Last Days

Malone and I had originally planned to see the orangutans in Bukit Lawang, then travel to a nearby spot to visit with some elephants. Instead of riding an elephant in any of the other places we had visited, we did research to find the best place where the elephants were treated well. We had settled on a spot in Indonesia where elephants had been rescued from mistreatment and trained to patrol the forests, looking for illegal loggers. But we fell in love with Bukit Lawang and decided to spend our last days together there. Unfortunately, we had no money left because our trek was so expensive, and Bukit Lawang had no ATM. So we took a terrifying ride on the backs of Haidir’s and Andy’s motorbikes to the nearest ATM, about 10 kilometers away. I was afraid for my life and could do nothing but put all my faith and trust in Haidir. I survived, but the ATM didn’t accept VISA. So we went back into town, shared a plate of fried banana with coconut and chocolate, and later had a delicious dinner with Rick and Emily from our trek. I ate the Indonesian national dish—Gado Gado—peanut sauce on mixed vegetables with rice and hard-boiled egg. It was so good; I was eating so well in my days leading up to my trip to Pulau Bangkaru, where I was told the food was simple and not very exciting (which wasn’t entirely accurate). In the evening, we got together with Haidir and Andy and sat by the river with palm wine (which was disgusting) and strawberry Fanta (which was also disgusting) and sang songs and talked. The natural serenity of the town and the positive energy and friendship were so fulfilling; these were some of my happiest days in Asia.

The following day, Malone and I had to take the public bus to Binjai, the nearest town, to use the ATM. This wasn’t terribly exciting, but I got to read on the bus, and we ran into Hendri at a pancake stand, so I tried an Indonesian pancake with chocolate and peanuts while Malone tried Obama’s favorite dish, Bakso. When we got back to town, I was slowly walking along the main street, thinking about what souvenirs I wanted to purchase, when I ran into Gabe (pronounced Gabby). He was an older man, sitting on the steps of his little shop, carving wooden sculptures, bed posts, and other things. He said hello to me and asked me if I spoke German. (I guess I look German?) I said I could, ein bissien, and then was surprised to find I could have a conversation with him. He told me to sit down and he would buy me a drink. I asked for an iced tea, but he came back with a strawberry Fanta, which I was forced to drink. It was sickeningly sweet. But I sat in the heat with my strawberry Fanta, mosquitoes clustering around my ankles, and talked with Gabe for about an hour. He had been a sailor and traveled a lot. His wife was German and had died in the flood that ravaged Bukit Lawang in 2003. His demeanor was light-hearted, but you could tell that he was lonely. I was happy to give him some company, even though he kept poking my arm and tried to tell me that he went to school with Obama, and Obama had punched him in the schoolyard, knocking out nearly all of his teeth.

I spent the evening with Emily, Malone, and Andy, and in the morning, Malone and I had our last breakfast together before she caught an earlier bus to her next destination. It was strange to watch her walking away; we had spent the past two months together, becoming closer friends than we had been before. It was even stranger to leave Bukit Lawang by myself, later that morning. I said goodbye to Nora, and Andy gave me a hug. As I walked down the shop-lined river path, I passed about everyone I had met in the town, except Haidir, who was out on a trek. I said goodbye to our river-rafting guide (never did catch his name), Gabe, and finally Hendri, who gave me a big hug and told me to stop thinking so much. Even people I had never met stopped me to say goodbye, ask where I was headed next, and wish me well. It was the first place I’d visited in Asia, other than maybe Pai, where it was sad to leave, knowing that I would probably never be back, and definitely the first place where I felt like I had made friends, and friends who would remember me if I returned. But I continued on my journey alone, prepared for my final destination: Pulau Bangkaru to volunteer with the sea turtles for the rest of the month.