Sumatran Trip

Here is a brief summary of our trip to North Sumatra:

Trekking through Sumatra

Wild Orangutan

Rainforest wet

After arriving in Medan (the third most populated city in Indonesia at over 2 million) and realizing there wasn’t much to do there, we headed out to Bukit Lawang (Boo keet La Wong) which borders an Unesco World Heritage site that protects wild Orangutans and tries to reintroduce other ones back into the wild. When we arrived, we hired a guide to take us across a river and into the rainforest to possibly see wild Orangutans. Despite a soaking rain, we had great luck as we saw two Orangutans in the trees above us within 1.5 hours of walking into the canopy.

Driving through Sumatra

Quiet Country road

Driving in Java is intense for the following reasons:

1. Roads are bad and have no shoulders or guard rails.

2. Center lines are merely a suggestion as many vehicles cascade over the center line at every possible moment to pass or turn.

3. There are no rules of the road or traffic lights. I honestly think that Gallup, New Mexico (with around 30,000 people) has more traffic lights than Jakarta (with more than 10 million people). No one is ever pulled over for speeding or driving recklessly.

4. Cars, scooters, and pedestrians are everywhere and often within inches of many other fast moving vehicles.

5. It is routine to see a whole family of 4 or 5 on a scooter with daily life continuing while they drive (talking on cel phone, breast feeding a baby for example).

As bad as this seems, we found out this past week that riding in a car in Sumatra is actually worse for one reason. The island of Java is so over populated that speeds usually hover between 5 -30 MPH. Because Sumatra is more spread out and less populated, speeds routinely double (therefore, more than doubling our anxiety)!

Sumatran trip (cont.)

Relaxing in Sumatra (at Danau Toba)

Batak Church

Sunday we drove from Medan to Danau Toba (Lake Toba). As mentioned in a previous post, Lake Toba is the Largest Caldera Lake in the world and the largest lake in Southeast Asia. It is also the home of the Batak, tribal hill people of Sumatra (6 million of them) who gave up their cannibalistic animist ways about 150 years ago for Christianity (after eating their first missionary). Very traditional churches now dot the landscape surrounding the lake, which seem odd in Muslim Indonesia.

Batak houses

Kids on the lake (notice the Batak house in the background)

Apparently, in the early 1970’s, Lake Toba became a popular hangout for Australian hippies who communed and caroused with the Bataks (who love music and wine). These days seem long gone as the hippies have gravitated to Hindu Bali or Buddhist Thailand (Hindu and Buddhist worldviews match a little closer to hippies than Batak) and all there is left are local Sumatrans on holiday, young German and Dutch backpackers, and oddball Australians and Americans (not us, of course)..

Who are these weird people?

The lake is at 900 meters elevation (3000 feet), so no air conditioning is needed (highs in the mid eighties, lows in the 60’s) and the lake is deep and crystal clear. We had a great time swimming, renting bikes and a scooter, shopping for Batak arts and crafts, relaxing at our hotel, and providing hours of entertainment for locals who rarely see a whole family of white people.

Holiday Adventure

It's Lebaran break!!!!



Friday morning, September 18, we fly out to the sumatran city of Medan. We are flying on an Indonesian carrier-- see logo below.

Indonesian Airline logo and motto.

We are just thankful it isn't "Life is Cheap"

Actually, this is the logo for the sister airline

of the one we are flying.

After landing in Medan, we will spend one day in Medan, one day in Bukit Lawang (an Orangutan forest) and then head on a 5 hour trip to Lake Toba. Lake Toba is a 62 mile long lake formed some 70,000 years ago by a huge exploding volcano, and is today the largest caldera lake in the world.

Satellite image of Lake Toba

We will stay on the Island(actually it isn't an island as there is a very small isthmus running between the mainland and the penisula) in the middle at a resort called the "Carolina Hotel"

Carolina Hotel

We have heard this lake is very remote but beautiful and that:

• the nearby town consists of a dirt road an a couple of buildings.
• Dining out involves arriving at a restaurant and having a couple kids run off to find the owner who then comes and cooks you dinner.

We will keep you posted.

Moment of Weakness

Mint Dream Mirage

I love the following junk food: Nacho’s and fry bread from New Mexico concession stands, Cool Ranch Doritos, Hershey Kisses, Reeses Peanut Butter cups, Starbursts, Skittles and Chewy Spree (all quite rare to non existant in Indonesia).

But the gold standard in junk food is a Russell Stover’s Mint Dream (if you ever see one, buy it... then eat it... then write the company and tell them to make more!) A close second to Mint Dreams are Blue Diamond Smoked Almonds (although in many ways they are not junk food).

Tonight, I finished my last Mint Dream brought back from the U.S. this summer. It's going to be a long few months before I get more!

Earthquake: Yesterday (September 2) at around 3 pm our time a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Southwest Java (120 miles from here). We all felt it in Jakarta but it wasn't strong enough to do any damage, however residents in areas closer to the quake weren't so fortunate and we are saddened in hearing that 25 people were killed in those areas.