We were immediately introduced to a local guide named Sunny, who we would end up hiring to take us on a couple treks through the jungle. Sunny turned out to be very knowledgeable and could use various senses (sight, hearing, and even smell) to spot all manner of jungle critters. We saw gibbons, peafowl, lizards, insects, and of course the Orang ("person") Hutans ("forest"). We watched these amazing animals for hours at incredibly close distances (sometimes a little too close, I was unfortunately standing under one when she decided to..er..relieve herself).These hikes were no joke, and involved scurrying up vines, climbing tree roots, and sliding through mud and fallen leaves. Luckily, we were well nourished for this challenge, thanks to Sunny and his bottomless backpack filled with trail snacks – bananas, oranges, a whole pineapple, and nasi goring (fried rice), which is a delicious and filling meal on the trail.
Perhaps the best part of the hike is that we finished a few kilometers upstream of Bukit Lawang and "rafted" back into town. The raft consisted of four truck tire tubes lashed together with some rubber mats in the middle to sit on. After a swim in the clean, cool water, we boarded our sturdy vessel and ping-ponged our way down the shallow river while our guide fended off various rocks and tree stumps. We had so much fun that Nikki and I returned the following day with an innertube of our own (it was also a good break from the mandi bersiram bathing). There's nothing quite like floating into town amidst hundreds of local Indonesians flocking to the river oasis for a local holiday, amidst cries of "how are you?" and "I love you!"
One night, I found myself following Sunny into the Sumatran jungle at dusk, armed with a flashlight, half a pineapple and a huge bottle of Bintang beer (apparently they only come in one size). Earlier that day, Sunny had mentioned that a "honey bear" (or sun bear) had been spotted a few evenings prior in a nearby field. Sunny's plan was to smear something sweet on a tree in the field and wait for a couple hours to see what happened – hence the fruit and beverage I was carrying. It all (amazingly) seemed to make sense at the time, but things started going wrong from the moment we arrived in the field. After preparing the tree, Sunny spotted a couple of rattan chairs we could use while waiting for our guest. He grabbed one and indicated that I should take the second. Fumbling with my flashlight, I was just about to lift the chair when I noticed a coiled shape on the edge of the seat. As you might expect, I backed away and casually asked Sunny if there were any poisonous snakes in the area. Coming over to check it out, Sunny nearly leapt out of his skin when he saw what he thought was either a "green mamba" or a "moon snake." Either way, he kept saying, I had just had a near miss with an incredibly venomous animal. Still undeterred, Sunny and I dragged the remaining snake-free chair into the field to wait for the honey bear. We sat in silence for some time, Sunny smoking and me sipping my Bintang. At one point, I glanced over and noticed that Sunny had both of his feet pulled up underneath his body so as to avoid touching the ground. Upon further inspection, Sunny appeared to be visibly perturbed. He started telling me about cobras that has been spotted in the area and various poisonous insects, toads, spiders, etc. It wasn't until he mentioned that, in fact, the honey bear we hoped to see was rumored to be pregnant and unusually aggressive that we finally decided it was time to call it a night.
When we weren't following Sunny through the jungle, Nikki and I spent time at the orangutan rehabilitation center on the edge of the national park. In the past, the center was used to rehab orangutans rescued from captivity and re-introduce them into the wild. Since the nearby forest is now thought to be at carrying capacity for these animals, staff at the center focus on providing food (bananas and milk) to semi-wild orangutans with special requirements (e.g. pregnant or nursing mothers). The center is accessed via canoe and was a great spot for snapping up close photos, despite being somewhat crowded with people. At times, the orangutans would hop the fence delineating the viewing area, making for some very entertaining frantic scurrying as everyone tried to get out of the way.
The trip was a great success and one thing we enjoyed most were the Indonesian people themselves. From the schoolkids that performed traditional dances at our hotel each night, to the local staff that would jovially greet me as "Mr. Obama," to our driver Ricky that would make quiet conversation while playing American music he thought we would enjoy (a fantastic Michael Jackson tribute album), we were struck by the warmth and friendliness of all the Indonesians we came across. It's a great incentive to plan a return trip!
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