The Samosir-Sumatra Divide

Leaving Sampean in fine weather.

23 March 2008: Sampean to Silalahi

Day 3

Halim rubbished all weather reports of Lake Toba as unreliable. Everyday is sunny with chance of rain, he declared. Still he reckoned the wet weather we had was unusual.

A thunderstorm was forecast on Day 2, which we encountered only briefly. Otherwise, the stormy night of Day 1 was not expected. Today's forecast was clear and sunny. That was what we got leaving Sampean. We liked the good start considering the long 42km paddle ahead. With the amount of rain in the last 2 days, no one was betting this sunny weather will hold.

It later proved us correct.

In the calm morning waters, we passed the most developed areas on western Samosir. Entire villages and schools built up by the water's edge, and also Pangururan, the biggest 'town' on Samosir.

The region now known as Samosir Island originally was a peninsula attached to the Sumatran mainland. The island was created by the Dutch, who perhaps for their love of digging canals, dug a canal to separate Samosir peninsula from the Toba's shores. At that time, it was reported that the Batak people were frightened that this cut-off would sink Samosir peninsula.

A small bridge at Pangururan now links Samosir with mainland Sumatra. We split into two groups, with one going to Pangururan to buy lunch and the other heading straight to P. Tulas, our chosen scenic lunch spot.

A lunch and rest on scenic Pulau Tulas.

Scanning for a morale-boosting lunch, my eyes lit up when they settled on 'Kentucky Fried Rice'. Baring any sleight of hand by the cook, we should get what we ordered for this time.

"Sepuluh yah, satu packet tak ada ayam goreng, telor yah." Halim said in German accented Bahasa.

I was surprised they did not asked us to check out their hair salon or dentistry service, which was on offer at the same place.

Everything that happened on Pangururan happened on its one-street market. Everyone was a hawker of pedicab services, fish, fat pig trotters, hair cut, karaoke, etc. You also get the latest batteries besides dog meat.

It was a mess.