In the jungle the mighty jungle the orangutan sleeps tonight

As I told in the post about our hospital visit in Thailand, we had managed to book ourselves tickets to get out of Koh Phangan (sitting on the curb of a road, with our phones and the near by restaurant WiFi). And that trip started by an early morning tuktuk ride from our bungalow to the harbor. We took the first ferry at 7AM to Koh Samui and then another one to Surat Thani. There we jumped on a bus which took us to a village in the middle of nowhere. We sat in the burning sun for half an hour, maybe an hour, just trusting that someone will pick us up in some point. That's backpacking for you. And a shaking old minibus stopped there around 11. It was packed so full we had to hold our backpacks in between our legs and were so cramped we couldn't really move. And in that minibus we spent the most glorious 8 hours riding down the bumpy roads of Thailand. I was so happy for the earlier downloaded Netflix episodes. I mean we are good at killing time but gosh that was hard. I cannot remember all the details because I was still feeling a little stuffed from the sickness, but when we got to the boarder of Malaysia we changed the van. Or maybe it was earlier. But we met some nice travelers which made it a little more bearable. 

But long story short: arriving to Malaysia you did notice a change with the roads and houses. Everything was so wealthy, clean and neat compared to Thailand. We made it to Penang pretty late in the evening and because it was just a city I randomly pointed from the map (and we actually just went because the airfare to Indonesia was cheaper from there), we had actually no idea where we had come to. Yet we figured out pretty soon after arriving to George town that we had arrived to a gem. If you have ever been to New Orleans you know what kind of a vibe I am talking about. The streets were filled with little bars playing live music, serving food and people chatting and smoking hookah. We found our way to a hotel, left our bags and ran back out to get some food. We had only eaten light snacks all day and were feeling weak. And of course we had to try this amazing hookah too.

SERIOUSLY. BREAKFAST PIZZA!

The next day we went out for breakfast and decided to see this Penang out. It is such a pretty place. And famous for its' street food. We did understand why. All day we wandered around, enjoyed the famous street art, visited a food museum, the little India, walked through the market area on the water, enjoyed sitting down for coffees and hookah, ate ice cream and just enjoyed being. Then we hid the upcoming rain in a cat cafe to google a little what we should see in Sumatra - as we had the flight the next morning. And randomly we figured out that in the middle of the rain forest there should be a place called Bukit Lawang where you could see orang-utans. We counted that it would be a little over budget but I mean it was a once in a lifetime thing and who knew how long this planet would have orang-utans still. So we googled for a place to stay close to the jungle (2€ per night) and without thinking it twice Arno called in there and within ten minutes we had a place to stay and private car that would pick us up from the airport (because there was really no other transport option to get in the middle of nowhere). So we headed down to a food market to get something to eat before hitting the hay.

The next morning as we got to the airport and were checking our bags they asked us weather we have a return flight already. Well we had expected they would ask, but no we did not. We had not made plans that far yet. And then the manager said we cannot board without return tickets. So we googled the cheapest ticks off from Indonesia with our phones and booked them. Costed us like 22 €. And when we got on the other side we called in the airline and cancelled those fake tickets we had just bought. (You did not just learn this trick from me) 

Check out on the back: Obama Vegetarian Spring Roll !

We arrived to Medan, Sumatra by Sriwijaya Air flight that landed around 11AM. As landing, we were handed the arrival cards in the plane. Those little slips you have to fill in many countries often ask weather we are carrying anything that needs to be declared. And one of those boxes included "knives, guns, bombs or other weapons". Usually we do not carry anything that needs declaring but now we were traveling with a set of cooking knives Arno had wanted to buy for our new kitchen in Myanmar. And those were big like machetes so we really had to check that box. But as I walked down to the customs and handed the slip to the officer he took a quick look at it and just let us through without further questions or even a second look. Like the lunch ladies in cafeterias who want to see that you have a student ID but don't care to actually look at it.

We found our driver and his friend and jumped in the car (most comfortable ride during the whole trip) that was a big, clean SUV. The ride was supposed to be a few hours but it ended up lasting like 6. The driver took us to a local restaurant in Medan and we learned what the "Sumatran spicy" means. And when the traffic cleared and we were far enough from Medan, the only thing you could see was little villages, potholes on the tiny mud roads and jungle. 

At dusk, the driver stopped saying he cannot take us further. That there is no more road and we have to keep going on foot. We thanked him, payed and said goodbyes. There was a few locals who were expecting us and they showed the way. We walked for some time and then came to a river. From there you could see the whole place. And I promise, there is nothing like that in the whole wide world. Long suspension bridges crossing the river running down from the rain forest. Green hills above us and a little village build around the river where kids played in the water and moms washed laundry. We had had no expectations as we had no idea where we were really coming to but this was just something breathtaking. We crossed a few long, shaky bridges that had so many holes in them you had to watch every step. The guys showed us to the guesthouse and there we met the owner who was a very kind man with his family. They lived below our room which was really just a room with a mattress on the floor. The toilet was downstairs and used by everyone else too. No showers but hey, 2 euros per night. And the rain forest was right behind the thin wall.

Welcome to Bukit Lawang

We talked with the owner about seeing the orang-utans and he suggested a jungle trek. So we booked one for two days leaving the next morning. He promised to take care of our stuff since obviously we didn't want to bring everything with us. 

We were starving again and Arno really wanted to eat Nasi goreng so we headed to find a restaurant by the river. This one had no walls and was more like a bar than a restaurant but had a nice vibe (and it wasn't like there were many options) so we ordered. Then some local guy started to play a ukulele and we jammed with the songs. And before I realized, someone pulled us to another table and a few other locals joined the jamming. I was given a jungle drum and we played and sang some songs we all knew. We had so much fun playing and singing on the top of our lungs that we didn't even realize that the food had come. So there, under the moonlight in this cozy restaurant me, Arno, six local guys and a few other traveler who joined us soon, had a random jamming session. We talked, joked and sang until it was very late and they closed the bar. 

The next morning we woke up pretty frozen in our little hut. The nights in jungle are cold and we had only our towels and clothes to keep us warm. I sat on the balcony warming myself in the sun with a toothbrush in my mouth and then I heard something. A gang of monkeys had made it to the garbage pile outside and were having breakfast with someone's leftovers. The village was waking up to a new day and we were packing to go for breakfast and leave treking.

We met our group (five other young travelers around the world) and two guides who reminded that this was going to be an extreme hike. And this we really discovered when we had climbed some muddy uphills for half an hour. We hadn't really planed any hiking so the only shoes we had with us were Nikes and flipflops. So as the others were running twice as fast with their hiking boots, we were trying to not slip and fall down the steep hills with our running shoes. 

Soon enough when we had made it deeper to the jungle, we met the first orang-utan. And now if you have ever been to a wild animals home you should know to respect their living space. So you don't go there running, jumping, screaming, feeding and petting any animals. You take the shots from distance and try to be as invisible as possible. Luckily our group and the guides really respected the wildlife. But to get back to the orangutans, they are so beautiful with their human like expressions, calm movements and orange fur. And big. The first one we bet wasn't the biggest but the alpha males we bumped into later were bigger than me. 

When the sun got higher, the air got warmer and we stopped for lunch that the guides Felix and Dede had prepared for us. And as you are in the jungle you have to carry back everything you bring or pack it nature friendly. So our lunch was rice, noodles, egg and peanut sauce served on banana leaves. And fruits. All kinds. As we ate, we talked about stuff and got to know each other. We joked around, Felix ate a huge ant he had found and told a story of this very aggressive orangutan -  Minah - everyone was so scared of. The legend tells that she chased people walking in the jungle and did many bad things to everyone she got a hold on.

The trek was really intense at points. Sometimes we really climbed straight uphill holding on to roots and lianas. You have to always watch where you put your hand in a jungle, there are spiders, spikes, snakes and other stuff you don't wanna hit with your hand. I once made the mistake when we were sitting down under a big tree on top of a hill and I was getting up to take some water and unaware that I touched a branch before something sting me. I couldn't see what it was but it made my finger red for a bit. But I mean what can you do really, you are in the jungle so just hope it wasn't something dangerous haha. 

We saw many other animals than just orangutans. There was a turtle, snakes, plenty of monkeys and the hornbill dinosaur (google this, beautiful) we saw flying above the river with Felix, Arno and Femke - our new friend from Holland. And just being in the jungle was in itself so magical. I have been in many jungles but this one was just something else.

It was around afternoon and we had made it so up that now we were walking on a hill that fell to the jungle on both sides. Felix was leading and I was right behind him when all the sudden he stopped and pointed up. There was something high up above us (cannot remember was it a monkey or a bird) and we stared that quietly. Then all the sudden we heard branches cracking behind us and turned around all nine of us. Right behind our pack there was the biggest apha male orangutan I have ever seen, and he was not happy to see us. The next thing I realize is Didi - who was the last one - screaming "RUN!". And we ran. Downhill and uphill trying to stay on our feet. Until we got far enough to see that the apha male had turned back. 

This guy is not the one chasing us but another male.

It was getting darker and we were heading down to spend the night by the river. The downhill was very steep and hard to climb at times. You had to sit down and jump feet first to the next "step" at one mis step would take you rolling down hundreds of meters. And then. Out of nowhere really hit the rain. If you have never seen a tropical storm, you have no idea what it is, you cannot even imagine it. Even the worst storms in Finland do not compare to the power of nature coming down from the sky on it's full power in the rain forest. And it happens fast. I literally threw my camera to Arno who wrapped it in plastic in nano seconds and then we covered our backpacks with their raincoats. In minutes the narrow path we had been walking was like a waterfall when the water coming down from the hills was flooding among it. We were ankles deep in mud and water and staying on two feet was mission impossible. I saw nothing beyond a few meters and was wetter than I normally am taking a normal shower. There was mud everywhere and it was getting darker by the minute. We had to make it down before the night. So we tried to hurry the best we could in the heavy rain. Luckily Dede and Felix helped us at points and we finally made it to the river. I picked a few leaches from my skin and jumped on a float that we used to get across the heavily streaming river. Finally we made it to the camp side. 

 

The storm calmed soon and we changed clothes in the shed and warmed ourselves with some fresh coffee Didi had boiled (coffee has never tasted so good). As the night fell upon us we sat down to eat some warm food that the guides had prepared in the "kitchen shed" over the fire. We sat on the ground eating different dishes (jellyfish, peanut sauce, spicy sauce, chicken, beef, rice...) with our hands. In the candle light we finally got to relax after a day full of events. A bit wet but cozy close to the fire Felix pulled out a pack of cards and a set of matches. We played jungle games since that is about the only thing you can do when there is not electricity or anything else to do really. Brought me back to Africa where I always prepared for exams in candle light or amused myself with other stuff that didn't require electricity. (You can also imagine how interesting it was to try to make your way uphill to the outside toilet with flash lights and muddy ground. The toilet was not a toilet really, more like a whole on a rock right outside. And all our toilet paper was so wet...)

Our camp

The morning aesthetics

Morning coffee by the river

The night was cold and we slept on a hard base with thin blankets. Again, it does get cold in the jungle and most of our clothes were vet and we had no pillows, just our backpacks. So I woke up early and made my way down to the "kitchen shed" by the river. I got a steaming cup of coffee and we sat down outside by the river to drink black coffee, eat cookies and just breath in the jungle air. We found two huge centipedes. We sat there talking quietly, waking up and Felix was making something out of a little pebble that turned out to be a orangutan face he gave me as a prize for figuring out most of the jungle games. To remind me of this adventure. We had sandwiches for breakfast and then hiked upstream to find a small waterfall where we played for some time. Then we went to do some jumps to the stream itself. That was fun. You just had to jump head first and watch for not jumping into a rock. And the stream would take you down some time and you would have to swim back to shore. 

When we had spent quite some time jumping to water we headed back to the camp for lunch. After lunch we packed our stuff, Felix tied a few rafts together and we rafted down the river for like an hour or so (you cannot tell time in the jungle). At points the stream was so intense that I almost fell and in one point our Spanish friend's raft flipped actually around. But damn it was fun. With long sticks Dede kept us away from the rocks and when we made it down to the village Felix waved bye and jumped off. We had been talking about having a BBQ in the evening so we decided to meet up again in the evening. Then everyone went their ways.

Felix's face is just too much

Off to rafting!!!

This varan swam by us in the morning as we were having our morning coffee.
Felix started screaming "OH NO CROCODILE!" just trying to freak everyone out lol.

 We had to find out where we could a) lift money (no ATM in Bukit Lawang) and b) how and where we should go next. So we crossed the bridge and went through some office looking places. One lady actually helped us lift money and then booked us a van back to a place where we could keep on going up to Aceh in North. There was this small island that we had heard is worth visiting but so far that no one really makes it there. So anyways, we booked the bus and then looked for something to wear for me because Aceh was a very strictly Muslim and women have to cover up from wrists to knees and hair. After finding a nice long sleeve we started heading back because the thunder was growling. Stepping on the bridge the sky got dark again and then it started dropping water. You cannot run on those bridges but we knew we had to get back or we would be stuck on the other side. And as we hurried the rain got heavier and a big lightning sliced through the sky. The last few meters we ran and then it started pouring. We sat ourselves on the balcony to watch the storm hit the village. The yard was flooded in minutes.

When the storm calmed (luckily in time to go have the BBQ) we headed out. We found our hiking friends and sat down for drinks. That evening we ate some BBQ, had a jamming session and enjoyed the last night in the beautiful extraordinary Bukit Lawang that I will never ever forget.