I haven't been writing much about Lake Toba lately for two reasons: one, I'm still recovering from my unfortunate encounter with the water buffalo and two, there really isn't much to blog about when all you do is walk around, hang out with the locals, gossip, read, relax, talk some more, sing some songs and generally do nothing. But, I've got photos here from New Year's Eve and the amazing rain shower yesterday, so you can check those out if you like.
I realized today that it's been six months since I left home--Austin, to be exact--and a little more than three months since I left my job. I had a return flight from Singapore to Austin on December 24th, but clearly, I'm not ready to return. Bruised ribs aside, I feel great. The only adventure I've had in the last few days was the drive to Siantar, an hour north of here to get some cash.
I needed some money. I was running low. I took the hour long ferry off the island to the mainland, walked to the ATM and it was out of money. the bank said it would be several days until it was refilled.
Annoyed, I sat down at a restaurant/coffee shop next door and complained about my poor luck. A local with good English overheard my mumbles of irritation and offered to take me to Siantar, a city about an hour north--for a price of course. He asked for ten dollars. But I told him it was too much for the risk:
"What if there is no money in Siantar? Now I have even less money."
So, we agreed that I would pay $5 if there was no money and $10 if there was.
The drive was fantastic. We stopped on the roadside and fed the monkeys. Monkeys are just fucking cool! Anyone who can't see we have a common ancestor with them is just blind. But I digress . . .
We drove past rubber plantations, palm oil plantations and banana plantations. Siantar was a dump, but still, I got my money. The driver taught me several local words--Batak words, not Indonesia, mind you and I can now count to ten in Batak and say, "I'm hungry" and "I want to swim." How that is going to help me, I know not, but it was still one of those wild times when the cultural chasm that separates two men was bridged and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It also reminded me that I need to get off the backpacker trial much more often than I have and really mix with the locals.
Something I am going to do when I leave here in a few days.
As for being on the road so long, well sometimes I have guilty flashes, or premonitions about life in the 'real world.' Urges from civilization, I call them. As if something isn't quite right--"call your father," I think. "Why aren't you at work?" "I need to get home." Do something with my life." To name just a few.
But, I am growing out of them slowly. I quickly remind myself:
"My father is fine. I'm not in high school anymore."
"This is my job. Living life to its fullest."
"Home? Where is home? And why hurry? What do I have to return to? A storage shed full of books and furniture from a broken marriage?"
"This is my life. And this, here, now, is what I am doing with it."
This is pretty much my life right now and I'm loving it, as my friend Ricky would say.
And more is to come. I'll be leaving Toba soon, heading back to Medan and then Malaysia to await my ship to India and beyond.
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Comments: 22
I will look at the photos tomorrow.
You are right about the monkeys, I have seen several types that are definitely like wizened old men.
Not to mention their behavior.
In one monkey study concerning teaching monkeys how to use money, it was the MALE monkeys who offered to pay the FEMALES in exchange for SEX.
So now we have the last word on that one.
But I digress.
I always look forward to your adventures, and was worried you might have been taken ill.
Featured in the Triple Name Club.
Have a great time while you can, life's grind can wait for you :)
Where IS that laundry? I have some mushrooms that need cleaning.
I missed the water buffalo story but I once referred to them as 'pit bulls with horns'. Have a good friend who spent over a year in the hospital after a charging w.b. left a tiny puncture wound on one of his biceps. The wound was nothing but the exotic diseases from the w.b.'s horns almost killed him.
I was hoping for more photos of magic mushrooms, but guess not.
If you are ever back stateside, drop by Boston.
Weed is officially now decriminalized, a fact my son is very happy with.
My father was gored by a cow he tried to ride when he was 11.
Those water buffalo look equally innocuous as a cow but as my dad found out, not so.
I had a run in with several cows in England. A bunch of us camped in farmer's yard overnight not realizing he let his cattle graze there.
We woke up to several dozen Bessie staring at us. We left quietly. Bull in next pen.
It explained who ate my cukes from my backpack while we were out at the pub that night.
It sounds like you are having a grand adventure and you should stay until it's not fun anymore.
Best wishes for the New Year
I always wanted to travel but married a stay at home woman and never had the money anyway. My dream is to get in my van and just go anywhere in USA. It is not the place but the chance to just do my thing with out a care in the world. I got this wonder lust from my parents. They never had much, but on my dad's vacation would pack my brother and I in the car and just go for two weeks. One time we pulled out of the drive planning on going North and it was a cool morning so we ended up in North Carolina before we turned backed to northern PA to our home. We slept and ate in the car but it was a good time even when we were rained inside the car for a few days and couldn't do anything.
Enjoy, Keep writing, and people like me will keep reading and wishing.
Thanks for taking us along.
Have a happy new year.
For everyone else: no, I didn't take the mushrooms, but that's because of my water buffalo incident, more than anything else. I'm not much of a drinker or pothead, although I do drink on occasion. I'll tell the water buffalo story in my next post.