October 27, 2006
Still needing a Rest Day in Tuk Tuk: ride around Samosir Island
All the rain we've had the last couple of days has finely started to clean the air. The opposite shore on "mainland" Sumatra is clearly visible this morning and we can see clouds and patches of blue sky.
After breakfast in the restaurant, a banana pancake for Patrick and Rachel has french toast with a boiled egg. We get on our bikes for another practice run. Today we first ride to Ambarita and there try to get an angkot (mini van taxi) to take us and our bikes about 40km to the other side of the island in Pangugman. We get an angkot quickly, but can't settle on a price. Patrick tried negotiating the price by writing in the sand with a rock. Sometimes it's not clear what is said. The driver starts off at 100,000Rp, Patrick counter with 50,000 and not willing to go higher than 60,00Rp. We get back on our bikes and start riding towards Tomok to intercept another angkot. The one we just talked to though follows us, finds a girl along the road that speaks a little English and accepts our final price.
One catch though, he needs another 15 minutes to go to Tomok and try to pick up more passengers. Forty five minutes later, he still has not returned. The girl has entertained us by posing next to our bikes with her baby, and talking to Rachel. She gets disgusted too now, and flags down another passing van, settles on our price and we are finally off. The bikes leashed to a roof rack on the Mitshubishi minivan that has certainly seen better days. Just as we get to Pangururan and taking our bikes down, a huge thunderstorm breaks. At first we think this will be the big afternoon burst of rain that will be done shortly. The rain starts to ease then comes down even stronger. We take shelter under a canopy of a small restaurant and decide to wait it out. We watch two kids on bicycles in the churchyard across the street not minding the rain at all.
After an hour, we decide it just might rain all afternoon, so we put on our rain jackets and take off. After about 7-8 kms the rain stops, Patrick takes lots of pictures mostly of graves and the children. In Simanindo, we stop at a shop and have a pot mei, chocolate cookies and a drink called "sweat". Our hotel neighbors told us about this "gator-aid type" drink, and we are thrilled to know about it, since a big part of our problem has been dehydration and electrolyte replacement. The salt jumpstarts our appetites! We hope we can find this in the rest of Asia!
When we return to the hotel, there is a note from Karen and Ray that they have moved back to Tabo cottages. Our place is not very quiet.
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