BELAWAN – BUKIT LAWANG

Also this country wouldn’t let us in without ATA carnet since this is the most important document at the customs. However, this doesn’t mean there is anyone who knows how to fill is correctly. Everything is ready in an hour and we can take off. Due to the lack of time there is only one place in Sumatra we can take a closer look at: Bukit Lawang, a jungle village recommended by our Dutch friends. After only fifty kilometers made we have to admit that traffic in Cambodia was a real relaxing comparing to what is going on here. I couldn’t even imagine something like this: there is totally no traffic regulation – trucks and buses are the ones enjoying priority and ignoring everyone else on the road; the roads themselves are in an horrible state; suburbs follow each other, link and never end; traffic jams are bigger than in Moscow; passing is not only acceptable but is even advisable by both sides; the horn has to work or else you won’t get far her. 

I don’t know why there are traffic lights at all: nobody ever follows them as well as signs. Thank God, we have a map and GPS, otherwise we would never find anything in this country. By the way, when asking locals about the roads, it’s better not to show them the map since most of them have never seen it before. In two hours we turn to a smaller road and driving becomes easier. At 4PM we finally are at the village we headed to; the road stop here, too: there is only fast mountainous river and jungle further. We stay at Garden Inn which offers easy, cozy and cheap bungalows by the water.