At the risk of sounding like a noob, I'm actually not very sure how a sunrise should look like. The sun kind of kept disappearing, so we just saw the orange streaks of light through the clouds. There was another area that was better for watching the sunrise, but it's quite a distance from where we were so we decided to make do with what we could see.
What I managed to capture. It really was quite amazing, watching the sky turn from pitch black to what you see in the photos. The only thing was that it was really quite chilly, and I regretted just bringing a cardigan instead of my very warm jacket.
Took a bath and headed for breakfast.
The breakfast table. No fancy waffles or croissants, just plain white bread, noodles, fried rice, fried eggs and jam.
Skipped the rice and noodles and settled for the bread and fruits. The bread was a little denser compared to Singapore's. I don't know if that's the standard, but I wasn't really used to it. Had lots of fruits during the trip cos they serve fruits after every meal. And for breakfast, it was unlimited so..muahahaha.
Admiring the view of the once-used-to-be volcanoes. Can you believe those mountain-like hills once used to be part of a volcano? I never once ceased being amazed at nature while I was there.
Just the outlines because the sun was shining so brightly. I thought this was a nice artistic shot.
And it was time to set off for our day tour to the other parts of the island. We arrived at Tomok village. Thankful to have a guide who was so entertaining. He could speak English well and he speaks a little Mandarin. He told us so many jokes. I was really impressed and entertained!
At the entrance of Tomok village. There were 5 types of Batak people. I can't remember the names of all of them, but one type was called Batak Toba, another was Batak Ppak Ppak or something like that.
And the distinct roof of the houses in Lake Toba, or Samosir Island, I should say. It looks like a sampan right? It is to remember their ancestors who arrived on sampans. Hahaha the guide was saying that in future, the roofs will look like aeroplanes because people arrive on airplanes now. And he said it so convincingly with a poker face, which made it all the more funnier.
Trying to stand like the man, obviously not succeeding. The pieces of cloth at the back are to be draped on the right shoulder as a form of respect when visiting tombs, like we did when we visited the tomb of the kings.
There, we visited the ancient tomb of King Sidabutar (got it from the itinerary, you didn't think that I memorised it right! Hahaha). But no photos because I was afraid of taking photos of tombs. According to the guide, they carved the king's face onto the stone. If it's true, the kings really had nice features. The tour guide was so entertaining that he made such a seemingly ordinary visit quite an enjoyable one.
Then it was souvenir shopping time. I really didn't see anything that was worth buying. Keychains tend to be the norm for souvenirs but I kind of find it pointless. Yes it shows that the person thought of you while overseas or just simply included you when buying in bulk. Also, it becomes an obligation since others know that you'll be going overseas and expect something. I don't know what my point is here but I just want to say that I won't buy things in excess just to give away. It's only when I see something and know that the other party will like it that I buy it for them. Yet, I also understand the disappointment when one doesn't receive any souvenir, that's why I'm always in a dilemma, to buy for the sake of buying or to just not give?
Okay end of rant.
I guess I was probably overdressed in a midi skirt but I was afraid of getting stung by mosquitoes and some colleagues told me that it could be could so I packed long dresses and long skirts. And there, the glorious sun was with us most of the time. I was thankful mostly, for the warm weather because it beats having rain and the hassle of umbrellas. Anyway, it was my favourite midi skirt from ttr! I love the row of buttons at the side though it might not be obvious to anyone but yours truly. Hahaha.
Next stop was Ambarita Village to see the stone chairs and execution place of King Siallagan. Well, the chairs didn't seem like anything special, just that it was the place where the people of authority sat to mete out punishments to the criminals.
The stone chairs
At the execution site with the stick. It's a stick only held by the people of authority okay! Haha but now its just an intricately carved piece of wood. The workmanship is really superb. I saw a man carving it by hand along the streets.
It was really a sad sight, villagers peddling their tourist wares like tee shirts, key chains, bracelets of sorts, really begging you to buy it from them, coming onto our ferry to peddle their goods to us. I touched a bracelet randomly without any intention to buy it and was quoted 20,000 rupiah if I remember correctly, I refused politely and the owner told me, 10,000 rupiah. I refused again, and the owner, thinking that I found the price too steep, reduced it to 8000, and gradually to just 5000 rupiah. At that point, I simply walked away because I didn't know what to say any more. I keep finding excuses for myself such as right now I'm not well off financially, have a lot of debts to pay off, many commitments. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is that I refused to help them, thinking that one day, when I earn big bucks, I will be able to give without feeling the pinch. Thinking back upon that incident, I really should have just bought the bracelet, though I had no practical use for it at all. All I could do was shake my head and give them an awkward smile, leaving them disappointed.
Ended the tour and we were driven back to Parapat for lunch. Lunch was the usual. Our guide told us we'd be having lunch in a restaurant that served Chinese food, so we expected something different. But when the tomato fish came out, we knew it was going to be the same old, same old. After lunch, we proceeded on a 5 hour drive to Berastagi. The thought of sitting in the car for 5 hours was crazy.
I'll end day 2 part one here and do part 2 in a separate post because this is getting a little too long. Not that many pictures but I really took super long to complete this post.
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