windblown: From Sumatra to Lombok, a world of difference

With its tranquil atmosphere, Danau Toba, or Lake Toba, was once known as backpacker central. Little remains of those times, although the place still welcomes plenty of local tourists, mainly in the form of religious or integrating retreats. Located in the crater of a volcano (which has been extinct probably since the times when dinosaurs roamed Earth, but boy, when it blew, it took out half of the world's population – ok, I know, there's a contradiction in there), that's not a surprise, as the vibe and scenery of the enormous lake are simply spiritual, especially when cloudy mists start to obscure the horizon. Ok, the fact that magic mushrooms are readily available may somewhat add to the mystique. In the middle is Samosir Island, Singapore-sized, covered by a lush jungle and inhabited by the friendly Batak people. Yup, those of the formerly cannibalistic headhunting culture. No worries, cannibalism and head loping were largely part of their ritualistic practices or forms of punishment, not just for fun.

We rented a traditional boat-shaped Batak house, with a low entrance (forces visitors to bow respectfully – P could finally properly honor his queen) and a high ceiling under an ornately decorated roof. Cozy. But it was the veranda that occupied most of our time, where we'd spend lazy days reading. We'd take dips in the clear water, somewhat quickly scrambling out in thermal shock, as the temperature of the deep lake was a vast departure from our recently tropical climates. Come dinnertime, our sole purpose was to find the freshest catch of the day. Simple life. But nightly, that simple life was interrupted by the screeching sensation that was retreat karaoke. Members were probably just trying to blow off some steam after days full of mental exercises. Nevertheless, we decided to flee.

And flee we did over the next 24 hours. The combo of ferry-local bus with gauged paneling-becak aka tuk-tuk with side car got us to Medan, where we spent the night on the wooden benches of the airport. Disturbed only by mosquitoes, we caught a flight early next morning to Jakarta, the capital, and then another to the island of Lombok. We grabbed oh yet another car to the harbor in order to cross into the Gili Islands, where all the real fun started. Using every excuse under the sun, shady boat operators tried to convince us that there are no afternoon public ferries onto Gili Air. Their solution: charter a private boat. Cost difference: $1 vs. $25. Not piggy bank breaking, but this is Indonesia. Cheap Indonesia. And like many people, we disliked the fact the someone was so deliberately trying to rip us off. We parked our butts on our bags, and decided to wait and see what would happen. In pouring rain. We almost got a ride on a private boat of some white island resident, when a member of the koperasi stepped in and threatened the captain with withdrawing of harbor privileges if he took us. God forbid we'd try to cheat them out of the passage money. So we waited some more, until enough people gathered and, surprise, a public ferry was launched. Tired and soaked, we got to Gili Air. Despite the slight glimmer of “in-your-face” satisfaction, the experience was so achingly disappointing that, for the first time this trip, one thought took precedence – it's time to go home.

Despite glowing reviews, Gili Air is a bit overrated. Yes, the water is crystal blue. Yes, there's a beautiful volcanic backdrop from Lombok on the East coast of the island. Yes, you can find both chilled-out and groovy, depending on your mood. But there are no true beaches, as washed out coral litters the scant patches of, yes, white sand. Not much room for barefoot strolls or even a sunbathing towel, until low tide in the evenings. Yet more coral populates the shallow waters, which, while great for snorkeling, prevents pleasurable swimming. And aren't those the main activities of sun-seeking vacationers? We did a dive, and, despite promises of sharks and turtles, that particular location lacked the variety and quantity of sea life we found in other places. But we did see turtles!