Danau Toba

Danau Toba is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, one of the highest in the world, and also really, really big. It was created when a gigantic volcano exploded 100,000 years ago. The caldera is now Samosir island (really a peninsula), which is about the same size as Singapore.

We're staying in Tuk-tuk, the peninsula on a peninsula. Our hotel is very nice and has great views and a great swimming area. The lake water is cool but not cold, but if you go below the shallow thermocline then it is quite chilly. Yesterday we sat on our butts and read. I had a delicious lunch of sak-sang, a traditional Batak dish that is pork in a spicy coconut ginger sauce. I'd like to learn how to make it, but apparently the pepper that gives the dish its spice only grows along the shores of Lake Toba.

Today we walked to a village called Ambarita that has a circle of stone chairs where the village council used to meet and sometimes behead people. But all that remains today are the stone chairs and a string of tacky tourist stalls selling "Lake Toba" t-shirts.

Tomorrow we are walking to another village in a different direction. If I can convince myself that the beautiful carvings I see won't break in my backpack during the rest of the trip, I might get some of those too.