Indonesia > Rain in Tangkahan

Due to the time difference, the first travel day passes quickly. Still in the dark, the plane begins its landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. I slept reasonably well during the night, but hardly at all. Tonight, I’ll go to bed a bit earlier. At the airport, I take a shuttle train to the other departure hall for my connecting flight to Medan. It is seven o’clock in the morning local time. While waiting for the flight, I get acquainted with the fellow travelers. At first glance, they seem like a nice group—perhaps a bit large at around twenty people. At nine o’clock, the plane takes off. An hour later, I land again at nine o’clock. On Sumatra, it is one hour earlier. In the arrival hall, I join the line for a visa. I am surprised by the conversion rate between dollars and euros.

Indonesia - In the rain over the hanging bridge at Tangkahan

It essentially comes down to almost a one-to-one rate. Since I don’t have any dollars with me, I’ll have to make do. At an ATM in the arrival hall, I withdraw 3 million rupiahs. I feel like a rich man—it’s roughly 200 euros. I also meet Karin in the arrival hall. She is the tour leader for this trip. She leads me to the bus, which has just enough space for twenty people—a bit cramped. The luggage is transported behind the bus in a separate vehicle. We set off for Tangkahan, traveling west on poorly maintained roads. The first two hours to Binjai are manageable. I stop there for lunch at a spacious restaurant, ordering nasi goreng and my first cola of the day. After lunch, the bus turns left and the road immediately worsens. The asphalt is crumbling or completely gone in some places. Along the way, there are miles of palm oil plantations. Large plantations have displaced the tropical rainforest. A tragedy for nature, but a source of income for the local population. Palm oil can be used for biofuel, but also as vegetable oil in numerous food products. Personally, I would rather see the original rainforest. During the last few kilometers to Tangkahan, it begins to rain—and heavily! Large puddles cover the entire width of the road. It sometimes feels as if we are driving through a ditch. Thomyde, the driver, carefully navigates the sandy and slippery road. The rain continues without stopping. Fortunately, in Tangkahan I am met by people holding umbrellas. They guide me from the bus to a small café. Although it is less than ten meters, I still get quite wet. Under the shelter, I order a lukewarm beer and wait for the rain to ease. Around five o’clock, after sheltering for over an hour, the rain stops briefly. It’s not completely dry, but I decide to brave the walk to the lodge. For this, I must cross a large suspension bridge over the river. The river flows quickly due to the recent rainfall. Once in my cabin, I realize just how tired I am from the entire journey. I lie down on the bed. Outside, the rain and thunderstorm break out again with full force. I hear the rain pounding on the corrugated roof. After dinner, Saku, the local guide, explains the program for tomorrow. I can go tubing, take a trek, or simply stay at the lodge. I want to combine a jungle trek with tubing. This seems possible, but coordinating it proves somewhat tricky. By the time I go to bed, I have an arrangement to do a jungle trek in the morning and float down the river in a tube in the afternoon, including lunch at the waterfall. Now I just hope the weather will be favorable for these activities tomorrow.