My latest trip was leisure. We girls & one boy decide to go to a nearby town just 45 minutes away from KLIA. Simply separated by the slim Straights of Melaka, the flight was a short & breezy. Touching Kuala Namu International Airport, we were not yet greeted by our tourist guide. While waiting for our guide for about an hour or so, we had breakfast and he arrived soon after that. We were brought to the mpv which will be our sole transportation for our journey to Parapat. The next 3~4 hours, we were chatting, capturing photos, and snoring. Our guide introduce himself as Amin, but when I saw his name tag, his actual name was Yamin. He stopped at a Minang restaurant on the way to Parapat for lunch. By the way, the food below are not the dish we've eaten there. However the lunch was fulfilling, and the food was superb. A simple Minang food with a dash of hotness.
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| My friend, Hana, left the restaurant satisfied |
Just before entering Parapat border, we came across luscious fields of paddy crop. They were so green, that my eyes lost its sore at once. Thinking about it, people here are much more healthier than people living in the city.
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| Paddy Fields |
An hour later we reached Danau Toba International Cottage. A humble yet cozy hotel. Not a 5 star hotel, but its good enough for a night rest. We reached around 2 or 3 pm, the weather was comfy but rather windy. Amin left us for the evening, and we decide to talk a stroll into the small village. The weather getting colder as the sun getting set. I thought maybe because the place is actually an ancient volcano crater and we are 905 meters from surface elevation. There were some stalls still open, selling mangoes, they call it "mangga telur" which in direct translation is "egg mango". Maybe because of the size and shape of the mango itself. Because we all are still tired from the long journey, we just walk briskly down about 300 meters away from the hotel. Then we stop by a small restaurant to try out the local dish, I ordered "markisa" @ passionfruit juice and well it was yummy and thick. The best passionfruit drink I have ever had.
That night we were taken out for dinner in the town itself, we passed by the restaurant that evening. Dinner was good, and we head back to the hotel. But it is still early for bed. Oh well, I guess we deserve to sleep late as we are on a vacation. I tried the cheese fried banana, its okay. Never thought that you can eat banana like that... with cheese.
The next day we checked out and continue our trip to Samosir Island. This is where the Batak people lived, until today. There's few boats at the jetty, old school. Everything looks old. I wonder whether it can withstand the weight... lol. It was an hour journey and we sat at the deck to catch the morning beautiful view. The cooling breeze was a bit wild and the water splashing when the boat cutting its way through. We had enjoyed the morning "drive".
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| Our boat to Samosir Island where the Batak used to dwell |
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| Hana enjoying the view |
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| The sweet couple Zulia & Leman |
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Zulia, Hana , Julie & Me
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We are suppose to stop at a tourism village called Tomok. As we reached the island, there's a guy collecting entrance ticket. I never knew that we need to buy entrance ticket. But actually Amin already prepared everything for us. A monument stand tall at the jetty engraved a depiction of five main indigenous Batak tribe; Batak Toba, Batak Pak Pak, Batak Mandailing, Batak Simalungun, and Batak Karo, and generally only Batak Mandailing embraces Islam. Others practicing Christianity. Although, they still believe the divine powers of their pagan gods. According to Amin, as he is from Mandailing tribe, he's Muslim yet I find tatoo marks on his hands. Visiting the graveyard of the late 2 pioneering kings of Batak Toba, I was surprised, the first king was practicing one God, with pagan beliefs of course. The were not buried underneath the earth, but confined in a stone coffin nicely carved with their images at the head. We were told that even the remains of their respective wives were put together in the coffin. They were said to have master the knowledge of arcane & mystical powers that many have come to learnt. I was entirely mesmerized with these new facts and even with a beautiful caterpillar, trying to make its way to the top of the mossy old wall.
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| Zulia & Leman infront of the museum |
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| The cute catepillar |
When I looked at the serene lake, I can't imagine the amount of destruction this site has caused. Finishing the Samosir tour, we continue our trip toward Sinabung. Luckily, the MPV quite spacious.We stop by a for ginger tea at Simarjarunjung. This reminds me of a comment from my boss when I showed him the picture. He said, "Do you know what rest house means? In Britain it means the cemetery.". Okay. That was a hit. LOL.
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| There you go.. the Rest House |
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| Coffee Beans all over the hills |
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| Our official photographer =) |
I slept most of our way to Sinabung with a good snore. I hope I didn't wake anybody up. Being the only male member in the team, Leman aka "team lead" take the role of keeping our guide un-bored. haha... We were dropped at the fruit market where we got our persimmon and mangoes. The corn they sell in the stalls looks alluring. Deliciously wrapped in its layers of soft skin, the five of us quickly finished the crunchy bites in full satisfaction. haha.
Sinabung Hotel is just minutes away only from the market. Nothing much to do that night, so we decided to take the massage service. It was so-so only, seems the masseuses are in a hurry. Anyway, we had a good sleep that night. For my own reference, the hotels we stayed when they say they provide 3rd bed, it doesn't mean they'll put an extra bed in the room. What they meant is extra mattress. Sigh.
Next morning we had our heavy breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The good thing is we never have to worry about our breakfast, lunch, & dinner. Unfortunately, Leman's tummy got a bit upset with the spices, so he ate little. And Zulia didn't get a good start in the morning when the hotel staff asked for the iron I requested in the night before. Unbelievable, do they only got one iron ? While walking back to my room, I saw something outstanding. There's smokes coming out of a mountain! This is interesting. Half of the mountain were bare, there's no trees just rocks and the ground can be seen quite vividly.
In general, the hotel is quite beautiful actually. Just hope the service can be improved.
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Julie gives a good pose in front of the hotel
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Mount Sibaya... smokin' hot!
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After all the chaotic moment, we head back to Medan. We make another stop at the Lumbini Park temple. However they wont allow people to enter the temple as that day is suppose to be their praying day. Only pilgrims are allowed. The sound of the repeating chants give some sort of calmness feeling.
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| Hana, Zulia & Julie |
Last but not least, we visited the Maimoun Palace before stop and shop at a batik shop. That was the last of our tour. We had great time, and Amin was a good guide. He take the time to study (I guess) & explain details of historical background of the places we visited. That last night we book a hotel of our own, Soechi Hotel (because its a good hotel with a good bargain, recommend this), and had a grand dinner at a restaurant below. We hired masseuses that night and they are rather good. We all had good night sleep that night.
That morning we woke up very early to catch our very early MAS flight. Wish to see Danau Toba again. Till next time...
~Ayu
