After leaving Tabo Cottages we headed on the road to Berastagi.
The
Adventures Abroad itinerary for today was:
This morning we take a long, leisurely drive toward Berastagi, starting across the narrow land bridge that connects the "island" to the mainland. This region of North Sumatra is volcanic in nature and many sulfurous hot springs are to be found. At the northern end of Lake Toba we stop to see the impressive 120 m (394 ft) high Si Piso-Piso Waterfalls. From the viewpoint at the top of the falls there is a 360-degree panoramic view over Lake Toba and the surrounding countryside.
The area to the north of Lake Toba is known as Karoland, or the Karo Highlands, as it is where the Karo Batak tribal people live. The five Karo Batak clans and 83 subclans inhabit a high, lush plateau of mountain slopes and rich volcanic valleys in the area between Lake Toba and Medan. There are many volcanoes in the area, some of them still steaming. Gunung Sibayak at 2070 m (6,790 ft) and Gunung Sinabung at 2417 m (7,930 ft) are the highest and can be seen from many locations as we explore the area. We will have the opportunity to stop in Lingga, a Karo Batak village.
Overnight in Berastagi. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.
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| Bonehouse or Tugu or Tambak, Samosir Island |
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| Bonehouse or tugu or tambak, Samosir Island |
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| a local church, Samosir Island |
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| Another bonehouse, Samosir Island |
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This bonehouse has over 100 people in it .. Samosir Island
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| local house, Samosir Island |
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| Water Buffalo grazing |
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| a local woman making cloth |
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| dyed thread drying, Samosir Island |
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| a traditional village, Samosir Island |
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| local boar/pig just hanging out looking for lunch, Samosir Island |
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| tugu or tambak bonehouse .. amazing blue tile and detail, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia |
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| Crossing back onto the mainland Sumatra |
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| Local transportation, Sumatra |
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View of farmed fishing and Lake Toba, Sumatra |
After we crossed over the narrow piece of land that connects Samosir Island to the mainland we continued climbing up into the mountains. We were making pretty good pace and my ears were popping due to the climb. We were headed to Sidikalang for lunch and Sipiso Piso to see the waterfall.
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| Sumatra, Indonesia |
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| Following the :Rapture" up the mountain in Sumatra, Indonesia |
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| a lookout point to see all of Lake Toba, Sumatra |
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| a Rooster, Sumatra, Indonesia |
Along the way Morris pointed out more great sights along the way. We stopped at a tobacco field and Morris showed us the drying sheds and also taro root.
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| Morris showing us a tobacco field. |
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| The tobacco drying shed. |
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| little local girl wondering what these tourists where doing checking out her families' tobacco shed/ |
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| taro root, Sumatra, Indonesia |
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rice drying on tarps in a front yard, Sumatra, Indonesia
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| children walking home from school, Sumatra |
As per Wikipedia:
Primary schools or Sekolah Dasar (SD) students wear a white short-sleeve shirt with red shorts for male students, and below-knee skirts for females.
Lower Secondary schools or SMP: Sekolah Menengah Pertama require navy shorts with a short-sleeve white shirt for male students. Females wear a below-knee-length navy skirt, and short-sleeve white shirt.
Upper Secondary schools SMA: Sekolah Menengah Atas require blue-grey trousers with a short-sleeve white shirt. Females wear a below-knee-length blue-grey skirt, and wear short-sleeve white shirts.
Public schools in Indonesia tolerate religious freedoms. For example, Muslim girls may opt to wear long-sleeve shirts, longer skirts, and jilbab to cover their heads. Most schools in Indonesia also have a batik uniform which are usually worn on Thursday or Friday. This kind of uniform consists of a batik short-sleeve or long-sleeve shirt, with shorts or trousers for SMA, and below-knee skirts or longer for females. The motives and colors of batik depend on the school. Most schools in richer area tends to issue neckties for their students. This necktie vary from school to school in terms of color and sewing pattern, even among public schools.
The scouts uniform is also used in many schools in Indonesia at least once a week. The uniform consists of light-brown short-sleeve or long-sleeve shirts, with dark-brown shorts or trousers, and below-knee skirts or longer for females.
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| waterfall runoff, Sumatra |
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| village market, Sumatra |
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| village market, Sumatra |
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village market, Sumatra
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We stopped for lunch in Sidikalang at a Chinese restaurant and I had the nasi goreng special which was super tasty. After lunch we had a two hour journey along a tiny one lane road. It was vey cloudy/foggy with rain. Everyone had a little catnap.
Tapioca Plants?
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| Sumatra |
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| Sumatra |
We stopped at Sipiso Piso to see the waterfall but it was completely fogged in. We decided to have a cup of coffee and when we were done the rain stopped and the clouds lifted long enough for us to get a few shots of the waterfall and the north end of Lake Toba. (coffee was 10 000IDR, coke 8000, Milo 4000, and tea 3000)
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| Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Sumatra, Indonesia |
The Sipiso Piso waterfall is a plunge waterfall in the Batak highlands of Sumatra. It is the highest waterfall in Indonesia at 360 feet.
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| Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra |
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| Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra |
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| Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra |
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| Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra |
If you would like to visit the Sipiso Piso Waterfall and/or Indonesia
Quote code AANK for a special discount
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| Sipiso Piso Waterfall , Batak Highlands, Sumatra |
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