long route took us deep into the jungle and gave us more chance of seeing wild orangutans. I found the idea of the short route more appealing but Tim was up for a challenge so we went for the long route. It was VERY long and VERY hard! We basically did a two day trek in one day! I have never sweated so much through heat and fear! Most of the time we were walking along a thin, slippery path which had a deep drop to the side, one foot wrong and we would have been tumbling down through thick forest.

The 'path' (there wasnt really any path I have no idea how Amin knew where he was going) was mainly uphill for the first 3 hours. I was using branches and roots to pull me up. We were swinging from branches and using roots to absail down steep drops, we were turning into right little monkeys! At one point I brushed against a tree and got a whole colony of termites on me - nice! Eventually we made it to a steam. We took our shoes off and with the help of sticks made it over the slippery rocks. Tim and I both fell over but we were happy just to be able to cool off in the water and have a break and some lunch.

Feeling much revived after friend rice and loads of fruit we were told we had another 4 hours at least of treking. So it was back into it straight away with a harsh half hour uphill hike. Then it was down hill which was actually more difficult as it was so slippery. We all slided and slipped about and it was starting to turn into a mission to get back alive rather than a mission for Orangutans!

Despite all our efforts and going deep into the jungle we hadn't actually seen any animals apart from insects! We had heard gibbons, smelt Orangutans, seen Honey Bear tracks and heared Horn Bills, but no sightings. Finally after eight hours of treking we saw our first jungle creature...a tortoise!!!

Amin decided we would go to the feeding platform as sometimes Orangutans hang out there after feeding hours. Luckily we did as we saw a wild Orangutan and a semi wild Orangutan. Hurrah! We watched the orange ones in their natural habitat for a while and then started the final leg of our journey home. By this point I was really tired and didnt trust my legs to actually keep me up, even Tim was looking pretty tired. We cleared the forest and got to the main river and then we had to wade through the river to get to the other side! My legs were shaking, I was filthy, Tim and I both had cuts and bruises but we had made it back and we had certainly had a jungle experience!

Our guide Amin showed us how locals got rubber from the rubber trees

Guys walking past with the rubber they had collected from the trees. The rubber absolutely stank! It was enough to make you want to gag.

Big tree and our first little break

The black lump on the tree is a termites nest

Going down into the depths of the jungle

Ha, this photo makes me laugh! I look like an old woman with that bun and stick! (I totally felt like an old woman the next day I could hardly walk as my legs were so sore from all the trekking!)

Going back up, before we went down again and up again and down again and up again....

Our first jungle animal, that scary creature the jungle tortoise!

Jungle view

I'm smiling as I've just been told we only have about another 30mins until we reach the Feeding Platform and then the nightmare would nearly be over!

A wild Orangutan

A semi wild Orangutan called Sophia

There she is again

Monkeying about

Just hanging out

Waterfall

The final leg of our trek - we had to wade through the past flowing river to get to our accommodation. I was totally knackered by this point and kept slipping over so Amin give me his trainers to wear in the water and helped me across. The current was pretty strong in parts so Tim also got a helping hand

This spider was HUGE. It doesnt really look it in this picture but I have never seen a spider so big before it was bigger than the palm of my hand and I swear it had fangs. It came out every night to say hello in our bathroom and would hover just above the toilet.