Exploring a cave in the middle of a Palm oil forest

My trek through the rainforest of Bukit Lawang starts tomorrow. That means I have an extra day to explore the town and its surroundings. I came here to see the rainforest and to see wild Orangutans. Unfortunately, Bukit Lawang is also one of the last places on earth where that is possible.

Palm oil vs. Orangutans

Today, I will explore one of the main reasons for that, Palm oil. The Palm oil we find in shampoo and plenty of other products is why almost no Orangutans are left worldwide. Of course, it is hard to avoid Palm oil as even Coca-Cola, Pringles, and many different products contain it. But, to walk here through the palm oil plantages puts you onto it in detail. Compared to the rainforest, those plantages are dead. There is no living creature to find. It’s sad how money is more important than nature.

Okay, that was my little vent on why Palm oil is terrible. Although it is true, seeing it up close makes the story sad. Even when I was driving towards Bukit Lawang: we went for hours between Palm oil plantages to get to the actual rainforest. It is hard to imagine that it was all part of the rainforest filled with Orangutans. We should encourage big companies to find alternatives and cut back on cutting even more forestry.

Besides that, my day was good. The walk itself was lovely, and I even got to a cave. I started to explore the inside, although I was alone. The stupid decisions are mine because I shouldn’t have done them, looking back at it. But, oh well, I might change to headline from traveller to explorer. It makes up for good stories. I’m just looking forward to starting my trip to the rainforest.

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