Blogs from Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia - page 14

"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 ... read more

It wasn't exactly in my original plans but I decided to do it anyway. After the 2h bus ride from Padang northwards to the highland of Bukittingi, I decided to continue 2h westwards to Danau Minanjau, a 16x8 km volcanic crater lake. LP mentioned that the ride there would be memorable, and that was certainly true! The steep final descent to the lake area featured 44 (yes, forty-four) twisting hairpins ala Initial D or Monaco GP, complete with signboards counting you down through each and every one of them! And as you make your winding way down, the calm sky-blue lake and volcanic crater walls beckon in the distance. Certainly not your everyday welcome! It's a bit of a mystery to me why this unforgettable entrance to a spectacular volcanic crater lake isn't more well-known among ... read more

Today's hike up to the volcanic crater rim of Gunung Sibayak was quite tame compared to yesterday's burner up Gunung Sinabung. Both are manageable day trips from Berastagi where I have based myself since flying from Malaysia to Indonesia last Saturday. I arrived in Medan, North Sumatra ~11:00 a.m. local time and immediately began plotting my departure from the furnace that is coastal Indonesia. I was offered a ride to a share taxi office for service to Berastagi but there was no space so I caught a moto-taxi to the bus staging area and was almost immediately on my way to the coolness of the Karo Highlands. I have actually been wearing long pants and a long sleeve shirt at night in stark contrast to Thailand and Malaysia where I hardly wore any shirt at all. ... read more

George Town (Malaysia) - Bukittinggi (Sumatra, Indonesia): 4th - 17th March 2013 Distance covered so far (since 20 Dec): 5654 km Imagine that you have popped into a quiet UK town to do some shopping. Today, however, you are 8 foot tall, have chosen to wear a hat that has a neon flashing sign reading “LOOK AT ME”, and you are wearing a suit made entirely out of daffodils. Furthermore, instead of arriving in town conventionally (by walking, or by car, for example), you have trotted into town astride a rhinoceros. The two of us are putting on the equivalent of this spectacle in Sumatra. We have found ourselves in places that receive no visitors, and quite frankly... we look a bit odd. AND we are travelling in a bizarre fashion (bike). We get A LOT ... read more

I've finally got the message. It's the wetter season not the drier one as I thought. That explains the rain I've been peddling in for that last 2 weeks! I'm now in Bander Lumpung near the eastern tip of Sumatra. Having crossed the mountain/volcano range south of Bukit Tinggi the scenery has been pretty dull. Mostly rubber plantation which is not remotely attractive or tropical in aspect. The resulting latex also has a bit of a pong. So the decision to cross the mountains was probably a bit of a mistake in hindsight. A dutchman on a bike I met in Bukit Tinggi, Eric, took the coast road south, stayed in beach huts and swam in the Indian ocean. Well, next time..... Diet: Nasi and Mei Goreng. twice daily with or without chicken or a boiled ... read more