There! An orangutan! An adult male is snoozing in the trees. We admire him, he ignores us. Sometimes he gives us a “if you dare to disturb my morning siësta, you’re in trouble” look, but other than that he is way too busy with being lazy.  There! Two more. In the distance we see two orangutans swinging from tree to tree before they dissappear in the jungle. Wow. Amazing. It’s wonderful to see these creatures in the wild.

>> Watch in 360° view – sound recommended <<

Orangutans are one of the closest living relatives of human mankind, after the gorilla and chimpansee. Our common great grandma lived about 14 million years ago and even today 97% of our DNA is still the same. It’s a pitty though that we miss their tree swing capability dna-piece as that looks pretty cool.

We continue deeper into the jungle of North Sumatra. It doesn’t take long before we see a mama orangutan with her baby. Beautiful! And cute. Mama looks less cute when our guide shows her a banana. So not needed. 😏 Just leave them where they are, let them do whatever they are doing. Let them be wild. 

She comes closer and her face is focused. She wants that banana! And who can blame her… We continue, she follows. Swinging from tree to tree. More guides and tourists arrive. The telegraph system works well in the jungle… She now looks suspicious. People try to get closer while we walk away. But she wants that banana and follows us. More tourists arrive. For some reason, she decides to sit on the ground.

People gather around her to take a selfie. A selfie! Common! These are wild – or semi-wild 🤔, at least wild enough! – animals. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Orangutans live on their own, quietly up in the tree, not bothering anyone. If that’s your life, being haunted by camera’s must feel uncomfortable.

We continue walking, this time it is our guide who follows us. “You want to go? You don’t want a close-up picture?” “No, we want to see orangutans from a respectful distance and only by chance. Not by banana.“ 

The rest of the day is orangutan and orangbule free (in Bahasa Indonesia orangutan means people of the jungle, orangbule means people from abroad). All we spot are orangutan nests. Every night they build a new one from leaves and branches. And to think a male adult can weigh up to 80 kilo’s! The hike goes up and down. We try to swing in the lianas, but fail hilarious. We spot monkeys, birds, peacocks and giant ants. We enjoy the rain forest. Mother nature. 

A pity is the chain saw in the distance… 🙄 Please please leave this national park in tact. 🙏🏻 Gunung Leuser national park is one if the richest tropical rain forests in South East Asia and one of the last two homes of the wild orangutans. A couple of ten thousands are left. That’s it.

Our home for the night is a little paradise in the jungle. We take a dip in the small creek and pass the time by sitting on a stone. Surrounded by jungle sounds we sculpture a soft stone with a knife. Zen. Much better than WiFi and a mobile. 

Our bed room is an open hut that gives shelter for the rain. Not much else. All good until Wouter comes with this brilliant idea to bring it alive. “Are there any giant centipedes around here?” “Oh yes, they are really poissioness.” “Is the most dangerous animal the tiger?” “Oh, no no, no there are many others.” …. Thanks Wouter!

The guide and his mate treat us with a delicious Indonesian rice dish (in the middle of the jungle!) and next… it’s really time to go to our bed in that open hut and try really hard not to think about the story the guide just told us how painful it was when he got bitten by a giant centipede. Sleep tight. 😱

Besides a stiff back from the hard floor and being awake quite some time due to rain and thunder the night was ok. No centipedes. We meet one when we leave the camp. 

Today we also meet notorious Mina. Mina was once hold as a pet and had a terrible youth. Eventually she was prepared for the wild by the rehabilitation centre which is now closed. Today, she is in her thirties, a grandma and can perfectly take care of herself but is smarter than that and knows exactly how to get her food straight from the guides, instead of the trees. She wants banana’s and basically she will not let you get through, until she gets them. Many legs have been bitten and cracked. And who can blame her…

Our guide manages Mina with banana’s and we have a free passage. “You want selfie?” “Nooohoo, we don‘t want a selfie 🙄”. Somewhat later we encounter an orangutan boy. He is curious. A little bit too curious in our opinion when he swipes towards us with his big eyes. He looks cute but is stronger than us and so we better go. “You don’t want to wait for mama?” “Mama? Are you serious? No thanks…”. Baby orangutans live with their mama for 6 to 7 years to learn the ropes.

It was fascinating and wonderful to see the orangutans within their own habitat. To see them swinging around, lazing around. To see their recognizable expressions. But this whole banana happening feels awkward. It’s not needed. It’s done for the perfect picture. In case of Mina there is maybe no other way. Not anymore. Unless everone opt for broken bones or stop the jungle treks for tourists. But that would mean a village without a job and less ‘save the orangutan’ marketing while they are an endangered animal. So. It’s in the hands of the homo sapiens: keep distance and no more banana’s. Ok maybe a few for Mina…

>>> QuickStory of our jungle adventures <<<