Motorcycle Diaries

Wednesday 29th July 2009
Day 32

Motorcycles were the order of the day. OK scooters but they call them motorbikes here which sounds a bit cooler.

Over breakfast we learned two things. One - they eat dogs on this island much to Layla's disgust and two - don't ride on the south side of the island as travellers were killed on these roads not so long ago. Fortunately for us we were exploring the other side of the island where the roads were apparently in good nick.

It was a great ride through paddy fields, passed bullocks on the road and school kids waving and shouting Hello! The architecture was also amazing, with Batak villages throughout the island lined with these amazingly designed homes distinct to the Batak people. Danau Toba is where the Batak people of Northern Sumatra originated from but there are now communites throughout the country.

We ended up on the far side of the island and across a dirt road that took us onto the mainland (which makes Samosir Island technically not an island). Here we went to a roadside cafe and Layla struck it off with the owner called Roseritta. Even though neither could speak a word of the other's language they were chatting for ages. Myself and a group of Indonesian labourers watched in amazment.

My turn to ride and the heavens opened on us. We took shelter under a random couple's veranda in the middle of nowhere with a rooster for company. It was one of those surreal travel moments stuck there with an elderly couple, expressionless but content, sat there watching the rain pour down over the miles of farmland in front of us while a rooster cocked (much to our amusment). There was also an odd guy kitted out in denim who also took shelter. Every time I looked at him he was just staring at me with a strange grin under his big thick moustache. Quite unnerving.

The rain eased and we took off again but the heavens opened once again but we pushed on. We then realised we'd taken a wrong turning so up into the hills we were head. We backtracked but mis-judged just how far off the route we'd come. With the warning over breakfast ringing in our ears we took it steady and made it back in one piece to the luxury of a hot shower and an evening of BBQ and traditional Batak song and dance put on by our accomodation.