Here's Tina's latest adventures in Indonesia, December 08:
Here are some photos taken from my new home at Lake Toba on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Had an "interesting" time getting through customs, but they finally let me in (not sure if they wanted a bribe or just don't like Americans).
Getting here was interesting also. I had to spend a night in Medan, which is one of the dirtiest cities in Indonesia. I was one block from the city's main mosque and there were gaping holes in the sidewalk that went into a black sewer hole. If you weren't watching your step you could simply disappear forever! After a four hour van ride, I arrived in Parepat, on the shores of the largest lake in SE Asia, and also the world's largest volcanic crater lake. It's fairly high in elevation so it's actually quite cool here, which is a huge relief from Georgetown, Malaysia. From Parepat it was a short ferry ride to Tuk Tuk on Samosir Island. I'm currently at the Carolina Guest House.
There are some friends here from Georgetown, and it's a wonderful place to stay, so it looks like I'll be here thru the holidays. My lovely little Batak cabin is less than $7 US a night and the food is cheap. The Batak people are fabulous musicians and we went out last night to hear singers doing harmonies with the musicians and dancers. Amazing place!
