It's a bit funny...my first day of visiting classes and the thing I talked about most perhaps was Bukit Lawang (well, that and delicious Indonesian food!). The students I met today are so sweet and earnest, asking me questions like: "What was your first impression of Indonesia?" "What do you think of Sumatra?" "Why did you come to Indonesia?" "How long have you been here and how long will you stay?" Each of these questions, in it's own way, led to Bukit Lawang and so I spent my day remembering that wonderful place and that experience - which seems so far away now...almost like a dream, certainly like another vacation entirely. I have this uncanny way of taking 12 vacations in one - each experience being so full and so distinct from the others that I feel as though I have seen and done so much more than one trip alone can hold. Some of you reading this may know what I mean...
In any case, I only posted a quick note about Bukit Lawang which doesn't do justice to that trip so let me elaborate a bit here. First, it should be said, that when Dustin and I arrived in Bukit Lawang (after a very long, harried day in Medan full of banking headaches and smog) it felt like paradise. The Green Hill guest house is a funky, lively place with a really interesting, typically bohemian staff with the perfect backpacker laid-back vibe and is run by a very cool and interesting British conservation biologist named Andrea who was a delight to talk with and who took great care of us. Our "tree-top bungalow" was beyond wonderful with it's bamboo shower fed by a nearby waterfall, thatch construction, mosquito-netted bed, private porch overlooking the trees where the macaques play (or pester) and the Bohorok River where the tourists (both local and foreign) hoot and laugh their way down in tubes...We ate a delicious dinner and fell into the most contented sleep. The next day we wandered along the river path and saw gorgeous butterflies (
kupukupu in Bahasa Indonesia), met Jeff - a cool Medan native who had lived in Australia for a long time and was now building a gorgeous retreat in Bukit Lawang (or has been doing so for a number of years now, step by step), saw a small monitor lizard and a very colorful snake, and got to know the village just a little better by crossing the bridge to gain some perspective and by talking with Saul - a village elder of Batak origin and the most colorful life story (including having fought with Barack Obama as a child in Jakarta if you believe it and having seen the Beatles in Hong Kong after shipwrecking there). It was a wonderful restful day followed by the most intense jungle hike with our amazing guide Umbra and his pals and our porters and chefs, Lakon and Iwan. Those three are true power-houses and their spirits kept us strong and made us feel truly humble. I can't begin to describe the density of vegetation, the profound sweating we did, or the joy of seeing each creature or swimming in each natural pool...Like I said at the start of this entry - it's like a dream. Was I really there? Did Bukit Lawang and the Gunung Leuser National Park really become our home for 9 days?
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| A "tame" hill, but it gives one a feel for the density of vegetation...especially compared to Arizona! |
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| Kupukupu - we saw all shapes, sizes, colors...some I recognized from the Tucson Botanical Garden exhibit. What a treat to see them in their natural habitat!! |
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| Long-tailed macaques playing in the Bohorok River just in front of our guest house. |
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| Can't take credit for the awesome composition of this photo - it's Dustin's work :-) |
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| Macaque-attack! These cheeky-monkeys come right up in your space and dig through your stuff in search of sweet treats. All we had to offer were dirty plastic bags, books, and mosquito repellent. |
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| The villages (and even the bustling city of Medan) are full of cats! They are small, thin, and adorable - mostly black and white or brown tabbies...this orange one with a full tail (many have stubby or twisted tails) was a rare find. |
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| From inside our Green Hill guest room...such a lovely home. |
