After conquering Mount Sibayak in the morning, we showered up, packed our bags, and jumped in a shared taxi to Lake Toba. At over 60 miles long and 18 miles wide, it’s the biggest lake in Indonesia, and the largest volcanic lake in the world. In the middle of the lake is a massive mountainous island, scattered with towns and villages. The van dropped us off in Parapat, and from there we caught an evening ferry to a little village on the east side of the island called Tuk Tuk. We met two Americans on the boat, Michael and Adam, and became quick friends. The ferry skirted around the shore and the four of us all jumped off at the same guesthouse.
The next day we rented motorbikes with our new friends and set out to cruise the island. It was a leisurely ride, and we stopped in villages along the way to explore by foot. Like Berastagi and the village of Payung, Lake Toba is mostly populated by Karo Batak, the ethnic group that my parents focused their research on as anthropologists. And even though I’d never been before, the traditional bowed-roof houses with ornate woodwork were warmly familiar. After grabbing lunch on the far side of the island, we rode up into the interior. It was hilly and steep, and towards the top we were rewarded with great views. The road took us through small villages and into a forest before dropping us down a steep and windy decline on the east side of the island. We stopped at a hillside shack for a beer as the sun was going down, and continued on towards the guesthouse as daylight faded.
The next day was more of the same, zipping around the island on motorbikes. We were invited into a village by a friendly stranger who scaled a monstrous palm tree and fetched us delicious coconuts, and finished the day with beers and an evening swim in the lake. I’d been in Asia for more than five months, and my journey was coming to an end, but before heading back to the states, I needed to hit up some islands...
No comments:
Post a Comment