Well, we finally arrived in Parapet, after much trouble, and easily booked a ferry (1/2 hour boat ride) to the island of Somasir, where we are staying in Tuk Tuk.
Getting off the ferry to our accommodation was like stepping into Paradise. The temperature is not as hot here (but still pretty hot!) and for the first time since leaving NZ i had a hot shower!
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| map showing the Lake, you can see Somosir cottages labelled, thats where we are staying |
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| outside our room |
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| Lake Toba |
Lake Toba (Danau Toba) is 1707 sq km, 450m deep in a collapsed caldera of an extinct volcano, surrounded by mountains and waterfalls terraced with rice fields. Pulau Somosir is the singapore sized island in the middle of the lake. It is home of the Batak people, the Bataks are descended from Neolithic mountain tribes from Northern Thailand and Burma who were driven out by Mongolian and Siamese tribes. When the Bataks arrived in Sumatra, their first settlements were by Lake Toba were they lived in isolation for centuries! The Bataks were among the most warlike people in Sumatra, so mistrustful that they didn't build or maintain natural paths between villages or construct bridges. Today there are more than 6 million Bataks (most are Christian) and music is a huge part of their culture. I have found the island to be very different to Indonesia or Malaysia as you will see in the photos. They are an incredible friendly people with lovely big white smiles!
Andre managed to jump straight in the Lake, i am still a little wary as its very deep with no shore.
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| Andre swam out to canoe in distance, but local didn't want to chat |
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