Greetings from Lake Toba!
Welcome! Wonderful to have you visit and share my latest week of adventures!
How have you been? What are you grateful for over the past week? I do hope you and the universe have been in alignment throughout your week. Life is so much more enriching when the stars are in the right place to support you.
I was blessed with meeting new people (fellow travelers) over the past week who offered great conversations and travel insights. I was also blessed to have the opportunity to get reacquainted with old friends who, btw, were happy to see me. As you may know from my blogs, meeting and talking with people is an important aspect to my travels. I've been successful in channeling my introvert preferences into engaging conversations wherever I find myself.
I must confess to the following:
- I'm looking forward to traveling to Australia where I can resume my privileged 'western' lifestyle.
- I have some angst about my anticipated travel and accommodation challenges when I visit Mongolia in the latter part of June. The idea of sleeping in a yurt, the nomadic peoples version of a mobile home, is definitely unappealing. A nice hotel room with hot shower is much more comfortable!
An interesting discovery in the past week was Toba Cottages offered attractive monthly rates for extended stays at their hotel that included their wonderful breakfast. I have a return visit on my radar for next year.
Anyone interested in going on an African safari next year? I'm starting my research in the best time of year and location for a safari. Please let me know if you are interested as I'm thinking it would be great to have group participation in the safari planning process. Great learning experience for all who want to go.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic π¦ to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. π
Travel Administration
Let's discuss using WhatsApp to take videos and photos. I thought I was going to be a bright boy by using WhatsApp to capture video of the cultural dancing at my Lake Toba hotel. Why! Because I know the video create smaller files. Lesson learned - you need to send the video/photo you create to a recipient (including yourself). I had the mistaken belief the video/photo I created would be stored in my photo gallery - just like the images I receive from when someone sends me a WhatsApp text.
Travel Update
Welcome to a relatively quiet week of itinerary maneuvering. One small change in my Taiwan plans. I'll be staying in Taipei for three nights instead of one night. Sophia, the Taiwanese woman I met in Kathmandu, asked if I'd like to attend a musical concert on May 15. I've agreed to go. I'll travel to Sun Moon Lake on May 16.
Travel Maps
I've discovered different parts of Sumatra have much different traffic challenges. My travels between Medan, Berastagi, and Lake Toba were relatively serene compared to going to Banda Aceh or between Jambi and Padang. Busy sections at times, however the fear for my life was absent. What a relief!
Indonesia (Sumatra): April 7 to May 3, 2026
Tua Pejat
Mumbang Cafe
Many thanks to the universe for the blessing of the Mumbang Cafe being a three minute walk from my accommodation. Beachside cafe. operated by a warm and kind family, serving delicious food for lunch and dinner at a reasonable price. Amazing place to watch the sunset every day!
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| View from 'my' table |
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| Cafe |
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| Additional seating |
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| Looking towards cafe from beach |
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| Looking towards cafe from beach |
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(l-r) Agra, Sunil, David, Hans, Diah
Cafe owners and their extended family |
Padang Revisited
Heads up on the 3.5 hour fast ferry ride between Padang and Sipora. Dress in layers as the aircon is set on high. Wear trousers and a jumper for the ride to Sipora. My legs were so cold because I was wearing shorts for the ride to the island. The return ride to Padang was somewhat 'warmer' or perhaps I was better dressed.
I was blessed with an upgraded hotel room for my two nights in Padang. I complained about the musty smelling room on my first visit. The kind woman at reception offered me a fifth floor room facing the ocean.
Padang is located just south of the equator.
My big tourist adventure was walking the three km to Old Town to visit the restored Dutch colonial buildings. While there were a few buildings of interest, the whole adventure was underwhelming. BTW - I took a taxi to return to my hotel. It was 32C, plus humidity, without any shade for the return walk.
I had a great conversation with my newest friend Denny at an Old Town cafe I had stopped at for a coffee. Note - do remember to ask for 'panas' coffee (hot coffee) or you'll get 'es kopi' like I did. Denny was a local who was curious why I was drinking my coffee outside the air conditioned cafe. Simple answer - it's freezing cold in the cafe if you have a sweat soaked shirt like I was wearing!
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| Oceanside road to Old Town |
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| Oceanside road to Old Town |
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| Entrance to one of the ports |
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| History still standing |
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| Restored building used for commercial space |
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| Needs TLC |
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| Boulevard along riverside |
What a delightful and elegant riverside restaurant in Old Town. An oasis of sorts. Click on the link I've shared for more great photos.
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| Restaurant frontage |
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| Road looking east from restaurant |
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Outdoor eating area; river behind location I was
taking this photo |
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| Very comfortable; sheltered from hot sun! |
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| Restaurant entrance - river is directly ahead. |
Sunset Experience
My hotel was a ten minute walk from Padang Beach and the daily sunset. The beach was a busy place every evening with seaside dining, coconut vendors and people out enjoying a stroll along the beach.
Fellow visitors
I offered to take a photo of this mother and daughter who were taking photos of each other in front of the Padang sign. I ended up using my phone for the photos as the daughter's phone had just died. I connected with the daughter through WhatsApp to share these photos. I've kept the connection as it has been interesting to see the updates she shares through WhatsApp. A small window into the local youth experience.
I'm also now snippet of history in a young woman's life's story. A thirty something woman called out to me to join her and her four friends who were enjoying a drink at their beachside table. I posed, arm in arm, with her for a series of photos and much laughter from her friends.
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| Auliq and her mother |
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| They insisted in a photo with all of us! |
Sunset - April 27
Yes, I did have time to take a few sunset photos between my guest appearances in photos with fellow visitors on the beach!
Hotel View
Here's the view from my hotel room overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Sweet Discovery
I almost missed the small Padand Airport kiosk where these dark chocolate bars were sold. What a sweet find! Delicious dark chocolate!
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| Bean to Bar chocolate bars |
Berastagi
I was visiting Berastagi to enjoy the sunrise trek up Mount Sibayak. Two fellow travellers had shared the following photos/videos that caught my attention. Video is courtesy of Hester Offerman.
Many thanks to Stefanie for recommending Kaesa Homestay for my two night stay along with her recommendation to limit my stay to two nights. With some preplanning, you could limit your stay to one night - just saying!
I did have a minor adventure regarding my transportation arrangements at the airport. I thought I had pre-booked a Bluebird taxi from the airport to my Berastagi homestay. At least I had a confirmation in my Bluebird app that indicated as such. My thanks to the universe for the Bluebird employees at the airport that enthusiastically sorted through my situation. The confirmation I received failed to be shared with the airport team. Fortunately, they arranged for me to take the unassigned Bluebird taxi nearby for my Berastagi trip.
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| Courtesy of Stefanie W. |
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| Courtesy of Stefanie W. |
In my infinite wisdom, I decided, based on the weather conditions and sunrise trek cost, to skip the sunrise trek and do the trek later in the day, on my own. Skipping the sunrise trek was a good decision given the low cloud ceiling. Trekking on my own I would soon discover was a dumb decision.
As part of my overall trekking decision, I also decided to hike for two hours (uphill) from my homestay to the starting point for the volcano trek. The volcano trek would be an additional one hour hike uphill. I hiked for about 2/3 of the distance to the starting point when a couple young guys insisted on giving me a ride on their motorcycle. I was grateful for the ride after we arrived at the starting point. There are small buses that regularly drive this route so I did have this option as well.
Once I arrived at the trek starting point, I vacillated about completing the volcano trek for about 20 minutes. I made the decision to make the trek and I was off up a very steep broken asphalt road.
My next decision point was when the asphalt road ended and the path became a combination of scrambling and broken steps. I ascended a couple hundred meters up the path before determining that hiking on my own on this type of path was a bad idea. My right hip has also been more sensitive which is undermining my resolve. I decided to turnaround with an estimated 45 minutes left to hike to the volcano. My consolation is the multiple sunrises I've seen from different peaks in the past.
I then decided I should get even more exercise by walking the two hours back to my homestay. I turned down the offer to get on a bus that would have returned me directly to my homestay for $5 Cdn. I had walked about a kilometer when a guy on a motorcycle stopped and offered me a ride to town. I hopped on the bike without hesitation. My driver took off as soon as I got off so I was unable to offer him money in thanks.
Please enjoy my fellow travellers sunrise photos and video.
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| Volcano trek starting point |
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| Mount Sibayak Park Entrance |
Berastagi Skies and Streets
I was disappointed with Berastagi. The part of the city near my homestay was both smelly and falling apart. I was surprising at the state of disrepair given the city's high profile as a tourist destination. The other key tourist highlights was hot springs and the fruit market. Padang, Jambi and Banda Aceh, while less than ideal, were so much better cities to visit. My two night stay was more than enough for what I wanted to do!
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| Sunrise |
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| Veterans' monument |
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| Main road through city |
Coffee Bukit
My Berastagi dining and coffee highlight was Coffee Bukit on the main road, a ten minute walk from my homestay. I had tried a cafe recommended by Ipul at my homestay. Unfortunately, I had to battle a swarm of black flies while I was eating my meal. Food was tasty; my black flies lunch companions were a serious problem.
The service and food for my two visits was consistently delightful! A good memory!
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| I love my noodles and chicken! |
My final Sumatran destination was returning to Lake Toba, place responsible to bringing me back to Sumatra for an extended stay. Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world.
On the way
I had my first shared taxi adventure (uneventful) to get from Berastagi to Parapat where I'd be catching the ferry to Tuk Tuk, on the island of Samosir, where I was staying.
We had a photo op stop about an hour from Parapat.
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| Lake Toba - looking north |
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| Lake Toba - looking south |
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| Tuk Tuk on the island of Samosir |
Sunset over Lake Toba
I was blessed to experience a beautiful sunset while on the ferry to Tuk Tuk.
Tuk Tuk
My final Sumatran destination was Toba Cottages in Tuk Tuk. The hotel is another small oasis in Sumatra.
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Welcome to Toba Cottages - my
last home in Sumatra |
Local Batak Culture
I was on a mission during this return visit to learn about the Batak people who inhabit this part of the world. As you will see below, I had three separate opportunities in just one day!
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| Huta Siallagan Village from a distance |
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| Always good to have roadside welcome signs! |
Huta Siallagan Village
My first cultural experience involved a three km walk to the Huta Siallagan Village.
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| Church |
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| Village entrance |
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| Batak houses |
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| Opportunity to participate in Batak dancing |
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| Batak totem pole |
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| Batak house |
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| Self explanatory! |
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| Execution area |
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| Execution area |
Batak Wedding
Annette, the Tabo Cottage owner, invited me to join her in attending a Batak wedding she was going to. She was attending to help out in serving the meal which was part of the festivities. The wedding was for members of her husband's extended family. The dancing I've captured in the photos also included the exchange of lots of cash between the extended family and the wedding party!
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| Wedding announcement in background |
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| Wedding guests - that's a lot of people to feed! |
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| Wedding party and extended family |
Batak Music and Dancing
My last cultural experience was courtesy of Annette and her Tabo Cottage team. The hotel hosts students from a local school at 5 pm on Saturday afternoon for guests to experience local dancing and music. I had a chance last year to participate in the dancing.
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| Musicians and dancers |
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| Guest participation in dancing |
Friends
I was blessed to reinvigorate two existing friendships while I was visiting Lake Toba.
Fanni
I'm pleased to introduce Fanni who is married to Annette's son, Ronald. I met Fanni during my visit last year. Good to be with friends.
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| Fanni |
Leo and Kumala
I was also on a mission during my Lake Toba visit to have my hair cut by Leo. He had cut my hair when I visited last year. My small way in supporting his business. I recommend you visit Leo for your haircut when visiting Tuk Tuk. I was a little disappointed that he had stopped selling baseball caps in favor of sunglasses. I was planning to buy a new cap. Hey ho!
I learned that Leo and Kumala were married last October and were expecting their first child in June. I also learned that Kumala had been 'disowned' by her Muslim family because she married Leo, who was a Christian. Talk about a life changing choice. Fingers crossed her parents will soften their views when their grandchild is born next month.
Factoid: Leo is unable to have his hair cut until the baby is born.
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| Leo's salon |
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| Leo |
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He's wearing a cap to help manage
his hair |
Next Week
I return to Medan on Sunday for my overnight flight to Australia. I'll spend two nights in Brisbane then travel to Mooloolaba for the next six nights in the Sunshine Coast.
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