The Toba Lake: Horas! A musical hello on Samosir Island

Our eight-hour drive to Toba Lake is exciting as we pass many villages, and the landscape and surroundings change dramatically. We ascend and when we briefly pose for a photo at the Pinatubo Volcano halfway, we already notice that it is cooler than in the jungle. The Pinatubo Volcano was dormant for a long time but has been erupting at least once a year since 2010. We pass abandoned houses with large craters - we are also in the "risk zone" of the volcano, so let's get out of here quickly!

Along the way, buildings, people, and surroundings also change: we see many churches instead of mosques here, and the remaining houses look completely different from before. We are approaching the area where the ancient Batak people live, and they have their own way of building houses - with so-called saddle roofs that rise steeply at both ends and are decorated with carvings and the colors black, white, and red. On our way, we are also amazed by women wearing enormous turbans on their heads, which look like they have tied a cushion around their heads.At some point, the enormous Toba Lake appears before us. And its history is unique because this is not just an ordinary lake surrounded by hills - no, this is the largest volcanic crater in the world and it is filled with water. On top of it lies Samosir Island, our destination for today. When the supervolcano Toba erupted 74,000 years ago, it changed the world climate and wiped out a large part of the world population - at least that's the theory. In any case, we only see a part of the lake because it is heavily cloudy and rainy. Nevertheless, we quickly take a photo at one of the many funny photo spots that have been set up here (giant photo frames, hanging cars and motorcycles, model helicopters) before we board the colorful little ferry in Parapat. It is calm on Toba and we enjoy a few days with very mild and sometimes even rather cool weather. In the main town called Tuktuk, there are several shops that all offer the same things: laundry, massage, transport, and magic mushrooms - an interesting combination. In the restaurants, we have delicious grilled fish from the lake, which ends up on our plates whole. On our first day, we go on a bike tour, where we are first taken up the mountain by jeep for a 40-minute drive, and then roll everything back down on our too small mountain bikes. Unfortunately, Claudio has real problems with the bike and somehow it looks like he accidentally took a BMX bike. He calls his bike a "tiny clown bicycle". Nevertheless, we have fantastic views of the landscape and the combination of the shimmering blue lake and the mountains immediately reminds us of home! The vegetation here is completely different than expected, in addition to tropical plants, there are also conifers, and flowers seem to bloom everywhere. In the evening, our hotel surprises us with something very special: live music. But not just anyone playing random cover songs, but three young, friendly Batak boys who play incredibly lively Batak songs on two guitars and an acoustic bass and sing in harmony. And the songs surprise us because they simply don't fit into Asia, as the Batak language sounds more like Spanish or Italian when sung, and the rhythms could easily come from the Latin American region. This live music is something very special because these three boys play and sing their songs so honestly and passionately. And then, with the last three songs, the enthusiasm breaks out among the rest of the hotel staff! From our table, we can watch the chef in the kitchen dancing with the waitress and the maid singing loudly and swaying her hips to the cheerful music. Some of the hotel staff even stand next to the three musicians and join in loudly in chorus. Wonderful!The next day, we move again on two wheels, but this time motorized! With our scooters, which we rented from a hotel cleaner and his friend without showing any driver's license or taking out any kind of insurance. On one side, rice fields, villages, and the hills of the island, on the other side, the lake, clouds, and sun above us. And once again, we are spared the heavy monsoon rain shower, as the rain falls at night. What luck! We leave the island with a good feeling and joy to return to the heat. Off to Kuala Lumpur, back to Malaysia!