Pondok Pisang and Wild Pig Curry

So it turns out the goat curry was actually dog. Yep.  But that's about the worst of it, as far as Toba goes.

The Bataks do things their own way.  Their history is difficult to understand, and seems to be not well documented, in spite of unique language, religion and culture, and -even to the untutored foreign eye- noticeably different features.  But there is Batak music, Batak architecture, Batak food, Batak clothing and textiles, of course the Batak language (little Bahasa here!), the Batak flag, and their own brand of animistic Catholicism.  Only finally defeated by the Dutch in 1904, the Batak were also a iron thorn in the side of the colonists; Indonesian Independence Day was celebrated this last Wednesday and the locals rightly partied hard if only, for just one day, Indonesians, and not just Bataks.

We have enjoyed the authentic village life and peace of Toba.  People used to come here to party hard, which still seems a little odd.  Toba has a slow-down quality to it that leaves you puzzled and changing the subject when people ask what you've done the last week.  Well, nothing much.  And thats not because of the 'shrooms, good as they are.

We've enjoyed some of the frankest and best conversations with Indonesians anywhere here - Achenese and Malayan Indonesians seem much harder to access as a visitor. We've enjoyed seeing women and girls being themselves in public, the Muslim part of Sumatra locks their women away and even a 2 second flicker of eye-contact across genders and nationalities is a small victory.

We've enjoyed the touring through beautiful landscapes, and following people's everyday village living.  Guesthouse owners are as likely to run a local spaza shop and rent motorbikes as farm the family's rice paddies.  Multiple sources of income are the way of life, although tourists are too often seen as walking ATMs.

We've listened to the Arak fueled guitar parties, which seem to start up around 11 every night. Most Batak are fairly competent with a guitar and a few old Bon Jovi songs. But there is the odd squawking rooster with an untuned guitar who plonks himself next to you when you're trying to enjoy a quiet Bintang.

And we've also enjoyed the unique Batak-ness of it all.