Fun in the Jungle!
on A Canuck Amuck (Bangladesh), 23/Apr/2014 10:28, 34 days ago
Three intrepid UN Volunteers headed into the Sumatran jungle to visit with the orangutans and then hit the road to Pulau Weh and Banda Aceh.Valter and Carla at the starting point for our jungle trek - the Friendship Guesthouse in Ketambe. A great place to stay! One of the curious orangutans we met in the jungle.  Look at those arms (and legs)! Our guide on the trek was a local legend and chain smoker, Jhon Kanedi, who also went by"JFK". Get it? Breakfast at the campsite the next day - great pancakes and omelettes cooked over the fire!  The trees we found in the jungle were huge!  I gave myself a seat on one of the tree limbs. See my blue leggings? They were to protect against leeches.  JFK and Carla make like Tarzan on one of the vines. An island paradise! On Pulau Weh, off the north coast of Sumatra, snorkelling, diving and relaxing were the only items on the agenda. In the very conservative world of the Muslim island, women could only swim fully covered from head to foot, which made for some interesting swim gear.In Banda Aceh, we managed to find Little John and his motorcycle taxi. With free wifi, no less! He was our tour guide to the city for the day.Banda Aceh was Ground Zero for the 2004 tsunami, which devastated the city. This is one of the fishing boats that landed on top of a house about one kilometre inland. They have kept it as a memorial, though the"No Parking"sign adds a touch of unintended irony. A new bride and groom at the Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh..