Tuesday morning the sky was gray in Tuk-Tuk, which made it easier to leave this eternal garden. We took the ferry back to Parapat where 2 cars with drivers had been hired to convey 9 of us to Medan: besides us, Aron & Hapne, Hapne’s parents, Maria and Stanislav, and Ronin. Our drivers were instructed to take the scenic route along the east ridge of the mountains overlooking the lake. We made several stops, one at a ridgetop hotel restaurant where we ate a very nice meal. Then we stopped at the north end of the lake to see yet another spectacular waterfall and overlook. The third stop was for a guided tour of a Karo Batak village. Their houses have a different look and as many as 8 families live under one roof. This village was still inhabited, so it felt a little strange and invasive to be led inside one of these structures for close inspection. Carol made the comment “worlds collide” as one of our group received a cell phone call as we stood inside a 300 year old Karo house watching a crouched man boiling water on an open hearth. Soon we were on our way again and the urban sprawl of Medan blotted the landscape for many miles before we reached this teeming city. By nightfall we arrived at the 2 story walk-up apartment of Aron and Hapne. It is in a gated community and includes tennis courts, swimming pool and gym. After a Batak meal of rice and fish prepared by Hapne and her mother, Aron took Carol and me for a stroll to the large Buddhist temple a couple of blocks away. What a magnificent place that was! Now we are ready to head home, but we still have more to see with an 8 hour layover in Japan.
