The end of the mini-holiday at Lake Toba

Last Monday our plane left again back to Kuala Lumpur. Our first real holiday was already over. Lake Toba was the perfect place to relax for a weekend and escape from the sometimes very busy Kuala Lumpur. We also saw quite a lot of the island of Samosir which made this the perfect combination for a weekend away.

Singapore

On Sunday evening we asked at the reception of the hotel if they could arrange a minibus for Monday to the airport. The girl we were with the day before, had to go back to Singapore as well, so we could travel together. The van would be arranged, but just to be sure they would call us.

Google Translate

We didn’t get that call, but we just assumed it would be okay. The next morning we wanted to take the bus to the airport at eleven o’clock. Again we walked to the reception to ask if we would be picked up. They didn’t understand us, but with Google Translate you get quite far! And yes, at eleven o’clock the minivan was ready.

Charger

You have two options to get from Parapat to Kuala Namu airport. The first option is to take a charger. This means that you have a car with a driver and you do not have to share the car with others. This will cost you 700,000 rupees per car, around €43,75. Not expensive for a car ride of four hours! But you can also choose a minivan where you share the bus with about seven others. This costs 100,000 rupees per person, €6,25. We chose the last option.

Bus

On the way to Parapat, we had a really good van with eight people and lots of legroom and air conditioning! This was great and the ride was over before we knew it. We had arranged this bus when we arrived at the airport. We also had this expectation for the return trip. Stupid, we now think we were lucky on the way there. Now we had a real mini-bus for seven people.

Back seat

The three of us were stuck in the back seat. With our knees, in the belly, we sat like this for 3,5 hours. The van almost fell apart from misery, but it wasn’t that bad. The driver looked like he was in a hurry and caught up with one car or truck after another. The roads have only one lane, so you have to overtake a car through the other lane of the oncoming traffic. Terrifying, I have seen my life flash several times.

Stiff neck

We arrived at the airport with a stiff neck, but at least we survived. Of course, I don’t want to scare the family at home haha but it was an adventure and we made it to the airport. The Indonesians who were on the bus with us were sleeping peacefully. Nothing to worry about!

Cigarettes

In the meantime, we had made some Indonesian friends by handing out cookies. In exchange we got cigarettes. People still smoke in the car. All five men were smoking one cigarette after the other. We, who were sitting in the back, could smoke with them. We have another experience and another small plus, I was a lot more relaxed on the plane.

The end of the mini-holiday at Lake Toba

Last Monday our plane left again back to Kuala Lumpur. Our first real holiday was already over. Lake Toba was the perfect place to relax for a weekend and escape from the sometimes very busy Kuala Lumpur. We also saw quite a lot of the island of Samosir which made this the perfect combination for a weekend away.

Singapore

On Sunday evening we asked at the reception of the hotel if they could arrange a minibus for Monday to the airport. The girl we were with the day before, had to go back to Singapore as well, so we could travel together. The van would be arranged, but just to be sure they would call us.

Google Translate

We didn’t get that call, but we just assumed it would be okay. The next morning we wanted to take the bus to the airport at eleven o’clock. Again we walked to the reception to ask if we would be picked up. They didn’t understand us, but with Google Translate you get quite far! And yes, at eleven o’clock the minivan was ready.

Charger

You have two options to get from Parapat to Kuala Namu airport. The first option is to take a charger. This means that you have a car with a driver and you do not have to share the car with others. This will cost you 700,000 rupees per car, around €43,75. Not expensive for a car ride of four hours! But you can also choose a minivan where you share the bus with about seven others. This costs 100,000 rupees per person, €6,25. We chose the last option.

Bus

On the way to Parapat, we had a really good van with eight people and lots of legroom and air conditioning! This was great and the ride was over before we knew it. We had arranged this bus when we arrived at the airport. We also had this expectation for the return trip. Stupid, we now think we were lucky on the way there. Now we had a real mini-bus for seven people.

Back seat

The three of us were stuck in the back seat. With our knees, in the belly, we sat like this for 3,5 hours. The van almost fell apart from misery, but it wasn’t that bad. The driver looked like he was in a hurry and caught up with one car or truck after another. The roads have only one lane, so you have to overtake a car through the other lane of the oncoming traffic. Terrifying, I have seen my life flash several times.

Stiff neck

We arrived at the airport with a stiff neck, but at least we survived. Of course, I don’t want to scare the family at home haha but it was an adventure and we made it to the airport. The Indonesians who were on the bus with us were sleeping peacefully. Nothing to worry about!

Cigarettes

In the meantime, we had made some Indonesian friends by handing out cookies. In exchange we got cigarettes. People still smoke in the car. All five men were smoking one cigarette after the other. We, who were sitting in the back, could smoke with them. We have another experience and another small plus, I was a lot more relaxed on the plane.