Samosir Island, Lake Toba

Emiel and I reunited with the jungle trek gang in Lake Toba earlier in the week. Reike and Frida left after two nights and then Liz and Emiel followed soon after. I am now here alone where I’ve been relaxing, listening to my audio books and doing a lot of sleeping. I needed this kind of rest and Lake Toba is a perfect place to do it. It is a bit touristy here but it has been no bother to me.

I’m staying on the island of Samosir which is home to the Batak people of Lake Toba. Batak includes a number of ethnic groups in northern Sumatra and this island is home to the Tobanese. Bataks in the Lake Toba area specifically refer to themselves as Batak people where as other groups do not. There is traditional style of dance and a specific housing structure that can be seen throughout the island. The people here are just as friendly as in Bukit Lawang. The island of Samosir is predominantly Catholic. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world so this island has quite the distinction within Indonesia’s borders. There are churches scattered throughout the island and many cemeteries. Interestingly enough, after some research I found that the Batak people at one time practiced a form of cannibalism and there are accounts of it dating back to the 19th century.

Emiel and I rented mopeds our first full day on the island in order to explore Samosir outside of the tourist bottleneck of Tuk Tuk. Tuk Tuk is where most of the ferries drop off tourists and all the cheap accommodation can be found. Renting a bike from here was cheap so we set off for the afternoon. The beauty of renting a moped as opposed to taking a guided tour of the island is that we were free to explore on our own. We stopped along the way to check out random turn offs and to have a bottle of coke occasionally. To circumnavigate the island would mean a full 8 hour day and we had rented bikes around noon so this was out of the question. Instead we made the hot springs our goal about 43km away. We stopped for lunch in the town just near the springs and afterwards checked them out. There wasn’t much to see as the springs were just along the shore of the lake itself. After a few minutes we took out the map and decided which way we’d head back.

Emiel, like myself, enjoys a bit of adventure and the trip back taking the same road seemed rather boring. Instead we decided to cut back into the interior of the island which would provide a more exciting trip. It was already 3pm and still had 4 hours of sunlight so we figured we’d go for it. The map made the trip look pretty straight forward but we would find out later that it was anything but.

Within in minutes of being off the main coastal road we were met with hard gravel and broken roads. The map itself specifically stated that the road through the center was safe for mopeds and motorbikes so we figured it would be fine. We rode for a good hour or so winding up into the mountain. The temperature dropped significantly but with every small town we saw we reconfirmed our route was still good. Along the way children would run out to the street to give us high fives as we passed by and adults and elders would also wave to say hello. Occasionally we would stay just behind locals who were also riding through the rough roads and watch the way they moved and followed their paths. At times the road would improve a bit but then quickly return to nothing more than a dirt path.

At some point Emiel and I must have made an errant turn. It seems as though we were following the main marked road but we ended up riding through a part of the island that was mostly rocks. It wasn’t dangerous in that there was a threat of crashing because it was a flat road. It was just not good for the bikes and seeing as though there was no insurance on them, we’d have to foot the bill if anything happens. Some locals that we had seen earlier riding through had passed us and motioned for us to follow them to the town of Tomok where we will be able to get back on paved roads and head home. We were already running later than scheduled and looked to have at least a few minutes of travel come nightfall. We followed this rocky road for a good 30 minutes occasionally hitting pockets of water and mud. This is where I broke my camera. I had it in my right pocket because earlier I had stopped to take photo opportunities. The bike with the locals in front of me attempted to pass over a muddy hole. I hesitated but decided to follow. I made it over through the hole but when I got on the other side, at a stand still, I literally tipped over and just landed on my side. My right side. The side with my camera. It cracked through the center and is inoperable now. Luckily I have travel insurance and already have the claim underway so there should be no harm done other than the reality of my score with the moped. Moped 2 – Joey 0.

All in all, it was a great day and Emiel is a great travel partner. I have a place to stay and friends to hang out with in Holland if I ever make my way up there. Separating from the gang was rather uneventful as my intention was to stay only one extra day in Lake Toba and catch up with Emiel and Liz in the jungle again for one last weekend before he heads back home. Unfortunately, or fortunately… I just didn’t want to move. I’ve been on the go for awhile and Lake Toba is really relaxing. My room overlooks the lake and the staff was really friendly and kept me company.