The Ancient King Sidabutar's Tomb - Samosir

Tomok and Lake Toba are  famous locations at North Sumatera and they are both in Samosir Island. This King Sidabutar's Tomb is a very famous tourist attraction and many tourists visiting this place each day.

 

Lizard and breast carvings can be seen on most of the buildings' planks. I think lizard represents the high adaptability towards life just like the Batak people's ability to live everywhere in any condition. As the breast's carving, I have forgotten what it represents.

Another beautiful and meaningful carving.

These are the tombs made from the carving stone and they have a history of hundreds of years.

This man was our guide and he told us about King Sidabutar and how he upheld the natural sacred values of three principles (Dalihan Natolu) as a general cultural philosophy of the Batak people.

There is a garden just around the corner where the tombs are. Many carvings of little people sitting down can be found there.

It is not that hard to get to the tomb - a stone's away from Tomok Jetty. We past by souvenir shops which are on both sides of the main road before it led us to the entrance of the tomb.


Tips:
Things are reasonably cheap at the stalls but you need to bargain and try to reduce about 75% of the original price given.


We were provided a sash to wear free of charge as a mark of respect, but were required to return it after the visit.

Masjid Raya Medan

An attraction in Medan which is worth a look - Masjid Raya also known as The Great Mosque.

This is supposingly the largest mosque in Medan but I can't confirm how true is it. I have never seen a mosque with black dome so I was very curious of the history. Apparently, this mosque has a history of more than a century.

 My girlfriends Sharon, myself. Wendy and Jess

Although this mosque looks quite big from the outside but it's not that big in the inside, maybe because of the octagonal shape. It's rather quiet and peaceful so do not make any noise. There were some people praying and I am surprised that we were even allowed to enter! 

Useful tips:

1) Remember to wear pants or skirts which are long enough to cover your knees. I was asked to pay INR5000 for renting a 'sarong' but found out later that the 'sarong' supposed to be FOC.

2) Be careful when you are buying the shaved ice from stalls just outside the mosque. I bought a durian flavoured shaved ice but threw it away as the durian was rotten or it tasted like it.

Pagoda Shwedagon(replica) - Taman Alam Lumbini

During our last day at Berastagi, we didn't waste any time but visited a temple named Taman Alam Lumbini. It's located at Berastagi in North Sumatera. It is still a new temple as it was built and finished in 2010.

 It was a very hot day but this temple caught my eyes. I think it's called the Pagoda Shwedagon and it's also a replica of the real one. I am not sure but I think it's a Burmanese temple. It's suitable for all ages and beautiful to look at.

 

The inside view of the temple. It has 4 god statues in it. I always pay respect to gods so I just put my hands together and 'say Hello' to them.

 Good carving on the door itself.

 One is allowed to knock on this gigantic bell but only 3 times per try.

 Another good thing about this temple is that visitors do not need to pay for entering the temple and for parking the vehicles outside. Thanks to all the devotees and sponsors. Plenty of spots for taking beautiful snaps.

Hot Spring @ Lake Toba , Indonesia

Lake Toba itself is a beautiful island in the middle of a crater. It's no surprise to me that it has beautiful hot spring too. To get to the hot spring, one has to pass by a restaurant. Unfortunately, we were scolded for not purchasing anything to eat or drink at the restaurant. Well, it didn't mention that we have to..

                Let's have a bath together..

                                                      The water is very hot... beware

Not forgetting the view opposite the hot spring... Not many places in the world where we can have a picturesque view like this huh..?

Berastagi Volcano & Mount Sibayak

 I went to Medan and Lake Toba for my New Year with a few friends. In the journey, we visited the famous Berastagi town which is located near two semi-active volcanoes n( Mt Sibayak & Berastagi ). We were quite hardworking.. woke up at 4.30am to prepare ourselves 'climbing & trekking'. It was very cold up the mountain so be sure to bring along a light jacket to keep yourself warm if you are going there.

 Landslides happens all the time so we were no surprise to see it at all. The only downfall was we had to walk through the ruins to get to the top.

 Nice morning sun rising from behind us. We needed it as it was so cold.

 I have forgotten how much time exactly it took us to get this place.. i think it must be around 35 minutes. I believe the picture below must be something which was spitted out by the volcano years ago though I don't think it's lava.

 Worth to get up at the wee hours in the morning for this.

 Last but not least... the semi-active volcano which is still giving out smoke..

Sepiso-piso waterfall

 There are many attractions at the Northern part of Sumatera , also northern part of Lake Toba. Air Terjun Sepiso-piso is famous among the tourists and the locals. It's one of the most fascinating waterfall I have ever visited. When I was there, I stood and wondered where the continuous water came from. I was just so amazed by the mother nature!

 Sepiso-piso waterfall is a magnificent waterfall where one must visit when they go to Medan. One can get down to the foot of the waterfall but must be very careful of the steep steps. I didn't go down as I was extremely scared.

                                         The view opposite the waterfall. Breathtaking!

Cloth Weaving - Lake Toba

Ulos or local woven cloth is very famous in this island. It is the traditional cloth of the Batak people and is normally worn draped over the shoulder in ceremonies. But due to the inventions of  cloth weaving machineries, hand weaving 'ulos' is no longer in high demands as they may take up to 1 month to finish a single piece of it and the cloth produced with machines costs only a fraction of its price..Quality is of course not compatible with the handmade ones..  

 Bit by bit...

 I wanted to buy but unfortunately, I didn't have enough money with me..

The completed Ulos.. Beautiful!

On the way from visiting the Ulos weaving, we saw a lot of these trees.. have a guess..

Coffee beans! Delicious!