Community Spirit, July 2018

Travel
COMMUNITY SPIRIT
E-MAGAZINE
Death defying trekking and orangutan spotting
in Sumatra
Written by Helen Warriner
with the fast-flowing crystal
clear blue waters faintly
audible over the birdsong
and insect buzz, it creates a
beautiful back drop and
perfect setting for a swing
in the hammock and an
afternoon snooze.
My adventure to Indonesia (an
archipelago of only 17,000 islands)
began in Sumatra. With only 60 days
granted on the visa and a million
amazing activities and areas to
explore, it seemed most logical (and
highly optimistic) to start at the first
island and just work our way across.
Without my time stopping machine
however it quickly became apparent
the plan had a flaw. Sumatra is huge,
in fact it is the sixth largest island in
the world and despite sadly losing
almost 50% of its tropical rainforest in
the last 35 years, it boasts an array of
incredible wildlife and other than
Borneo, is the only place in the world
where you can find a wild orangutan.
We flew into the overly
underwhelming capital city of
Medan and local bussed it
(because it saved a whopping
fiver), sweatily bumping and
grinding our way over cobbled
potholes and against local
strangers, to arrive in Bukit
Lawang, a quaint village in
northern Sumatra built along the
side of a river (that I was clothes
off and straight into, on arrival)
and adjacent to a towering
rainforest.
The town is so peaceful it has an
effect that just makes you lazy and
sleepy,