Blogs from Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia - page 5

Day Twenty-Four - I’m A Crapple, Get Me Out of Here I've done a lot of hiking in the Mournes and so liked the thought of trekking in the jungle an awful lot. However, I think the idea of trekking appeals much more than the reality though. I actually don't like hiking too much. The Mournes are fairly bland and a dander up Ben Crom has me content for the day. I did it for years strangely. And I actually don't like trekking much either or at least I found that out today. We came to Bukit Lawang to see the orang-utans and trek into the jungle of Gunung Leuser. I pushed for this when we were considering itineraries and I happily agreed to a three-hour trek followed by some rafting today. I wasn't so keen ... read more

09 September 2009 - 14 September 2009 Indonesia Exchange Rate as of 09/09/09-- 1GBP = Rp16,580 TRANSPORT Penang to Belawan (Indonesia) by ferry (RM150)--6 hours (Langkawi Ferry Service) Belawan to Medan by opelet (Rp 25,000/person)--1 hour Hotel to Pinang Baris Terminal by taxi (Rp 50,000) Pinang Baris Terminal to Bukit Lawang by bus (Rp 20,000)--3 1/2 hours Bukit Lawang to Village by becak (Rp 8,000) Village to Bukit Lawang by becak (Rp 8,000) Bukit Lawang to Pinang Baris Terminal by bus (Rp 15,000)--3 hours Pinang Baris Terminal to hotel by becak (Rp 25,000) HOTELS Medan: Hotel UKM--Dbl, fan, squat toilet and a mandi (Rp110,000)...not worth the price but pretty much bog standard affair in Medan. Room isn't bad, but the bathroom was infested by ants and stank. Best try somewhere else. Bukit Lawang: Jungle Inn--Dbl, western ... read more

19th - 21st Still lots more chilling going on at Lake Toba and not an awful lot else. Bought ourselves some little souvenirs and decided the 22nd would be out last day here as we were starting to feel restless. 22nd We decided to head to Bukit Lawang - a jungle area in the North of Sumatra with an Orangutan sanctuary. As it was a two leg journey of 3/4 hours a piece we decided to stay a night in Medan en route - Sumatra's capital. It took us 4 hours in another cramped, sweaty mini-bus to get there. Medan was another classic Indonesian city - too hot, busy, smoggy, lots of hassle, chaos, but this time we were slightly more prepared, this being our fourth city this trip. We arrived on the opening day of ... read more

Yet again I start with an apology. This time, its that the highlight of Bukit Lawang undoubtedly was trekking in the jungle with orangutans. However, my camera had packed up by then, and thus no orangutan photos. I'm still hoping that one of the folk I trekked with will get round to sending me them one day, but until then, you'll have to make do with the residue of my photos Im afraid. See the monkeys see the birds, see orangutan. Sing that to the tune of Jingle Bells, and you've got the hottest song around the place. But I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself. From Penang, I flew to Medan, the largest city in Sumatra, which happens to be a little bit rubbish. From there I got a bus to Bukit Lawang. Right, ... read more

The 4am morning sermon at the SM Raja mosque was an unwelcoming wake up call for the day ahead. Nik had also developed a rash and swelling on her hands and feet the night before so were unsure whether we could even make it to Bmukit Lawang! What next for Nik!? Nevertheless we decided to make the 3 hour journey and chose to go in a tourist minibus direct from our hotel rather than trek across the chaos of Medans streets to the bus station. After escaping the polluting city roads we found ourselves traveling through an endless "plethora" of palm oil "jungle" plantations regimented in lines which were far more organized than the morning bustle we had just passed through. Below the palm oils, skinny cows harvested the limited undergrowth and there was an earthy ... read more