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Sumatra (Medan, Leuser National Park, Brastagi, Lake Toba & Bukit Tinggi)

We started our journey by taking the KTM Komuter train from KL to Port Kelang. The ferry jetty is just 100 meters from the last station and the one way fare to Tg Bali in Sumatra was Rm100. The high speed ferry service only took less than 4 hours after which we boarded a taxi to Medan. By the time we arrived in Medan, it was late evening.

On day two, we were up early and did our round of Medan town, which has a good collection of European styled buildings. It was Christmas time in Indonesia and I was surprise to find the Churches with banners in Bahasa Indonesia. Even the music stores were stocked with cassettes tapes of Christian songs, many in Bahasa Indonesia. We had dinner in Chinatown Medan.

The next morning, we took a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Bukit Lawang, 90 km west of Medan, which is one of the many entry points to the 9,000 hectare Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the largest park in the world. This small village is sited along the pleasant Bohorok River and is very popular with domestic tourists. Food here to cater for the backpacking crowd is very good.

We visited the orang utan feeding platform on our fourth day and had some close encounters with our distant relatives i.e. primate. The rest of the day was spend just relaxing at the river front. The following day, we went on a very good white water rafting trip down the nearby Wampu River. We even managed a durian feast after the rafting. Yup, durians in Sumatra are much cheaper compared to KL.

After two nights in Bk Lawang, we headed for Lake Toba, with a short stop in Brastagi, a highland town. Trekking is very popular here including the 2172 meters Gunung Sibayak Climb. This volcanic mountain is still active. We arrived in Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba late at night.

Lake Toba is the largest lake in SE Asia at 1,707 sq km. The people in the vicinity are mainly Bataks who are of the Christian faith. It was a culture shock to see so many small Churches dotting the countryside, mostly constructed of wooden planks and thatched roofs. Pork and dog-meat are also openly displayed in local eateries. Yuks!

Anyway we spend the first day in Samosir going along the eastern coast on our rented motorcycles, visiting the various tourist sites with a final stop in Pangururan for a comforting dip in the hot springs pools. The second day was spent in the main town of Tuk Tuk browsing in the numerous sovenier stores. We left the next morning but only boarded the long distance bus ride in the afternoon. It was a difficult 17 hours overnight bus ride over the mountains to Bukit Tinggi.

   
Durian feast Bk Lawang / Biking about Samosir Island

Bukit Tinggi is the administrative, cultural and educational center for the Minangkabau people. Its a fairly large town with an interesting market and lots to see and the food again is excellent. One of our favourite was the thick avocado juices which costs Rm1.50 for a big glass. We did a full day tour which included visits to Lake Singkarak, Batusangkar and Batangpalupuh, where we sighted rafflesia vines !

Our next destination was Lake Maninjau which is only 38 km west of Bukit Tinggi. This area has more greenery compared to Lake Toba and is very much off the beaten track. As we were running out of time, we reluctantly left after two nights here and headed back to Bukit Tinggi. There, we hired a van to take us up to the Padang airport for our flight to Malacca. In Malacca, it was an easy bus ride back to KL.

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