November 11th 2006, Saturday Medan Indonesia -- Late in the afternoon our driver Mr. Haris arrived to take Dr. Gary and myself, John Page to Bukit Lawang. Our transport was a Mitsubishi diesel pickup truck with an extended cab. Our bags were loaded into the bed of the truck and protected by a cleverly folded tarpaulin and then secured with ropes. It was not raining in Medan and so this appeared to me to be over kill, how wrong could I be ?

The distance is a little over 40 miles however between the traffic and the state of the roads the journey took more than 3 hours. As we left Medan in rush hour the streets were a flood of motorcycles, and side car taxis (motorcycle with a side car to carry passengers or goods). For some families this is the only form of transport, therefore a motorcycle would pass us with Dad driving, a young one between him and the handlebars and another sandwiched between Mum and Dad. Sometimes the Mum had a baby in her arms as well. The rules of the road are respectful chaos. Vehicles are going wherever there is a gap that will further there journey. Miraculously we did not see one accident. Compare this to the rush hour traffic in the USA, where for the most part people respect the lines on the road and all the traffic in one lane is going in the same direction, and yet every rush hour there are accidents. Perhaps the Indonesians are on to something. The horn is used as an announcement of your presence and/or wish to overtake, folks yield and the traffic flows albeit slowly.

For me it was difficult to tell where Medan ended and the surrounding towns/villages started because they are built up along the roadside into what appears to be a continuous stream of houses and businesses. The further we traveled away from Medan the easier it was to see the community boundaries.  After an hour or so of hair raising two lane paved roads the surface became more irregular with large potholes that we drove into and out of. This heralded the start of the Palm Oil Plantations.

The Palm Oil Plantations that we passed were created about 20 years ago and were showing their age. The trees have many ferns growing out of them clinging to whatever fertile nook or cranny they can find.

Palm Oil trees have a useful life expectancy of about 30 years and this raises the question what will the plantation owners do in the next 10 years. Will they plant new trees in already cleared areas ? (preferred by us) or will they clear more rainforest to plant the replacement trees ?

The large heads of Palm Oil seeds are transported by trucks from the plantations to the mill. The roads have degraded significantly over the years. With only minimal government money to maintain them the roads provide small areas of continuous surface before large pot holes leave only a thin track that can be negotiated smoothly by the deft skills of the motorcyclists. Vehicles from both directions compete for anywhere there is a smooth surface. We rounded many a corner to find a vehicle on our side of the road so that it can avoid a huge pot hole.

The rain starts, a few drops at first more like drizzle really and it became progressively worse. By the time we reached the bridge to cross the river to the Eco Lodge (our hotel for the night) it was a full on tropical downpour.

As we pile out of the vehicle I am more concerned about getting the bags out of the back than looking around, it was dark after all. Two people appear from the Eco Lodge to help carry our bags. Gary calls “are you ready to cross the bridge ?” I look up and realize that this is an Indiana Jones bridge across a raging river in the dark. Backpack on my back, my other bag slung over my shoulder I climb the steps. There is one porter behind me.

The bridge is a crude but functional suspension bridge. Two thick steel cables span the river from one bridge head to the other. From these are hung a series of metal brackets that provide the support for the floor of the bridge. Ahead of me is the porter carrying Dr. Gary’s bag then Dr. Gary. Their foot falls on the bridge has set a rhythm and there are times when my foot needs to travel less or more to make contact. Of course this is happening in the dark, in the rain. We make it safely across and still have a way to go to get to the dry reception area.

Everyone is very cordial and we order Ginger Tea to warm us up, thinking back I am not sure why we needed warning up it was not cold rain; anyway it sounded good.

We are asked about our plans for the next day and we explain that we are here to see the Orangutan feeding at the Leuser Ecosystem Feeding Station. A guided appears and explains that if the river continues to rise that we will not be able to make the boat crossing and that we should hire him to lead us over the mountain to the feeding station. I am so glad that Dr. Gary speaks the language, back and forth their conversation went and finally Dr. Gary decides that we will take our chances on the tried and tested route with the boat.

We are shown to our room. It has two beds each with a mosquito net and a fan that will run as long as the generator is on. The bathroom has a roof that is intentionally open to the sky. Half the area is a garden of rainforest plants, the other half tiled like a bathroom. Again toilet paper is scarce so it is a case of “when in Rome do as the Romans do”. The shower only has cold water and it must have been piped from the coldest part of the river. Dr. Gary took the first shower, I should have recorded the noises coming from the bathroom as the cold water hit his body. Being typically British I maintained a stiff upper lip and suppressed matching his girlish squeaks.

The whole no toilet paper thing becomes easier when you manage to synchronize your need to go to the bathroom with your morning/evening shower.

After my shower I find my way under the mosquito net and settle into a river noise induced sleep. Morning comes too soon with a banging on the door. Again we follow our bathroom rituals and head over for breakfast. The river does not look too bad and so we feel confident in our decision to go the same route as the Orangutan feeders.

More lightly loaded, I have the backpack, we cross the bridge in the day light, somewhat less scary. The rain has stopped and the sun is rising. The river does not appear to be any higher than last night so we are confident that the boat will make it across.

The guide leads us to the Government building where we can purchase our permit to enter the Leuser Eco-System Park. We receive our permit in exchange for US $2.05. Our guide leads along the side of the river that three years ago flooded claiming the lives of 285 people. Finally we arrive at a rock beach looking across at the entrance to the park. The boat is tucked away in a natural bay protected from the fast current. Laying on the ground is a rope.

However the steel cable that has provided guidance for the boat to cross and not be swept away is missing. A crowd gathers including the feeders that bring bananas to feed the Orangutans. We are informed that the cable was there the day before and that this is the first time in 33 years that the boat has not been able to cross.

The feeders strip down to their underwear and wade across the river. This does not look too bad and I am expecting that Dr. Gary and I will do the same. Dr. Gary succeeds in convincing me that it is not a good idea. We watch as the feeders transport the bananas across the river on foot.

In the trees near the water’s edge an Orangutan called, Pesek (which means flat nose), moves among the leaf covered branches, teasing us with a fleeting glimpse of this amazing red ape. I will have to return with more time.

We hike back to the Government Offices and receive a refund on the park permit. Dr. Gary starts a conversation in Indonesian with the folks at the office. I wander over to the new retaining wall that has been built to ward off a future flood. Down in the river are three dinosaur like earth movers that are re-arranging the rocks that form the bed of the river into cascades to reduce the pace of the river.