Page 49 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL7

 A scorpion found on a bank of Randak River.Randak River flows from a mountain through the pristine forest of Gunung Leuser National Park.‚which are endemic to the northern Sumatran rainforest and a vulnerable species, a number of silvered leaf monkeys or silvery langurs, and a troop of about twenty long-tailed macaques, but we did not spot any orangutan.The following day we embarked on the five-day trek deeper into Gunung Leuser rainforest along the Randak River which flows from its source on a mountain. It was a real adventure as we trekked five to six hours a day mostly wading in the knee-deep Randak River to reach a camp of each day. At a camp we experienced basic jungle accommodation by sleeping as a group in a simple long tent on plastic sheets under a roof of a very large tarpaulin stretched over a bamboo frame and surrounded by the four walls of tarpaulin. Robet’s team was efficient and experienced in putting up a steady tent which endured heavy rains that hit our camp every night but ended before dawn. As for food, a Trek Sumatra’s cook prepared fresh meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us, comprising rice as the main dish with fried vegetables, fried chicken, and eggs.The five-day trek was fun, relaxing, and adventurous in the wild. However, we didn’t see any orangutan but spotted a troop of Thomas’s langur coming down to drink at the river near our camp one late afternoon. We returned safely to Bukit Lawang having survived the pristine and rugged Sumatran rainforest and the beautiful and clean but dangerous Randak River which were full of slippery rocks and the occasional flash floods after heavy rainfalls.To those who seek unique and exotic adventure in a tropical jungle, I strongly recommend trekking in the rainforest of Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.Elite+ 47