Day 11 - Wednesday

Today's discovery was 'tubing'. The cost of this activity can vary hugely depending on whether you hire a guide to carry the tube and provide lunch. We opted for the self service version. For just 25,000 rupiah (about £1.25) you can hire a large, inflated tube for the day. What you do next is walk as far as you like up the river, wade in and launch yourself into the current. Possibly the most fun you can have in Bukit Lawang for about a quid.

As you float along the river, you can see macaques, Thomas Leaf monkeys, large monitor lizards and local people playing and working along the river's edge.

Some of the floating is through rough rapids - lots of fun. At other times we found ourselves stuck with our tube on a big rock, much to the amusement of onlookers as we wiggled to escape and get back in the flow.

We also found a very reasonably priced restaurant next to a shop selling branded ice creams for the equivalent of about 30p.

At the end of the day we met Jimmy in the local bar. Jimmy is one of the coordinators of jungle treks. We booked our two-day trek for Saturday and Sunday.