12km to Tongging
24 March 2008: Silalahi to TonggingDay 4
Only 12km?
Today the complaint was the distance was too short! After 3 days of long distance paddling, easy to see why.
The kayaks left Silalahi amid the Bataks' songs of praise and farewell. My only regret on this trip was that we did not have more time to explore the cultures of the Batak people. Other than retired Mel, We were on borrowed time from work.
And this time is slowly coming to an end. Like at the tail end of a kretek, we drew on the last remaining addiction with a deep breath.
The sky alternated between drizzle and rays, exposing moody coasts and rich green slopes. The last 2 hours was alike a summary of what I experienced on this expedition. The stunning landscape, rain, sun, colors of green, yellow, brown, pairs of paddlers chatting, the cool mountain climate...
I don't think anyone wanted it to end. Francis was just 'warming up' and could gone on for days longer. Thoughts of unfinished projects, emails, and the bustle of post-modern living had started to force their way in.
I certainly wanted it to go on forever. Being on the water with fellow paddlers, on the biggest crater lake in the world, was simply an amazing experience.
Tomorrow, the effect of Lake Toba will not show on my face, nor will it show when you see me at work. It is the unseen inner core that was somewhat touched and refilled. A trickle of a sweet spring now flows...the beginnings of long long thoughts, until I am back on water again.
[well, this post concludes my lake toba write up! =) ]
Comments
Especially the last 3 paragraps.
We'll just have to keep doing it, won't we?
wolfie > A extension bar was forgotten in a long chain of unfortunate and totally preventable events leading to the trip.
As a result, one kayak was short.
Shortly after this pale-shit, a bamboo stick of an equal length was found, shaped, taped, and cable-tied. Emergency field repair.
This hybrid bamboo-aluminum kayak then went through the whole trip w/o any problems.
It was the wonder of folding kayak and Geoff's creative problem solving.
There you go! =)