heading to ketambe

It seems that Udin Pesong (Anakmedan) THINKS that threatening travellers will make good business for the hotels he works at...Zakia or Raya Hotel or Wisma Yuli in Medan. I wouldn't think that the owners would want their places associated with guys who threaten visitors to Sumatra.

this not talk about rip off but all the guides just want earn money and they did well,we never push them to joint with us and travellers know what they want from talking withguides,and if you dont want take a guides,why should put thewords like that,and what he did,it seems he never learn how to make good with indonesia people.And it can be more problem for him to visit sumatra because start from all guides good or not guides will talk about it and theyconnect each other.we never want to make anyproblem but we want everybody should respect each others.

Udin (aka Anakmedan) - Blackgibbon simply said that the guides in Ketembe know their area better than guides hired in Medan would...and that many (not all) don't even know the area at all...and thus need to hire a local guide. So that means you are paying for two guides when one will do. And you are paying money toa Medan guide that will go back to Medan. Now maybe some people want to have someone "help them" get to Ketembe, but for many people that's totally unnecessary.

Blackgibbon never said he was going to "organise" a tourism business. He simply said if someone wanted to travel with him he would take them there. And once there they would hire local guides. You seem to forget that the people of Ketembe are also "Indonesian people".

And you continue to make threats...saying that you are spreading the word to all the other guides. Yet every traveller to Medan now can see that you are acting like a little Mafia man. Is that going to bring you business? I think now that every tourist who reads the Lonely Planet is going to avoid you and Zakias, Raya and Wisma Juli because of what YOU write. What happens if you confront someone who isn't "Black Gibbon"? They are not going to be very happy. In fact all you are going to do is destroy the tourism business for other guides even more by scaring travellers away.

Let me say this quite clearly...if I hear ONE WHISPER about a tourist getting confronted, harassed, or hurt by someone in Medan, Bukit lawang, etc. I'm going to contact a good friendwho is a detective in the Polres and give them your name. AND, if a tourist is hurt or injured or harassed by guides or gangsters TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME. A "public reward" can be raised to have people find the guilty parties.

So I think that you just need to stop and think about what your words are doing to the hotels where you seek tourist business...and what you are doing to the ability of yourself and others to find work. Giving tourists the impression that you are a gangster isn't helping.

Udin (aka Anakmedan) - Blackgibbon simply said that the guides in Ketembe know their area better than guides hired in Medan would...and that many (not all) in Medan don't even know the area at all...and thus need to hire a local guide. Tell me what you would do if you came across a black snake with yellow stripes, for example? Or how would you make a fire without a lighter and matches?

Why pay for two guides when one will do. And you are paying money toa Medan guide that will go back to Medan. Now maybe some people want to have someone "help them" get to Ketembe, but for many people that's totally unnecessary.

Blackgibbon never said he was going to "organise" a tourism business. He simply said if someone wanted to travel with him he would take them there. He wasn't asking to get paid. And once there they would hire local guides. You seem to forget that the people of Ketembe are also "Indonesian people".

And you continue to make threats...saying that you are spreading the word to all the other guides. Yet every traveller to Medan now can see that you are acting like a little Mafia man. Is that going to help bring you business? I think now that every tourist who reads the Lonely Planet is going to avoid you and Zakias, Raya and Wisma Juli because of what YOU write. What happens if you confront someone who isn't "Black Gibbon"? They are not going to be very happy. In fact all you are going to do is destroy the tourism business for other guides even more by scaring travellers away. You need to start using your BRAIN!

Let me say this quite clearly...if I hear ONE WHISPER about a tourist getting confronted, harassed, or hurt by someone in Medan, Bukit lawang, etc. I'm going to contact a good friend who is a detective in the Polres and give them your name. AND, if a tourist is hurt or injured or harassed by guides or gangsters TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME. A "secret reward" can be raised to have people find the guilty parties. Of course, if a estern tourist is hurt or injured maybe the government is going to be very angry because this is going to affect the tourism business...and maybe they think that the attacker is a 'terrorist".

So you just need to stop and THINK about what your words are doing to the hotels where you seek tourist business...and what you are doing to the ability of yourself and others to find work. Giving tourists the impression that you are a gangster isn't helping. So clean up your act!

Well said RedApe.

Blackgibbon, here are some more photos of your beloved Ketembe and Pulau Weh taken in August 2005 by Juz sadly an infrequent poster here on Thorn Tree.
Looking at them makes me want to be back there right now with Pak Mus and family and all the other people I befriended there. Such a fantastic place.
Pamela.

I read all the comments so i feel anakmedan little idiot,because now the problem for tourism in this area all people must help each other to make tourists or travellers come to sumatera.i have many friends also guides,from lake toba,bukitlawang,berastagi and all of them are nice especially when they know much about travellers thinking,sometimes they complained also because some young guide never have trained about tourism and they just speak little english,hang around with tourists,and some of them make the travellers try to avoid guides,anak medan,maaf saya tulis dalam bahasa indonesia,marilah kita bersama-sama untuk membangun citra yang baik bagi siapa saja yang datang ke daerah kita.we give good for everybody and learn more how you can earn more money with sincerity and honest.some guides very nice with some tourists and threat them not just get their money but they make them like a real friend,so when you threat them good and become a kawan,it doesnt matter from where are you,they will also threat you well.I saw some guides(i dont want to say from where) many travellers like them,even they dont go with them but still give good informations and alway nice with them,so saya mau kamu sebagai anak medan harus lebih mengerti bahwa tourists is not belong of your controll.ok.i will also control your act with some of my friends,but we respect you as long as you respect us.

i have been going ketambe for many years and know all the families in ketambe .... these people are all good people and have been doing it tough for many years now..... if tourists take guides from ketambe all the money stays in aceh which is logical and then new gardens are not made ....all this is plain and simple .... most guides in medan have just one knoweledge of the jungle and that is the gift of the english language there friendships whith the locals is very much in their favour .....with only the smallest amount given to the "porters"...... knowing the way to the hotsprings does not make you a jungle guide .... the people of the village have had to cope with the shutdown of the boarders to the tourists and this had a major affect on every family in ketambe, now that tourists are free to go back surely the people of the village should get the rewards of their work ...
i do not take tourists to ketambe for money or such and do not care where they stay.....as long as they go to ketambe everyone in ketambe wins but when guides take tourist from medan such little money is paid to the homestays and guides .... ask yourselve how much do you pay the locals for your food and accomadtion when you are not in the jungle .... who is taking advantage of these people ....
so many of the locals in ketambe have an understanding and knowledge of the jungle that city people will never learn ...... there problem is they can not talk like the city guides as they only see one tourist a week if they are lucky hense there english is not as good, and they do not know how to harrass tourists as that is not part of there up-bringing .....ketambe is a special place .... and it is worlds apart from medan in all ways

the locals welcome many guides from medan and some are very good but not all are liked ..... remember the jungle needs protected and that means more of the tourists money has to stay there ... the big fruiting trees are the first to be illeagally logged so if tourist money does not stay in ketambe then there will be no orang-utans to see and this is why tourists go ....i have no war on the guides in medan i just do not like some of them and would not want to go treking with them anyway let lone go to aceh with them on hoiladay .... to the child of medan i do not know who you are and hope that you relise that there are alot of things you can learn from the people of ketambe ... honesty would be a good one to start with

KETAMBE AND ITS PROBLEM NOW
When I read the comments of this articles,it seem everybody are proud about what they expect as a tourists place or..I dont want to say your reply are good or bad but Ialso want to write about ketambe and try to critised your reply to explain to all of you about ketambe from long time and now.
On seventy,when still not many people knows about ketambe,Ketambe is already a place for some travel agent to bring pacckage tourist from Holland.Some guide already brougth them tosee ketambe,on that time guides organised everything that helped by locals or porters for accomodation.Before most tourists stayed at rumah kepala dusun(The father of kepala desa now),they already cooperated well.And after that the bustanil arifin minister opened a Gurah Bungalows as a first accomodations for tourists,till now Gurah still operated.
On eigthty,someguides from berastagi tried to promote ketambe and south east aceh,and they cooperated with thepeople or guide from kutacane to travellers.They organised trekking and rafting on alas river untill Gelombang singkil south aceh(On that time the organised rafting with very traditional ways)And most travellers stayed at kutacane.Nearlyninety one guest house opened in Ketambe by pak Ali that supported by a owner of guest house from berastagi,and also some guides from Berastagi do well cooperated with people from ketambe to bring tourists to stay there.It seems Ketambe not change much because same time also bukitlawang already populer after promoted by berastagi guides too.Most the guides from berastagi dont want to change ketambe and become more touristy place with the reason their human resources still not develop and traditional,yet.why?Most tourists places in sumatera is normally in villages area,with the standart of education very limited but when the boomed of travellers come to sumatera,it also stirred local guys want to follow "Freedom life of travellers"and it can be a problem with alot of harrassment with travellers especially most women travellers not feel safe about it.Even on that time some reported about harrassment that were written by travellers in some tourists places in sumatera.But people slowly to learn about it.
When some guest houses opened in ketambe,someproblem happen also in ketambe.Most the guest houses have very high competition and also they want all programs organised by theirselves,they dont want to involved the locals,they just use their family..They also want the guides from outside took their family without give a chance to local people do not have a guesthouse in the village,and some locals also complained because the money just all take by the owner of the guest houses and their family.
I read Black gibbon comment how much the guide pay[id to them,most guides pay them more than indonesia salary.Now the standart salary of indonesia when they working about 35,000 rp/day.You know how much the guides pay them,next time you should ask them if you really curios about it.I know exactly the guides already pay them 75,000 rp -100,000 rp per day sometime more included everything the guides already paid like permits,foods,bungalows already paidby the guides.What do you think about it?its fair or not?And do you want to share the money to people or free teacher to teach them become english teacher so that people able to learn english especially people they donot have guest houses in ketambe.Can you imagine even the people already have guest houses they do not able to speak very well,so please try to help them,whats wrong with them.You said you already came to ketambe long time.When you didnt know ketambe the guides already organised them with locals.What do youalredy give to ketambe people,because you alredy support a family there with your money,and do you think you already give a good things with people in Ketambe.I know most the locals already get more money than their friends because became assistants or porters,they spent the money for gambling,prostitusi,alcohol,and if you back to ketambe you have tocount how many prostitusi every nite come from kutacane or lawe gerger.Sometimes people in guest houses try to introduce them with western men that stayed in their places just for commission.And also some people start directly toask the visitors if they want to buy ganja or marijuana,they can prepare it too,i think you know about it but nobody said that is good or bad.I heard many stealing of the money from the guest houses,and also somepeople lost their digital camera in their bungalows.Can you imagine tourists went trekking and left the money with the owner of the guest houses.And they already countall the money carefully.but when they comeback from trekking,a piece of money is gone?when they asked it to the owner,they just give answer that maybe they forget or make mistake about the amount of that money.What do youthink about it?
Most guides want to share their money with their local friends,not alway took the people from theguest houses.but what do you think if the owner and their family took all the money and they do not let their neiggbor,friends make money from tourists.And msome the owner of guest houses very arrogant with their friends in the village because they thought they have more money than the others.They never remember that most guides already helpedthem tobring touristsor promote their place.Do you want ketambe change and become like the other of tourist place.Now most people from outside bougth a land in ketambe,most of them european,what do you think about it?I dont want to say their name,even one want tomake a big hotel there.what do you thinkabout it?It can be more problem and social jealous will gonna happen there?I already met with some senior guides,and what i write on thisthorn trees alsomake us try to understand that all problem will happen if the place became tourist places without support by adequate human resources.Red ape also write about report to the police,it is notmake a better because now the guides also have manysolution after the suharto,people now alwaysrelated with human right(sometimes their intreprete it become a problem),what the police will do if they said gibbon break their job or bussiness that they already did long time.Because they also have kinds of guide association that help their problems,so it can bemore problem,sorry it isjust my advising.it can be a problem for him(some people in Indonesia like to stir a small problem become worts).Did you remember about sugar a jerman man,he just make little mistake about information in bukitlawang when he rent ariko inn and he said tourist donot need to go trekking because hisplace close to the jungle,andwhatshappened,how many people beated him and he have to stay in hospital and he got deported.You said you have a police friend,and it willmake them angry because now the people able to report police,and alsowhen you said you have police friend,they will be hated that and it is not make them scared.I think you alredy know the sumatera people mentality.For Indonesia people is normal theycan be very angry if their income gone.So I dont want everybody get hurt each other.So hope everybody try to think and carefully toexpress emotion.I also said toyou as anak Medan,please thinking positive.and dont threat person like that.I met one man that also come sometimes to bring tourist there,he said to me if no share to the others or locals,some will still cut the trees,and sell it or just cut it for nothing.He saidwe have to give many idea or job to local first,and try todevelop theirhumanresources so that they able to earn money not from tourism.we dont need to wait government,what we can do it just do it.He saidalso the people in ketambe is lucky because they have good and beautiful places,but from their education level it takes time to help them.When tourists or travellers want to get information what they can get ,its very limited.So let them like before,tourists ,travellers can visit ketambe with guides or no guides and try to develop their human resources from simple thing without break everything,and tourists/travellers can choose what they like,so everybody have positive image tovisit ketambe.and tell the truth without hiding the real problem of ketambe now.So hope every body forgive my mistake and also the others mistake on this reply.terimakasih untukkita semua.hati boleh panas tapikepala tetap dingin.

Blackgibbon, It is the 1st June tomorrow so you are heading back next week, have a great time- two months in Ketembe- what I would give for that opportunity- as mentioned before give my love and best wishes to everyone I know there esp. Pak Mus and family and Iyuni and family and Mansurah.
Pamela.

for desacintaku, so nice to read your opinion, so deep and give me more knowledge about Gunung Leuser then, Thanks.

Wish to hear from you more and of couse to know you better, SALUTE.......