Danau Toba
February 12, 2008 – 2:50 amDanau Toba is a lake. A very big lake. Infact, I’m on an island (Samosir), in the lake (Danau Toba), on an island (Sumatra), in the ocean (Indian). Recursively, Samosir itself has an island on it.
I didn’t intend to write about Danau Toba after my spiel on Sumatra. I didn’t think there would be much to say. Then again, there aren’t many things that could beat an unexpected marvel. Having rented a motorbike, Jared and I cruised around 100km of the island, taking in the sights and culture of the local Batak people. They have recently been converted to Christianity, but still hold their traditions and heritage in high regard. The architecture of the houses are unique, hard to describe - wooden with a roof pointy at the ends. All the columns, door frames, beams and furniture is decorated with stylish patterns carved into the wood. Batak cemeteries litter the island, intermittent with the ongoing tessellations of the rice paddies and their different shades of green and yellow.
It’s a shame we can’t spend more time soaking up the lifestyle of relaxing in beautiful cabins alongside deep blue lake. Instead I’ll be hopping on another local bus that is a cattle car to ship me back to Medan for the flight to Java.
