I was deep in the jungle chasing after some redheaded Orangutans. Into my second day of hiking, I was walking all alone when I noticed this giant Orangutan making her way through the trees above my head. All of a sudden she dropped down onto the trail right there in front of me. A young woman and her daughter captured this explorer s heart as I was walking along the street in downtown Medan, northern Sumatra. A local gasoline station in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia.
Shanty towns line the Deli River which runs through the city of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
You follow this trail into the Bohorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center where Orangutans from around the world are brought in order to reintroduce them to their natural environment. We have just received our permits to enter the Gunung Leuser National Park. After she landed, I noticed she had this baby Orangutan who was obviously holding on for dear life. Anyway, there I was standing eye to eye with this huge Orangutan when she decides to make the first move by reaching out with her right hand. As she reached out and put her hand in mine, we clasped our fingers together in an ever so gentle way like girlfriends and boyfriends sometimes do.