07.45 We've woken up in our house at the hotel Danau Toba Cottage in Parapat. We hear a nearly satanic laughter, a rooster and a small child. A haze lies over Lake Toba below our patio. Today we will continue traveling. This time we will travel on water.

08.24 It's time to leave the area near the lake and walk towards breakfast.

09.14 We went back to the room/house after yet another breakfast. The breakfast was served in the restaurant on the hotel area's highest point. We had great views overlooking the lake. The waiter looked happy and pleased when we chose Indonesian instead of continental breakfast. Today we were offered spicy noodles, meat and vegetable mixture and sweet coffee. I suspect that someone sprinkled some coffee powder in hot sugar water. On the way to and from breakfast we saw some cars with advertisement. Was it rally cars this year as well? Was it just like in Tsumeb in Namibia last year? No, it was a large group that was travelling in the impenetrable terrain. Now things should be tied together here and we will head for the harbour.

We saw this man in his boat when we looked out through our window this morning.

Breakfast at Danau Toba Cottage.

10.05 It's raining but it doesn’t matter to us. We checked out from the hotel and walked quickly to the harbour under our umbrellas. Now we are on board the small ferry Evedina that will take us to the island of Samosir and the village Tuk Tuk. Samosir is a large island (630 km²) located in Lake Toba. It holds an odd world record. Samosir is the largest island located on another island. Right now we're talking with a tour guide/hotel employee. He tries to recruit us to a different hotel than the one we booked and he has shown us a paper with offers of excursions on Samosir. The stubborn man who constantly apologizes and explains that he was just doing his job is missing a front tooth. He asserts that the hotel we booked isn’t popular and the hotel next door has amazing facilities.

10.36 The nagging man jumped off the ferry and we left the harbour. We promised (lied) him that we would be looking at his hotel before we checked in where we have booked a room. We carry on across Lake Toba and it is still raining. The weather could have been better. Parapat slowly disappears at the horizon.

11.02 More and more is being visible in the haze that surrounds Samosir. In the water are a few green plants and even a bit of rubbish. We are not so many on board. One of the other passengers is an experienced German speaking lady who has been here many times before. When the nagging guy started talking to her, she replied by asking how various hotel employees and hotel owners on Samosir had it nowadays.

11.35 We’ve arrived at the next accommodation, Carolina Cottages (http://www.carolina-cottages.com). The ferry dropped us off right beneath the hotel reception. The hotel is located directly on the lake and has houses in typical Batak style. We stay in house number 6. It's a nice room which unfortunately has the smell of cigarette smoke and has no AC. The view from our patio is magnificent. The door is narrow and low. You just have to bow and cower as you go in or out. The name of our village is as mentioned earlier the same as the vehicles we travelled with a few times in Thailand, Tuk-Tuk.

Peter is looking forward to venturing out on Lake Toba.

Christer is waiting for departure.

We leave Parapat through drizzling rain.

Peter is writing down notes during the ferry journey.

We have been dropped off at our hotel.

12.51 We have spent a moment taking some photos and moving into our new home in traditional Batak style. We left the house and walked down the stairs to the main building with reception and restaurant. It's time for lunch.

13.26 It was great with lunch. Christer had Nasi Goreng Special and I had some fried calamari. Nasi Goreng Special means it is Nasi Goreng (fried rice) together with a piece of chicken and a fried egg. During the meal we had the company of two cats, a normal gray and a small black. The black sat and meowed. From our table we have a lake view and we sit next to a bush with beautiful flowers and lots of singing birds. We are ending our lunch with some coffee. It is strong and tasty. This is how coffee should taste.

13.54 When paying for lunch Christer discovered that they didn´t charge us for the coffee. He pointed this out and got a thank you back. Now we are sitting down by the lake in chairs and just enjoy the atmosphere. We are at the hotel's beach. Out in the lake we have seen large square structures. Maybe it's fish farms or something. The rain has stopped and the sun is now trying to break through.

14.27 We're leaving the lakeshore. We will probably return here for swimming later in the stay. Now we will go back up the stairs to our home and our patio.

15.25 Here we sit in peace and quiet reading in our books outside our house. Suddenly passes a young lady carrying a several meter long bamboo pole. Some ants are walking around on Christer.

Peter is taking photos outside our house.

Nasi Goreng Special, one of our lunch dishes.

A map of Samosir Island.

Christer does what you should do when you're on vacation.

16.26 The reading in the chairs outside our house is over. A rooster makes what the roosters do. Soon we will familiarize ourselves more with the hotel area but also the village of Tuk-Tuk.

16.43 We've walked through the part of Tuk-Tuk which is closest to our hotel. Tuk-Tuk is a large village and is spread across a peninsula that goes out into Lake Toba. We have seen shops, small restaurants but also a medical center where it was information about malaria test. We went a bit outside the village center and looked at the beautiful view of the lake before we turned back.

17.31 We have managed to sweat our bodies during our village walk. We also bought postcards and something to eat and drink. Christer has also bought an ice cream at the small kiosk here at Carolina.

19.09 An insect of larger dimensions have settled on my pillow. It can stay there until I need the pillow later tonight.

20.20 We've walked down the stairs to the main hotel building. Now we ordered our dinners. We will drink papaya and sirsak juice. I do not what sirsak is. We'll see what Christer get. I sure hope it isn’t durian.

Peter is walking through Tuk-Tuk.

Christer is enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

A beautiful hibiscus flower along the road.

A small dog is waiting for something unknown.

20.59 Whatever sirsak is it sure is tasty. The juice was pure white, had an acid taste and was simply delicious. There was nothing wrong with my papaya juice or the food either. Now we are back in our smoky house to relax during the rest of this evening.

21.20 The guide book about Indonesia has helped us. The English name for sirsak is soursop. The spiky green fruit that is often claimed to cure cancer. We have been enlightened. Outside it does not look bright. First, the sun has set and it rains.

23.02 After drinking Bintang beer and reading in our books about the lives of Mr. Wallander and Mr. Osbourne, it´s time to sleep. The large insect has left my pillow. During the reading I took a photo of a large gecko that had moved into one of the lamps along the stairs.

Tonight's uninvited guest.

A lizard in search of insects has moved into this lamp.

Tuesday 27th of June

08.55 Today, we have indulged ourselves a welcome and well-deserved sleep in. The shower has cooled my body. The water was really cold. Now I'm sitting on a green plastic chair on our patio and feel calm. Sitting here, listening to the birds sings and look out over a beautiful lake provides a true holiday feeling.

10.06 Now we have walked down for breakfast in the restaurant. We took the same table at lunch yesterday. Today, it is not continental, Indonesian or even English breakfast. We have chosen to compose our own personal breakfasts based on what is offered in the menu.

10.53 The thing with a self-composed breakfast was a great idea. Now we have to find out some great ideas for today's duties and tomorrow's trip. Both parts are important for our future well-being. The coffee in this country definitely provides well-being.

A beautiful bird sat next to our breakfast table.

Some students on the way home from the morning school.

Traditional batak house in Tuk-Tuk.

11.41 Now we feel ready for today's small tour. The original plans to rent bikes have been cancelled. The roads are too narrow, hilly, it´s too much traffic and the roads full of holes. It will probably be a more pleasant and friendly conversation to move by foot around the peninsula, where Tuk Tuk is.

12.44 A painless and pleasant walk has come to a brief stop. Along the way, we have seen a lot of animals: chickens, a happy small dog and some cattle. We have met and have been passed to various cars, cyclists, a bus and mopeds. On a moped/motorcycle there were five people sitting. There were two adults, two young children and a toddler. We have seen four people on a similar vehicle in Naples, Italy but this is a record. Now I will stop writing so that we can continue.

13.12 We have finished our walk. The circle is closed. We passed countless hotels, restaurants, and said hello to many friendly villagers. The end of the walk was not painless. I did not pay attention and managed to kick my right foot in the single solitary stone on the road. Now we sit down by the beach where we sat yesterday. Before coming here we saw a person with a long bamboo pole with a small pouch at one end, picking fruit from a tree.

Peter in Tuk-Tuk. In the background you can see the Catholic church.

Village road in northern Tuk-Tuk.

Peter has a new friend.

One of the cat gangs in the village.

Time for a rest and new travel journal notes.

Christer and Lake Toba.

13.48 After we returned home for a refreshing shower, we are about to wander off to a local offering lunch.

14.08 We are at Today’s Café, a cozy place in a yellow building that got the chance to offer and serve us lunch. I tried to order tamarillo juice. It was not a good idea, they are out of tamarillo. Now we will write postcards to people we know. We like the slogan here , "Always open if not closed". The female owner here is supposed to be Samosir’s nicest woman. I wonder if she is here.

15.01 We had to wait long for the food but we are in no hurry and the food was delicious. Pasta and fruit juice is not a bad lunch. Now I have left "The cockroaches” in the bookstore Penny's Books. We then sat down to surf the internet at Artia, arts and craft.

15.41 Now we're updated about the world outside of Samosir. Before we went home we bought two Bintang beers and a large Coke. Now we are back in our house.

16.15 The thunder rumbles in the distance. Between Christer and myself are two coffee filled cups on the table. We also hear birds sing and children laugh. We're down in the restaurant for some afternoon coffee.

18.48 The cups were emptied, paid for and we walked up to our house. Here we have split the liter of Coca Cola which we bought earlier. Everything is quiet and peaceful. A hen cackles somewhere outside. Now we will listen to Christer's travel radio.

19.34 BBC World News has informed us that Nelson Mandela is not doing well, that President Barack Obama is visiting Senegal and it’s a transport strike in Portugal.

20.05 The night insects hold concerts around us. After a last village walk in the dark, we sat down at Rohana’s Restaurant right next to our hotel. Here we have ordered the local Batak dish saksang. I have once more tried to order tamarillo juice, this time it went better. Christer has ordered pineapple juice. As soon as the food comes we will take a Malarone, our malaria tablets, each. From the kitchen we hear a happy song from the girls who work here and from the street can be heard dogs barking.

Peter is waiting for his lunch. The place is Today´s Café.

A ferry is approaching Samosir Island.

21.08 Saksang was a moderately spicy pork stew. The tamarillo juice that I drank was pleasant. I made taste associations with various fruits like grapefruit, wild strawberry and banana. Tamarillo originates from South America. For our dish saksang you need pork, star anise, brown coconut sauce, cream and something more. A real saksang should also be eaten with pig blood. However, we got the tourist version.

21.47 We are once again sitting on our patio. Our Bintang beer is behaving strange. It foams immensely in the bottles. The foam rises up the bottlenecks and flows down the bottles and to the table.

23.17 The beer ran out and so also our desire and energy to sit and gaze out into the dark night. There are other things you can do when night falls, such as sleep. Tomorrow awaits a new intensive travel day.

It´s getting darker. The evening is soon here.

Friday 28th of June

07.51 It's another morning in Indonesia. I have just stepped out of the cold shower. Now I am back in the green chair to read some. A week has passed since we left Sundsvall.

08.43 It is time for breakfast. We are drinking coffee while the dreams of the night and the plans for the day that will be taken care of. Soon the coffee will get company of some pancakes. We hear a cheerful laughter from the kitchen of the hotel restaurant and the swimming area.

09.16 We have returned to house 6. We sit here and plan the day. The ferry leaves from here around 13.00. Between now and then we will swim in the lake, purchase some food and drinks for the trip and the final packing.

10.12 We are sitting in a chair each in the sand at the lake shore. I just started reading from the crime novel ”Gideon’s ring” by Carin Gerhardsen. A ferry just arrived and soon it goes out on the lake again. Soon, I´ll step into the lake. It is time for the first swim this summer. Premiere of this year, Indonesia and the Lake Toba. I wonder if I ever have swimmed in a lake outside Sweden before. Well I have been in the Dead Sea, but does it count since the water there is salty?

10.34 There was a short swim. It's nice in the water but the strong waves make it difficult to swim. Now we have both been in the lake. A man and a woman to the left of us have a PET bottle of Coca Cola and a glass bottle of Absolut Mandarin Vodka. The man also has a hand ball sized lump of ice in his hand. He hit the lump into the concrete facing the lake. Now he got off a few ice pieces and dropped them into her glass. The man and woman are from Singapore and have Indian origin.

Strong waves in the lake today.

The most expensive rooms are down by the lake.

Peter steps down into Lake Toba.

Christer is fighting the waves.

11.04 It was refreshing with a dip in the lake. Now we are back home in the house. It's time to pack our belongings. In two hours we will be on our way or is it wave?

11.34 The swim has made us hungry. Now it will be a lunch, a last meal, here at Carolina. Thereafter, it is time to purchase food for the journey in the hotel kiosk before we go up and pack the last things.

12.43 It was as usual good and tasty. The restaurant here is really good and the nice view makes the food even tastier. The surrounding environment is always a part of the dining experience. Now we have locked the door to the house 6, returned the key and paid, 160 000 rupiah each. It's a little over US$14 per person for two nights, really affordable. We've also put our postcards in the hotel's own mailbox. We hope that it will be emptied soon. Now we are sitting in the sunshine by the lake, waiting for the ferry to take us back to Parapat.

13.00 It has started to get cloudy. We have boarded the ferry back. We were going to sit down in a deck sofa but were stopped at the last moment. It is broken. A young guy moved and offered his place to us. He sat down on the railing instead.

Christer is waiting for the ferry back to Parapat.

Good bye Samosir!

13.39 The ferry reached the harbour and we were back in Parapat and Bagus Taxi office. We have met the man who tried to lure us into his accommodation on Samosir. He's sitting here drinking coffee and waiting for new victims. We are waiting for the onward transport. Besides us is a Dutch couple who are heading to Medan today.

14.03 Our transport to Sibolga (a big car) is here. It is warm and smells of mint in the vehicle. It's time to say goodbye to Parapat and welcome to new adventures ahead.

15.08 We have been traveling on winding roads along Lake Toba and now we bounce through a rainy Laguboti. It's a little crowded in this vehicle. We regret that we agreed to sit at the back of the car.

15.41 We stood still for a while at some statue. It was not due to the image but because of a construction project. Just one lane was open. It's a bit smoother road now. Well, now of course, came a bump and I hit the skull on the handle above the window. Think of how you sit, and keep the eyes on the road!

16.52 The road is narrow and now we are meeting three orange trucks. Slowly, so slowly we creep forward. Now the meeting is over.

Lots of traffic on narrow roads during our trip to Sibolga.

17.19 We're rolling downhill and towards Sibolga. Now, we were given a soft, fruity cake from a fellow passenger. Our behinds are hurting due to the all but the soft, sagging seats. Now it is time for yet another stop. It's a long traffic jam.

17.41 Everything worked out well. We have been in a small village. There 7-8 large trucks slowly passed us in the oncoming lane. The whole village, young and old was out for the show. To top it all the rain is pouring down. I want to arrive, get out of the vehicle and stretch my body and legs.

19.05 The last three kilometers to Sibolga was pure amazing. We passed a party for some newlyweds, drew past and twice through a mountain. The road was in the same condition as a forest road in the spring. It felt as if a large part of the road was worn away, washed away.

19.25 Finally, finally, we have reached the sea and the day's final destination, Sibolga. After sitting so crowded for so many hours, it felt like the knees and legs would never work again. It was full at Hotel Wisata Indah, the fine hotel we supposed to treat ourselves a night at. However, the receptionist said, there is another hotel. He went out on the stairs and pointed. He said ten kilometers in that direction is the hotel. We started walking and after a few hundred meters we arrived at Hotel Prima Indah. Once inside we were greeted by a girl with her hand as a stop signal. What do you want, she said. Have a room, we answered. OK, go to the counter. There, we were checked in after some trouble from her colleague and laughter from her. She looked at me and said, passport photocopy. She did not want to take a copy of my passport, but wondered if I had a copy that she could get. I didn’t have any copy for her. We stay in room 307 with one towel and no toilet paper. We have also been told that the bus to Bukittinggi departs at 20.00. Not today for us, but well tomorrow. We had hoped to leave earlier.

19.58 I solved the problem with toilet paper and towel. I went down to reception and asked for those things. The name for towel in this language, handuk, is similar to the Swedish word handduk, probably the local word is a loanword from the Dutch. When this was done, I stepped into the shower I have just stepped out from. Christer has while I showered solved both the evening and tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have breakfast here at the hotel, head out and arrange with the tickets, go back and arrange so that we can stay until 19.00. Tonight we ignore to seek us out to dinner and desperately searching and sweat our clothes. Instead, we will eat our food for the journey here in the cool room. Everything we need to do is to get out and buy something to drink. They are two good solutions.

20.59 It went smoothly to grab some drinks. Now the journey snack is consumed and we continue to drink the beverages. I charge my phone and there is no need for an adapter.

22.14 It's raining out there and it’s raining in here. The rain penetrates through the window slot and drops to the floor. It will be nice to sleep but it would have also been nice if tomorrow's transport had retired a little earlier.

23.10 The national anthem has just been on/in the radio. The station is RRI Sibolga. We are preparing for the first but will it also be the last night here in Sibolga? The rain outside has switched to light rain and the rain does not come in it at all. Goodnight!

Peter has arrived to Hotel Prima Indah.

Saturday 29th of June

07.42 It's morning in Sibolga. The rain has been replaced by the sun. We can see through the window how the city looks in daylight.

08.01 There was a knock on the door. It was the young man from the front desk. He said something in poor English about a bus and Lake Toba. Did he think we would return there? I mentioned that we were going to Bukittinggi. He thought for a while and said 8 pm, its 20:00. I am not much wiser, rather more confused.

08.47 Today we had tea and noodles or rice for breakfast or as the local saying, sarapat. At breakfast we met some happy children, about 8 years old, who spoke excellent English with us. Now we are back in our room and will soon go out in the streets to solve the impending problem of transport. We'll start by asking at a taxi office but in the worst case, we might need to go all the way to the bus station to get tickets.

09.19 It did not take long before we realized that this will be a hot day. The sun fries and Indian Ocean´s humidity doesn’t make it any better. We already miss the cooler climate we had at Lake Toba.

Breakfast buffet at Hotel Prima Indah.

Seaview from our hotel.

09.32 We walked away from the hotel, turned onto the nearby street Sibolga Square which is a common street during the day but a plaza full of pavement cafes with cheap food in the evenings. We walked along the street and proceeded to the office of CV Taxi. The staff and we did our best to understand each other. We have, after some confusion and a disjointed mobile phone call, two seats on a bus tonight. The bus will pick us up at the hotel at 19.00. We have also extended our hotel stay until 18.00. Now it's time for sunscreen. There is a city to discover today.

11.28 We have not yet begun the sightseeing. This is, after all the day on which we shall prepare for a night bus tour. It is foolish to get exhausted by walking in the sun and heat. However, we should of course not neglect nutrition and hydration so now we are about to head out.

12.25 It is +32°C hot today but it is mainly the humidity that makes it tough to stay outdoors. Another thing that makes it hard is all becaks (motorcycle taxis) which stops next to us, in front of us and behind us all the time and think we should go with them.

13.01 We did some internet surfing at Nauti Net and Christer has mailed the next accommodation in Bukittinggi that we will arrive later than expected. Now we have found the restaurant Pak Nas for some lunch, Padang style.

Hotel Prima Indah, Sibolga.

Sibolga Square.

We are walking on the hot streets of Sibolga.

Christer is having lunch at the restaurant Pak Nas.

A large prawn was one of the lunch ingredients today.

13.42 A large variety of food was presented on our table. Of everything that was presented we ate two pieces of chicken, rice and a prawn each. Padang style means that you pay for what you eat. After lunch we arranged with something to drink now and later. I have asked about the possibility of buying coffee here at the hotel. It is possible, thank you. We were offered to get it served in the room but we'll go to the lobby instead.

13.48 Once again, a phone in a room has rung. This time it was given sensible information. It's fine to come down and drink coffee.

13.58 The waiting in the lobby of the coffee is finished. During the wait, two young men on the staff talked to us. They immortalized us and themselves by using their mobile phone cameras. Now it's time for cappuccino. Lovely!

15.59 It's a lazy day today. We read in our books and refill with fluids. We hear call for prayers and the honking and clatter from motorcycles and mopeds. It's three hours to departure, two hours to check-out and an hour for something else.

16.57 Blue Ocean Coffee Shop is the name of today's dinner place. It is at the hotel Wisata Indah down by the sea. We did not get to stay here but it´s fine to eat. Outside the window we can see the Indian Ocean rolling in. People are sitting on the dock outside here and some swimming in the ocean. I'll try tebolga juice and Christer, oh someone sneezed, will have pineapple juice. I have no idea what tebolga is. But I do know what juice is.

17.08 Our juices have been served and I had to change my order regarding chicken breast. There will be soup instead and rice on the side. This is not much to live on for a long bus ride, a far from wise idea. Why didn’t I look at the menu again?

17.39 The meal is over and we are at home in room 307 for one last time. Now we brush our teeth, pack, lock the door, check out, wait for the transport and sip on coffee.

People are taking an afternoon swim close to Hotel Wisata Indah, Sibolga.

Today´s dinner was at a hotel, but not at our hotel.

18.54 We sit in the lobby and wait. In front of us on the glass table there are two finished coffee cups standing, cups where it until just now was cappuccino. The mosquito bites on my feet and ankles itch. I hope the minibus will be here soon.

19.31 Here we are and not much has happened since last time. The bites itch a little less now for both of us because we smeared legs and feet with mosquito repellent. How long will the wait be? Is there a bus/car at all? Should we call and confirm that we are sitting here?

19.51 Life is good. The bus is coming and we are leaving. Hooray. The children who spoke English waved goodbye to us.

20.11 We have resolved and paid the tickets in a simple office at the port and then drove on. Now we are outside a house but no new passengers boarded. If they pick up at the door, they might even run to the door and drop off. We go with the company CV, Citra Nasional.

20.38 Jl Galot Subroto No. 40 can be read on the house we stayed at. A sign says Toka Obat Berkat. A lady just stepped right into our bus.

20.53 We stopped to refuel solar. I think it is diesel. It costs at least 5,500 rupiah/liter. Now it's finished refueling, 272.93 liters.

21.17 More passengers have been picked up in the eastern outskirts of the city. We have also passed numerous hotels along the beaches that are outside here Sibolga. The vehicle is now almost fully and finally it's off away from the city, out in the darkness.

23.34 We have bounced our way on the road to Padang Sidempuan. Now it's a stop, pause and rest. The minibus has stopped at a green shed, a green building in the middle of nothing. Here you can if you want; eat, buy something or simply rest your body. It is raining outside and we have taken the opportunity to water the ditch further with our body fluids.

The bus made a short stop before midnight. Only eight hours left of the trip.