The Couple Who Longed for Eternity (Toba and Samosir)
The story is told that one day a handsome man named Toba lived to try his luck in the results of natural resources. His daily routine is farming for daily food. Don't ask about his fishing talent, the fish he catches from his hook amazes everyone. However, one time the fishing hook didn't move an inch. He was restless. After waiting quite a long time, the bait hook he attached was finally eaten. This was the first time the bait he pulled was very strong. He succeeded in conquering a large golden fish and bringing it home to eat. Toba was so happy.
After the cooking utensils were prepared in the kitchen, Toba was suddenly shocked and confused. The fish he got turned into a very beautiful woman. The woman explained that she came from this fish. It didn't take long, Toba, who had long been a single, was determined to propose to the woman to be his partner forever.
After day, Toba and the woman were blessed with a son, his name was Samosir. Toba goes to the fields every day to garden to provide for his family. Until one day Samosir was asked by his mother to deliver side dishes for his father to eat in the fields as usual, he deliberately ate on the way to the fields. Toba found out because Samosir often ate without asking his father's permission first, making Toba angry. "You little fish!", Toba angrily said to his son. Samosir told his mother about this. Suddenly everything was tense.
"Go up the hill in the middle of the island!", said the mother to Samosir. The sound of thunder and large tides caused the village to suddenly be destroyed. Toba broke his promise to his woman. That, after they got married, Toba had to keep his message and not tell about the woman's origins. Instantly, Toba drowned with guilt because of his anger. The woman turned into a big golden fish again and disappeared into the silence of the water.
Missing is natural for someone who is constrained by distance. That's what happened to me when some time passed when I walked along a place that reminded me of 'home' in my hometown. For me, 'home' is a place where you can feel comfortable. Whether it's a place, building or someone who makes you a partner so you can truly define the word 'home'.
Medan City became my next destination point after my adventure on Nias Island. I boarded a ship from Nias Island to return to Sibolga City. For approximately 12 hours I drifted back and forth in the ocean and at night.
The sun woke me up who was fast asleep in the passenger seat of the ship. Before you know it, the ship will return to dock at the port. The Sibolga I saw two weeks ago looked far away again. Hesitantly, I, with the carrier bag I was carrying, went down to the bottom of the ship's deck, where the passengers carrying their vehicles parked them there. My goal is to find a car ride that can take me to Medan City. In order to save on transportation costs, I can also increase my 'flying hours' by taking free transportation.
Indeed, sustenance must be picked up from the morning, I only asked one of the truck drivers where he was going, he was both aiming for Medan. He advised me to just take a ride in his friend's car, because the truck he brought had to deliver several goods so it would take quite a long time to get to the destination city. What can I do, the car you suggested is quite comfortable. The Hilux car will only be occupied by the driver and to me it seems luxurious for a 'backpacker' like me. After giving permission from the driver's brother, whose name I forgot, to ride with me, I got into his car to go to the same destination.
Sibolga, that morning after the rain. The driver's brother said he was a young man from Nias who worked as a driver delivering the boss's car back and forth from Medan - Nias and vice versa. I told him a lot about my adventures, which made him feel enthusiastic about listening. The winding and uphill journey made me more alert. The cliffs and forests on either side make this trip more interesting. On the way, we stopped briefly to pick up his brother's who wanted to go to Medan too. The four of us, half drunk in the car, continued this journey.
I woke up in the car after the quiet road turned busy with other vehicles. It turned out, I had arrived in Tarutung, one of the middle districts to reach Medan from the western part of North Sumatra. I looked at the Google Maps application on my cell phone, it turned out that in a few hours I arrived at one of the places I had wanted to visit for a long time, namely Toba Lake. I couldn't fall asleep again so I wouldn't miss a moment of the scenery on this trip.
Faintly from behind the hills that line the road, a wide expanse of water can be seen from a distance. Spacious, very spacious. This was the first time I was amazed to see a majestic view in the midst of the crowds. I just smiled, hopefully I could see the lake more closely. Arriving in Parapat, we stopped for a moment. The coffee shop in the afternoon is suitable for resting those of us who sit in the car all day. The majestic lake was right before my eyes. There was another call inside, I had to cross to the island in the middle of the lake!
At night, it was the first time I set foot in Medan City. Adit, who I usually call Olong, picked me up at the roadside after I was separated and dropped off by the driver's brother and his brother. Olong is a friend of my college class in Bogor. Yes, we haven't seen each other in person for two years since the pandemic started. He built his business career in the city where he grew up as a child.
While I lived in Olong's rented house in Medan, I learned a lot about the world of photography with him. Starting from following his routine at his photo studio, taking part in hunting at several photo spots in the city. An interesting experience for me was when I saw the sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) in Bukit Lawang, Langkat area with Olong during a film making project. Indeed, behind the metropolis of the capital city of North Sumatra, there are many lessons that can be learned from an ecological, economic and social perspective.
My decision is final. Because Olong's busy routine cannot be disturbed, I decided to take a closer look at Lake Toba alone. Armed with a little research on the internet, I was no longer too blind regarding the questions that existed. I borrowed a smaller backpack from Olong, because it was impossible for me to bring a large carrier bag because I intended to only carry a few sets of clothes and the necessary travel equipment for a few days. Tomorrow, I have to wake up faster than dreaming to hurry up and carry out my dream.
The Amplas Terminal was not busy enough in the morning, only a few people wanted to take the Sejahtera Bus to take it to several villages in the direction of Lake Toba. With a ticket price of IDR 50,000, the bus could take me to Parapat, the port that could take me across to Samosir Island, the island in the middle of the big lake. After saying goodbye to Olong for a while, I got on the bus to blend in with the people.
Without realizing it, the bus dropped me off right at Ajibata Harbor, Parapat when the sun was at exactly midday. Toba Lake, which I saw yesterday, is now clearly visible before my eyes again. Special tourist passenger ships are lined up neatly there.
Toba Lake is a large natural lake in Indonesia located in the caldera of Mount Supervolcano. This lake is 100 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide and 508 meters deep. This lake is located in the middle of the northern island of Sumatra with a surface height of around 900 meters. This lake is the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. Lake Toba is one of the 'super priority' areas in Indonesia. Not surprisingly, many tourists, both local and foreign, flock to visit this exotic place.
The ship with typical Batak music was filled with passengers who wanted to cross to Samosir Island. Samosir Island is a volcanic island in the middle of Toba Lake. Cloudy weather accompanied this trip. Sure enough, the rain slowly fell which made us have fun taking photos and all went into the ship's room so we didn't get wet. Only a few minutes passed, we arrived at Tomok Harbor, one of the ports on the edge of this island.
The rain that never stopped didn't stop me from going to one of the famous tourist villages on Samosir Island. Tomok Village was the first choice I visited. Along the village route, there are souvenir centers for visiting tourists, such as woven cloth, clothes, souvenirs and others which are sold directly by the local community. Not far from there there are also tourist centers such as the Batak Museum, the king's tomb, and the very famous sigale-gale statue. Sigale-gale is a wooden statue used in dance performances during the burial ritual of the Batak tribe on Samosir Island. Today's sigale-gale making is more focused on art and performance. I took several pictures of the statue which is rich in the history of Batak Land. Because it was already afternoon, I immediately hurried back to look for accommodation.
I decided to walk to Tuktuk while looking at the view of the lake in the afternoon. Tuktuk is a tourist concentration center village on Samosir Island. A few minutes of walking, I was approached by a fat man on a motorbike and asked me several questions. Like most people who met me before, the questions of where I was from, where I was going, my destination and so on, I had no answer to say. He was very interested and enthusiastic about listening to me about my journey over the past few months. His name is Roy, apart from being a native of Samosir, he also has a lodging business in the Tuktuk area. He also offered me accommodation at a free price.
“Do you want to try drinking tuak? "The tuak here is native to Samosir and the best in North Sumatra," asked Roy to me after several previous questions about my adventure. Interesting I thought. With him, I visited a Lapo (a place to drink palm wine) not far from the harbour. Several pots on the table and gentlemen sitting and talking filled the place. After chatting with Roy and his friends while drinking several small pots, we rushed to the homestay owned by Roy in the Tuktuk area.
In the evening we ate together in the front room of the homestay. The conversation begins tomorrow where I want to go. Coincidentally, Roy also allowed his motorbike to be lent to me. Tomorrow my real adventure on Samosir Island begins.
Laughter made the atmosphere warm even though Tuktuk felt cold tonight. I excused myself to go to my room to rest my body. I have to sleep early, so I don't wake up late tomorrow.
In the morning, Roy's motorbike was parked in front of the homestay. After packing all my things, today I plan to move my accommodation closer to Toba Lake, even though my place of stay will be a homestay owned by Roy too.
After locking the bedroom door, this morning I started by riding a motorbike deeper into the homeland of the Batak tribe.
Mountain ranges on the left and the vast expanse of Toba Lake waters on the right accompany this journey. My stomach had not been filled until now, I slowly looked for a halal restaurant that I could eat at. Indeed, most restaurants here use pork on their menu. Luckily, I found Rumah Makan Padang half way through my journey. "As long as there are Minang people selling food somewhere, it's definitely safe," I thought.
My first destination was Parbaba White Sand Beach. Beach? Yes, people in Samosir usually call the edge of Toba Lake the beach. Because maybe this lake is very big and like the sea. When we got there, I stopped for a moment to just answer my curiosity. This beach is very busy with visitors. Children having fun playing, mothers relaxing on the edge of the lake, and several cheerful young people riding banana boats. Like in Ancol Jakarta, the first thing I thought of. After a few minutes of taking pictures, I pulled the gas again to follow the asphalt road.
Often I stop from the motorbike and take photos of Toba Lake on the other side. Indeed, there are lots of scenic spots that spoil the eyes. The traditional houses of the Batak tribe are neatly lined up on several roadside locations. Traditional Batak houses can be recognized by the shape of their roofs (the ends curve upwards like a boat) and bright colors known as Rumah Bolon.
It was getting late when I arrived at Holbung Hill. One of the beautiful hills and familiar to tourists. From there, you can see the expansive view of Lake Toba from above. After I bought the entrance ticket, I walked up the slope. It was seen that only a few groups came and took photos there with Toba Lake in the background. I intend to walk until I get to the top of the hill which can be seen from below. Occasionally stopping to take pictures of the surroundings with the camera I brought. Understand, I'm the lazy one who stops my steps. I opened the backpack which contained cooking equipment such as a stove, gas and also a nest. I brewed a cup of coffee and sipped slowly with the view of Toba Lake and Mount Pusuk Buhit in front of my eyes. Pusuk Buhit itself is an active mountain which is very sacred to the Batak people and is the highest peak of all the plateaus on Samosir Island. With a height of around 1,077 meters from Lake Toba, this mountain looks standing proudly. Really, the feeling of tiredness suddenly disappeared, replaced by a feeling of amazement.
My next trip was to a cultural site in one of the villages on Samosir Island. A place at the foot of Mount Pusuk Buhit in Sianjur Mulamula Village, a building was built for Guru Tatea Bulan and his children, a building with a number of sacred statues. The place is named Sopo Guru Tatea Bulan. Guru Tatea Bulan is the ancestor of several Batak tribal clans and is the first son of Siraja Batak. Guru Tatea Bulan is believed by some people, especially the Batak indigenous people, to be a sacred cultural tourist spot. Some visitors who come on pilgrimage here often bring betel, kaffir lime and eggs, as offerings when making requests to their ancestors.
It didn't stop there, on the way back to the homestay I had time to visit several other interesting places. Ulos Huta Raja Village, one of the tourist attractions in Samosir to see the Ulos Tenus Cloth, a typical woven cloth for the Batak tribe. Seeing oma (the name for an elderly woman) weaving ulos cloth traditionally under Rumah Bolon was very interesting.
Ulos has a very important function and meaning. Various traditional ceremonies such as births, weddings, deaths and other rituals are never carried out without ulos. Apart from being used as clothing, ulos is also often used as a ceremonial gift because this cloth symbolizes the status of the Batak tribe. This ulos is identical to the traditional clothing of the Batak tribe. In fact, ulos cloth has become an identity or part of the Batak tribe. Based on the words of the grandmother there who I interviewed, making ulos cloth can take days or even months. Regarding color, ulos cloth is always dominated by three colors, namely red, black and white. The price of the cloth can reach hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah, depending on the woven motif formed. Fantastic isn't it?
The day will soon turn into night. Even though I had arrived back in Tuktuk, I stole time to visit the last cultural site there, Huta Siallagan. There are stone monuments and typical Batak carvings along with the Bolon House. In Batak culture in the past, the Batak indigenous people usually built monuments to honor their ancestors. One of the monuments there is the grave area of King Siallagan, one of the ancestors of the Batak people who first set foot in this place and founded Huta Siallagan. After finishing taking photos, I closed back to the accommodation because it was already dark. It was truly a very impressive day.
I woke up in the morning with my body still sore because I had been wandering all day yesterday. I forced myself to walk outside the terrace of the inn. Toba Lake that morning was still as beautiful as the first time I met it. Feelings of sadness enveloped me, I had to leave this meeting and part ways to continue my journey again. I said goodbye to Roy because he was willing to help me during the few days I wandered on the island of his birth. The ship slowly came to pick me up at the edge of Tuktuk Harbor. A few minutes of sailing slowly away from Samosir Island, a feeling of longing immediately attacked me. I pray, hopefully there will be time to return to this place another day.
Batak land taught me to respect each other. The harmony of nature combined with culture merges into a unified whole that cannot be separated. I realize that one day there will definitely be changes in this Batak land along with the times. What is clear is that this beauty will not last forever. There are our children and grandchildren who must see the legacy of this moment.
Until we meet again Toba and Samosir. Like a couple who longs for eternity.
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