Somehow Kirsty and I decided to pack a trip to Indonesia into a 5 day weekend. We flew into Medan, Indonesia… We booked a hotel for the first night and decided to see where our plans would take us for the next 5 days!

The beginning of the adventure was rather rough, after spending the money to get to the bus station before departing for Bangkok I realized we had forgot our visa photos at the condo and had to spring back home in less than 9 minutes so we could catch the bus, to catch the shuttle, to catch the other shuttle, to catch our flight at Don Muang Airport. Exhausting right? We do this every time we travel. So for all of you telling the world I spoil myself through travels, though it is amazing… it is a lesson I’m currently learning and an exhausting one at that!

We made it to the airport with time to spare. The visas cost 25 dollars but were pretty easy to get – turns out we didn’t even need our visa photos in the end.

Medan was a city like many others, similar to Cambodia but completely different. The clothes were cheap, food was cheap, but there isn’t really much to do as a tourist in Medan. We took a quick city tour and ended up spending the remainder of our Indonesia adventure in a paradise similar to the one in the film ‘The Beach’. Bukit Lawang. It is a tourist destination, but off the beaten track. Most people who go to Indonesia come for business in Jakarda or Bali for a romantic getaway. We came to Medan, Indonesia because it was the cheapest flight out of Thailand for a long weekend getaway. Bukit Lawang is a gorgeous town of 500 locals living along the river bank. After a night of relaxation and a few Bintang beers, Kirsty and I curled up in our colourful bug netted princess loft above a local art studio and fell asleep to the sound of the river and a few men playing the guitar. Although the atmosphere was incredible, I had my first of what I think was a panic attack in the middle of the night. All I can say is I hope it never happens to me again.

The second day, Kirsty and I signed up for a 2 Day Trek in the national park of Bukit Lawang. This is home to many rehabilitated wild orangutangs. Being tourists in a wild environment, it is important to leave the wild alone and not feed them any food. Obviously like most tourists, people cant help but get up close and personal. For us, it was a different story. We left the mother orangutangs  be with their youngins’ in hopes that we wouldn’t be attacked without notice. Before I even had time to understand what was going on I was running for my life through the forest from a wild orangutang and her baby.  Three of us sprang in opposite directions screaming for help. The mother grabbed my arm as I dove behind the tree and cut open my leg, the other girl Candace took that opportunity while the orangutang was still after me to flee the scene. Eliza, the last to move onward up the mountain was held in place by the orangutang, I looked back after I ran up the mountain only to see her on the ground still yelling for help. The guide was able to fight off the mother looking for food as we ran out of breathe up the closest mountain somewhat still terrified but also laughing hysterically at the reactions we all had. This rain forest trekking was much more of an adventure than any of us anticipated. Covered in new bruises, cuts and dripping blood we made it 8 hours to our campsite for a night along the river bank.

I took a much needed bath in the river and relaxed on the bay until dinner.

We had an incredible candle lit dinner, I am not quite sure how someone is able to make such a good meal in the middle of the rain forest but from what I’ve been eating lately, this vegetable curry and rice was amazing!

After a long sleep on a wooden board (though a great experience) we spent the next day river rafting back to the town of Bukit Lawang. It’s crazy how safety standards are so different in each country, in Indonesia we just hopped right on regardless if we could swim, of if we flew out and hit a rock… we all had a blast! Met a couple of new awesome traveling friends and spent next to nothing for an incredible vacation away from vacation.

I’m sitting here blogging in the Polonia Airport in Medan, Indonesia waiting for my flight back to Thailand covered in bruises, cuts and mosquito bites yet completely content with how I spent my last 5 days.  Indonesia was amazing! 🙂