Tag: Indonesia

~ The Last of Samosir, Lake Toba ~

Day Three

After our busy day yesterday we decided to take it easy today, relax around the pool and we also had a lunch date with Lynn. Firstly we walked to Lam’s cafe to have breakfast, well just me as Anthony only has coffee. She made me a delicious smoothie and muesli with fruit.

A view of Zoe’s from the lake, our room was on the third floor

As scheduled, Lynn turned up promptly at 1 pm to bring me to the restaurant as it was too hot to walk, for me anyway!

To the tune of “She’ll be coming round the mountain”

A very nervous pillion passenger!

We just had a light lunch and with the abundance of avocadoes and tomatoes, opted for a delicious salad with chicken.

I decided to walk back, not wanting to risk falling off the back of the bike!

Arrangements had been made for us to have dinner again at Hot Chilli with Joshua. The first night we ate there we met a Japanese man called Mr. Tako – or Tako-San as Anthony called him. He spoke very little English which gave Anthony the chance to converse in Japanese with him. They got along famously and were laughing the whole night. They were very happy to see each other again. Joshua prepared a feast for us. At the end of the evening he said he would take me home – yes you’ve guessed it, on the back of his bike. I felt this was becoming a bit of a habit.

Sweet and Sour Pork, Beef Rendang and stir fry veg
I never can resist a friendly pooch

Day Four

We were leaving today and heading back to Medan for our one night stay again. I had checked out the ferry times and decided to catch the 10.45 back to Tiga Raja in Parapat. A driver called Bima would be there to meet us and take us on the long four hour journey back.

Mr. Tako was also joining us on this journey back. Sitting downstairs by the pool waiting for the ferry to turn up, I went and looked frequently to see if it was coming. Of course it didn’t turn up. So two of the girls, Marta and Kim said they would take us to another ferry point and we could catch it there. How were they going to take us – by bike of course! With luggage as well. Mr. Tako went first and then me. I sat behind a very wet Kim, who I had seen that morning jumping into the lake to sort out some guest’s fishing lines, plus her bike wouldn’t start and she hadn’t changed her clothes. Finally off we went with me hoping it wouldn’t stall and find myself sprawled across the road with gravel embedded into my legs (always the drama queen).

After waiting for a further 45 minutes the ferry finally turned up!

Will this ferry ever arrive?

Save the last dance for me! My dear hubby, ever the romantic ❤️

We had the best time on Samosir Island, saw beautiful scenery and met lovely people, so glad we visited.

“Selamat Tinggal “

~ Samosir Island – Day Two – A drive around the North ~

As planned with the one toothed man on the ferry our driver arrived at 9.30 am to show us around the island.

We opted just for the driver and not a guide as this was much extra, plus I had google maps enabled and could see where we were going. This was going to be handy as our driver could speak no English. This was something we found interesting that many of the people spoke very good English and others none at all. Maybe taught at a basic level at school, but the people who spoke it well said they had learnt from tourists and watching tv shows!

I had an itinerary written out by our man on the ferry which I handed to our driver, I couldn’t read his writing and I don’t think the driver could either! So we missed the first place completely, him waving his arms saying later later at my objections.

Our first stop was Huta Siallagan, an ancient Batak village. Huta Siallagan village was built in the reign of the first Huta leader, King Laga Siallagan, A number of descendants of King Siallagan still reside here today in Ambarita Village, where tombs of their ancestors can still be found in the area. North Sumatra is home to the largest number of Batak people.

Traditional Batak Houses
Stone Meeting Place

Another stone meeting place, this one including a long table for executions.

A King’s Grave

As usual the exit was through the obligatory gift shop and then out onto the street with more gift stalls selling trinkets made of wood (which we can’t bring back to Australia) and handmade blankets.

Our next stop was Batu Passa and Liang Sipogu, well worth stopping for.

Mr Driver having yet another smoke
Traditional wooden rowing boats

As we were walking back to the car we came across a cave and a lady weaving baskets inside. Anthony was flexible enough to crab walk in, it was quite far back. I’m not sure how she managed to see as I had to use the torch on my phone to get this photo. There was a contribution box at the entrance which we put something into.

The beach was next and it was the furthest northern point on Samosir, Pantai Batuhoda. Very much like a holiday destination, with cafes and beach chairs and umbrellas along the sand. Anthony decided to go for a swim, it was quite rocky and I could see that reef shoes were needed. So I was happy to sit and watch.

I swear it’s Anthony
Enjoying a fresh coconut
Pull up a seat and enjoy the view
A nod to the Dutch explorers
I could find no information about these stones!
A stallion made of rubber tyres

From here we drove up to the hot springs and then even further up into the mountains. To get to the hot springs you have to cross the Aek Tano Ponggol Bridge which links Samosir to the mainland. We could smell the hot springs way before we got there, the windows in the car were down as there was no air con, so we were blasted with hot smelly air! It was our intention to have a dip but I remember swimming in hot springs before and couldn’t get the smell of rotten eggs off my skin for ages, so we gave that a miss!

Aek Tano Ponggol Bridge

The drive to the top was extremely steep and the road very narrow. So many bends and not a smooth road, countless spots just gravel. We eventually came to a stop as I didn’t think the car could go any further.

Mr Driver (I never did get his name) wanted to continue down this track, but I had other ideas. I didn’t fancy reenacting scenes from The Italian Job. Anthony wanted to walk to the far peak, but sadly I had to put a stop to that too, there’s only so many hours in a day.

The Long and Winding Road

The surrounding scenery from all sides was breathtaking and the lake looked crystal clear. It was so silent up here with just the wind blowing my hair in all directions. We were reluctant to leave but time was ticking on.

Time for lunch and we had seen a couple of nice ones on the way up, overlooking the lake. It seems Mr D had other ideas and drove straight past even though I was asking him to stop and turn round! His ideas for lunch did not coincide with mine, after he drove through a dusty township at the bottom and kept pointing to dark and dismal places, which I vetoed. We eventually found somewhere on the beach, but I wasn’t happy at all. I still tipped him though!

We arrived back at our hotel around 4pm, in time to check out the hotel’s pool. Dinner that night was at Lynn’s place, called Tarian X-Iren Kitchen. It was a delicious home cooked meal. After we had finished eating she sat with us a while and told us a bit more about her life and she was also interested in ours. She offered me a ride to the hotel on the back of her bike, which I accepted! I haven’t been on a bike for over 30 years, little did I know I would be doing this again soon!

Three Days on Samosir {An Island on an Island} Lake Toba, North Sumatra

Heavily laden, we left the Khas Hotel at 11.30 to catch the ferry to Samosir Island. Leaving most of our luggage behind and taking only a backpack and small suitcase, Anthony was a man called horse. The walk was around 10 minutes, so not too far.

Never having carried a backpack before, I thought he did very well.

Ploughing ahead

Before we had even left Parapat, a man with a mission jumped on board. He asked us what our plans were for the next few days and I mentioned that we were hoping to hire a driver and car to explore the island. Say no more, he had me signed up and parting with my cash in no time, let’s hope we haven’t been scammed. A driver would pick us up at 9.30 am the next morning.

As soon as he had my money he was off as quick as a flash and the ferry pulled away.

Car Ferry
Slow ferry

The ferry we were on takes around 45 minutes to arrive on Samosir, there are private speed boats but these cost way more than the ferry. Our fare was A$25 per person. There is also a car ferry. Although there was a timetable it seemed pretty flexible to me, always waiting those extra ten minutes to see if it will fill up. There were only three of us on board this one. It was a relaxing ride over with incredible scenery all around. Parts of Samosir looked very much like the Swiss or Austrian Alps in the summer.

Samosir Island is a large volcanic island in Lake Toba. The lake and island were formed after the eruption of a super volcano some 75,000 years ago. At 630 square kilometres (243 sq mi), Samosir is the largest island within an island, and the fourth largest lake island in the world. It also contains two smaller lakes, Lake Sidihoni and Lake Aek Natonang. Source: Wikipedia

We were staying at a lakeside hotel called Zoe’s Paradise Hotel, Tuk Tuk. This area is the busiest tourist area and where most of the hotels are situated. The ferry drops people off at any of the lakeside hotels and we arrived at 1.15 pm and a couple of the staff met us off the ferry. We walked up four flights of stairs to the reception and were shown into our room. A pretty basic room no aircon or fridge but looked comfortable and clean and the view from the balcony was stunning.

Didn’t take long to feel at home!
View from our balcony

We asked one of the girls at the reception to recommend a place for lunch and she said there was a restaurant “just 50 metres” up the road. This was a phrase we would hear often over the next few days, I don’t think anything was just ever 50 metres away.

I have to say lunch wasn’t great, but everywhere is still recovering from covid and I think they were surprised to have any customers. Anyway the view made up for it. Everywhere you looked there was always beautiful scenery.

At least there were plenty of bananas and they were free!

A search for a decent coffee was next. We found a fantastic little cafe where the owner, Lam, roasted her own beans.

Next up was a walk around Tuk Tuk, which according to Lam would take around an hour. So we set off to explore the streets. We soon found out how friendly everyone was with people calling out hello and how are you. It soon started to rain so we were taking shelter when we could under awnings until a lady called out from her restaurant to come in and get out of the rain. This was Lynn who we got to know fairly well over the next three days. We had a drink here and she said we should go back for dinner the next day and what did we want to eat. So Anthony proceeded to give her a shopping list and even went into her kitchen to check her vegetables. We agreed on a spicy pork dish and sweet and sour chicken plus a vegetable stir fry.

Very fresh, picked just that morning

She told us about her tough life and how everything came to a stand still during covid.

Corn patch on the side of the road
Why did the chicken cross the road 😂
Admiring someone’s lunch
Cock of the Road
Abandoned Hotel
Islanders’ dwellings
Street scene

There were many restaurants and hotels that were boarded up, a legacy of covid. The island is self sufficient though with many crops of avocadoes, corn, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables. They also grown their own coffee plus there is plenty of livestock.

We noticed many churches dotted around the place and not small ones either. We found out later that the islanders are very religious and belong to many different religious denominations. Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic. The Missionaries did a good job many years ago.

That night we had dinner in a place called Hot Chilli. We also met the manager, Joshua, an extremely funny guy on our walk. A very eclectic little place. There was no-where that served wine, the only place that sold wine was in a supermarket and we found just one brand from France tucked away in a dusty box. Oh well, needs must.

Mr Bean looking on!
Drinking Jungle Juice!

We had an excellent first day on Samosir, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful views and of course the friendly islanders.

In case you were wondering where in the world is Samosir Island

Tomorrow we explore the island…

Medan to Parapat, North Sumatra

We had an almost sleepless night in the Medan Airport Hotel, due to being able to hear final calls to board aircraft from the tannoy. This hotel was really in the airport! So we checked out around 10 am and set off to meet our driver Johnny for the long drive to Parapat. I had found his number on a Trip Advisor Forum and contacted him a while before for the trip. The price was reasonable and he seemed reliable, chatting to me in the third person!

The journey would take approximately three and a half hours with a possible stop for lunch.

Once we had negotiated our way out of the city it was a pretty nice highway to drive on. Either side of the highway there were just plantations of palm trees for miles.

Palm Oil is one Indonesia’s main exports, but now the EU have reduced the use of palm oil for health reasons and also deforestation. It is to be phased out as a use of fuel by 2030. Indonesia has filed a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization against the EU for its anti-subsidy tariffs imposed on Indonesia palm oil-based biofuels exports.

We had a brief stop to stretch our legs and use the bathrooms, this was at a dried fruit, nut and seed emporium. Anthony bought several types of peanuts for snacks with beer. It was here that we met two delightful ladies from Singapore who were also travelling to Parapat.

We arrived around 3pm, checked into Khas Hotel which sits on the lake front with a small private beach.

Our first sightings of Parapat with Samosir Island in the distance.

After a quick lunch in the hotel we set off to explore the surrounding area.

The photos above are from the hotel website, we stayed in a room like this. We could walk down to the beach from our room.

Local street in Parapat
Tower Garuda

It was a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze blowing. Our hotel was in a small bay and we walked for around an hour taking in the views. As far I could see there were no other Europeans that we spotted and people were calling out to us hello, even stopping their cars and rolling down the windows to have a better look, quite bizarre.

We walked back to the hotel and Anthony suggested a swim in the lake below, I was a bit reluctant as we walked down the steps as there were several young girls swimming and paddling but fully clothed. Some wore jeans with a cardigan, nothing worse than wet jeans. I really did stand out in my one piece, and they didn’t hide their interest either. So I just waved and laughed as I swam about as they all watched and giggled. It was surprisingly warm for a lake, I had expected it to be much colder.

Lake Toba is the largest volcanic crater lake in the world. The lake is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) long, 30 kilometres (19 mi) wide, and up to 505 metres (1,657 ft) deep. Wikipedia

By coincidence the two ladies we had met earlier Elaine and E-Jin were also staying at our hotel. As we said we couldn’t seem to see anywhere decent for dinner within walking distance they offered us a lift in the car they had hired with a driver to look for dinner further afield.

Elaine also gave me some very good information about sim cards. I had never heard of an E-Sim, but if your phone is relatively new then there is a place for an E-Sim. She sent me a link to Airalo, it cost me just US$5 for a seven day package including data. This proved invaluable and came in very handy.

Later that night we sat outside our room and watched a wonderful electric storm.

The next day we would begin our trip to Samosir Island.

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Bali

After leaving Beratan Lake, we made our way to the rice terraces. It took around 40 minutes along windy country roads. The rice terraces have always been on my list of places to see, so I was looking forward to this trip.

Stopping by the side of the road to take some of these breathtaking views.

We stopped for lunch overlooking the rice fields, the restaurant served a simple buffet lunch of curries and stir fried vegetables. It was so relaxing just sitting and looking over the terraces.

I had a quick tour of the outside of the restaurant and was intrigued by the different chairs and benches in use. I also took a video of a waitress trying to evict a stray dog!

I wonder what the hole is for!
Stationary Wheel Chairs
Pizza Oven

“I’ll leave when I want, thanks”

After lunch we walked across the road to take a walk along the rice terraces. The different tones of green were amazing and I was stopping every few seconds to take photos. We saw mostly women in the fields, of course! It looked to be back-breaking work. We could have walked the loop but it was already late in the afternoon and we had over an hour’s journey to drive back.

A little piece of home!

I can’t imagine the exhaustion these people feel at the end of the day, still so primitive and much the same as it was many years ago.

My dear hubby is a big rice fan and we eat it nearly every day at home. I have a rice cooker so it’s always cooked perfectly. Woe betide if there is too much water and it ends up sticky! Before the rice cooker is opened, he says “did you cut the rice”. Rice has to be chopped or cut before it is served.

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces are now a protected UNESCO Heritage Site and well worth visiting. They span more than 53,000 hectares of agriculture fields mostly covered with rice terraces. The system of terracing was developed based on the Hindu religion’s beliefs of being in harmony with nature.

We had a fabulous day visiting the temple first and then the rice terraces, it was well worth the drive.

“Have a Rice Day”

~ Sightseeing in Bali at Tengenungen Waterfall ~

During our week in Bali, Anthony and I hired a driver to visit one of the many waterfalls that Bali has to offer. Tengenungen was around 30 minutes drive away and our driver was going to wait for a few hours while we explored.

This not a free attraction but the fee to enter is minimal. Before walking to the steps down to the waterfall there is a small strip with many stalls selling the usual Balinese crafts. They were all calling out to us to visit on the way back.

This was the first sight of the waterfall and the glass bridge across the river. The bridge wasn’t open that day, which was a relief with the sun beating down.

It was an extremely hot and humid day and there were nearly 200 stairs to traverse! The stairs of course were not nice and even enabling one foot after the other, rather they were all different sizes; steep, wide, narrow and shallow. So it was a case of walking down like a toddler learning to walk, for me anyway.

There was a hotel set amongst the rocks with a gorgeous looking swimming pool and tables with umbrellas around it. I’m not sure if you would want to spend more than one night here.

A cute bird’s nest, large enough for a person to sit in. I did see a lady climb in, I wasn’t brave enough as the drop was too steep! It didn’t look that safe, it definitely wouldn’t have passed health and safety requirements in Australia.

Face sculptures set in the hillside

Finally at the bottom we saw there were “bridges” to cross the pool to the waterfall and more steps going up the other side. I decided to sit and watch Anthony go across as it all looked a bit risky to me. If someone was going to fall in it would be me.

I thought you would be able to swim in the pool down below but there were signs saying no swimming, I probably wouldn’t have gone anyway because of all the rocks. The sight of the waterfall amongst all the lush tropical greenery was worth the effort.

Anyone could use these signs to take selfies with, but again I wasn’t brave enough to climb over the logs and through the water to get to them.

Anthony’s journey across the river

“Hello from the other side”

I’m glad to say Anthony made it back in one piece and then we made our way back up again. Oh, boy was this tough going. I was stopping every four or five steps and with a lady hot on my tail. I had to keep turning round and apologising but she said, “no, you’re okay, it’s exactly my pace”. Then she said “you must be 30 years younger than me”! Well that would have made me 30 or her 90, maybe it was my hat and dark glasses.

Once at the top we stopped and looked at one of the stalls and I bought a dress and Anthony bought himself a sari! He said he wanted to wear it around the garden at home, but he wore it to dinner that night. He surprises me everyday.

Stopping off for a coconut and a last look across the river at the bridge.

It was a lovely morning and I’m glad we made the effort to go. There are so many different places to see in Bali but the heat does affect you, early morning is the best time to go.

Bali Safari and Waterpark Antics

During our week in Bali we spent a day a the Bali Safari and Conservation Park, with time in the waterpark after. I think we were all amazed about what a fantastic place this is. We had a conversation about the ethics of these types of places but upon reading about the park and also walking around we all agreed that wonderful things were happening here.

Upon arrival there is a bus to take you to the actual park. By the time we arrived the Tiger Show was about to start so we hopped off the train and went to find seats. The seating areas were extremely full but we managed to get good seats.

It was all very exciting at first with the tigers running around and climbing trees. Then the poachers came on reflecting what is happening in the real world, the whole audience was quite shocked when the tiger ran off and a fake one (obviously!) was brought back in a trap. Hard to explain to Lachie and Rosie.

Next up was the Elephant show, which again started off fun until, you guessed it, poachers again. These elephants are very well trained and one started limping and then fell down, dead! The whole audience gasped and both kids started crying, with other children also crying. We had to leave in a hurry.

I took mostly videos, so most of the photos are just clips of these. I had some fun with Canva compiling these!

It was an incredibly hot day but almost every 10 metres were Safari staff carrying trays with ice cold beers and water.

After the shows we got on the train again for our safari tour, which takes you through the park to view the many animals that live here.

We all had our favourite animals, for me it was the spotted deer, so many babies.

Our guide and commentator was very funny and informative, explaining about the various animals and constantly cracking jokes.

Lunch was next and we walked around looking for somewhere suitable for all of us. There are many options available but we chose a food hall type of venue with air con blasting away.

Although there were many more animals to see we were all hot and tired and wanted nothing more than to get wet. So off to the waterpark it was.

I’m not sure who had the most fun, the adults I think. There were also two pools for swimming with two large slides as well.

The parrots below sit on perches and can fly around freely. If you’re very brave like Elena and Damian they will climb onto your arms and pose.

Some information I found from the Bali Safari website:

BIG CAT SHOW

The tigers in the Big Cat Show are not deprived of food in order to elicit show behaviours and performance. All our animals receive a daily balanced diet based on modern zoo nutrition recommendations and scaled according to their body weight.

ELEPHANT SHOW

The elephant is not ‘being forced at rifle point to lie down’ rather the elephant and actor together are performing a scene, this scene and the whole show highlights the story of human – elephant conflict in Sumatra and sends a strong message of elephant conservation to our visitors. Source: Bali Safari Park

There is also an established Sumatran Tiger Breeding Centre here which is the first place in the World to artificially inseminate a tiger.

Such a fun day was had by all, we were all glad to get back to the hotel for some relaxation before dinner.