a hot welcome to Samosir
There are a few ways to reach Samosir island, at the center of Toba Lake, North Sumatra. The first is driving all the way to its west side and come in through Pangururan town. We can also drive until Parapat and cross the lake with a Roll-On-Roll-Off ferry to Tomok. We took the third and fastest option: jump into a ferry from Parapat, paid as little as USD 1, enjoyed the 30 minutes ride at the opened upper deck, and dropped off in Tuktuk right in front of our lodging. In fact it seems that the Ferry will deliver each passenger to the front of his/her lodging.
Before we reached our lodging, it docked for a split second at another jetty where kids were swimming, people were doing laundry, and trash (mostly from soap and detergent) were scattered.
Behind the smiles and hands waving to us, the portrait shows a problem Toba Lake community has been facing: clean water and domestic pollution. The Regent of Simalungun has a heavy issue to solve. Bali has been fighting similar issue, and has yet to see light at the end of the tunnel. Toba needs to wake up. They need to understand that their natural resources are at the brink of disappearance, not only because of pulp and other industries, but also because of their own way of living.
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Ranan Samanya Photography 