Lake Toba...

We're home! Whew... All I can say is, what a relief. I think this is one of those holidays that was not restful and took its toll on me. Of course, a large part of it wasn't Indonesia's fault, but largely due to a vicious flu that I caught from a colleague while in Singapore. Again, not Singapore's fault either... the colleague is Malaysian... :P

Lake Toba as seen from Sipisopiso

The weather (hot most of the time) and the travelling certainly took its toll on an already weakened me, and I certainly didn't have a cushy time. Despite doses of Panadol, by the time the Air Asia flight landed in KLIA it was a very weak me that crawled off the plane and into the taxi.

Samosir Island

Lake Toba was truly breathtaking, especially from the vantage point of Sipisopiso. On one side the view of the enormous lake, the amazing waterfall on the other.

Sipisopiso Waterfall

North Sumatra has some fantastic vistas, but is on the most part severely hampered by the lack of tourist amenities (decent hotels, decent transportation, etc.). I would really recommend anyone thinking of a trip here to bypass Parapat altogether and go via Berastagi.

Throughout our stay we had no problems finding good food (mostly Padang cuisine) and on our last night at Mikie Holidays hotel it was truly outstanding. We had dinner in the hotel cafeteria. Wifey ordered a plate of sizzling prawns, and I ordered a Sop Buntut (Oxtail Soup). The prawns were sizeable, fresh, and plentiful, and my soup was nothing short of sensational. Wifey also had a Jus Terung Belanda (Tamarillo juice) and me a pot of tea. Best part was it cost us only the equivalent of RM39!!!

Unfortunately, our overwhelming impression of the trip were the roads, which are best described as potholes joined by strips of tarmac. Pity...