Danau Toba

We have stopped at a little island in the middle of Sumatra - Lake Toba.  To say that the recession has hit hard here would be an understatement.  The population is agriculturally based, with lots of guesthouses and hotels for the tourists.  If the accommodation options are 1/3 full, I would be very surprised.  So, the prices are pretty good.  A room with a first class view of the lake is 6$ Canadian,  dinner is about $4 CAD for 2 people - and that's a fairly hearty dinner.  Granted, there isn't THAT much to do, but if you can swim, read a book, play cards, talk to people, take a walk, see the sights...what more do you need?

 

For instance, the other night we went to another part of the island to see one of the local cultural productions - singing and dancing.  It started out with a 5-part band which included guitar, drums, xylophone type thing, cymbals, flute.  The rhythms reminded me of Carribean music, though with less steel and more wooden drumming.  It was fun, but just okay, you know?  Local.  Then there was some dancing.  The steps were traditional and simple, and it was fun to watch what their customs demanded years ago.  I don't think that they do the same kind of "greeting" dance for visiting tribes, for instance.  So we were happy that we had come, and were considering leaving as we had finished dinner and it was getting late.  However, we decided to stay for the second part of the show, which involved singing by a bunch of gentleman.  We were expecting the same kind of "okay" singing, enthusiastic but not necessarily impressive.

 

Enter the 5-part harmonies and the show. 

 

I would compare it to mariachi singing, though with closer and more complicated harmonies.  To say that we were impressed would be an understatement.  It was extremely entertaining, and the men were SPOT ON in terms of pitch and tune, even though we couldn't understand a word of it.  One of the songs was introduced as one of the local drinking songs, and in the way of drunk people everywhere, we all swayed back and forth with our mugs (or tea) held high.  The guys stumbled around a bit in a show of drunkeness, then resumed some more serious singing, to be followed by jamming at the end of the night. 

 

What fun!  The people here are laid back and friendly.  It's a bit of a mystery to me why there aren't more people here, though the ride to get to this area was a bit harrowing, with near misses and clenched jaws (on my and Nathan's part at least) all the way.  There also seemed to have been some kind of bug in the seat cushions, as we have bites all over our shoulders that are ITCHY. 

 

Although we know that we should be getting on with seeing things and experiencing more of the highlights of Sumatra, it will be extremely difficult to leave this little slice of heaven, not only because it's beautiful here, but because we want to avoid another bus ride for as long as possible!

 

ACDB