With its explosive political (and geological) past, tourism in Indonesia has plummeted. All the more reason to visit these magical lands. (Author: Jessica Morris)

Two hands slam down on my shoulders from behind and Udin, our guide, yells “Run!” We are in the rainforest of northern Sumatra, supposedly on the hunt for orang-utans, but the tables have turned: the orang-utans are on the hunt for us, and our dinner. I am not what you might call the sporty type, but I scarcely pause when the ground rises vertically in front of me. I hoist myself up a cliff face with the aid of liana vines while nearby, just above the sound of my heartbeat, I can hear our pursuers swinging effortlessly from tree to tree.
North of the equator lies Lake Toba and, in the middle of the lake, Samosir Island. If you asked me to find a location for a film set in the Garden of Eden, this would be it, with its wide green meadows, banana palms, volcanic springs, grazing white buffalo and little churches with pointed steeples. This is the home of the Batak people, evangelised by German missionaries, and known for their music.

Before I started my journey I wrote a list of “Reasons to be Nervous” in my diary: attack by fundamentalists; bird flu; volcanic eruptions and earthquakes; food poisoning; bathrooms; malaria. At the end of my journey I wrote a new list: pavements (I stubbed my toes daily, fell flat on my face twice, walked into a ditch in the dark); falling coconuts. I am home again with a pair of disintegrating sandals I can’t bear to throw away because they have waded through rivers, climbed the largest Buddhist stupa in the world, and waited for me on the veranda steps of countless small hotels.

I’ll be back - I only hope it’s before everyone else remembers what a fascinating place Indonesia is too.

Source: Indosnesos