i have attached some photos of Bukit Lawang taken in the midde of 2004, 8 months or so after the flood. It was a fairly mixed experience returning to Bukit Lawang for the first time since the flood.
Very sad to see the destruction and to hear people's terrible tales of their experiences during the flood, to hear sad stories of friends and family members who passed away and to see how little development has taken place since then. Those who lost everything were still (and are now) living in very basic conditions, with constant promises from the govt of new housing and tourist developments. Those who didn't have family to live with were living in quickly erected small basic rooms in the market place.
It was however, also a very inspiring visit, to see how much strength the people of Bukit Lawang have against such adversity. People were willing to share what very little they had with us, offering cups of tea, food and the usual kind Indonesian hospitality.
There were some signs of the return of tourism, some new guesthouses built in the nearby village and fields. If you look at the photos taken down river, you will notice that the river has shifted. Where there was the path with cafes and shops on either side (eg Pangolin, Tony's etc) there is now river. It was necessary to walk THROUGH the cave at the bottom of the village in order to walk up river - it was once possible to walk in front of the cave, where the path and shops were. This is now all river.
As a sign of the future looking brighter, when we visited, the river had just begun running beautifully clear for the first time since the flood and the jungle background was, as ever a stunning backdrop.
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