Saturday, 8 June, Lake Toba, Sumatra
We picked the wrong weekend to go sightseeing in Sumatra.
Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, had the same idea. My
real argument against the invasion of scenic and tourist sites is
the litter left behind. Appalling.
And while I'm whinging, next on my list is that the front seat of a van is not the most comforting place to be. Sure, I get a great view... a wonderful view of every collision we're about to have. But so far, either through luck or skill, our driver Agi has avoided even the most aggressive opponent. So far.
(right) For some reason, locals thronged to see the Sipiso Piso waterfall not far from Berestagi today. It was a favoured picnic spot for families.
Mt Sinabung volcano is erupting,
seemingly without causing undue concern.
I do understand the aversion to museums, but this museum was worth seeing. It was the traditional village of the last king of one of the Indigenous peoples. His palace was a longhouse, to accomodate his 22 wives and 30 children
But, judging by the graveyard, the king was Catholic. Twenty two wives? Another shrug was the only response I got. Will definitely have to look this bloke up. I suspect most/all of them were concubines, and our guide didn't know the difference.
The king's palace longhouse (above and below left)
Dave climbing the stairs into the palace longhouse
And while on religion, we reckon there are more Christian churches here than in Italy. We passed dozens of them today.
Dave's bout of celebrity continued today with selfies with him requested by locals at the waterfall, but this time I was included. So I don't have any photographic evidence of the encounter. Up to that point, we hadn't seen any other palefaces at any of the sightseeing places, so it appears we are objects of curiosity.
The drive after lunch was stressful. Now I know why the roads in the former Indonesian territory of East Timor were so bad. Indonesians don't rate road maintenance very highly. It was a nightmare, particularly with the amount of holiday traffic negotiating the potholes and eroded bits.
So I've reiterated my unwillingness to Dave to continue in the front seat, but I may have to persevere until we we get a new car after our flight to Java on tomorrow. DB is most insistent I wear a seat belt.
The
only pleasant bit of the drive was near the end, when we went
through a nature reserve devoted to monkeys. There were dozens
of them by the roadside, but getting photos on the drive-by was
a bit problematic. We did our best, even if the results leave a
little to be desired.
The monkeys were close to a large-ish town, Parapat on the edge of the volcanic Lake Toba. From here, ferries run across and around the lake, including to a resort island in the middle, Samasir Island.
below: Getting onto the ferry involved a walk with luggage through a muddy market area (it had obviously just rained there, turning the dirt into mud)
right: despite the rain, it's a very pleasant scene on Samosir Island in the middle of the world's largest volcanic lake.
And I guess we'll have wine for dinner too. And again tomorrow, since we're here for two nights.
I think we have a boat tour of Lake Toba scheduled for tomorrow....