Lake Toba Tour 1st March 2018 / 5th March 2018

Tour Ride Lake Toba 2018...

Lake Toba.

  Day 1:-  KLIA to Medan Airport.
   And away we go. Flight to Medan was scheduled at 0630hours. The most ungodliest flight time ever. 18 rider shrunk down to 15 at the final headcount. 3 rider cancelled their participation at the eleventh hour.
   This tour was master minded by Chairman KC. He suggested , we listened , somebody said ok. The rest nodded. And the plan was set to take off first day of March 2018. Not one person asked what to bring. How far we plan to ride. Where we were gonna spend the 3 nights. We were flying blind.

   That was how we ended up at KLIA midnight of March. Yong was the first to check in. I came by 10 minutes later. Dotty popped up behind me not 10 minutes later. Then Danny decided to drop by for Yong's salty peanuts. Hanz came by afterwards mumbling something. Nobody paid him any attention. 5 of us started doing what everyone else does at this time.
   5 phones came flying out. FB was duly updated with selfies and whatnot's.
   Things were pretty calm till 0330 hours.
   Then the mayhem started. Checking in 15 bikes at the counter was funny for us and the check-in crew. Nobody knew what to do. Lotsa talking and finger pointing finally got us through with lotsa spare kilos to kill. Fong was disappointed. He would have brought more things if he knew we had so much leftover allowances.
   Into the departure hall. Everyone was ever so kind and polite. Started the usual hellos and hi. Tried to put a face to the name that was thrown about. Yong continued offering his peanuts to anyone brave enough to take it up. Straightforward run to the plane. Departed. Off we went. Headed North towards Sumatra.
   Right on the dot. We landed in Kuala Namu Airport Medan. A brand spanking new airport. Mighty impressed when the door was thrown open. A world of difference from the old Polonia Airport i landed upon 29 years back. Like obedient cattles, we headed to the immigration for our stamp collection.
   Waited for our bikes at the collection ramp and it came after a bit of nail biting. Waited a wee bit more for the luggage to pop up. Gerard started his pacing. Dotty visited the toilet for the fourth time. Yong grinned. KC took another selfie.
   After about an hour, all luggage's and bikes were accounted for. Gerard said something to someone about something. We started to head towards the door. Gerard started to sweat and mumbled something in Hokkien. The herd stopped in it tracks. Gerard did not get his IKEA bag. His riding gear and spare tyres were inside the IKEA bag. Pete stared at Gerard's waist. Fong wandered off somewhere.
   Took us about an hour of waiting and toilet visiting. Finally, it was confirmed by the ground crew. Gerard would have to wear the same clothes for the entire tour. Yong took out his peanuts. Dotty ran off to the toilet for the 5th time in an hour. With as much coxing as the ground crew could do. The IKEA bag refused to leave KLIA willingly. So it was with much regret , the IKEA bag stayed back in KLIA while Gerard was enjoying Yong's peanuts en route. Somebody farted. We headed towards the door. Gerard wanted to hold on to the trolley till he got his bag. KC gently told him to let go. KC mentioned something about growing old and taking Cialis as a counter measure.

Circus is in town.

   Cleared immigration and we found the transport ready for us at the arrival hall. One nice yellow lorry and two lovely looking van. Up and inside we clambered in. I got to ride shotgun. :)
   Towards Medan we headed for our first meal. Pretty much an uneventful ride into town. Did the usual Asian touristy thing. Started searching for mobile card to activate FB and Candy Crush. Managed to secure the so precious mobile kit as soon as we arrive in Medan. Fong was on hunger strike until we got him his mobile kit. Had our first Chinese meal in Medan at the restaurant next door.
   Lunch was forgettable.
   Gerard thought it would probably be a wee bit impolite to been seen wearing the same riding gear for 5 days. So, off he went to search for a fresh new set of Toba sponsored riding gear to compliment him being here. Took him a bit of rummaging but he finally found something that fits him and did not cost him an arm or kidney.
   Away we go in our pretty white vans.

   Our guide Mr Bloom, took us on a small detour to visit the local Chinese temple. Lovely place. Medan is home to many ethnic Chinese. Therefore, you will come across quite a number of beautifully constructed temples. We came to the most elaborate temple. Did the touristy thing. Snapped some photos. Left the temple after everyone managed to log in to their FB and did the selfie thing. KC took another 11 selfie. Dot found the toilet.

Medan

   Off we went up into the mountains. The road heading towards Lake Toba was every bit the as it was 20 odd years ago. Nothing changed. It was exactly how i remembered it. Roads were still narrow. Drivers were all still World Rally Champion retirees. Pedestrians were very firm believers in God. Gerard said something. Pete changed his profile to green instead of yellow. Dotty wanted to pee again. And i rode shotgun... Oh yeahh.
   An hour of utter silence.
   We finally arrived at Parapat jetty. Hanz decided to start breathing again and finally let go the door handle. Jumped off the van and everyone started to congratulate each other for being alive still. Yong went off searching for more peanuts. Gerard tried to locate his IKEA bag using GPS. KC took 39 selfies. Fong was wondering why there is an ocean on a volcano. Herb wanted his beer. Fredo said something in Teochew. Dotty found her toilet. Watching the herd trying align itself, i could only smile. This will be an interesting trip. Especially Gerard, riding commando for 3 days. His nuts will be right and properly tested. Let the ride begin i say...!!!
   Into the ferry we hopped. This will be a 30 minute boat ride to our stay for the night. Pretty sights aplenty along the way. The water was pristine still . Same as it was when i last came to visit. "Pulo Samosir" blasting on the speaker... Smiles aplenty. Dotty came out from the toilet smilling. Herb couldn't believe that beer was not available en route. Fredo could only offer him a pat on the back.
   Arrived at Tuk Tuk Resort. Pretty awesome looking place. Obediently we jumped off the boat and waited to be called up for our designated room.

Tuk Tuk Resort.

   Chairman laid out the rooms and off we went to pee, fart and poo.
   An hour later. Everyone decide the time was right and off we went for our real motive coming to Toba. BINTANG Beer. Herb was grinning like a virgin on his wedding night 40 odd years ago. Fredo smiled. Fong was still staring at the volume of water in front of him. Gerard tried tracing his IKEA bag again. Dot found the resort toilet. Happy bunch of senior campers...
   Found a little hippy cafe by the lakeside. ONARI Cafe. The rest of the 3 hours was a blur of beer, pork curry , and lotsa shouting in hokkien and cantonese. KC was adamant we all read up on Cialis. Fredo smiled for the second time. Fong continued staring confusingly at the lake. KC took 35 selfies. Someone asked if we should head back and perhaps try to set up the bike so we can take photos of the bike as proof on FB. That someone almost got lynched by the Kepong old boys. Another someone snapped photos.
   Reluctantly we paid our bills and headed back towards the resort. Utter silence.

This is what we do during a bike tour.

   It was an hour of madness as boxes were torn open. Bikes claimed. Somebody farted again. Dotty had to pee. KC busy taking more selfies. This is how anarchy works eh... Somehow we managed to organise all 15 bikes for group photo session just right before nightfall. Got the last bike sorted by 1830hour. Off we went back to our room for a shower and a poo. Then it was off to Jenny's for dinner.
   The herd were aiming for the beer more than food i think. Nobody was interested in what they serve at Jenny's. Only question heard was, " Make sure the beer is nicely chilled please..."

   Dinner was as crazy stupid as it can get.

Calm before the storm.

   I have never in my life waited for a storm to arrive before finally eating my BBQ pork dinner all drenched and wet. For the first time in my life, i actually had to put on a raincoat to protect my dinner from the rain pouring in. Rain came before food came. And by God, it poured cats, dogs and poodles.... We were huddled in a little hipster hut. All 15 drenched and soaked. And the food was nothing to shout about. My pork tasted more like a Pomeranian than a pig.
   Meh...
   Dinner done. We trooped back wet and drunk for more drinks at our rooms. Whisky solves a lot of grievances and broken hearts. For Gerard even more so, he could not decide on whether he should be going commando the next day or just wait and pray for his lost IKEA bag to miraculously pop up tomorrow morning. Yong took out more peanuts. Fong continued staring at the lake. KC tried his best to find his stash of Cialis.
   Finally called it a night after a few shots of whisky...

Day 2:- Tuk Tuk Resort to Pangururan Resthouse.

Views galore.

   Bright and shine.
   Breakfast served. Simple fried rice and egg. Yummy. Smiles all around.
   Good news for Gerard, IKEA bag located and found! Only problem was, the bag missed the flight and is still having a gala time in KLIA. After some deliberation, Gerard decided he will brave himself and go commando instead of waiting for his IKEA bag. Gave instruction for the disobedient bag to be detained in KLIA till he returns.
    Today's ride was originally planned for 65km, but over night, El' Captain decided the extra 23km was unnecessary and decided we will be doing 47km instead for today. Everyone said ok. Even Gerard.
   The route will be fairly flat and scenic. Lotsa villages to pass by and even a beach to stop for coffee. Dotty visited the toilet. Fong remains preplexed. KC insisted we gather for a wefie and pose the sideways Superman thingy. I wanted to kick someone.
   Tuk Tuk to Pangururan. 47km.
   Away we go.
   And scenic it was. Paddy fields. Quaint villages. A million kids smiling and waving their hands. I must have high fived about 100 kids. My face was frozen from so much smilling. All the ladies at their doorway peering out at the circus passing by town. Wonderful route to cycle and see the local scenery by bike. Water buffaloes grazing . Dogs sleeping drunk by the roadside. Angry chickens. Green green paddy fields with the mountain as a backdrop. It was all bliss...
   After a bit, the Circus decided to stop for coffee and a bit of snack. Came across this little shack and the local guys calling us to stop for coffee. Took up their offer. That decision changed our life. It traumatized a few more than others.
   We were the typical clueless tourist from Mars.
   Walked in to the hut innocently and started ordering the coffee and tea. Plenty chatter. No one paying any attention. Till Claude decided to visit the kitchen for a peek of what's being cooked.
   She came out green as a Martian.
   This quaint little hut serves Poodle Curry. And in Toba it's called B1 meat.
   We were all lost for words. Considering this bunch of chatter boxes, that would be quite a statement. No one knew how to react. Hanz decided to explore further. He found all four paws on the chopping board right behind the stove. Fredo walked to the loo and saw the pit where the poodle was BBQ. Like a deer staring into headlamps, no one knew what was best to say at this point. I was honestly a wee bit off balanced. I knew about dogs being consumed on some parts of the island. But, having to look at it with my own eyes was a really strange experience altogether. I was both curious and confused. El' Captain wiped his mouth. Fong mumbled something.  Claude continued shaking and hopping around outside the shack. Me and VT could only smiled at each other.

Scoody Doo Curry.

   We tried our best to stay calm and not cause further drama. Claude and Hanz were pacing around like a pair of headless chicken. Both were unsure whether sitting or squatting would be best. Herb decided ordering a plate of fried noodles would help. Noodles came. A few dug in. A slight pause.
   The meat tasted funny, to put it mildly. Herb stopped grinning. Me and VT smiled at each other again. This trip is turning out to be more than fun.
   After about an hour of awkward chatter, we decided it was probably best to carry on with the tour and enjoy the scenery.


   More paddy fields and kids walking along the narrow road.
   Then we arrived at Pasir Putih beach. Decided to explore it and soak in the view. Interesting beach. Sandy volcanic pebbles. Almost still water. Spoke to a few tiny fishes we saw swimming along. Did the touristy thing. Took a million photos. KC did what he does best. More selfies. Then it was time to go.
   Another hour of riding along quaint village road took us to our destination today. Pangururan.
   Grabbed some lunch at the local Minangkabau stall. Rest house was only next door.
   Lunch done. Checked in to the rest house.
   Walking in to the rooms was an eye opener. Pete and me looked at each other in utter disbelief. Room is absent of a fan, air conditioning, tv and table. Toilet was as bare as it could be. There was only a ladle in the toilet. Nothing else. Naa daa.. Zero. No soap. No shampoo. No hot water. No sitting toilet. No flush EVEN. This is gonna be interesting. Lets check the groupchat!!
   As expected. Gerard was on the chat before anyone else. Gerard thought he landed in Twilight Zone and someone was playing another round of joke on him after the IKEA bag episode. Herb was next. Turns out, squatting play a huge obstacle for these old goats. Most can squat. None can stand back up.
   We might need to get the concierge to provide us with either a forklift or a couple of butt plugs. I did not know if i should be enjoying this in private or laugh out loud in public. I for one will not go rescue a stinky old dude stuck in a squat position with an unflushed toilet bowl. Give me poodle curry anytime...!!!
   An hour into the confusion, someone decided we should go drown our confusion in the local hot spring located 3km away in the mountains. So off we went.

En Route Pangaruran

  Pretty uneventful ride to the hot springs. Arrived. Paid our fee and randomly jumped into one of the pool. Not as boiling hot as the one i experienced in Taiwan. My nuts did not get cooked. It felt nicely warm and toasty. The rest seemed to be happy soaking themselves in the hot sulphuric water. Spent almost an hour playing stinky hot water with stinky old folks before we decided to head back.
   Dinner was ... meh.
   Dinner took 90 minutes to be served. Poor old Pete almost died of starvation. My first time watching a starving Hainanese. Can't quite blame him. The fried rice looked as happy as Gerard.
   We did the best we could with the sorry dinner. Headed off to try the local durians instead. Bought a couple of it for dessert. Returned to the rest house and found the rest of the herd also enjoying the durian. A bit of chatter before we switched off for the night.
 
Day 3:- Pangururan return loop to Tuk Tuk Resort.
 
   Rise and Shine...!
   It will be a 57km ride today. With a nice 25km uphill climb right smack at the beginning. We were jumping in blind. No one asked how long this was gonna take us. Someone farted again. KC as usual said something before taking out his mobile for selfies galore. We obediently complied. Rain drizzled down as we took off.
   Road condition was pretty bad. Potholes. Wet muddy road. In silence we rode for about 30 minutes. The usual scene of locals up and about their morning business. Staring at the bunch of clowns on bikes passing by.
   We smelled it before seeing it.
   A boy was roasting a dog by the roadside.
   My mind went blank for the rest of the day.
   KC took 4 photos of course.

   It was a long climb up to the peak. 1648meters.
   Passed by about 30 water buffaloes. 3 lakes on the hills.Yep. 3 lakes on top of an extinct volcano. Go figure. Me and Pete were equally confused. Road condition was really good. Wind chilly. Almost zero sun. Was a wonderful day for climb. We were blessed and lucky. Stopped at a few vantage points to take in the view of the distant mountains covered in clouds. Passed by a couple of villages. The kids, as usual were excited to see the circus passing by. More high fives. More photos. Then it continued upwards for the next hour or so.

   Arrived at the peak, found a hut for us to grab some local snacks. We cleaned out the kitchen. Finished most of the instant noodles and heaven sent coffee. Spent a bit more time viewing the lake from the hut. You could see all the way to Parapat from where we were. Beautiful sight indeed...
   Time to go down the mountain. Stopped a bit to enjoy the waterfall along the way before another 30 minutes of continuous downhill towards Tumuk.

Waterfall...

   Tumuk is a small town that caters to the locals for their daily needs. Came into the local market. Everything you would expect to see is sold. Lotsa fruits. Vegetables. Chickens dead and alive. Passed by the discharging jetty for vehicles as well. Congested. Plenty traffic. We quickly made our way out of town and headed back towards Tuk Tuk. Our destination for the day. Dotty needed the toilet. Fong couldn't wait to go stare at the lake again.



   Arrived back at Tuk Tuk and the Resort Manager Mr Bloom was surprised to see us coming in so early. He was expecting us arriving much later. Considering the climb we had to commit. He walked away in shock. The group quickly adjourned to their rooms for a quick wash up. Beer awaits. Everything else can wait.
   It was a continuous flow of beer from tea time till dinner. More beer at the resort reception with Mr Bloom. Guitar came. KC stopped taking photos. A lot of howling and screaming... Herb even attempted to do a bit of macarena. I held in my fart. Yong was grinning like a deflowered hippy. More howling....
   Mr Bloom was in such a pleasant mood, he even offered to teach us how to sing a Batak song. And the song goes like this.

   " Lisoi... lisoii... lisoiiiii....lalalala Lisoii LISOII!!!!!!..."

   Repeat it as much as you want.
   I honestly believe Mr Bloom gave us a pile of bullshit with that song. How selfish of him not to share what he smoked earlier. It would have been more believable if we were all stoned together. Monkey fella...

   We kept the resort awake that night. Whisky and beer flowed... It was a blur for me.
   Somehow, we finished the drinks and crawled back to our bed to rest for the next day.
   145km . Oh boy.... I visited the toilet twice before i slept.
   Fear.
   Keeps you awake i learn.

Day 4:- Simpang Kawat to Tanjung Balai.
 
   Bright and sunny.
   Over drinks and dinner last night. Someone managed to convince the Chairman that we would probably be better off using a transport to get to the peak of the volcano before attempting to ride the rest of the way to the coast within a day and hopefully not suffer any puncture or collapsed lungs. Chairman thought for 2 minutes and agreed. We decided to call Mr Bloom.
   Mr Bloom managed to secure 2 van to collect us and a lorry to pick up the bikes. We shall all hopefully rendezvous again at the peak.
   So into the 2 little van we squeezed in.
   The ride up the hill was as silent as a dead winter's night. Pete's eyes have never been bigger. Hanz was whimpering like a kitten on heat. Yong held on to his grin for the longest time ever. KY was slightly lost and confused. Me? I rode shotgun again...
   I could have died a few times before we arrive at the peak. Never have i been so close and intimate with the rear end of a lorry. I could literally lick the rear lamps if i wanted to. Parapat driver's must be really skillful or they are really in a hurry to poo. It was as close as you can get to riding in a rally car up Monaco. Except this is a minivan with Indonesian pop songs blaring in the back. I didn't know what to do. I could only hope the guys in the other van were shitting in their pants. That would scare me ....
   So we arrived at the destination in one piece. Within minutes, the other van came barrelling  down and shot past us. Within seconds, they came flying back to meet us. Chairman was riding shotgun. I was never more pleased to see that. Cialis... hmmphh. Let's see if his Cialis claim will do him good on this bat out of hell ride.
   Chairman was perplexed when he climbed down the van. He did not know if he should be swearing in Hokkien, Cantonese, English or Pidgin. I was more than amused. Fredo said something in Teochew before running off to the toilet. Everyone else was busy congratulating each other for being alive and not shitting in their pants. Our biggest achievement by far....!!!
   Van and lorry took off. So it was now down to getting the bikes set up correctly and getting all our fluids prepped for the 120km ride to the coast. Took off at 0930 hours. Shopkeepers and bystanders gave us a wave and a cheeky smile.

120km to the coast.

   It was a long long long ride...
   Never believe anyone when they tell you its a downhill loop. Every time someone says that to you. They are merely trying to tell you , you are pretty much screwed....
   We rode and rode. We climbed and climbed. It was a long ride. Through plantations. Villages. More plantations. Villagers shaking their in disbelief when they found out where we were headed to. Most just smiled politely before laughing after we pass.
   I have never seen so many cows in my entire life. The road was long , pebbled and hot. The herd mostly kept quiet for the first half of the day. Herd referring to the cyclist. The cows were busy grazing and giving us funny looks. Took a short and quick lunch at one of the roadside stall before continuing on.
   Rode through a village with kids swimming in the drain. The drain was the main irrigation system for their farm. Upon returning home, i realised. This was a passing moment i will regret for a long time. I should have stopped and taken my time. Never will i have the same opportunity to join the kids for a swim in their drain ever again. The water was almost crystal clear. Cool and welcoming. The kid's, they looked like they were having the time of their life. I should have jumped in...sigh.
   And we continued plodding on for the next hour.

   It was almost dusk when we spotted the signage pointing us to the coast. Claude was so happy to see it, she decided to hug Kelvin with her bike. Both went tumbling. Yong continued grinning. No one got hurt. And away we pedaled. Not long and we arrived at our rest house in Tanjung Balai. Dotty did what she does best. Visit the toilet again.
   We rode for 9 hours. Stopped for lunch twice. Stopped for drinks 3 times. Waved to 300 cows. Made 4 right turns and one left turn for the entire 116km of road.
   Pretty amazing....!!!
   Now that i am back home sitting on my still sore butt typing this out. I can't help but smile at how reckless we were. 116km with panniers and riding without GPS. We were as foolish as kids. But hey....I loved it!!!
   Dinner was served village style. Fried chicken to be eaten with your hands and warm tea drank from the bag without straws. The herd was so exhilarated they could be eating Scooby Curry and no one would raise an eyebrow.
   Had coffee with Pete, Yong and KY after dinner. We were just smiling and laughing at how silly we were. Attempting to ride 145km to the coast and whatnot. Thank god we had a wee bit of sense left and took the lesser option. It was still a ride to remember for a long time coming.
   The next day was another adventure altogether. A 5 hour ferry ride back to Port Klang...
   Oh boy.

Day 5:- Tanjung Balai to Port Klang.
 

Local Delight.

   Day started with a dose of local nasi lemak. Piping hot and spicy. The herd were in a cheerful mood. Another 7km ride to the jetty and we will get to cross the Straits of Malacca by ferry.
   The ride to the jetty was scenic and dusty. This being a port town still developing. Everything was chaotic. Bikes all over, total ignorant of traffic rules. Lotsa honking and people staring at the circus passing by. I can't help grinning.
   Arrived at the jetty and it was a 2 hour wait before we get loaded into the steel banana for the high speed run across the straits. More selfies and chatter. Fong insisted this was the same water he had been staring at for the past 3 days. He wants his money back. Gerard still couldn't decide on the Cialis recommendation.

   "10mg enough meh? Sure or not?"

   Ferry came and into the ferry we clambered in. Ok. Pretty funky looking ferry with all the rainbow covered seats and diesel fumes. We will either throw up from the waves pounding us or the diesel fumes emanating from the engine. The herd settled in and within minutes, the ferry took off slowly.
   Pretty uneventful run across the straits. We had good weather and almost zero waves. Before long , we were within sight of Port Klang. Home sweet home....
 

Failed marriage proposal.

   All in, this was an absolute fun trip. Everyone had a gala time riding and soaking in the scenery. We must have had a 100 bottles of Bintang Beer. High fived a few hundred school kids. Winked at a hundred cows and water buffaloes. And cursed a million times for having to ride up 1648 meters. Learn ONE Batak word.
   But hey.
   It was heck of fun and i will willingly do this again. Only the next time, i swear. You WILL find me swimming in the drain with the kids...

   Liii Soiiii....!!!

   'Unbelievable.

My best new found friend.

Toba souvenir.