Welcome to the Jungle! Part 1 (Indonesian Deforestation + Orangutans!)

This 10-day trip to Indonesia will go down in the Larsen annals as some of the most magical days of all. The adventure started with orangutan trekking in Northern Sumatra. Indonesian rainforests are among the most bio-diverse environments in the world. Sadly, Indonesia is now the global leader in deforestation, and the rate doesn't seem to be slowing down. This is one of the main reasons we wanted to come here now--to see the Sumatran rainforest before it's too late.

And yes--you can jungle trek with little kids too...

Deforestation + Jerky Roads
Traveling inland, we passed through many miles of palm oil plantations. Palm plantations are a major cause of rapid deforestation in Indonesia. Our driver was forced to yield to domineering plantation trucks that seemed to be in constant flow, spewing clouds of noxious fumes from its behind. The country drive was equally confusing and thought-provoking as we considered the impact of these plantations; naturally magnificent palm trees in unnaturally straight rows. It was beautifully hypnotizing as I stared down the lines, yet it made me uncomfortable to think of the environmental cost.

To be fair, I don't know the history of these particular plantations to claim they are contributors to deforestation, so I don't mean to demonize them specifically. However, they certainly were symbolic of the greater problem in Indonesia, challenging the survival of critically endangered animals (orangutans, tigers, elephants, rhinos, etc.), not to mention the well-being of the planet as a whole. As such, I couldn't keep my eyes off the land.

It took about 4-hours of beat up and bumpy roads to get to our destination from the nearest commercial airport. This resulted in sore necks, toddler tantrums, and an unresolved sleep deficit from the early flight. The roads were seriously a joke. They brought all the unexpected jerks of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland without any of the thrills (or pyrotechnics!). Nevertheless, Amelia and Cosie somehow found an acceptable position for some shut eye:

A few miles beyond the middle of nowhere, Planet Earth, we arrived at the lovely village of Bukit Lawang: the gateway to the beautifully lush Gunung Leuser National Park. My heart leaped with excitement--this was the ultimate hike of my boy scout dreams!

Orangutans!
As we AdventureBuffet our way through life, we try to find unique experiences for the family. To us, trekking for critically endangered orangutans was at the top of our list... and there are only two places in the world to see them in their natural habitat: the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo. Some say if we don't slow the rate of deforestation, Sumatran orangutans may be extinct in less than 10 years. We hired a few local guides and made our way into the jungle.

As soon as we entered the forest, Amelia (5) started a major crying fit (ironically, right after we went over the rules about staying quiet to not disturb the wildlife). While I was stressing because nothing would calm her, one of the guides spotted an orangutan approaching us. She was investigating the noise. This means, much to the chagrin of park rules, Amelia's crying had actually attracted the orangutan (this tactic is not recommended...). Amelia was still grumpy, but did quiet down enough for a look at these majestic creatures.

It was an emotional experience for me to see this first orangutan in the wild, its long orange hair flickering in the sun through the leaves. It came closer and brought its beautiful baby over for us to adore. I imagine the mom was just as curious about our baby (2-year-old) as we were of hers. Though our guides helped us keep a safe distance (staying between us and the animals), they came much closer than expected! Now, tell me her baby isn't adorable:

In a clever risk management move, the mom split up our group by blocking the path and carefully watched our every move to ensure her baby's safety.

The next orangutan we encountered was very pregnant, but that didn't seem to slow her down. I loved watching how graceful she and the others moved through the trees. They are massively strong and never seem to tire from hanging from branches. To emphasize how similar they are to humans, one of our guides kept saying that orangutans share 97% of human DNA. While that is true, the remaining 3% makes a pretty big difference--just look at her massive hands:

The fourth orangutan we encountered was a rude awakening. I honestly only saw an orangey blob before I heard the guides yelp: "It's a male!" and switched over to the Indonesian language. I could tell they were a little nervous as they frantically tried to get us all up the steep incline to safety. Apparently, this guy has tried to steal bags before (to look for food, not trying to hurt people--but they are so strong they could accidentally hurt someone, like Mr. Incredible!). The guides were so good to us and very professional--they knew just what to do. This male just leaped out of the bushes and came toward us--which admittedly was pretty scary. Like some human males I've known, our guides told us that male orangutans can be aggressive. And they are HUGE!

Once we were in relative safety up the trail, one guide stayed behind to lure the male away from us. We'd take different path while Jay, the "sacrificial guide" as I called him, planned to meet up with us later. Before separating, Jay asked me to lend him my camera and he'd try to get some pics for me. It was a good 45-minutes before we saw Jay again, and the whole time I had to keep telling myself that he's ok... and he was, of course. We moved so quickly, I really only got to see the male orangutan from his pictures--and this guy is pure beast.

If I was in a dark alley and had to meet either this guy or Chewbacca, I'd pick Chewbacca any day. Even if that day was Halloween... and I was dressed as a stormtrooper.

Further in the jungle, we met another mother and baby. The baby loved to nurse, which was so precious! I guess this mom's name is Yuli (sp?) and they believe the baby daddy is that nightmare-of-a-creature above. The guides knew the names of the orangutans that frequent the area and you could tell that they really loved these animals. We chose the guide company based on their reviews about respecting the animals and jungle, and they did not disappoint. Our safety was their main concern.

Around lunchtime, Tiffany and the two youngest kids headed home early with the two extra guides while me and the older three kiddos continued for more trekking (the second half of the day was much more strenuous). However, all of us returned home via rafting down the jungle river to our village--what an exhilarating way to end the trek of a lifetime!

Conclusion

In the end, it was an eye opening experience for me, to contrast the jungle in its unadulterated state with the palm plantations up to the very borders of protected land. To think that these life-giving rainforests may soon be illegally logged and/or "accidentally" burned down so they can plant more palm plantations makes my heart break. And while I wouldn't consider myself a tree-hugger quite yet, I definitely see myself becoming more so as I get older (and maybe wiser?). 

I left this trip thinking about what more I can do to help Mother Earth. If we all make a small sacrifice (like recycling instead of trashing or consciously avoiding unsustainable palm oil products), we'd move the needle a little bit more in the right direction. While changing behavior is a process, I'm going to do better. Not necessarily because of endangered orangutans, drifting polar bears, or climate change in general, but because it just feels right.

Bonus Pics

Water monitor

Here's a surprised long-tailed macaque that stole a banana peel from us. Another one soon took an entire bunch of bananas while our backs were turned. Meilin calls these guys the "pirates of the jungle."

Pig-tailed macaque (same family as baboon)

Group picture just before separating.

Fruit break! First time trying fresh pineapple with passion fruit drizzled on top (top right fruit in pic). The sweet/tart combo is amazing!!!!

Our guides were so good with the kids. I don't think they get many kids through here, and yet they were absolutely phenomenal. They were extra careful of their needs and safety throughout the hike.

Thank goodness for this vine--we basically had to rappel down this wall...

Boys got their faces painted like Tigers using some clay stones--Meilin got a facial.

River valley through the jungle.

We were already soaking wet from the hike, so we jumped in the cool water with clothes/shoes on--a total refreshing blast! It looks really shallow, but by the falls it went up to my chest. I decided that the older kids had to touch the falls, which they all did. Charlie was hesitant, but I dragged him in as we were both laughing the whole way. So fun!

Charlie's dream culture--you get to eat with your hands! Honestly, I don't blame him. It's got to be the most efficient eating tool.

Poisonous centipede. We were told that this sucker will send you straight to the hospital...

My favorite kind of tree: Banyan. Each one is beautifully unique because it's a parasite that grows out of a host tree (often killing it and leaving a hollow middle).