At 9:00 AM we met Indra (our driver) for our scenic drive around the lake. The day was cool and cloudy, and we wore our sweaters. Funny huh, so close to the equator and we were chilly. Surrounding the lake on all sides are steep peaks, giving the impression that we were in a vast bowl. The color of the water, the chill of the air and the scent of the pines reminded me of Loch Raven, just for an instant. The becak rattled and fumed on the bumpy roads. We stopped by the lake to take some photos and a horde of teenagers descended upon us. They all wanted to take our photo. In some places in Asia being white is like being Justin Beiber I think. We had individual shots with them then combinations of friends. Ah the golden age of cameraphones.
We stopped at a waterfall surrounded by coffee plants and bushes with tiny chili peppers growing on them. A perfect dichotomy of Indonesian preferences: amazingly spicy food and strong local coffee (at any time of day or night). The waterfall was nice, the air there felt so fresh and clean, quite a world away from the hustle and smoke of the Indonesian cities. It seems like everyone in Indo smokes the kretek cigarettes. Amazingly some people here actually think that smoking is good for your health (no joke). We left the waterfall feeling refreshed and were ambushed by a different,even larger group of high schoolers, all requiring photos. It was so fun, we felt like celebrities again.
Next we went to lunch, at a restaurant on stilts right over the lake. Indra proceeded to order the most expensive thing on the menu, as we had agreed to pay for his lunch as part of his fee. Suckers. During lunch he asked us why we were vegetarians and we managed to explain the ecological principals using pictures. Success in communications! After lunch we went to these caves that had cool stalactites in them. I hit my head on one. But I'm OK the happy bat doctor fixed me all right up! WHEEE!!! That night we had dinner with a local named Faisal, the only person in town who could speak English fluently.
The next place we went was Ketembe. Luckily the babies on this ride were quiet, but the man next to us smoked incessantly the whole ride. Yuck! Another 10 hours later and we were in Ketembe, and checked into a cozy bungalow. We spent 2 days there recovering from the flu which came and went quite unexpectedly. Soon we were ready for our 2 day trek into Gunung Leuser State Park. The Lonely Planet guide says "Be prepared for extreme terrain, hordes of leeches, and swarms of biting insects." A bit dramatic, but we did encounter all of these things; the jungle was so beautiful it was worth it.
The trail was muddy and steep in places, and the trail was small and almost hidden sometimes by jungle plants in a thousand shades of green. The forest was pristine old growth, never been cut. Our first day we struck a leisurely course for the campground. Our guide, Sowardie, was a pure champion. He carried all of our food, tent, and cooking ware through the jungle the whole time. From time to time we would catch a glimpse of a big hornbill soaring through the jungle, his honking calls trailing behind him.
At some point we came to a great tree. I have never seen a tree like this in my life. It was huge,and the roots grew down in two sections, so that it resembled legs. Hanging down from dozens of feet above was a vine that Sowardie grabbed onto and swung out over the hill (it was all hills in that jungle) to our amazement. "Tarzan tree!" he said,upon his return. "Want to try?" Travis was like hell no, but (maybe stupidly) I said yes. I gripped the vine, swung out, and felt my hands slip. "Oh God, this is the end" I thought as I plummeted 15 feet or so onto the side of the hill. Quickly scanning my body I realized that no damage was done, to my amazement. Not even a scratch. I had landed on a patch of soft peat. If I had fallen off even a second later I would have landed on some rather hard,large twisting tree roots sticking up out of the ground. Travis and Sowardie, terrified, rushed down to me. They thought I was crying but I was actually convulsing with laughter. The worst/best part is, there is a video of this event. YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT!!!! After my ordeal, Travis decided to try it too. Now it is a running joke that he is the worst one, that even though I fell that he went anyway after he saw me fall.
At the campsite Sowardie fixed us a well-needed lunch of mie goreng (noodles!). We had a rest and then went animal-looking. We didn't find any but it was fun just seeing such cool jungle. We ate dinner and went to bed early in preparation for hiking again the next day. After a cold night (no blankets!) we emerged into the bright sunshine of the next day to find our campsite invaded by Italians! Actually a nice couple and their guides had arrived and we all ate breakfast (banana pancakes!) and swam in the cold river together. Then we hiked for an hour through even more muddy, hilly jungle and arrived at the hot springs! The springs were right under a river and when mixed with the cold water the scalding geothermal vent gave us a warm, soothing, and sulfurous-smelling bath. We froliced and played under the waterfall and climbed on the rocks nearby up to warmer and warmer springs. The day flew by and soon it was time to leave our "stinky paradise" as Travis called it.
It grew dark under the canopy and began to rain. A light drizzle at first, cooling us and creating a very rainforestey ambiance, turning the leafy foliage a shiny palette of a thousand shades of green. The drizzle gradually increased to a warm downpour. Donning our frumpy plastic ponchos, we quickened our pace. At one point Travis saw some trees shaking. A few moments later Sowardie called us excitedly ahead. We looked up to where he was pointing and saw a big male orangutan striding through the trees! We only saw him for a few moments but it was so amazing to see this endangered animal in the wild. We were lucky to spot this one, as our hike was almost over. Thrilled with our sighting, we finished our hike by hitch hiking back to town. Hey, it's still hiking right?
Well, Sumatra has been very, very good to us so far. It might be the best place, but then again, I always think that the country that I'm in is the best place =) Can't wait to see more of Indonesia!
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