Gilligan’s Island, Toba Style

Today (Thursday) we had a wonderful time on the lake. Aron arranged for a boat excursion to the far end of the lake. It was an 8 hour ride for 20 people, including family, friends and acquaintances from Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Australia, France, Russia, and the good ol’ US of A, of course. The ride was great fun with singing, 2 guitars, a bongo and assorted improvised instruments. Our destination was a beautiful waterfall, where we tied off for swimming and a Batak style picnic, which Hapne and several relatives cooked and served to all of us. There was rice, grilled carp, fried eggs, toast, French fries, spicy noodles, and sliced cucumbers. Always, there is that delicious Sumatran coffee and there was mushroom tea and the Indonesian beer of choice Bintang (which these non-beer drinkers say is not too bad). Along the way we made stops at two small settlements of very rural Batak (as opposed to the “citified” Batak of Tuk Tuk). Hopefully, we can post some photos soon to show you some of what we saw: coffee bean groves and beans drying on woven mats, rice paddies, streams traversed by fallen logs. The vegetation was lush and pigs, chickens, goats and dogs roamed free. It was odd in these environs to see satellite dishes erected next to huts with dirt floors. It made us appreciate home, but a little envious of the simplicity of life here.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Well, here’s a dinner party like none other we’ve ever experienced!
Wednesday evening we were invited to dinner at one of Hapne’s aunt’s house. We arrived at 8 and sat in a large circle on woven mats on the floor. There were 20 or so people altogether. Several aunts were involved in the production of rice, 3 kinds of chicken (fried, curried, and barbecued), and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Containers of water were placed around the mats for washing hands (but only one’s right hand, never the left). Our mugs were filled with hot water (to assure us that the drinking water had been boiled and was safe). There wasn’t a spoon, fork, or knife to be had. All food was served and eaten with the fingers of the right hand only. Other than these distinctions, it was like any large extended family eating together. A prayer of thanks for the food was offered in Batak, of course, and most of the chatter and conversation was a mixture of at least 3 languages (German being the third, owing to one uncle who lives in Switzerland with his Austrian wife and 3 children). We finished the meal with pieces of Swiss chocolate. It was a surreal dinner scene, but we enjoyed ourselves immensely. When we thanked our hosts we were whisked away to our resort on the back of 2 motor scooters (sorry, Paula….no helmets here!).

Wedding Day Marathon

It’s Wed. 6pm, the day after the wedding celebrations for Aron & Hapne. Tuesday began at 5 am for the men, who slaughtered 3 hogs and began the fires to cook them. We happily did not attend. At 7 am, I (Dara) was whisked away on the back of a motorbike to the salon where the women of the bridal party were groomed and dressed for the ceremonies. An exchange of suckling pig and golden carp between the two Batak families, Hapne’s family and Aron’s adoptive family, took place before the procession to the church. The church ceremony lasted over an hour and was almost entirely in Batak. Hapne was the most beautiful bride…she looked almost like a Geisha with flowers in her black coiffed hair and wearing her traditional sarong and lace overlay. I wore one as well and felt pretty special. After the church wedding, we processed back to Hapne’s family’s house where the street had been blocked off. For the rest of the day and into the night, there was dancing and music provided by a foursome playing flute, stringed instrument, keyboard and drums. They were fabulous. Several hundred people attended. There was ceremonial dancing, feasting and the giving of Ulos, the traditional textile blankets by every guest…some 300 blankets! It was a long and exhausting day and we bowed out early around 6:30 and missed the evening celebration. We were dead asleep by 9:30! There are photos and video we’ll put up when the internet gods permit!

Is this heaven? No, it's Tuk Tuk!!

At long last--Internet!! It's Monday 4pm (am back home). As I write, we are enjoying a spectacular view of Lake Toba on a perfect day. This IS paradise! ...a photographer's dream!
Since our last post, we've had some "interesting" experiences. A little communication mix-up resulted in our having to improvise transportation from the Medan airport to TukTuk. The expurgated version is we put our fate in the hands of Said and Amin (a tourist office staffer and driver) and took the most harrowing 5 hour drive to Parapat, the harbor village where you catch the boat to Tuk Tuk. Highway travel is disorganized chaos and not for the faint of heart. We arrived at Parapat at sundown and just missed the last ferry to Tuk Tuk. Said arranged for us to stay at a small "boutique" (snickering) hotel near the harbor. We refer to it as the Midnight Express Hotel. It was THE worst place either of us have ever stayed, but we were too tired to do anything else. A sense of humor and a bottle of Vodka purchased in the duty free shop at the airport in Kuala Lumpur saved our sanity.
Things got better the next morning (Sunday) as Said had enlisted 2 local fellows, Ringo and Borja to help us. Finally, we arrived in Tuk Tuk by 10:30 am and disembarked at the dock of the Samosir Cottages our new home away from home for the next week and more. We are very happy with the accommodations in this beautiful setting. The weather here is perfect and the vegetation is lush with elegant palms and tropical flora.
We finally connected with Aron on Sunday and were delighted to meet Hapne As at last and members of her large and extended family. She and they are warm and wonderful people.

Kuala Lumpur

We are here! The last leg of our flight was uneventful- a good thing when you are flying. It was easy to see the size of Kuala Lumpur from the air. The twin towers sparkled in the night sky just outside our window. We made our way through immigration and to baggage claim. It was late, we were tired, and seeing our baggage come off the line was a relief - we had our "stuff"!

The hotel shuttle had ceased operation at 12:10 am - we were about 20 minutes late. Negotiating the brand new coins and public phones, we attempted to call the hotel without success. We quickly chose to engage a driver, and for about $10 we made our way to the Concorde Inn. Every interaction we had at the airport was friendy and helpful - even in the middle of the night.

A shower and bed never felt so good. The trip took about 29 hours, door to door. Both of us slept well and awoke about 5 hours later. It is 7:30 am and we are good to go.

Greetings from Seoul, Korea!!!

Yes! We made it across the big water to Incheon Airport in Korea. Local time here is 5:30 pm on Friday (3:30 am Nashville time). Everything has been smooth sailing thus far. Flight to Chicago on time, then 13 hours flying on Korean Airlines. We board shortly for our flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where we will rest overnight before continuing to Indonesia. Stay tuned!!

The Happy Couple

Here is the happy couple--Aron & Hapne. The wedding date is set for July 29, 2008, in Hapne's village of Tuk-Tuk, on the island of Samosir (heart of the megavolcano! at Lake Toba), Sumatra, Indonesia.

Getting Set

Eleven Days and counting! On the 24th we "set sail" on our Sumatran adventure. We are headed for Tuk Tuk on Samosir Island in Sumatra. We will attend the wedding of Dara's son Aron and his Bride Hapne.