The long awaited return to Toba proved to be well worth the wait and the cost of getting there quickly. We left the Old Penang Guesthouse in Georgetown at 7.30 am and were in our Batak house in Tuk Tuk at 4.30 pm. I love this new and easy travelling although it did cost 500,000 rupiah (c.$62 Aust)to get a taxi from Medan Airport direct to Parapet on the lakeside.Given our response(the kids had a little culture shock) to having to stay in Medan on the return it was great idea!!
We met Ben, a smooth but reliable young local, on arrival and he soon had us in residence at Bagus Bay Bungalows. We were all swimming within the hour and enjoying the cool, clean water of Toba. Our Batak house cost 175,000/night for upstairs and down with balcony views of the lake. The only drawback was the low ceiling upstairs and the fact that the bottom floor was flooded on the last night. Though this proved to be a thrill for the kids!
We ate mostly at B.B. where the food was unchanged from 20 years ago. Mostly variations of western food with some standard locals. It was always fresh and tasty and the only illness during our week came from a snack we ate in Tomok down the road. Mostly we just swam and walked and read and played pool and had a great, lazy time. Hired bikes one day and rode to Tomok then to Ambarita to see the ceremonial stones.
The kids were blown away by the whole scene of travellers hanging out and the amazing scenery around Toba. They both expressed a desire to return there one day which was the first mention of such a thought during our trip.
