Indonesia -- Day 6 The Long and Winding Road to Berastagi ...

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.

 

Bonehouse or Tugu or Tambak,  Samosir Island

 



Bonehouse or tugu or tambak, Samosir Island



a local church, Samosir Island

Another bonehouse, Samosir Island

This bonehouse has over 100 people in it .. Samosir Island

local house, Samosir Island

Water Buffalo grazing

a local woman making cloth

dyed thread drying, Samosir Island



a  traditional village, Samosir Island



local boar/pig just hanging out looking for lunch, Samosir Island

tugu or tambak bonehouse .. amazing blue tile and detail, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia 

Crossing back onto the mainland Sumatra



Local transportation, Sumatra

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.

Sumatra, Indonesia

Following the :Rapture" up the mountain in Sumatra, Indonesia



a lookout point to see all of Lake Toba, Sumatra



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.

Morris showing us a tobacco field.

The tobacco drying shed.

little local girl wondering what these tourists where doing checking out her families' tobacco shed/

taro root, Sumatra, Indonesia



rice drying on tarps in a front yard, Sumatra, Indonesia



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.

waterfall runoff, Sumatra

village market, Sumatra

village market, Sumatra

village market, Sumatra

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?

Sumatra

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)



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. 



Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra



 Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra

Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra

Sipiso Piso Waterfall area, Batak Highlands, Sumatra

If you would like to visit the Sipiso Piso Waterfall and/or Indonesia

contact Adventures Abroad at 1 800 665 3998

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Sipiso Piso Waterfall , Batak Highlands, Sumatra

Indonesia -- Day 5 Touring Ambarita and Samosir Island, Sumatra

Last night was great.  We had a lovely buffett dinner set out for us by Annette, the owner.   The food was delicious.  Dessert had some new fruits that I hadn't tried before passionfruit, tamerillo and a smooth avocado.  After dinner everyone retired for the evening.

This morning I was awoke by a jungle of animals competing for the title of "Loudest Call".  Funny how I thought it would be peaceful and serene, but instead it was full of noises from all sorts of creatures, big and small.  Breakfast this day was a buffet again and it was fantastic. The fried plantain and the noodle dish was great.

Our Adventures Abroad itinerary for today said:

The island is the centre of Batak culture, and has several villages of historical interest. Here, traditional houses are made of wood with high roofs; the main posts, walls, and gable ends carry carved decorations of buffalo horns.

We will learn about the animist culture of the Batak people with visits to the cultural centre and some unusual houses, with roofs shaped like boats. The Batak were formerly head-hunters and cannibals, and due to their isolation in the high mountains, they have retained many of the ancient proto-Malay cultural traditions. According to tradition, all Bataks are descendants of Si Raja Batak, a hero-ancestor of super-natural parentage born on a holy mountain adjacent to Lake Toba. Today they maintain a tight-knit and distinctive culture.

Our stops today include a visit to the King Sidabutar Tomb in Tomok, a stop at the 300-year old stone chairs, site of village discussions and decisions, and we explore the museum at Simanindo, converted from a traditional house lived in by Rajah Simalungun, a Batak king.

We continue back to our hotel on Samosir Island for the night.

Overnight on Samosir Island. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.



Samosir Island, Indonesia




Samosir Island, Indonesia



Samosir Island, Indonesia.
Look at how clear and beautiful that water is..



Morris (our local tour leader) and the driver and his assistant had got the bus ready for our travels today. 

First we ere heading to Ambarita. Ambarita is five kilometers northwest of TukTuk.  On the way there Morris explained about the Batak peope and their culture. He advised the group that I would be quite a catch because of the size of my build and my breasts.

Apparently a successful Batak family would have 33 children: 16 girls and 17 boys. Therefore big breasts would be required to feed (milk) to this amount of children. Judging by this criteria I should be Queen of the Batak people ;)



The Welcome sign for the Stone Chair of King Siallagan
Ambarita, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia



Morris and our group at Ambarita Village,
Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia


Once you arrive in the village you see a row of old houses (below) that are still used today.  Beyond them is the Banyan tree and at its base the Stone Chair of King Siallagan.  Beyond that is a public viewing area where you could see the condemned being tortured, trussed, carved, whipped, cut and covered in lemon and garlic

A traditional Batak House that is lived in today.
Ambarita Village, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia



Notice on the house above the rusted roof with large peaks on each end.  The front peak is always higher than the back.  The living floor was generally raised off the ground for protection and the ladder withdrawn at night.  Some houses had lofts as a second story.  Underneath the house would be used to keep animals and other supplies.  Sometimes even as a prison.  The houses were decorated with cravings in the Batak traditional colors of Red, White and Black.

Stone Monuements at Ambarita Village
Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia

The story of King Siallagan and his "Court" is quite fascinating.  The Batak people of have a history of ritualistic cannibalism.  Ambarita and the Stone Chairs were the execution spot of the King as well as the place were all important judicial and village matters where taken care of. These megalithic stone chairs are over 300 years old and arranged in a circle.  There is also a large "beheading" chopping block.

One of the Stone Chairs of King Siallagan.
Ambarita, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia.

A large Banyan tree with an amazing root system.
Look closely and see if you see anything strange.
Ambarita Village, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia

A face in the wall.
Ambarita Village, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia

Another bonehouse or tugu
Ambarita Village, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia

From Wikipedia re Batak Cannibalism:

Ritual Cannibalism is well documented among Batak people, performed in order to strengthen the eater's tendi. In particular, the blood, heart, palms and soles of the feet were seen as rich in tendi.

Marco Polo passed on this description told to him:

"They suffocate him. And when he is dead they have him cooked, and gather together all the dead man's kin, and eat him. And I assure you they do suck the very bones till not a particle of marrow remains in them...And so they eat him up stump and rump. And when they have thus eaten him they collect his bones and put them in fine chests, and carry them away, and place them in caverns among the mountains where no beast nor other creature can get at them. And you must know also that if they take prisoner a man of another country, and he cannot pay a ransom in coin, they kill him and eat him straightway.

Oscar von Kessel visited Silindung in the 1840s and in 1844 was probably the first European to observe a Batak cannibalistic ritual in which a convicted adulterer was eaten alive. Interestingly, his description parallels that of Marsden in some important respects, however von Kessel states that cannibalism was regarded by the Batak as a judicial act and its application was restricted to very narrowly defined infringements of the law including theft, adultery, spying or treason. Salt, red pepper and lemons had to be provided by the relatives of the victim as a sign that they accepted the verdict of the community and were not thinking of revenge.

Ambarita Village, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia



Traditional Batak House

I'm not sure who has the sense of humor in Ambarita Village, but this was referred to as an eggplant.

More from Samosir Island continued in the next post .....

If you would like to visit Ambarita and Samosir Island,

then contact Adventures Abroad at 1800 665 3998

Quote code AANK for a special discount.

 

Pretty Nifty "truck" ,
Ambarita, Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia