TRAVEL INDONESIA || Java // Sumatra

We absolutely loved our time in Indonesia, particularly given we really didn't know what to expect from Java as it's slightly less travelled than other parts of SE Asia. This became apparent when we spent the day walking around a few temple complexes and had lots of Indonesians (who are extremely nice and friendly) sheepishly watching us walk past, before summoning the courage to ask for a photo with us. Not that anyone spoke English, so it was a lot of gesturing which after the first few photos with different groups, became pretty obvious what was happening. It was pretty funny to see parents pushing their kids to have photos with us as if it was the kids asking for it (the kids were only vaguely interested at best), before pushing their kids out of the way so they could have their picture with us.

We also visited the Tumpak Sewu waterfall which was well worth the lack of health & safety setup on the way down to the canyon, easing ourselves down rusty rickety ladders and climbing down through waterfalls. Once at the bottom of the canyon, it's a fairly easy walk until it opens out on to the waterfalls themselves and it is STUNNING! Definitely the most amazing waterfalls we've ever seen.

Our last stop in the country was on the island of Sumatra. Much less built up than Java, The major draw of Sumatra is seeing Orangutans in the wild. We spent a few days in the town of Bukit Lawang, which is a lovely place right in the jungle. The town is split by a river, with just 1 DIY-style bridge connecting the two sides. We had 2 separate treks into the jungle with our own private guide and out of the various 'jungle stays' we've had in our travels (inc. Amazon, Borneo, Malaysia), this was our favourite due to the amount of wildlife around. We saw macaques (long tailed and pig tailed), gibbons, Thomas' leaf monkey and of course orangutans. Whilst we saw orangutans in Borneo, this felt like a completely different experience as the population here consists of both rescued & rehabilitated orangutans and completely wild orangutans. The treks were really tough going, particularly in the heat and humidity, but that added to the experience in its own way. Besides, we were able to return to Bukit Lawang via a few inflatable rubber rings strapped together and floating down the river. The rapids soon cooled us off!

Follow us on instagram: @awkwardnomads