salamat datang sumatra! it's indonesia!

After a long awaited arrival, I've finally made it to Indonesia! The more I heard about Indonesia, the more excited I became to get to this massive, diverse and beautiful country. After spending a few weeks exploring Sumatra I can definitely say I love this country and cannot wait to see the other islands. For a quick rundown of Sumatra I'll mainly let my pictures do the talking but the exploration went as such: 

Getting my bearings in the hill town of Bukittinggi, mountain biking and enjoying small town culture in Lake Meninjau, swimming in the lovely Lake Toba, amazing diving and lazy beach days on the stunning Pulau Weh, visitng mosques, eating too much good food and joining in the end of Ramadan celebration, Idul Fitri, in Medan and almost getting attacked in the jungles of Bukit Lawang by Mina, an enormous female orangutan famous for having attacked over 70 guides...

incredibly chatty and friendly school girls I met at the park in Bukittinggi who were more than happy to practice their English and giggle over their love for Justin Beiber 

one of the many adorable wooden houses sprinkled around Lake Meninjau, all adorned with more flowers than you could imagine

lovely bike ride with rice paddy fields, hidden houses and perfect views of the lake

my favorite swim spot on Lake Toba

remarkable view of the bay from my beach bungalow on Pulau Weh

 largest mosque in Medan

Idul Fitri street parade celebrating the end of Ramadan (Muslim practice of fasting from sunrise to sunset for a whole month)

Mina and her little baby that's so ugly he's cute. This is just before she headed down the trail after us... luckily the lure of bananas got her off our path long enough for us to pass and get out of her territory :)