Skip to main content

Day 16: Lake Toba

Fish farming
We left for our hotel on the opposite side of lake Toba at 6am and got there in about 50mins. It was a cool ferry. We learnt that Toba is a volcanic crater lake, formed over 750m years, after a volcanic eruption that changed the climate of the planet.



At the hotel, we got breakfast: hurriedly done and not very good, but just barely palatable. We climbed on the ferry and we went to see fish farms. I really liked the design of the fish ponds in the lake. However, we learnt that the government had banned further development of such ponds and termed them unsustainable.

Red, black and white
Later, we went to see a Batak traditional dance and explored Batak history. We learnt that the gecko is a sign of good luck for the Batak people, while the water buffalo is a sign of the strength.

I really like the architecture of Batak houses which look like boats, with sharp upper edges. We participated in a traditional Batak dance. The Batak like red, black and white colors. 

Later, we went to see a Batak museum which showed the prison and execution structures of the Batak. While there, a lot of locals asked to take pictures with me and my colleagues.

We returned to the hotel around 3pm, were assigned our hotel rooms and had a meetup. I am rooming with Jake. Later, we (Wardah, Renuka, Taryn, Jackson, Yitong and I) went to dinner at Maruba restaurant, where I had Bintang and fish curry and rice. It was a good meal. I later returned to the house, had a shower, and here I am.

Afterwards, I fell asleep and was woken around 9.30pm by Wardah to go look for tuak, a local palm wine-ish drink. We were joined by Adriane, and Daniela. We walked along the main street, asking for the drink from the few open shops. Eventually, we found a place which was open, and had not run out of the drink. We joined about 10 other revelers, all men who were drinking, mellow and singing. The drink has a slight taste of durian, but is mostly plain and not too strong. We downed one glass each, and after a discussion, agreed to get another. one reveler, who later identified himself as Jugale (or something like that) told us that it was customary to drink at least three glasses. By this time, we were all a bit buzzed, and joined the men with the guitars in singing some of their songs. They also played a couple of American country and popular songs, which we gladly joined in. the night was crowned when one reveler played, (and we sang along to) Yellow and Fix You by Coldplay.
 
We left the bar at midnight when the owner of the joint began closing up. We walked to Lekjon Cottages happy, having succeeded in discovering a new drink, and enjoying the company of the Batak peoples. What a night!
Labels:
Location: Lake Toba, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Analyzing a carry trade proposal: Short USD, go long on bitcoin

I recently completed an assignment for an International Economics Policy class which entailed designing a carry trade. A carry trade is a financial transaction that involves borrowing (short) in a low interest currency, and lending (go long) in a high interest (yield) currency. For instance from Bloomberg 's rates for bonds, this would involve borrowing in Swiss francs (rate is -0.15 percent) and lend in New Zealand dollars (rate is 2.83 percent). All else remaining equal, the carry trade would yield a rate differential of 2.83+0.15 = 2.98 percent. Note: this is an unusual case where the interest rate we are borrowing from is negative; usually, this would involve subtracting the first interest rate from the second. For instance, borrowing in Japanese yen (0.04 percent) and lending in Kiwi dollars (at 2.83 percent) would yield 2.79 percent as profit. My carry trade in this case involves borrowing in USD at a rate of 2.33 percent, and buying bitcoins. But, what, you may ask, is the...
Post a Comment
Read more

On thinking

Why do I believe what I believe? Why are my values what they are? Where do my thoughts come from? Are my ideals 'mine'? The question of thought, is a complex one, not least because thinking is so difficult. Many of us do not think, we take the thoughts of others and use them as the foundations, walls, or thatching of our mental structures. But we rarely think, and deep enough on important matters anyway. Thinking involves the admission that we do not know, an admission coming from a place of humility that we are ignorant and could do better. It does not, as is usually thought, have to be from a place of knowledge, even though knowledge can inform thoughts. If it was, then we would not necessarily be thinking, but just reorganizing previously known ideas. It begins with asking the question, why. Why do we go to school? Why do we marry and have children? Why do we work to earn money in order to buy things? Why do we elect leaders? Why do we go to places of worship and perfo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Americans don't fart

I have been in the US for 8 months now, and not once have I heard anyone fart. You know how you enter a lift (elevator) when someone is leaving it, and they have this embarrassed look because they know what they did? It does not seem to happen here. In my boarding school days, evening study was a time of unusually increased farting especially on days we had meals with beans and/or cabbage for supper. We considered it normal, and it was so common, we could tell by the smell, which of our classmates had farted. I know what you are thinking, "Gross". And I understand that. Farts ahead Apparently, farting is a normal biological function of the human body, just like sweating, salivating etc. In fact, "holding it in" may lead to bloating, discomfort and even abdominal pain. It could also indicate an impending problem with one's gut. Scientists also think that smelling one's fart could be good for your health! Who knew! Bottling up is an issue when it ind...
Post a Comment
Read more