Danau Toba and Samosir

Island resorts have their own piers.

We finally made it to Danau Toba, which is one of the prime tourist destinations on our island of Sumatra.  We actually drove to the lake once with the elders on a P-day, but it was a brutal 10-hour drive round trip.  This time we decided to fly to the small airport in Silangit, take a 2-hour car drive (with multiple stops), then a ferry out to the island.

View of Toba lake from the airplane with the island of
Samosir to the left.

Lake Toba is the product of a massive supervolcanic eruption that occurred perhaps 75,000 years ago.  The Toba super volcano is estimated to have ejected  almost 3,000 cubic kilometres of rock and ash during its eruptions.  Toba is the largest-known explosive eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years, and likely had massive effects on the climate.  The lake is about 62 mile long, 19 mi wide, and up to 1,657 ft deep, making it the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world.

At 243 sq mi, Samosir is the largest island within an island, and the fifth largest lake island in the world.  It is very mountainous, was formed by a giant lava dome rising out of the lake after the big eruptions.

Peak season is from June to mid-August.  While there are daily flights to/from Jakarta and Singapore, during the off-season, flights from Medan are only 1-2 times a week.  We had made plans back in May but had to cancel due to a commitment, so we were delighted to find another week with flights that would work.  It was stressful preparing a lesson for the young elders to teach but a joy to finally make it to this amazing place.

The resort where we stayed had great off-season rates.  We had a budget room looking over the street, but there was a balcony where we could sit out and look over the pool and lake.  It is one of the few resorts that is right on the street, and we took a few walks around the town of Tuk-tuk, which is a small peninsula jutting out from the island.

None of the resorts there have air conditioning, because at this elevation it is much cooler than in Medan.

The hotel had a good breakfast, and arranged a wonderful tour for us.

Danau Toba is the center of Batak culture.  We toured a few museums and huta (villages).  The stone seats are where the village elders meet.  The smaller chair is where a criminal sits to be judged.  This installation is right next to a large sacred tree; you can see the roots to the left of the picture.

We got to see a traditional Batak dance troupe at another museum.  It was very interesting.  Those are traditional Batak houses in the background, with the characteristic saddle-sloped roof.

We have been visiting a woman in Medan who was expecting a baby.  When she learned we were visiting Samosir, she urged us to visit her older sister.  We were dubious as to how we could possibly find her, but she insisted that she ran a warung (local restaurant) right near this museum and that anyone would know her.

Well, we gave the information to our driver, and while we were in the museum, he talked to folks.  And sure enough, someone did know her, and offered to take us to meet her.

It was amazing because her face looks so much like her sister and they kind of move the same way.  She was disappointed that we couldn't stay to eat, but we had some water and went back to the car.

(BTW her sister in Medan delivered the baby on Friday, and this woman sent an older daughter to Medan to come help.  We visited her on Saturday and got to meet the niece, and it was fun to know the extended family already.)

We visited a village where women were weaving the ulos that we wear on occasion.  We bought quality ulos at a traditional market in Medan with the help of a friend.  This woman can only make one per week.  It is a very complicated process.

She is in her late 60s and has some gray hair. Her daughter behind her is preparing yarn and the man to the left is our driver.

After this, he took us to a traditional restaurant for lunch.

Looking down from the mountains on Samosir to Lake Toba
and the small Tuk-Tuk peninsula where we stayed.

We also saw many wonderful views of the lake from all different directions as we drove around the island, including visiting a lake within an island within a lake within an island.

We passed many waterfalls, but this is one that had a good parking place nearby. This is a sacred waterfall for one of the Batak clans and there are shrines at the bottom.

One of the museums had some of the older money that Elder Porter used 40 years ago.

Finally, below is a video that aired on the Sunday before we left.  We got multiple inquiries about our English class and had 21 people on Friday.