Day 50 - Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia (06/01/2020)

Bukit Lawang - When we arrived here a few days ago, we didn't think this place would be the absolute highlight of our trip so far, and that it would be so hard for us to continue traveling from here. But let's start from the beginning...

In 2016, Michi met Carolin during a diving course in Thailand. She was traveling the world with her friend at the time. During their journey through Southeast Asia and Australia, the two of them spent a long time in Bukit Lawang. Carolin fell not only in love with the place, but also with one of the local guides, Berry. (We can totally understand why :) )

That's why it was clear to us that we wanted to do our jungle adventure in Bukit Lawang with Berry as our guide.

So, we set off from Singapore to Indonesia at 4 o'clock in the morning.

At Medan airport in North Sumatra, we had to figure out the public transportation and take a minibus to the remote village of Bukit Lawang. As white tourists, we were initially tricked by the local transport and minibus mafia, which put us in a bad mood after a short night and a bumpy ride.

However, our mood immediately improved when we met Berry upon our arrival. Because of his cheerful and humorous nature, we decided to start our jungle trekking adventure the next day.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, we were picked up by Berry and our second guide, Cling. Martina, a backpacker from Ireland, also joined our group.

What followed was an 8-hour hike through the deep jungle. We had enough provisions in the form of fresh fruits.

When we encountered the first wild orangutans after about 4 hours, all the hardships and high humidity were forgotten. An absolutely unique experience!

(In the Leuser National Park, there are about 7,000 of the last orangutans on this planet. Their existence is mainly threatened by deforestation and slash-and-burn practices by the palm oil industry. However, for many people here, it is an opportunity to earn better money and improve their standard of living.)

When we arrived at our night camp in the evening after a steep descent, we were overjoyed to be able to refresh and cool off in the river. Sitting in the river with a cup of tea and biscuits, we exchanged our travel experiences with a group of English people. (They later said that it was probably the most British thing they had ever done in their lives :))

After it got dark and we enjoyed an absolutely amazing dinner, we spent the evening with our guides, playing cards and being fascinated by their magic tricks. It was during this time that we also met Agil, who had already spent a week in the camp by the river and always made us laugh with his warm-hearted nature.

After a relatively good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast, we set off to explore a waterfall and enjoyed some time by the river in the water.

In the afternoon, the guides started tying big tubes together to form a makeshift raft. What followed was an absolutely fun rafting ride back to Bukit Lawang.

The remaining days were spent with Berry and Agil, who showed us their Bukit Lawang, their home.

Berry took us to his village and we got to be part of a farewell party at his best friend's house. We enjoyed tea and delicious Indonesian sticky rice with the extended family and friends there.

The next day, Berry and Agil picked us up with their motorcycles and showed us the local market. In the afternoon, Agil took us to explore a hidden bat cave in the jungle and bathe in the river.

In the evenings, we all spent time together with the locals, enjoying a cold Bintang beer and a lot of music. It felt like everyone could play the guitar there, and we all sang along with the truly gifted musicians Berry and Agil, singing songs like Wonderwall or Let it be.

After spending 3 days in Singapore and seeing people spending four-digit amounts for a night in a luxury hotel, the contrast could not have been greater.

In 2003, Bukit Lawang was almost completely destroyed by a severe flood, and over 300 people died. Some people here live in makeshift huts and wash themselves in the river.

We in Europe are stressed, complain about the weather, and are absorbed in our smartphones, while the people here exude pure joy of life and welcome you with open arms. The children splash around in the river and are simply happy with what they have.

The time here has made us very grateful to have the opportunity to take such a trip and to be able to meet such great people.

Berry is currently trying to get a visa for Germany to be able to spend a longer period of time with Carolin.

We sincerely wish him all the best in his efforts, hope that he will always keep his cheerful nature, and carry the jungle of Sumatra with him on his way!

Bianca & Michael