Missionaries impaled on Batak spears.


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March 29th 2007
Published: August 6th 2007
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"Hi, my name is Stuart. I am from England."




I found myself in front of yet another group of high school kids introducing myself. I had been recruited yet again by a local teacher in order to give her students practice in speaking English with a native speaker. It's one of the few dangers of a visit to Sumatra.



It's quite a high risk, because the local tourism industry is almost dead. The hordes of backpackers that used to visit Sumatra now go elsewhere. Instead of partying at Lake Toba (which the Dutch writer Rudy Kousbroek called 'the most beautiful place on earth');they howl at the moon, full of drink and drugs on some Thai beach.

Sumatra is an example of the problem with placing too much reliance on tourism to develop an economy. Sadly, there are now too many would be guides chasing too few tourists.



My last destination was in Sabah, Borneo (see my last blog); just part of my multi year trip around the world.


I flew out of Borneo to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Flights within SE Asia are dirt cheap. I stayed a few days in KL in order to upload the photos of the Sabah blog. I then flew
Rumah rajah (Kings house), Lingga villageRumah rajah (Kings house), Lingga villageRumah rajah (Kings house), Lingga village

Gunung Sinabung can be seen in the background.
from KL to Medan in Northern Sumatra.



MOON CRATERS




Medan is the largest city in Sumatra. It is hot, humid and dirty. It's full of ugly concrete blocks. It's difficult to walk anywhere. The pavements (sidewalks) are full of holes big enough to swallow a man. Cars and motorbikes park on any available piece of pavement that isn't a moon crater. So, I always walked in the middle of the road, dodging the busy traffic.



I spent a couple of days in Medan before starting on the tourist trail.



BUKIT LAWANG AND GUNUNG LEUSSER




On Weds 21st I took the bus to Bukit Lawang which is a village just outside the Gunung Leusser National Park. It is only 85km from the city of Medan but it took nearly 4 hours to make that journey. The road was in a pitiful state, as was the bus. The bus broke down twice!


Gunung Leusser is an UNESCO Bio-sphere Reserve. The rain forest harbours some of the most endangered species on earth, including the Sumatran Rhino and Orang-Utangs.


The village near the park suffered a devastating flash flood in
Ambushed by kids again!Ambushed by kids again!Ambushed by kids again!

Samosir Island, Lake Toba
2003 in which hundreds of people were killed. Much of the riverfront is still in ruins. The Government has built new houses further back from the river.





Danu Toba



After a few nights I caught a bus back to Medan, where I stayed one night before continuing to Lake Toba.

Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in SE Asia. Samosir, an island in the lake is the size of Singapore. It is a beautiful place that used to be part of the backpackers standard Asian itinerary. But, tourism is now nearly dead on Samosir. They don't know what they're missing.


I was there on a Sunday, so it was busier than usual. There weren't many foreign tourists. Most of the visitors were Indonesians, who were on the island for a week-end break from Medan.

There were also a large number of Indonesian school trips on the island. I lost count of the number of times I was ambushed by school children. They all had some standard questions they had learned in school, which they wanted to practise.

Lake Toba is also important as the ancestral home of the Toba Batak people. The Bataks were fearless warriors. They had a high culture although they practiced ritual cannibalism. Ritual cannibalism didn't end among the Toba Batak until 1816. Many Christian missionaries met their deaths at the end of Batak spears. Finally in the 19th century a German missionary converted King Sidabatur. Despite the conversion the people do retain some animist beliefs.



Berastagi




On Monday 26th I then made my way to Berastagi, which is an agricultural community below the slopes of 2 volcanoes. Berastagi is in the Karo highlands which has a cool, pleasant climate. Whilst in the the village I climbed one of the volcanoes and visited nearby villages, including Lingga. Many of the villages retain traditional houses which are still used.

It was while I was staying in Berastagi that I was persuaded by a local school teacher to stand up in front of groups of high school kids. All the kids were polite and very keen. These were kids that were doing after school lessons to
improve their English. They were obviously ambitious.




I spent a pleasant few days in Berastagi before returning to Medan. I needed to return to
Waterside, Bukit LawangWaterside, Bukit LawangWaterside, Bukit Lawang

Hundreds of people were killed in a flood in 2003. Many of the buildings were destroyed and not replaced. New houses are being built further back from the river.
the city of hell in order to upload the photos for this blog. The speed and reliability of the Internet connection in Berastagi was appalling.



Medan is also a major transport hub. I've just booked my ticket to Aceh, the epicentre of the Dec 2004 tsunami...




Additional photos below
Photos: 25, Displayed: 25


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Lake TobaLake Toba
Lake Toba

The Hotel where I stayed.
King Sidabutar's Grave on Samosir Island, Lake Toba.King Sidabutar's Grave on Samosir Island, Lake Toba.
King Sidabutar's Grave on Samosir Island, Lake Toba.

King Sidabutar was the Batak king who adopted Christianity. On the left of this picture is the grave of the missionary who converted the tribe.
Stone Chairs, Samosir Island,  Lake TobaStone Chairs, Samosir Island,  Lake Toba
Stone Chairs, Samosir Island, Lake Toba

This is where people were tried and beheaded.
Lake TobaLake Toba
Lake Toba

Lake Toba with the village of Tomok, Samosir Island in the background.


19th December 2007

Nice Picture of Lake Toba
Nice picture of Lake Toba Stuart , I like it . I am from Samosir Island but I am working in Aceh ,North Sumatera !I spent most of my time out of North Sumatera this last few years and I miss Lake Toba . Will be there for christmas :-) Horas ! !
23rd December 2011
King Sidabutar's Grave on Samosir Island, Lake Toba.

thanks mr. Stuart
many thanks to you mr. stuart, i like your photo, regards, rolas s

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