fri day 49

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So after having a good nights kip and a bit of a lay in I headed off for a walk around Tuk Tuk ( a small peninsula on the island of Samosir - which is the size of Singapore - so pretty big.) Tuk Tuk is the area where visitors tend to go to as its the only part that the public ferry drops people off at. It being full of guesthouses, hotels, cafes selling you magic mushrooms ( advertised everywhere!) to have while you get your laundry washed and sipping on a hot tea! Took only about an hr until I was back at the guesthouse, passing on the way rice fields, a catholic church and a school. The locals all seemed friendly all saying hello, and the atmosphere of the island feels nice. It would seem from first glance that this would be a nice place for Indonesians to grow up - clean waters, very green, fresh air and small communities. Although it still has some of the same problems as the rest of Indonesia - roads and paths are terrible, piles of rubbish everywhere, buildings looking like they've never been cleaned and lots of stray cats. After getting back and having a drink to cool off I sat down by the lake and watched a lone fisherman in a traditional batak style boat cast his net while doing a spot of research on the next place to visit. Lake Toba is southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake and possibly the worlds deepest at 525m and was formed by a huge volcanic eruption 80,000 yrs ago which eventually buckled in on itself forming the lake. Samosir island which sits in the centre was also formed by a volcano 50,000 yrs ago and is the spiritual home of the Toba Batak people. Watching the local ferry coming and going - dropping off and picking up, 2 fully clothed women came past giggling and chatting and dived straight in for a swim! They seemed to be having a great time staying in the water for over an hr. Next up must of been 10 plus children in varying states of undress diving in and out of the water, playing on a jet ski and having a great time. Who needs a TV when you've got a freshwater lake to play in. Walking to the restaurant I bumped into Bob who was sitting having a drink so we chatted for a bit and shared our onward plans. Sorted out my washing and chilled for the evening writing up this blog.

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