Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Our tour guide was born in a remote village deep in the Sumatran jungle. "My father cut my umbilical cord with a piece of bamboo paper and then washed my body in the river," he told us. When he got sick, he used herbs and plants from the forest. He had a massive scar across his right cheek. Jojohn was a true man of the jungle and the perfect guide for our two-day trek in Bukit Lawang, one of two places in the entire world where you can see wild Orangutans.
In total, we saw 3 different species of Macaque monkeys, meter-long river lizards, scorpions, a peacock, and, of course, the beautiful and amazing Orangutan. We spotted two high in the canopy within an hour of our trek. Jojohn peeled a banana and we watched as the Orangutans descended slowly, having smelled the fruit. Time seemed to stop as one came within a foot of us, and ate right out of our hands.
The trek itself wasn't very rigorous. We hiked for about 6 hours the first day, stopping every half hour or so to marvel at the many animals. Jojohn told us that people of the village often hunt for lizards and monkeys, and cook them into soups and curries, though they never hunt or eat orangutans, as they are critically endangered and protected by the government. Rather, they target the plentiful Long-Tail Macaque, a populous breed that, according to Jojohn, "makes love around 20 times a day for 5 seconds at a time."
That night, we set up camp by the river. The water was crystal clear and made for a refreshing swim, though the current was strong. Jojohn and his crew cooked a delicious feast of local Sumatran dishes, and we all talked around the fire. Around 10 oclock, everyone piled into a giant lean-to, where we would sleep the night..However, the lean-to wasn't sealed, and late that night, Margaret woke up scared saying that she felt something crawling on her feet. I shined the flashlight, and found myself staring at the biggest rat I had ever seen in my life. It had to be a foot long, with giant eyes that reflected off the light of the flashlight. Luckily, it scurried away, and, needless to say, nobody got any sleep that night.
The next day, we took a short hike to an amazing waterfall, where we swam for a few hours before eating a light lunch, and then rafted an hour back to the village. All in all, it was an amazing experience, and some of the most fun I've ever had!
- comments