INDONESIA - SUMATRA: TANGKAHAN, PART II, JUNGLE WALK

 July 2, 2023

We woke up early on our second day in Tangkahan, had breakfast in the lodge, and headed out on a jungle walk with our local guide. To get to the jungle, we had to first ford the river. Luckily, it was relatively shallow. The water was very clear, but the bottom was rocky. It wasn't a very comfortable walk for us, but our local guide Suker seemed to be walking on pillows.

After putting our shoes and socks back on, we headed into the dense, wet foliage. Suker stopped often to point out interesting plants or to tell us facts about the jungle.

Having two sons who study mushrooms, I was really intrigued by the variety and volume of fungi in the jungle.

There was also water everywhere. One website says this area gets 2,000-3,000 mm of rain each year, which translates to about 80-120 inches. WOW. It rained just a little when we were there, and it felt more like a sauna than anything else.

I guess that's why it looks like this:

Besides the sauna effect, another byproduct of the constant rain is these leeches.  On the leaf below left, it looks like a tiny, thin stick. But if you walk close enough to the leaf (and a gazillion other leaves in the jungle), the leech ends up on your arm, your leg, your back--wherever it can get to your skin. The skinny little worm plants its sucker under your skin, injects some kind of anti-coagulant, and fills up until it is several times its original size. Because of their sliminess, I couldn't get them off myself and had to have Suker do it.

The result is a bloody mess that suddenly restarts bleeding even two or three days later. Suker pulled leeches of both of our ankles and arms. Bob was wearing a shirt with a back vent, and a leech got in through the mesh inside the vent to feast on his back. I only discovered it when I saw blood all over the back of his shirt.

After a couple of hours, we were ready for a snack. Suker pulled a bag out of his backpack filled with flowers, then scavenged for some large leaves and ferns. He put it all together in an artistic arrangement on a flat rock, then pulled out a knife and a pineapple. 

Wow, no future trail snack will ever compare to this gorgeous (and tasty) display!

To polish off our snack, we tried some "Jungle Water," the liquid inside the branch of a particular type of tree. It tasted clean and pure--not like the tree or anything organic at all.

Speaking of trees, there are some interesting giants in the jungle--branches and roots and appendages everywhere, more like a gangly teenager than a venerable elder.

I don't remember the name of this fruit, but it is like nothing else I've ever seen. I also can't remember if it is edible, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't dare to try it on my own.

It was incredibly hot and humid--more intense than we've ever experienced. Bob had a drenching sweat from head to toe. His clothes were completely wet and dripping into his shoes and off his sleeves. He looked like he had been swimming with his clothes on. He has never sweat like that before, and it was a concern. We decided to head back downhill towards the river, where our guide had arranged for lunch to be served to us. 

When we arrived, one of Suker's helpers was putting the finishing touches on what has to be the most unique "table setting" we've ever seen. Banana leaves were spread like a tablecloth on a rock about six feet offshore, and arches of vines and red flowers provided a backdrop for a hearty lunch. As King- and Queen-for-a-Day, we were given crowns to wear while we ate.

This is one of the most memorable and unusual meals of our travels. I felt like we were characters in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream . . . 

. . . and we even had our own Puck.

Well, it was time to leave our royal status behind and get ready for our next adventure.

We waded across the river and climbed the stairs back to our room

Note that Suker continued barefoot. He has steel plates for soles.

We went to our room to put on dry clothes.  One last look from our balcony revealed lots of revelry in the river. It was the weekend, and families had come to play in the water.

It looked like a lot of fun . . . except for the fact that I had seen this monitor lizard pacing on the beach a little earlier. 

There goes  my suitcase.  I followed it to the parking lot.

Apparently all those people playing in the river came on motorcycles. Amazing.

Next up: Bukit Lawang