Around 75,000 years ago, an ancient volcano situated in the Barisan Mountains of Northern Sumatera erupted, expelling an estimated 2,800 cubic KM of ash and lava, and caused nearly half of the living species on Earth killed and vanished. Nearly 60% of human population reduced following the volcanic eruption. That event is considered by many scientists to be the greatest volcanic eruption in human history, and some maintain that it decreased the average global temperature by 3 to 3,5 degrees Celsius and have triggered an ice age.
The remnants of the volcano’s caldera contain present-day Lake Toba.
Located in the middle of the northern part of Sumatera, with a surface elevation of about 900 M, the lake is about 100 KM long, 30 KM wide, and up to 505 M deep, making it the largest lake in Southeast Asia. In its center, stretched an island almost the size of Singapore; Samosir, the fifth largest lake island in the world.
By taking into account the fact that we today are the descendants of the 40% of human population that survived the catastrophe, how are we, Indonesians, supposed to describe our relation with Lake Toba?
I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating, but back then, long after I knew I would be traveling around the country, I would have finished the Sumatera chapter right across the Mighty Toba. It felt like it’s the only way that will make perfect sense. I couldn’t find any better way.
The amount of excitement and sentiment on gracefully finishing the Sumatera chapter could be traced back to 2013 when I first set foot on Sumateran soil.
At that time, I was in my third year of college, I was a part of this student union in my uni that sent me and my friends off to Padang for a national conference. It was relatively a short trip to explore the beauty of West Sumatera. I didn’t know that the trip would be more than just a dutiful business from the organization I was in, nor did I know that it would be the start to my long and very much loved exploration on the island. The 1 out of 10.
March 2017, I was setlling down with my career, and I was so naive and hopeful about the future that I thought of immersing myself in the urban life of the capital city as a form of survival; hustling at work, consuming a lot of pop culture, and trying to find meaning in traveling.
One day during that month, I hopped on a passenger ship, crossing the Sunda strait to Lampung that I found very feminist with its Siger, the traditional customary hat for brides in Lampung’s culture on almost every corner of the province. Not long after that I flew to South Sumatera for Palembang, the oldest city in Indonesia.
Around November 2017, soon when I’ve had enough money, I flew back to Suvarnadwipa. This time around I tried to explore Jambi out of my curiosity. Turned out it has one of the most fun capital cities in the country. The trip extended to Bengkulu that marked half way across the map of Sumatera.
At the beginning of February 2018, I crossed the sea to Riau Islands, the luckiest province as it borders with Singapore. And during Christmas in the same year, the very long-awaited trip to Aceh for Weh Island has taken place. It has become one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever taken, not only because it was the outermost I’ve ever got exploring this country, but also because a series of events that made me realize about things, especially at what point traveling is important and beneficial for my life. Traveling might not always fun, it might not always contain happiness, sunny and cheerful day, seamless transit, satisfying services from our hotel and fulfilling meals, sometimes it contains discomfort and upsetting experiences, and a whole lot more of unexpected and troublesome events. During traveling, we might face problems, a lot of them, but no matter what we could always find ways to solve those problems. And that’s what keeps me going.
Bangka Belitung has then been visited later on, in April 2019, 4 months after my last trip to the island. The province that became so popular because of Laskar Pelangi. In February 2020 right before the pandemic started, I went to Riau, the one that I had the least interest to but I ended up enjoying so much.
In the same month, a year later, I completed the journey, the Sumatera chapter by exploring North Sumatera, crossing and witnessing the beauty of Lake Toba and its surroundings. I waited for 7 years to have this finished and I did. How the hell am I supposed to describe my relation with Lake Toba? Is it even a real question? My ancestors might get killed by the time the super-volcano erupted and thus I wouldn’t be born, and I’ve waited long enough for the day I could finally say, “I’ve been to all the provinces in Sumatera, the sixth largest island in the world, the island with most provinces in Indonesia.” I started it in Padang, West Sumatera unsure and unaware that it would lead me to a life-changing journey in my life. And the way I have it all completed is by embracing my own existence, setting up goals and be mindful of my intentions right across the Mighty Toba.
I remember that beautiful day I was smiling from ear to ear for making it to the last province on the island. As far as the eye can see, stretched out the Lake Toba, I was so stunned, and I found it difficult to act normal just like the other passengers on the ship as we were crossing the lake to the resort. I might have it sentimentalized in purpose, even long before I finally set foot in North Sumatera.
I fixed my sitting position and took some pictures of the breathtaking scenery in front of me, and then some more till we got off the ship. Little did anyone else on the ship know, I was chanting and praying the entire trip inside my head, paying homage to the world’s greatest volcanic eruption that ever happened.
North Sumatera, checked! ✔️
Sumatera Chapter (10/10), checked! ✔️
Sampai kita ke mana-mana lagi!
Cipta, di mana? 