Sumatra – Gunung Leuser National Park

Having dosed up Ibu with travel sickness tablets, telling her they were strong and would make her sleepy we set off in a taxi to Bukit Lawang, a six hour drive.

To describe the drive Tajana commented that “before, erratic was just a word and now it’s an experience!” It wasn’t comfortable. I think the driver was quite skilled but, not driving to our standards at all. That said, Ibu nodded off in the front seat!

Our driver was observing Ramadan (so nothing to eat or drink in daylight hours) and about two hours in, I thought he was really fidgeting and tried to look at his face in the mirror, when I saw it, he could barely keep his eyes open! We immediately asked for a coffee stop. From where we sat, we could see the driver had put his seat back and was having a nap. He woke half an hour later and seemed refreshed but, it still didn’t improve his driving. I think I should say at this point changing a driver would be a challenge but we did get the company to check up on him via the phone.

The journey took us throughout an area of volcanic activity which was in the vicinity of Mount Sinabung, a live volcano that has been erupting on and off for several years. It is in an Emergency Evacuation Zone. It was interesting to see some of the buildings in the villages had no roofs as they had collapsed with the weight of ash after fairly recent eruptions, and I’m guessing the owners had not returned to repair them. Everything else seemed to go on as normal in the rural area. The volcano itself was partially clothed with trees.

Then we went through a very foggy rainy area and that was amazing because we could hardly see the road at all and yet it was so hot outside. There was fencing on both sides of the road, to stop the wild animals from crossing but, it was broken or the metal had been stolen in many places.

One notable thing  was every time we passed a school minibus, there were boys sat on the roof and once we saw one standing up, absolute madness! Later we found out this was because often the boys got car sick and it was better on the outside. It’s not cool for a boy to be car sick, I expect it’s also peer pressure!

Eventually we arrived at the village of Bukit Lawang.

A couple of young chaps met us and led us up a narrow path (also used by mopeds) to Green Hills Hotel. This place was on a recommended list of ethical tour operators for Gunung Leuser National Park. Home to Orangutan and Sumatran Tiger. It was run by a British woman who we never met but, she was from Sunderland and apparently to the local staff I had very funny English and presumably she had a northern accent.

The next day after breakfast, we quickly visited a shop for plastic shoes (recommended for trekking by the hotel and my Lonely Planet book) they look like rubber trainers and have studs like football boots. I noticed our guides were also wearing the same shoes. Hiking boots are too heavy and hot here and quickly get waterlogged and we didn’t want to destroy our trainers. We all looked very fashionable!

Transported to an area that I’m guessing the hotel has sole access to, we headed down to a shallow river before getting into the jungle proper. Tatjana and I have leech socks but once on the other side of the river our guide doused our ankles and shoes in wet tobacco juice.

Welcome to the world of the land leeches. They are quite an experience! Little browny black worms their bodies wiggling and waving at you from the leaf litter or the leaves of plants! The tobacco juice  kills them but, they wriggle into lace holes and any gaps they can find.

The jungle here was quiet, very hot and steamy. I was sweating profusely, it was quite literally running off my face and my clothes were stuck to me, I’ve never experienced anything like it, my insect repellent and sun screen disappearing with the sweat dripping from my chin and arms. Some of the walk was very steep and a bit slippy but, the shoes worked really well.  Our guides pointed out the tube entrance of the stingless bees. This honey bee lives in trees or cavities and produce small quantities of honey compared to European honey bees. There are many varieties and they defended their colonies by biting and having such small entrance sites.

From a distance we saw gibbons using their powerful arms to swing across the canopy. Occasionally we could hear their plaintive  whoop whooping  call.

We also saw the remains of orangutan food, half chewed fruits but the forest diners were not to be seen!

Lunch for us was on a small river beach. A rice dish and lots of fruit all beautifully presented.

Ibu completely unconcerned plucked a leach off her foot (I think) and put it on a pebble and threw it into the river. To our horrified fascination it began to loop along the stones under the water (about 2 feet under) towards the us and to the shore. She did this several times as it reached the shore! They obviously have some inate awareness of up!

There were damsel files and butterflies but generally the jungle was quiet.

We moved on up a very steep slope, not good on a full stomach! I don’t think I lost sense of direction but it would be very easy to do in this place!

We stopped for a break, I was dripping, Tatjana and Ibu were sweating but, nothing like me. Our guides looked dry and quite comfortable. Ibu made me and herself a hat out of leaves, she was dancing about! This made everyone giggle!

Carrying on eventually we crossed another river and came to our home for the night, a tent structure with mats inside. The guides were in one and we were in another. There was a chap there already cooking for us!

The three of us girls, threw ourselves into the river, it was cool in comparison to the air but not really that cold. OMG it was amazing! Tatjana took a picture of me and said, can you imagine if I sent this to your father, he would think you’d drowned.

We hadn’t thought this through very well as now we had wet clothes and underwear. We did have limited dry stuff with us, but none of us thought about our bras! For the evening we were ok but soggy the next day! Well I suppose I would be sweating anyway!

We had a fabulous meal, in the candle light listening to the cicadas and river burbling.

Later in the tent I put up my pop up mosquito net, Tatjana had forgotten hers and Ibu didn’t have one because she would not be bitten apparently! Actually there were not that many biting insects, I think the leeches had filled that niche! Tatjana thought I looked like I had a cheese dome (and I was the cheese) over me, which made us both laugh!

I lay there feeling protected if a little uncomfortable as the ground was hard. I closed my eyes and all I could see was leeches!

In the night I needed a wee! I had been putting this off but, I needed to go, so I unzipping my net, I quietly stepped across the girls to the entrance where the flipflops were and then picked my way in the dark to the place we used as a toilet. It had rained in the night and I tried to pick a spot away from vegetation.

Once back in the tent l, I used my torch to check my feet and legs, felt around my backside for leeches, all clear! Got back in my mosquito net and laid down to sleep. Then there was a stinging feeling on my thigh, investigating with my hand….I sat up, frantically trying to unzip my net, find the torch and get my trousers down, “Shit Shit Shit” (out loud). My torch was flashing all over the place, the squidgy leech stuck to my thigh!

Panic over! Leech dispatched and another thorough investigation of my body, revealed no more!

With all the kerfuffle I would have thought I’d woken the camp but apparently not! Tatjana felt she had not slept much but hadn’t heard me! Ibu slept very well! Yeesh!

In the morning we headed off to a road, leaving a couple of our guides behind we were then taken to another area of the park and I’ll write about that next.