North Sumatra
We're back in Indonesia, this time North Sumatra, and it feels as familiar as slipping into a pair of comfy old slippers! The arrival here is so much calmer than Bali (which isn't hard to beat!), and we effortlessly arrange a smooth transfer from the airport to our hotel. An hour-long journey for all six of us, and it costs less than £15 in total. Dan is loving these prices again!
We've got a couple of nights booked at a hotel in Medan for the weekend, and then on Monday morning, we set off on our jungle adventure. I should explain that this twist in our plans was all inspired by a marathon of old films we watched while staying in the RV in America. One of those gems was the absolute classic, Every Which Way But Loose. Good ol' Clint got us wondering if we could spot some orangutans in the wild on this trip. Malaysian Borneo was a no-go due to the monsoon season at this time of year, but North Sumatra saved the day! We found a company, similar to what we experienced in The Amazon, that's taking care of us for four days, including an orangutan spotting jungle trek and a night under the stars in a camp in the jungle - waaahhhh! We are all buzzing with excitement, and as I mentioned in the last post, we're trying to keep our expectations in check since it is wildlife after all, but absolutely EVERYTHING is crossed by all of us!
First up is the weekend in Medan. Medan is definitely more of a gateway city to North Sumatra than a hotspot for tourists, so we absolutely have that feeling of being in the minority again. It's a great learning experience for us, and as I've said before, it's something we can't quite grasp from our village in the South of England! It's the perfect way to truly be able to empathise with anyone in a similar situation back home. All the attention we've been getting has been the good kind, never angry or hostile, just friendly people eager to practice their English with us, giggling like school kids, stopping to ask for photos with us, and whipping out Google Translate to compliment the girls on their beautiful hair. It's been hilarious, heartwarming and a wonderful experience for everyone.
After dumping our bags at the hotel, we set out to explore the local area and can't help but smile at all the enthusiastic "hellos!" and giggles we receive within just the first couple of minutes. It feels so familiar to Bali with the wild mix of cars, scooters, tuk-tuks, trishaws, GoJeks, Grabs, and anything else that can squeeze into the chaos of the streets. Trying to cross the road was a comedy in itself, and we must have really stood out because a taxi driver pulled over and honked us over. With a language barrier on both sides, we trustingly hopped into the most rickety van ever and soon realised it wasn't a taxi but the city bus! More and more people piled in, everyone squished and squeezed in tight, with bare metal flooring, bench seating, and no door on one side - it was quite a journey! We jumped out at the Sun Plaza mall, and once again, the incredible blend of different lives here amazed us, just like back in Juliaca in Peru. Stepping off the street with rundown houses, uneven and broken pavements, dangerously low power-lines, and neglected parks, and then walking straight into this dazzling new mall filled with H&M, Marks and Spencer, various sport brands and other western shops. It's such a stark contrast to the lives outside. I wish at this point I could say we spent the weekend away from here and exploring cultural spots, but this mall became our go-to weekend hangout, needing to gather extra bits essential for the jungle, and shamefully enjoying the comforts that a Boost Juice seems to bring us!
Oh, and I have to tell you, we had our very first experience with an earthquake aftershock! Picture this: Dan and I are sitting on the top floor of our hotel, watching Poppy and Fin splash around in the pool, when suddenly, we feel the building swaying. We exchange puzzled looks — could it really be the ten-story building moving? Is it the wooden decking outside the pool? Are our eyes playing tricks on us? We’re baffled and staring at each other in bewilderment when a Google notification pops up on both our phones with an earthquake alert! Turns out, there was an earthquake earlier that day in another region, and it was advising us to be cautious of aftershocks! It was definitely a first for us, and not exactly the most comforting experience being on the top floor with our kids splashing around in the pool! I’m very pleased to report that was the only one we experienced.
Now, onto the jungle… Wow, oh my goodness, I don’t even know how to begin to describe how amazing this has been. We thought it was all going to be about observing the orangutans (if we were lucky), but it was so much more. It was the joy of being completely together for two whole days in the jungle, fully switched off from the outside world and free from distractions, totally immersed in nature. There were countless moments where I paused to take it all in. This experience blew all our expectations out of the water.
We started the journey by escaping the crazy chaos of Medan's streets and venturing further into the heart of rural North Sumatra. After three hours of travelling, we finally arrived in Bukit Lawang, a tiny village nestled beautifully along the banks of the Bohorok River. We were greeted off our bus transfer by the incredibly friendly team - who ended up being our sidekicks for the entire trip. They kicked things off with a welcome drink - a refreshing lemongrass and ginger concoction - and discussed all the exciting plans for the upcoming days. Checking into our rooms at the jungle lodge with the river gently flowing outside the door and surrounded by local houses and businesses, we instantly felt a wave of excitement creeping over us. This was going to be something special!
After sorting out the clothes and essentials for our smaller backpacks ready for the jungle trek in the morning, we ventured out to find some food, aiming for an early night. We stumbled upon a family-run restaurant, where the young daughter, somewhere between the ages of Floss and Poppy, delivered our food with a smile, while her mum cooked in the kitchen by candle and torchlight thanks to a village blackout, young twin boys zoomed around outside, up and down to the river, and a bunch of three week old kittens played at our feet. It was the perfect, happy and relaxed family Indonesian vibe.
The next morning kicks off bright and early, with everyone geared up for the jungle, ready to roll at 8 a.m after a hearty breakfast prepared for us. We have three incredible guides with us - Anton, Lippy and Coco - who are like a little jungle superhero team, bringing professionalism, knowledge, fun, and a whole lot of magic to our experience. We dive into our adventure, crossing the Bohorok river and venturing into the legendary Sumatran jungle, prepared to be transported into an entirely new world for two days!
The trek was through the breathtaking Gunung Leuser National Park, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to one of the largest communities of orangutans, with over 5000 of them living there. We still really weren’t letting ourselves believe that we would actually get to see them, as it's all about luck on the day with things like this. But we hit the jackpot and saw SIX of the magnificent gentle giants of the jungle, the orangutans, during our hike, including a mama and her baby, which was super special. We all felt so fortunate to stand there, pausing time to watch these graceful creatures living their natural lives - swinging through the forest canopy, foraging for fruit in the trees, and the baby following its mummy sliding down the trunk. It was such a special experience to share with our own kids. Although I think Floss grew tired of me saying she was just like a cute little baby orangutan when she was born!
Countless times, I paused to soak it all in or caught Dan's eye to give a look that said, "Can you believe this?!" No words are ever going to be able to capture the magic of us all together, achieving something that wasn't even in our wildest dreams one year ago! Besides the orangutans, the jungle was alive with much more native wildlife - macaques, funky monkeys, gibbons, hornbills, ants the size of small creatures, spiders, just so much to see and take in at every twist and turn. We hiked the hills and were rewarded with jaw-dropping views of the wild landscape. We took breaks along the way - enjoying a morning fruit break and an afternoon lunch, all whipped up by our awesome team.
I have to shout it from the rooftops at this point, everyone did SO incredibly well! When we signed up for this adventure, we had no idea just how extreme this trek would be - at many points, it felt more like a full-on climb than a hike. During our welcome meeting, Anton mentioned it would take between six and seven hours, which was a shock to us all - the girls still don't believe us - but we were genuinely expecting a breezy little four hour jaunt. But on the big day, it turned into nearly nine hours of intense hiking, navigating through the dense jungle with its steep, slippery terrain and muddy, rocky slopes. We definitely needed to have a decent level of fitness to begin with. Not a single kid complained; they all kept pace with the guides, showed genuine interest in everything around them, absorbed all the information they were given, and embraced the challenge of becoming true jungle adventurers. We were bursting with pride for them!
We all managed to make our final, steepest descent, with just a couple of comedic tumbles, and finally reached our campsite - a charming wooden shack with three cosy two-man tents snuggled under its cover. The real magic, as always, was in its simplicity and stunning location, right beside the beautifully chilled Bohorok river. We all peeled off our sweaty, dirty clothes and cannonballed into the river to cool off and splash around. Coco joined us - he’s only eighteen, already a fantastic guide, and the perfect little teenage addition to our group. It was like having another kid with us all day, but in the best way possible, bringing all the energy and keeping everyone moving. He jumped in with the kids and used some natural charcoal and chalk sourced from the river to do face painting on Fin. Once again, fun and beauty in nature and simplicity, it's just the best. After we'd all had enough, we dried off and sprawled out on the rocks, chatting and playing cards as the stars began to twinkle above us. As darkness fell, we were summoned to another tiny shack where an incredible dinner awaited us, all served by candlelight. I don’t know how the team pulls it off. It was truly special. As soon as the food hit our stomachs, forming coherent sentences was a challenge for all of us! We all crawled back to our tents and I think we were all sound asleep by 8pm!
Everyone slept absolutely wonderfully - with only the gentle sound of rain waking us briefly in the night before we all drifted back to dreamland again. There's nothing that quite matches the incredible feeling of waking up and realising we've conquered another night in the jungle without becoming a midnight snack! It's an extraordinary, unique experience, and we are incredibly lucky to have lived it twice. The morning started in a super relaxed way, more swimming before gobbling up another epic breakfast. Then came the offer of a mini hike to a waterfall, because we obviously hadn't walked enough?! I feel like this second day was when we truly unplugged, we were in full zen mode, soaking up the jungle vibes.. almost forgetting we were there for the orangutans. It's such a rare and precious opportunity to completely disconnect from the outside world, and it's a gift we all need. The waterfall was a stunner, and we all took turns jumping into its pool and showering under its cascade. Hanging out there for an hour was like a spa day for the soul. I wish I could bottle up the jungles smells and sounds to teleport you all to our happy place. Meanwhile, this time Anton brought out the natural facepaints and turned the kids into mini orangutans. It was such a special and heartwarming time spent together once again.
After some time frolicking at the jungle beach and giggling through the rapids, we moseyed back to camp along the river for yet another delicious round of food and a jaw dropping fruit platter. After lunch, it was time to say goodbye and leave the serene depths of the jungle behind. But the adventure wasn't over yet! Instead of retracing our steps on the nine-hour hike, we got to travel back by river tubing! Imagine all of us bobbing down the river on three inflatable tubes tied together, with extra tubes on each end for our trusty navigators and our backpacks snugly wrapped in plastic bags. As we drifted down the river and sped through the rapids, we were treated to a nature slideshow - stunning views, wildlife, monitor lizards as big as crocodiles, kids and locals playing and swimming in the river, including one family fully bathing and washing their hair! What a perfect way to end the trip - both exhilarating and relaxing - just what we needed after the jungle trek the day before.
We climbed out of the tubes straight into the back door of our jungle lodge, feeling a whole new sense of wonder and accomplishment. Yet another incredible jungle experience that has us wanting more! (Could we bring The Jungle Book to life in India?!) Hanging out in North Sumatra, one of the world's most pristine jungles, with local guides who are proud and knowledgeable about their home, sharing their love and respect for Mother Nature with us, has been nothing short of amazing. And being able to share the experience with our kiddos in one of the last places on Earth where orangutans swing around and roam free in their natural habitat, and getting to see them in the wild while trekking and snoozing in the jungle can only be described as one thing: it's been the adventure of a lifetime.
Now, I can hardly believe I’m saying this, a four hour drive back to the airport first thing in the morning and then onto BANGKOK! From one extreme to the other?! I’m not sure we’re prepared for it!