Indonesia

Indonesia, one of the biggest countries in the world. Pulling Indonesia on a Mercator projected map from the equator up to Europe visualizes its size. The eastern end starts in Moskau, it ends on the west in Lissabon. Try it yourself with the mind-opening map of true sizes.

We traveled to the western end of Indonesia, called Pulau Weh. It’s a small island in the region of Aceh. Aceh became famous when the tsunami of 2004 killed thousands of people (130.000) in the region.

Pulau Weh is a laid back paradise with not many tourists. People here are still very innocent about tourism and act curious and friendly when they meet foreigners. It is fantastic to walk the streets, meet open-minded and friendly people, and enjoy some form of communication with them.

The jungle of Pulau Weh
Jungle in Pulau Weh
School girls of Pulau Weh
school girls of Pulau Weh
Small girl from Pulau Weh
small girl of Pulau Weh (print available in gallery)

On our way back to the mainland we traveled through the heartland of Sumatra, aiming for our final destination, the jungle of Bukit Lawang where Orang-Utans live in freedom, protected by the government.

You meet friendly and smiling people on every corner. That’s the unstoppable optimism of Indonesia.

The strangers
The strangers
fresh food in bukit lawang
fresh food
Happy faces of Indonesia
Work in Bukit Lawang
School kids of Bukit Lawang
school kids in Bukit Lawang
Field work in Bukit Lawang

We reached our last stop: the impressive jungle of Bukit Lawang. A fantastic land stripe with endless possibilities of exploring. Get your guide and learn more about nature and the natural habitat of some of the last free Orang-Utans.

Jungle of Bukit Lawang
Orang Utans in the jungle of Bukit Lawang
Orang Utans in Bukit Lawang