Here we are! In Indonesia. After an early morning flight from KL we made it to Medan, ready to power through and go directly to Lake Toba.
Landing in Indonesia meant getting adjusted to a new language and surroundings. Suddenly, none of the comfort of the very international Kuala Lumpur was present. I frantically topped up on some partially unknown pastry snack, while Katina opted for a familiar almond croissant (which took approximately 3 years to heat up). The stress of being in an unknown place was upon us.
The next challenge would be getting to Lake Toba. We’d read on a Trip Advisor forum post that all we needed to do was go straight out of the airport, turn left, and we’d be greeted by shared taxi companies ready to take us there in 6 hours for 100,000 IDR per person (€6). Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. There were no shared taxis and the only options were either go to Medan and get a public bus (which would take many hours more and we didn’t know the schedule) or take a taxi for 900,000 IDR (€53). We sat and considered our options for a while, thinking maybe we’d run into other tourists looking to do the same thing, but no such luck. In fact, we seemed to be the only white tourists in sight.
This was the first of what we’ve started to experience a lot: there aren’t many tourists around on Sumatra so far. Places have been very quiet so far. Shopkeepers and restaurant owners need to be woken up so you can buy or consume their goods. Many restaurant signs on Lake Toba have just been switched off. I don’t know if it’s Sumatra, or if it’s just because it is early in the season.
From Medan Airport to Lake Toba
We managed to barter with a taxi driver to take us for 500,000 (which later turned out to be 650,000 as he squeezed us for petrol money to fill up his car too).
So one thing I would recommend if you want to travel onwards directly from Medan airport: arrange transport before you land, to be on the safe side.
Nevertheless, a long car journey and a boat ride later, we’d made it to our own little paradise.
Lake Toba is a place for relaxing. Every morning, we woke up to our view of coconut trees and the sun shining. Then we had breakfast and made the important decision of whether to go for a swim, lay in the hammock, or something else.
Traditional Batak houses
There’s a few sights to see there too. A highlight for me was to see the beautiful traditional Batak houses. These are wooden houses built on stilts. Some are still lived in today.
Stone chairs
It is said that village elders used to meet here and that wrongdoers were tried, sliced, rubbed with chili and garlic and then beheaded. That makes sense, if you consider that the Batak people were known for cannibalism up until as late as the early 1800s.
In and around Samosir
On one of our adventure days, we hired a motorbike (someone’s personal one, by the way) and drove to a rather beautiful waterfall (Nai Sogop). On the way we saw several weddings and some stunning vistas. We got directions from locals via a lot of fingerpointing and nodding. When we arrived there, we were the only ones there.
The landscape is very beautiful. Lots of lush green hills and fields. One of the days we did a walk to the top of a hill and were rewarded with stunning views.
World Cup and cover bands
No backpacker trip would be complete without a local cover band playing Oasis, John Mayer, etc., which is exactly where we found ourselves one evening. At Roy’s pub, after watching the world cup, some musicians got up (impromptu) and played while we handed over RP 100,000 bills and got drunk and sang along.
All in all, this was the perfect start to our trip. A bit of sun, a bit of swimming, a bit of lounging, a bit of exploring and a great way to be welcomed to Indonesia.
More Lake Toba, in pictures
