I visited Sumatra about 10 years ago – caught the ferry from Penang to Medan, found a guide there to take us trekking in the rain forest, saw no orangutans but only a handful of chickens one misty morning.
I was traveling with a couple of friends and we thought we were all Indiana Jones with our machetes and our Banana Republic outfits, but then every once in a while an old granny with 50 lbs of cargo on her shoulders would blow by us like we were standing still. It was pretty humiliating.
If you go trekking, do a long trek (3 days +) or it’s not worth it. And expect leeches.
We spent New Years eve recovering by shores of Lake Toba, drinking cheap gin and listening to the Austrian couple who owned our hostel screaming at each other.
over 6 years ago