Lake Toba (19-22 Jun 13)

---

"You might find it difficult to leave."

So said LP, about Lake Toba, my next destination. Having already travelled my fair share and compared notes against LP and Wikitravel's sometimes overly-generous hyperboles, you couldn't blame me for initially being somewhat skeptical.

In any case, there was first the small matter of a 20h bus-ride-from-hell to deal with, crossing from Bukittingi in West Sumatra to Parapat in the North. I normally try to break up such crazy bus rides, but it seemed there weren't any particular places of note that would have been natural stopping points in between, while a domestic flight would have entailed much back-trekking, and ultimately maybe even more time (and of course, money). And this trans-Sumatran journey seemed to be part of the whole backpackers' experience, so I gritted my teeth and just went for it, fighting bad memories of similar, nightmarishly-long rides (Mandalay to Katha in Myanmar, Danang to Dalat in Vietnam, Donsol to Manila in Philippines...) The incredibly bumpy and at time almost maniacally fast ride, and chain-smoking locals on board the fully-sealed AC bus didn't help matters of course, and it was not without much relief when it all finally ended, and I arrived at Parapat, a port-like town of Toba.

From there, it was a scenic 1h boat ride across the lake to Tuk Tuk, the outcrop of Pulau Samosir, the Singapore-sized island in the middle of the lake. It's almost staggering to imagine the scale of the 1700+ square kilometre lake in a 70,000 year-old volcanic caldera, large enough to contain an island the size of my home country! But once I arrived in Tuk Tuk, it became clear that all the effort was worth it. Toba was once a mainstay on the Banana Pancake Trail, and it's easy to understand why. With such scenic waterfront views all round, tranquil rolling hills and quaint Batak villages, what's hard to understand is why at some point, it fell out of favour with travellers. These days tourist arrivals have slowed almost to a trickle. And despite boasting of the entire gamut of tourist life-support systems (internet cafes, fancy restaurants, bohemian book shops, homey guesthouses etc), with good value due to depressed prices, the place is apparently now mostly quiet almost all-year round, apart from local holidays when domestic tourists make their way. Which I guess makes it all the better for those who do venture here, to the warm welcome of the friendly local Batak people. Toba really felt like a well-kept secret that everybody knew but chose to ignore.

Wifi? Check. Attached bathroom? Check. 70,000 year old volcanic lake, rolling hills and doe-eyed buffaloes?

Check, check, check.

For once, LP's words never rang more true...

Stayed at Samosir Cottages.

---

Photos

Traditional Batak Song & Dance
Wednesday night @ Samosir Cottages. Performances was actually pretty good. "Rosita"!

Brutal Bus Ride from Bukittingi to Parapat
At least there was some scenery to take some of the edge off.

Bukittingi-Parapat
And some kind of crowded midnight ceremony in the middle of nowhere.

Parapat to Tuk Tuk Boat Ride
First signs that it might be worth it after all.

That's Tuk Tuk
The touristy part of the massive Pulau Samosir.

Samosir Cottages
Where I stayed, for USD8 (yes, that's right) a night.

Dusk on Tuk Tuk
And I'm in visibly much better shape than on the 20h bus ride.

Tabo
Yes, that's right, an intentionally-mispelled (?) German-run resort, where I didn't stay.