Medan, Lake Toba, and Samosir Island

When we were kids, when the teacher asked us what is the biggest lake in Indonesia or what is the small island inside the lake, believe me, we could answer it without any difficulties : “Lake Toba and Samosir island!”.

Now, after ages since I knew that answer, I am finally able to visit this breathtaking place. It is a bit shameful really, especially knowing that I have traveled to eleven countries, and that I visited this lake only because I was assigned a short job to Medan. Anyway, whatever the reason, I finally step my foot here and no doubt I really enjoyed it.

I soon forgot the job (I deliberately did this) after the ferry reached the jetty in one of the guest house in Tuk Tuk Peninsula in Samosir, a tiny island inside of the huge lake of Toba which is slightly less large than Singapore. I and a colleague of mine who apparently was infected by me to be a backpacker for a while found a Batak style guesthouse which is just in front of the Lake, in which, a minute later, I wore my beach pant and jumped into that fresh water of the lake and screamed: “Aaaaaaaaaaaaa…”, happily realizing that there is still a place like this on earth.

Lake Toba from Samosir Island

a jetstar jumping on the island

Traditional Batak house in Samosir

I bet you could imagine what we did. We walked around the peninsula where we found so many empty or unfinished hotels around the place which is so sad. We hired a motocycle and drove around the island, up and down on the damaged-mountainous road for almost seven hours that made a german-owner of guesthouse where we had a breakfast in the following morning said to us: “ No way! You kidding me!”

We met three Americans who are from Singapore and Malaysia and soon later we decided to make the island a bit noisy by walking on the road together to the adjacent town of Tomok where we could buy many cheap fruits in the market and where the Tomb of King Sidabutar is located. And that night after that long walking, we saw a Batak dance performace in our guest house, and you can bet, we happily joined that dance!

But we have to say goodbye to this beautiful island. The American is very sad that he should go to the air-conditioning island of Singapore, and we are sad that we should go back to the polluted city of Jakarta. Well, ce’st la vie! As a bunch of French tourists who never stop talking to us on the way back to Medan where our flight is waiting.

Carpe Diem!

Ahmad Zae

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