We went to visit the Tangkahan elephant community today. A
not so short walk down the road brought us to a shady area of jungle in which
the elephants grazed below coconut trees. As we approached an elephant mounted
local plodded past us and disappeared into the plantation on the far side of
the road. We watched the elephants for a while and then retreated to a
riverside cafe for coke colas.
Due to our financial situation, we have decided that we will
leave Tangkahan for Medan tomorrow. We've been in negotiation with a local
guide called Suka, who has arranged us an expensive car to take us on the 4hour
ride, we've heard the most efficient way to return.
Tomorrow morning we will bath and feed the elephants down at
the river before we depart. As I lay in bed listening to some distant batak
local deliver his rendition of Brian Adam's, 'Everything I do', I can't help
but feel extremely fond of this place and the people. Although I anticipate the
long journey back to the UK, I could quite happily continue to explore Indonesia
and would have liked more time here. I've never been to a place in which the
people are so welcoming and friendly... and that includes all the people I've
met in Indonesia, from the shifty street hustlers of Jakarta, the committed Muslim
people of Aceh, to the chilled out Batak people of north Sumatra.
At the beggining of this trip, we approached and interacted
with the Indonesian people cautiously and skeptically, now all encounters
initiate with a smile and a cheerful "Ha-lo". The indonesian culture initially is something
that can be hard to digest, but once you get used to it, its really very
charming.
Relaxing at a jungle side cafe
Sarah as a bond babe
Elephants!
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