After 2 months traveling through Java, Bali, Flores, and Sulawesi, my 60-day tourist visa had expired. I hopped on a flight to Singapore and spent exactly one night in the ultraclean metropolis. Most of the evening was spent cleaning up after the friend I was traveling with, who had eaten something that not only didn't agree with her, but was violently arguing its case. I managed to escape for my only meal in Singapore, a bite of ultra-spicy Muslim food in the restaurant below our budget hotel. Early the next morning we were aboard a bus right back to the airport, where we parted ways and I was soon in the air again, en route to Medan, Sumatra's largest city.

One of the biggest tourist draws in Sumatra is the organutan rehabilitation center in Bukit Lawang, just a quick 4-hour bus trip from Medan. This is one of a handful of locations in Sumatra and Borneo where volunteers work to reintroduce captive orangutans back into the wilds from which they had been taken. A noble pursuit, and I definitely wanted to see the majestic red ape in its natural habitat. But I was also eager to get away from the tourist crowds and into the jungle, a feat that was simply impractical in bustling Bukit Lawang. So I set off with a couple of friends for an interior access point: Kutacane, a small hill town with but a tiny trickle of travelers winding through, bordering Gunung Leuser national park on its southeastern boundary. We spent some pleasant days relaxing in this friendly town, enjoying the cooler weather of the interior midlands. It soon became evident that the thing to do was to explore the jungle via the Alas river, so we booked a 5-day river trip.

With an extra day to kill before embarking on our trek, we decided to take a day-trip to a nearby hot spring. Our guide Sa led us to a trailhead about an hour's busride away from Kutacane, where we hopped out and started walking into the forest. It was a beautiful hike - we encountered Thomas leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques, hornbills... We also came across a budding rafflesia, one of the world's largest flowers. The bud alone was about 20 cm in diameter; Sa said it would bloom in a couple weeks. We walked for 2 or 3 km, picking off leeches the whole way. I thought it was going to be a very short trip, so I hadn't bothered to wear my hiking boots. But sandals weren't going to cut it on the muddy trail, so I walked barefoot, resulting in a multitude of painful insect bites. At trail's end was a boiling spring that sent a continuous stream of scalding water down the rocks to mix with a cold river. At the junction the water was like a perfect jacuzzi. Ahhh... Felt good on those itchy bug bites. Sa had brought some pineapples, bananas, and crackers, so we ate and watched the butterflies. Mineral deposits from the hot spring attracted hundreds of beautiful butterflies, including the incredible birdwing, irridescent black and green with a 15 cm wingspan! After relaxing for a while, we endured the biting ants and leeches again and were soon on a bus back to Kutacane, trying to converse with the locals. (I think I could have bought a bride on that trip - several young ladies were being offered up by their mothers for a cool Rp.4,000,000!)

The next morning we were up for an early breakfast at the hopping outdoor market, and onward to our launch point. We eyed our dubious river vehicle with suspicion: it was literally a couple wooden slats nailed together and lashed to some innertubes. 2 spares were hitched at the back, and that was it. Huck Finn meets Aguierre! It was to be 3 of us (me and Louden and Nathalie, the Canadian couple that I'd been traveling with for a couple weeks), a guide, and his assistant. We dropped our raft into the Alas river, wrapped our bags in a big tarp, loaded it onto the front of the raft, hopped on, and off we went! The water was a reddish milk-chocolate color, running smooth and slow, and almost immediately we were completely surrounded by beautiful dense jungle. The first stop was just a couple hours later, where we beached on a flat spot on the river bank, unloaded, and set up camp (a little bamboo frame with a tarp draped over). Our guide "The Captain" led us on a short afternoon hike along a typical steep, muddy rainforest trail in search of orangutans and whatever else we could find. Day 1 ended with a nice dinner of rice, egg, and mixed vegetables, and a solid sleep on the hard ground...

There was no point in attempting to separate yourself from the infinity of insects and arachnids that were constantly trying to determine if they could make a meal of some part of your body. At first we'd swipe off the little black sweat bees that landed on our sweat-soaked clothes and skin, but after a few stings we quickly learned that it's best to just let them do their thing and not make too many sudden movements. DEET was applied religiously, and before going to sleep we would rub the stuff over our face and into our hair - noxious, but effective. It wasn't long before we settled into a different state of mind, in tune with the rhythms of the forest. I slept soundly through the nights, and awoke at sunrise to the jungle orchestra: Thomas leaf monkeys leaping through the trees, making the quintessential monkey cackling noises; insects buzzing, birds calling, leaves rustling; the unforgettable sound of the white-handed gibbon - a low-pitched "Hoop", repeated over and over, increasing in frequency and pitch until it sounds like laughter; an answer by another gibbon; faint shadows of the occasional black gibbon lurking in the huge trees, making a bizarre "Whoomp" noise that I can't quite describe. In the end we had one wild orangutan sighting, high in a tree at the river's edge, and a spectacular vision of a white-handed gibbon hanging from a tree branch staring at us, its long arms extended gracefully over its head, and then in a flash swinging arm-under-arm out of sight. I couldn't believe how quickly they moved through the trees!

Of course, I did spend a few days visiting the red apes at the rehabilitation center in Bukit Lawang. Here, orangutans that were once someone's pet or circus act are released back to the rainforest. It's quite an undertaking; luckily there are many who commit themselves to this labor of love in an attempt to restore some of the grandeur to Indonesia's disappearing wildlife. Having been completely dependent upon humans for most of their lives, these orangutans must be extensively retrained to survive in their natural habitat. Some (many?) never graduate to "wild", instead remaining on the edge, living in the rainforest but showing up twice a day at the rehabilitation center for handouts. The handouts are not very appetizing, designed as sustainance only, encouraging the apes to search for their own [better] food. Apparently wild orangutans sometimes mingle with these dependents, often to mate, and I think this helps them break free.

At any rate, the bonus for visitors is that the twice-daily feedings are easily witnessed. A short walk from Bukit Lawang's row of cheap hotels across the river leads to a viewing platform. A couple folks on another platform a short distance away start banging on a metal pot, and within minutes a dozen orangutans materialize out of the trees! They slowly make their way down to the feeding platform, grab a mouthful, and then retire a few yards away to sit and munch. Many are curious of the tourists, coming right up to the viewing platform and grabbing things that interest them. We were warned to be careful with our camera equipment, because the orangutans are very strong and if they see something they want it's tough to stop them from getting it! It was fascinating to have such a clear view of them out in the open. Males, females, youngsters... When the feeding ended, the apes would linger for a short while, and then slowly disappear back into the trees. I too lingered, wanting to see more, and then disappeared back into my hotel room for a nap.