The only way to get to Bukit Lawang - about 96kms from Medan - is by road.Now that doesn't sound so far, does it?But the guide books all warn that the road is in very poor condition.Lonely Planet said, 'What should be a quick trip into the country is a four-hour rover mission on the surface of the moon.The road has crater-sized potholes and buses have to yield to heavy vehicles overloaded with palm oil bundles from the local plantations'.It didn't exaggerate one bit - we couldn't have put it any better ourselves! We wanted to get there as quickly as possible so instead of taking the public bus, from the bus station 10 kms out of town which would have added yet more time to the journey, we opted for the relative comfort of a three hour journey by car so that we could arrive just that bit earlier.There was a very heavy tropical shower as we were leaving Medan and we were a bit concerned about how this would affect the already poor roads, but it soon cleared up.Medan is a huge sprawling city and it took well over an hour to clear the built up areas, but then we were into the countryside and passing by the rubber and palm oil plantations, interrupted every now and then by villages and paddy fields. The area was very similar to other rural parts of SE Asia (eg Laos, Cambodia) with lots of small villages/townships and hoards of schoolkids all neat and tidy in their uniforms.

Bukit Lawang is at the very end of the road.As we got nearer, blokes on motorcycles would pull alongside and have a quick word with our driver, Ari.When we arrived we weren't surprised to be met by a bunch of local chaps/guides touting for business- the word that tourists were shortly to arrive obviously got round.We said we wanted to stay at the Jungle Inn (because this received the most favourable comments in guide books and other blogs we've read) and one of them, called Anton, walked us up there.As we hadn't been able to find any phone number or email address for the Jungle Inn we arrived on spec.There were quite a few folk staying so we felt lucky to get the only room left - the Honeymoon Suite right at the top of the house! The Jungle Inn is also at the end of the 'road' (well track really), and right across the river from the entrance to the Gunung Leuser National Park where the Orang Utan Rehabilitation and Feeding Centre is situated - which is why we wanted to stay there. The Centre does sterling work in treating sick and ailing Orang Utans and preparing them for release back into the wild.

The other reason for going to Bukit Lawang is to trek in the jungle. A guide is essential as the jungle is very dense and the paths are many and unmarked, so you need someone who knows their way around. And of course Anton offered his services.We agreed to a one-day trek either the next day or the day after, depending on when he could get a small group together.We were asked to pay up front so he could organise the lunch that would be provided.Well, we were very wary of being ripped off here, but the guides all seem to be organised and the rates controlled by Sumatra Guide Association so we were somewhat reassured.Looking at our cash we realised we had made a right c*** up with our money - or rather lack of it.There are no ATMs in Bukit Lawang and we had meant to take out enough to last us before we left Medan.But partly because of a miscalculation due to the large number of zeros in the Indonesian Rupiah we found we didn't have quite enough! Luckily we had some Australian dollars in our wallets which we were able to change at a favourable rate at a local money changer - also organised by Anton.

Despite warnings in the guide books to be wary of being overcharged or led to accommodation you don't want - typical things that travellers often have to be aware of - we found that the people in Bukit Lawang were pretty straight and simply trying to make an honest living.This is much more understood when you know the recent history of the place.In November 2003 at 10 o'clock in the evening Bukit Lawang was hit by a flash flood which swept down the river, destroyed a large part of the village and killed 400 locals and some tourists.It was devastating and everyone we spoke to seemed to have been affected in some way.We could see evidence of the devastation on our walks along the riverbank to and from Jungle Inn but it was also obvious that the local people are working hard to re-establish their homes and businesses - they were busy working hard on new terraces for riverside cafes, putting on new roofs and fresh coats of paint here and there.This, together with the new weir and footbridge funded by the government, the slow but steady return of visitors and the optimism of these lovely friendly people, seems to give some assurance for the future.

Returning to our 'Honeymoon Suite with a view', within fifteen minutes we spotted our first Orang Utan walking along the riverbank opposite.We really were fortunate to get this room which had a terrace on two sides (with tables, chairs and a hammock to laze on) giving a wonderful over a stretch of the fast flowing river, the jungle and waterfalls (in fact the hammock was right beside our very own waterfall). We were absolutely thrilled to see an Orang Utan so soon, particularly as she had a young one clinging to her back.We watched as she headed along the river's edge, went through the gate entrance to the National Park and began to climb a pole.M realised that she was climbing the pole that anchored the cable which guided the canoe across the river, and soon she was swinging herself across the cable.So we dashed down to the riverside and lo and behold there she was lumbering towards us.She wasn't at all fazed by us being there and walked right on past us to the rubbish bins where she promptly turned into a bag lady from Victoria Street, London.She ever so gently picked her way through the rubbish for any titbits and delicately laid them down on the ground when she was finished.She hung around the Inn for ages and seemed every bit as interested in us as we were in her.We thought this might be a regular occurrence, but apparently it wasn't and we were really lucky to have such a close encounter.

The next morning we were up early to meet Anton at 8 o'clock for our trip across the very fast flowing river (in that little waterlogged dug-out canoe!) to watch the Orang Utans being fed, before heading off on our jungle trek. Having been apprehensive at handing over the money we started to get a bit concerned when Anton hadn't appeared by the time the rangers arrived for the feeding session.However, one of the guys at the Jungle Inn said that he knew Anton and would phone him to make sure he was coming, and in the meantime we should go across with the rangers. It turned out that the delay was because Anton had to take someone to hospital, but he'd arranged a replacement guide and Pirman arrived in time to join us to see two adult and one juvenile Orang Utans swing through the trees to come for their breakfast at the feeding station. Inevitably we were also joined by crowds of Macaque monkeys with much screeching as they tried to get food too. Pirman was a really nice guy who had a very good knowledge of the flora and fauna of the jungle.Unfortunately, we didn't see much of any wildlife apart from a few macaque monkeys, some huge ants and some termites but it was a really enjoyable, if very sweaty, trek.Actually we were pleased not to have come across Mina, a very aggressive Orang Utan who had chased a group of trekkers the previous day.Pirman had also suffered at her hands, or more accurately her teeth.Some time he had been guiding a Danish couple on a trek when she had come up behind them and grabbed the guy's leg and rucksack.When Pirman tried to entice her away she attacked him instead and bit him on the leg - and he still has the scars to show for it! Pirman was also very affected by the flood where he lost 27 members of his family in the 2003 flood.

There was a good bunch of folk staying at the Jungle Inn: Ottcha and Michel from the Netherlands who are travelling for a year and were actually at the Tanah Rata bus station at the same time as us, but going in the opposite direction; Eddie from Dublin who loved durian and seemed to stink the place out with it every day!; Eva from Canada; Dan and Kate from Sydney; and a couple of girls also from Holland. We were bushed from our exertions of the day so headed off to bed quite early, but they all stayed on and had a good old sing song well into the wee hours.On our last day we enjoyed a lazy morning giving the hammock a good workout, just soaking up the peace and quiet and watching the kids tubing down the river.We did however venture out for a walk into the village in the afternoon and got back just in time before the heavens opened again.At the Orang Utan feeding the previous day, and again that morning at breakfast, we met Becky and Rainee who were from Jersey.Becky had come to Bukit Lawang a couple of years ago and had been struck by the extent of the devastation caused by the flood. She decided she had to do something to help and when she got back to Jersey she started fund raising (www.bukitlawang.trust.org, email [email protected] ) to build a much needed clinic.She has since been over a few times and today would see the culmination of her work when the new clinic was opened (hope it all went well). As we were unwinding and relaxing on our terrace for an even more leisurely evening we were joined by one Macaque monkey, then another appeared, and another.At that point we were getting slightly concerned because they can be aggressive so we started to gather up the dominoes, clothes drying on the terrace, magazines, and beers. As we headed for the door we were nearly surrounded and the monkeys looked menancing. The playing cards were left on the table as were the nearly empty beer bottles and one half-full glass. Well, the ringleader was aggressive, so much so that while we were inside he feigned an attack at us through the window, had his evil way with a lady monkey and then proceeded to empty the beer bottles and tip the glass over.It was all over within a few minutes but highlighted how aggressive a troupe of monkeys can be. According to the locals the Macaques are the 'cheekiest' whereas the Tomas monkeys (see Sumatra photo album) are much friendlier and funky looking. We headed down gingerly to the cafe/bar for much needed refreshment and met Amen who cooked us dinner and provided us with contacts in Bali - it was really interesting talking to him and we hope he has success with his many talents (music, carving, cooking, trekking etc).

The following day saw us head back to Medan by local bus which was much quicker and more pleasant than expected through interesting scenerly and everyday life in Sumatra.

Advice for fellow travellers: the bus station is some way out of the Bukit Lawang village centre (along the bank of the river).Take a becak (motorised trishaw) from the village near the tourist officeto the bus station (no more than 5,000 rupiah) and the buses leaveleave every 15 minutes for Medan (10,000 rupiah).Jungle Inn is a really great place to stay as it is the nearest point to the Orang Utan sanctuary and NP.The people are really friendly and it had good freshly cooked food on offer most of the day. Rooms are varied and interesting (70,000 rupiah upwards). We had problems finding more details to contact them so here are some for the future: tel no - 0813 70730151; email - [email protected] .But there are other great looking restaurants, cafes and guest houses along the path leading to the NP.

E M xxx