After trekking through steamy rainforests to conquering a majestic volcano, the next leg of our Sumatra adventure shifted to a slower pace, filled with serene lake views and rich cultural heritage.
This post captures a travel day as our Intrepid minibus transferred us from Berastagi to Lake Toba and Samosir island.
Dokan Village
Our first stop was at Dokan village for an introduction to Batak culture. A handful of traditional Batak houses remain and most of them are still occupied by families. Constructed from wood and bamboo, the houses are symbolic for example each has a buffalo ornament on the roof which is a symbol of strength.
We climbed the wooden ladder and were shown inside this one. Eight families share this one batak house, sleeping on mats on the floor.
Cooking is done using simple wood-fired stoves.
The houses are raised and the storage underneath is for livestock. These houses are over 100 years old and have survived numerous earthquakes.
Sipiso Piso
Later in the morning, our second stop was to see the waterfall at Sipiso Piso. Deep in the Batak highlands, at 120 meters this is one of the highest waterfalls in Indonesia. We had about 30 minutes or so to walk down quite a few steps, in the heat, to a midpoint viewing platform from which I took this photo.
From Sipiso Piso we also caught our first glimpse of Lake Toba, at its northernmost tip.
Shortly after leaving Sipiso Piso, we stopped for lunch which was taken in a restaurant which overlooked Lake Toba, giving panoramic views. On this occasion I had a vegetable noodle soup which reminded me of the thukpa’s I had enjoyed in Nepal. Together with fried sweet potato, fried tempeh and a delicious freshly squeezed mango juice… oh and a *’ginger tea’ this was a bit of a feast!
*The ginger tea couldn’t really be considered part of the feast… it looked so bad I couldn’t even bring myself to try it… murky dark brown tea with a large hairy chunk of unpeeled ginger lurking around at the bottom of the cup, like a mini alien…
At 62 miles long, Lake Toba is the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. The entire lake is the enormous caldera of the Toba supervolcano which was formed about 74,000 years ago.
Parapat ferry port
We had to be at the ferry port at least an hour before departure and we had arrived in plenty of time. Bridget and I had a wander along the street of Parapat but there wasn’t much to see. The ferry was then delayed so we ended up spending a couple of hours of waiting around in the heat of the crowded and somewhat chaotic port.
Considerate as ever, Abdul kindly fetched a bag of mangosteens and passion fruits, cut them in half with his pen knife and offered them around to everyone. As always he had his packet of wet wipes and pack of tissues to hand!
Eventually it was time to board the ferry. Our group of 10 Intrepid passengers, together with Abdul our guide travelled as foot passengers while our Intrepid minibus and the smaller luggage van were driven on separately.
All 10 of us sat in a line at the front of the ferry.
And we were treated to a spectacular orange sunset as we crossed Lake Toba heading towards Samosir Island.
After an hour or so, or maybe less, we arrived on Samosir Island as it was getting dark. We soon disembarked the ferry and boarded our Intrepid minibus.
Rather than going to the hotel to check-in, Abdul suggested and we all agreed it would make sense to drive straight to the restaurant as by now it was nearly 7 pm and he had pre-booked a table for us.
As I stepped into the entrance of the Google 4.7/5 rated TaTaring restaurant, and felt its unpretentious, cool and edgy energy I has a feeling it was going to be a great evening.
That intuition was spot on. Firstly came my richly flavoured yet gently spiced melt-in-your mouth dish of vegetable rendang curry which tasted incredible! This is a traditional Indonesian speciality is ‘dry fried’ meaning the coconut milk is simmered down for hours until it caramelises into a thick sauce which clings to the perfectly cooked vegetables.
Then, as we were enjoying our delicious food a live band started playing, opening up with a brilliant rendition of Robbie Williams ‘Feel’ in the background… what a song to begin with and immediately showcase the music skills of the band and charismatic voice of the lead singer. They went on to play a range of classic tracks from the bands such Cold Play, the Rolling Stones and the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
The music was so infectious that the 4 ‘late-fifties club’ ladies of the group abandoned our seats and danced in the warm evening air of the tropical restaurant garden.
After a long day of travel, this evening was the ultimate reward. Between the sensational live music, the mouthwatering food and the fabulous company this was easily the best night of the trip!
Sadly it was time to leave to go and check-in to our Samosir island hotel. Tomorrow, the adventure continues as we set off to explore the island and dive into the fascinating history and unique cultural traditions of its Batak people.
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