We bus it from Medan to Lake Toba.
We had never heard of this place until a few days ago. It is staggeringly beautiful. Squint your eyes and you could be on Lake Como.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9303-1024x768.jpg)
We can’t understand why people aren’t thronging to this place. Its level of laid-backness is off the charts.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9302-1024x768.jpg)
It’s apparently the largest volcanic lake in the world. When Toba exploded 75,000 years ago, catastrophe followed. Bad news for contemporary cavemen, good news for the modern holiday-maker. The Singapore-sized Samosir Island that now takes up most of the lake is a joy to hang out in.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9320-1024x768.jpg)
The inhabitants are Batak. Batak people around here are non-muslim, which we’re sure contributes to the serene, relaxed atmosphere.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9332-1024x768.jpg)
It’s so mellow, we’ve been here for four days and haven’t managed to move beyond Tuk Tuk, the little village where the ferry from Parapat arrives. It’s like the land of the lotus-eaters.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9334-1024x768.jpg)
There are scores of tidy, well-kept accommodation options here. The food is excellent. The tiny four-room guesthouse where we first stay serves the best satay – the signature dish of Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia – I have ever tasted anywhere.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9341-1024x768.jpg)
We regularly spend time in the restaurant of the Carolina Hotel for its great WiFi . It is so clean, charming, and comfortable that I would gladly check in my own mother here. And that’s a ringing endorsement, believe us.
(For a cost of about $CAD35.00 a day. The place we stay is much cheaper.)
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9353-1024x768.jpg)
We don’t say people should fly around the planet to spend a week in Lake Toba. But we would definitely target urban dwellers in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore – intensely urban environments with high-pressure employment – to jump on a plane for an hour or two and decompress here. At a fraction of Singapore prices.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9356-1024x768.jpg)
Also, the temperature is perfect. The altitude and location in the middle of the lake keep things comfortably cool. Especially after the hothouse atmosphere of Medan.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9357-1024x768.jpg)
It’s a lake, not a beach. But it’s still delightful.
It’s a shame to see guesthouse after guesthouse – lawns trimmed, gardens watered, well-dressed friendly staff waiting to serve you – standing empty, when there are so many overdeveloped and exploitative places elsewhere in SE Asia that attract capacity crowds.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9358-1024x768.jpg)
The only things that disturb the tranquility here are the boats that go from dock to dock. They announce their presence with loud, nonstop music blaring out at ear-splitting volume.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9361-1024x768.jpg)
Maria usually rounds off the afternoons doing yoga at the waterfront.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9367-1024x768.jpg)
This is the waterfront area of our current hotel. There are about four guests. It has about 35 rooms.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9371-1024x768.jpg)
Who knows, we might even make it out of Tuk Tuk one of these days.
So if anyone within a 500 kilometre radius happens to read this, try to make it to Lake Toba. You’ll like it.
Sight or Insight of the Day – Lake Toba
The bus trip to Lake Toba is, um, interesting. We travel on the Sejahtera Line, which travels direct from Medan to Parapat. A five-and-a-half hour journey for the princely sum of CAD4.00 each.
This is the bus station in Medan. We’re a long way from the spotless terminals of Thailand and Malaysia.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9251-1024x768.jpg)
Our bus has no air conditioning or other modern conveniences.
![Lake Toba](https://randomrambles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_9249-1024x768.jpg)
Having said that, we arrive at our destination in one piece and on schedule – which has not always been the case, even with fancier buses in SE Asia.