Amazing Sumatra!

Hello my Steeming pals!

The island of Sumatra is the biggest of the Indonesian archipelago but is certainly not the most developed.

It's lack of fast flowing roads and efficient connections (poor infrastructure in general) discourages a lot of backpackers from visiting. The distances between tourist attractions are quite big and public transport can be lacking at times. It can take well over a week to travel the length of Sumatra. It took me just under a month!

However, for the independent traveller on a motorcycle this place is bliss!!!

The island is mountainous and very green. There are volcanos, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, harsh rainy seasons with floods and raging rivers. In fact, it can be said that the entire area is a succession of geological disasters waiting to happen. The locals are not concerned though and reassured me that as long as the disasters came one at a time they could handle any emergency.

The scenery is wild and varied with plenty of good photo opportunities.

Bukit Lawan and Taman Gunung Leuser park might be a good place to start exploring. A two day jungle treck ( or longer) will give any visitor plenty of chances to see some wild life and get close to some orangutans. Maybe even too close as I describe in a recent post here:
https://steemit.com/travel/@john-gpr/top-travel-quotes
or here:
http://www.travellingstranger.com/orangutan-hand-shake/

Lake Toba is another worth while destination. Those with an interest in geology might appreciate the fact the lake actually rests upon the remains of one of the biggest "super Volcanoes" our planet has known.

Thomas Langur Monkey

Lake Toba

Further south, shortly after crossing the equator, the Kerinci Highlands offer cooler temperatures than the coastal planes and tea from the local plantations to sip and taste.

On the South West coast of the island close to Java there are stretches of idillic untouched beaches with glistening white sand, palm trees and coral reefs. Here there are some small surfing communities that are starting to move in to enjoy the big waves .....something @surfermarly might know about perhaps.

So my Steeming pals I suggest you visit Sumatra if you're ever in Indonesia and want to taste some adventure. The people are friendly, the food is good! Might all be more interesting than hanging out in a holiday resort in Bali drinking mojitos......not that there is anything wrong with that either 😂!