Sumatra - 16.Dec.2006 - 13.Jan.2007

The semester break drives me to Indonesia. More precisely to the largest island of Indonesia, Sumatra.
Here I will spend the rest of the year from Christmas to New Year together with my uncle Markus.
After a long and complicated journey from Singapore to Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur I meet Markus at the airport of Medan, the capital of Sumatra. Only six more hours minibus until we reach our destination: Lake Toba.
We stay 20 days at Samosir Island in Lake Toba, the perfect place to relax.
Pulau Samosir has about the size of Singapore, but the climate is different. There is no humidity and the temperature doesn't feel so hot thanks to fresh air from the lake and its altitude.
It is located at 800m and was formed by a gigantic volcanic explosion some (many) years ago.


However we spend the time to get to know the local Toba Batak culture and all the so friendly people.












We live in a traditional Batak house (left image) on a small peninsular that you can see below. Two balconies on both sides guarantee the perfect view on the lake. (Behind the big window front at top is my floor and my bed.)











We explore the region, all the little villages and the environment around.
Although we have a lot of rain in the first week, we enjoy our time and use the short rainless time slots.
The monsoon season has defenitely its influences. And we are hoping that it is over soon.

Here on a barefoot march through the paddy fields.





magic plant =)

This year is also the first time in my life taht I spend Chrismas without my parents and sisters. No Christmas tree, no stress for buying presents ... instead it is warm, we go swimming,...
Nevertheless we celebrate our christmas with a big delicious lunch.
For the afternoon I prepare a huge fruit salad with pineapple and papayas.
I even go to a christmas mass at night together with the locals. I can't understand anything but it is very lively and they are always singing.









Early on the next morning (25th. december) Markus wakes me up before sunrise . "That's our chance. No clouds, it's going to be a nice day. Let's do our 3-days trip!"
We pack our stuff, drink a coffee and here we go.
In the middle of the island there is a big mountain, but not too high. On the first day we climb up to the top. This is challenging enough as it is not so easy to find the right path. The nature has done its best to hide it well. We just enjoy the perfect weather (after all these rainy days) and the view over the island and the lake. Once on the top there are only some meters left to reach Jenny's Guesthouse. It is a "village" consisting of less than 10 houses without electricity and far away from the civilization. We stay in one of these houses, eat and sleep together with the family.
During the day they work on coffee plantations and they have all different kinds of animals: Waterbuffalos, goats, pigs, geese,... which all sleep under the house at night =)




Afteriaifreezingicoldinight,iokiitiwasistillinoticomparableiwith european winter, the second part maybe begin. We cross the whole island from east to west to get to this volcanoe.
And we are only cheating at the end when we hitch-hike.









At the foot of the volcanoe there are hotsprings. What could be better than to sit in a hot pool of sulfur water and regenerate after the long walk!
It is even more impressive to walk to the origin of the hotsprings. Yellow water, boiling hot water, sulfur vapour,... the YELLOW HELL !!!







This is definitely an alternative christmas. Instead of neverending meals and dinners, we enjoy our days in the nature. We even have to omit our last dinner. For an unknown reason we didn't take enough money with us.

I really enjoy the time on Pulau Samosir. It is SO different from everything that I know.
Very few tourists, no supermarkets, not many cars - they all have bikes. Computers are a product of the future. The few ones that you can find are useless. Every typewriter would be faster. Internet, what is this?
And all the people are so friendly although they have hardly enough money to survive.
They just live from that, what mother earth gives them. They work on the field, spend the whole day fishing on the lake. And there are children everywhere...

There was this one situation when I was on my way back to our house when it suddenly started to rain heavely. I tried to take shelter under a tree. But I had no chance, there where two old women who called me into their cottage. They offered me tea and roasted corn cob. We sat on the bare ground together with all the hens and talked quite a lot. Though they couldn't speak English and I can't speak Indonesian!












The last week we shift to another place, Bukit Lawang.
A village seperated from Gunung Leuser National Park just through Bohorok river with its deeply forested cliffs on both sides. Bukit Lawang is especially famous for the Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
Therefore it is no rarity to see Orang-Utans from our room, climbing in the gigantic jungle trees on the other side of the river.
I spend two days on a jungle trek in the national park. It is amazing to see Orang-Utans in their natural habitat! By the way orang utan derives from the Malay and Indonesian phrase orang hutan meaning" person of the forest". We see a lot of other animals and we, an australien couple, three guides and I, we have so much fun, especially in the evening at our campsite. After the best meal that I had during my entire stay in Sumatra (cooked in the middle of the jungle!!!) we play a lot of different games.
"I can't remember that I ever had so much fun without alcohol!" - the australien girl -













Weiwalkiintoitheijungleiandirestinear the river over night.
On the next day we follow the river to go further upstream. And don't think this is an easy walk, forget it. It is impossible to walk along one river side, the cliffs on the sides are too steep. We have to cross the stream many times. This exactly the point: Firstly you can't stand everywhere and secondly the current is f***ing strong.
Then the final we are tubing all the way back to Bukit Lawang.
All together a great adventure!

Finally some monkeys: Thomas' Leaf Monkey, Long Tailed Macaque, my uncle, orang-utan







Discovery of the holiday: my uncle saw this bat hanging in a banana plant. And it was night, no electricity --> no light.