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So while writing this post we are currently enroute to Mt Bromo in Java. After hoping that overnight or +12 hour bus journeys were a thing of travels past, we find ourselves sat practically on top of our driver at the front of a 16 seater minibus, with broken AC, only two windows and rotating between who can put there legs down....with 13 hours ahead of us!!
This being said, with current news headlines I have never felt more appreciative of the adventures already had and those that lie ahead of us....even if they are very sweaty!!
Over the last two weeks we have covered a lot of ground through Sumatra and now into Java.
Certainly a talking point would be the transport, not being a total stranger to public transport in Asia I felt I had an idea of what to expect....sadly not!
To say that we had 'twitchy break foot' would be an understatement and often it was best to just look out the window at anything else rather than the road! With busses from the 70's, 'highways' that resemble farm tracks and driving that for any Harry potter fans resembled the 'knight bus' ...but far less magical!!
A favourite journey included a ride on what we called the 'death bus' with a 'conductor' who not only sold and checked tickets, but hung out the side of the bus yelling at everyone, whether it be a bus, lorry or moped, to get out the way as we were overtaking, usually into incoming traffic or around a blind corner at about 70mph! If the moped drivers didn't get out of the way the conductor would open the door of the bus and actually push them out of the way/into the ditch! That being said, we have arrived safely everywhere so far, and have not noticed any broken wing mirrors or dents to any of the buses and vans anywhere, leading me to start to think its more skillful than reckless. Also when you look out the window and see a family of five on a single motorbike with no helmets on the same roads it somewhat puts it into perspective.
One benefit of so many bus journeys is the sheer amount of the country that we were able to see. Sumatra is still an under developed island, possibly due to internal corruption and separatist activity in the north, but also due to events out of their control. Its a perfect example that having amazingly fertile farmland and tropical rainforests does come with a cost as recent earthquakes and volcanic activity in 2009 and the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 are testament to. Whatever challenges they have faced we only encountered the most warm and lovely people, who were are nearly always smiling and looking for a chance to practice their English and more often than not to pose for a photo shoot with us! We were also amazed to see mosques and Christian churches side by side, which is sadly quite a contrast to the UK. It seems here as long as you have a religion nobody minds which one.
After a swift stop over in Medan (as featured on featured on lonely planets worst-cities-of-all-time list) we were off to the jungle. There were two choices on our quest to see orangutans, a much closer, but much more touristy former rehabilitation centre, Bukit lawang, were the Orangatangs are fed daily allowing tourists a good view. The second choice is the much further away Virgin rainforest in Ketambe, where you trek for a minimum if two nights with a local guide in small groups and camp in the jungle. We/Ali decided for the second option and arrived after a 12 hour journey excited but fair to say a little nervous about how I would cope. This was only exacerbated by a midnight mystery animal visitor to our room on our first night in our guesthouse. After two attempts to try and get Ali to look for it as I was sure I could hear something munching our bus snacks, I finally convinced him to look when I thought it might be breaking into his beloved travel folder! Sure enough something small and furry had been having a midnight feast!
The next morning along with our local guide Ajack and porter Dauk we headed into the rainforest. The next three days were simply amazing and surpassed all expectations, from treking through untouched rainforest, camping under the stars, swimming in rivers and hot springs to what may have been Indonesia's largest game of uno involving myself, Ali and 11 of the other local guides! But the real highlight was all the wildlife we were able to see right there in its natural environment, from insects and tropical birds to Macacks and Thomas leaf monkeys, but the show stealer was the amount of Orangatangs we were lucky enough to see. We saw mothers and babies, along with young males swooping through the rainforest canopy, which was an unforgettable sight!
After another 13hour journey we arrived on the island of Tuk tuk on lake Toba in central Sumatra, which is a bit of hippy hotspot, and made for a nice rest bite in the travels and treking. We also met up with some more IVSA friends, who we then travelled with for the next week to Bukkitinggi. Here we spent 3 days exploring the local area. It's famed for lush green rice paddies, agriculture, silver making and wood carving. The local meninkebow people have a matriarchal culture meaning that all land, property and wealth is passed through the female line. This was a pleasant and stark contrast to the Muslim sharia law of the north.
We also went coffee tasting, where we sampled the most expensive coffee in the world, coffee luwak, where the coffee bean is first eaten and partially digested by the civet cat that lives wild in the jungle. The locals then collect the cats droppings and extract the coffee beans...very tasty! In addition to the lovely coffee we have been munching on all kinds of tropical fruits, including rambutan, jack and snake fruits and the rather smelly durian! We have also had nightly 'tasting sessions', sampling all the local beers, in particular Bintang, as well as the local spirit Arack.
We have eaten countless 'nasi goreng' which is fried rice with an egg, also enjoyed local fish and chicken street food dishes and Bakso meatball soup, along with just one or two banana pancakes!
Next stop was Java and the craziness that was Jakarta, so crazy in fact that it can wait until next time....
Lots of love
Shereene and Ali xxx
- comments
Leanne Williams Well, as I sit on this hot stuffy train reading your blog and moan in my head that I pay too much for this service with no A/C I now feel much cooler, calmer and thankful for Network Rail haha. Your bus journeys sound horrendous! Envious of your jungle adventures though! Once in a lifetime trip-enjoy!!! Also, fried rice and egg...what has happened to you?! Lots of love xxx