Bagamat means take it slow in Banjar.
This is a solo travel story from my first visit to Sumatra at the end of 2023. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done. On this journey, I started by flying into Medan. From there, I rented a motorcycle to travel around North Sumatra and Aceh. Each day brought new experiences, new places, and new people.
1st Day - 19 November 2023
I woke up with a stomachache; I wasn’t sure if it was because of the meals from last night or if I had just gotten too excited to start this trip. Just lie on the bed for one hour to relieve the pain. Feeling a little more comfortable, I took a bath and checked if I had brought all the necessary things. It was already around 7:30 AM when I ordered a taxi to the airport. On the way there, my stomach started feeling unwell again, but I had no choice; I couldn’t turn back and had lost all the preparations.
I planned this trip just a month in advance. While browsing online, I found a motorcycle rental service in Medan by chance. I already wanted to visit Lake Toba, so I saw this as the perfect time to go to Sumatra. With no urgent work projects for the next month, I could take personal leave. I contacted the rental owner, asked about their policy, and got a quote. Since the process was smooth, I booked a Vario right away. Next, I searched for a flight to commit to the trip, then planned my route. For other accommodations, such as hotels, I usually reserve them one or two days in advance.
With my stomach still unwell, I waited to board. Fortunately, there was no delay, and the plane took off at 10 AM. I began to feel better after takeoff. During the flight, I rested because I felt sleepy. At 12 PM, I arrived at Kualanamu Airport in Medan. Afterward, I waited for my baggage while contacting the rental owner to confirm my arrival, and they arranged for the motorcycle to be delivered to the airport. Once I grabbed my backpack, I walked to the parking area and officially set foot in Sumatra, which felt much like other Indonesian cities.
I met the rental owner, and we had a quick chat. He checked my ID, asked where I was headed, and informed me that I’d need to pay for parking upon leaving the airport. After loading my things onto the motorcycle, we rode to the exit together. The first act of kindness I experienced here was when he paid the parking fee for me at the gate.
After exiting the parking gate, I stopped to repack my things and set my destination for the day at Berastagi Sapo Rumbia. The route I chose didn’t pass through the city center. I started riding the motorcycle on a cloudy but very hot and humid day. Along the ride, I looked for a place to have lunch because I hadn’t eaten since morning. To be safe, I eventually stopped at a Padang restaurant (this will be my main place to eat during this trip). In the suburbs of Medan, a traffic jam occurred, and I was stuck for around 30 minutes to travel just 5 km. After that, there was no more traffic, but I started to feel the difference in the roads and the way people drive in Sumatra. There were many potholes in the road; these were man-made for roadwork, but the repairs hadn’t been finished yet. People drove and overtook others aggressively, and I need to be very careful.
As I approached my destination, the air grew colder because the area is in the highlands. The sides of the road were green with grass and trees. In some places, you could see flowers planted along the roadside. There were also tourist attractions before entering the city center, where people gathered with their families. I followed the map to the hotel, which was located on a small road outside the city center. When I arrived around 6 PM, I found out they were still in the process of renovating the building. The receptionist was very friendly and escorted me to the room. I entered the room and stepped onto a very cold floor, noticing signs of high humidity on the walls. After putting down my things, I checked the water. Fortunately, it wasn’t cold, but also not very hot. Still, it was warm enough to take a bath.
At night, I rode around Berastagi looking for snacks and dinner. To be safe, I found a spot selling fried rice and ordered it to go. While waiting, I watched the lively city at night. The cold air pierced my skin. I heard singing across the road and saw people walking through the night market. You need a jacket here; it’s very cold, especially for someone from Jakarta. I returned to the hotel to rest. Around 10 PM, someone knocked on my door and asked me to move my motorcycle to the back of the hostel for safety. He even helped me park, another kindness.
I felt a mix of curiosity and comfort as I finished my first day and night in Sumatra. Nothing had been uncomfortable or dangerous so far, which was different from what I’d heard about North Sumatra.
2nd Day - 20 November 2023
On my first morning in Sumatra, I woke up early. Since the area was a plateau, the morning was cold. Fortunately, I managed a warm shower despite the chill. I took a short ride to experience the morning. Even with a jacket, the cold wind still pierced my bones. I decided to return to the hostel and fly the drone from there instead. The sun hadn’t come out; it was hidden behind a cloudy sky hanging low over the horizon.
After repacking my things, I got on the motorcycle and set my map to my first destination of the day, Lake Lau Kawar. The road was narrow, and it was quite difficult to distinguish between the main road and the smaller side roads. The ride to the lake was incredibly beautiful. You could see local farms along the way, the air was clear and fresh, and the route took you around Mount Sinabung, one of the biggest volcanoes in South Sumatra. The lake was tricky to reach, and during my visit, it was easy to get lost if you just followed the map. On top of that, the signal was very poor when you were close to the lake. If you get lost or confused, asking the locals is the best option.
When I arrived, the place was very quiet; there were no other tourists around. It made sense, since it was a weekday and not the holiday season. I parked my motorcycle beside the lake, where there was a small rest area. I walked around and sat down to enjoy the view. The lake was incredibly serene.
Suddenly, one of the owners of the rest area approached me and asked if I wanted to order something. I hadn’t had breakfast yet, but I wasn’t in the habit of eating in the morning, so I just ordered hot tea. As we chatted, I learned that she was from Banjar. She explained that she lived here because she had followed her husband and shared how much she missed Banjar’s food. On just my second day in this distant place, even though I was far from my hometown, I had already met someone else from Banjar. Hearing her story made me realize how we often take things for granted, only to miss them when they’re gone.
I rested there for almost an hour before continuing my journey. My initial plan was to visit Kebun Efi, but when I set the map, I noticed that the place was closed on Mondays. So I decided to head south toward Lake Toba instead. I was very excited; this was my first time visiting it. I stopped for lunch at Simpang Merak, which was already very close to the lake.
My next stop was Sipolha Hill, where you can see the lake stretch as far as the eye can see. Upon arrival, the place was also very quiet. I stood alone on the hill, taking in the view of the lake. Alone on that hill, I witnessed one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen. I was amazed and shivered just imagining how massive the eruption must have been here a long time ago.
Continuing the journey, I planned to stop for the night in Siborongborong. From my current location, it was still about 100 km away, and it was already around 3 PM. I kept riding, and soon it began to drizzle. Additionally, my fuel was running low. I continued riding, hoping I wouldn’t run out of gas, and eventually arrived in Parapat, where I was able to refuel. Parapat is one of the most popular destinations near Lake Toba, offering a variety of accommodations.
Halfway to my destination, I stopped to rest at Fii Sabilillah mosque. Just as I was about to set off again, heavy rain began to fall, so I had to wait for about half an hour. It was already dark when I reached Balige. Although I had planned to have dinner there, I felt too lazy to stop and decided to keep riding. The rain poured again. Even though I had a raincoat, I was too lazy to stop and put it on. It was my first night ride in Sumatra, and it was a bit of a shock; most cars used their high beams. With the rain, my foggy helmet visor, and the glare from oncoming traffic, it was very difficult to see ahead.
Around 8 PM, I arrived at today’s lodge, Mantha Homestay. I had my first not-so-good experience of the trip: the receptionist was unaware I had already booked online. I was soaked and cold because the place is on a plateau. After waiting for some time, I went to the room but found it smelled unpleasant and was quite humid. I quickly took a bath and changed clothes. Feeling fresher, I went out to buy dinner while it was still lightly raining. Nothing else happened except that I rested afterward.
Around 8 PM, I arrived at my lodging for tonight, Mantha Homestay. This was my first not-so-good experience during the trip; the receptionist wasn’t aware that I had already booked online. Completely soaked and feeling cold since the place is located on a plateau, I waited for a while before finally getting to my room. The room smelled a bit unpleasant, and the air was quite humid. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I felt refreshed and went out to get dinner while a light rain continued to fall. After dinner, I simply went back and rested.
3rd Day - 21 November 2023
With the sound of rain hitting the roof, I slept quite well. I started early again, and the roads were still wet from the rain the night before. My original plan was to visit Bakkara Viewpoint as my first destination. But after riding about 10 km from Siborongborong, heavy rain started to fall again. Based on the unpleasant experience from the previous night, I quickly pulled over, put on my raincoat, and decided to skip the first destination.
After passing Dolok Sanggul, the rain stopped, but I didn’t take off my rain cover because the sky was still very cloudy. I continued riding toward Pandang Tele tower , and along the way, the fog covered much of the landscape. After turning onto the road that leads to Samosir, I once again saw how beautiful Lake Toba was, this time with a magical feeling, as fog gently covered parts of it. Not long after, I arrived at the tower and found out it was still under renovation.
The next stop on today’s list was Holbung Hill. Along the way, you can enjoy views of Lake Toba from multiple angles, but be careful, the road is narrow and quite steep. At first, I followed Google Maps, but I ended up getting lost in a village with no through road, only realizing later that I had already passed my destination. I turned around and headed back to the correct point on the map. It wasn’t all bad, though. At the end of that wrong turn, I got to see a beautiful view of rice fields near the lake. Eventually, I arrived at the right location and had my first experience of nearly being scammed as a tourist. When I went to buy a ticket to enter, one person tried to charge more than the actual price. Fortunately, there was a sign showing the correct price, and another person at the ticket booth quickly corrected it.
I reached the hill; it just took a bit of effort and around 10 more minutes to get to the peak. There weren’t many people around. About 15 minutes later, I was standing completely alone at the top of the hill. I could see mist and fog stretching over the horizon. If you want to be alone with nature, this is one of the places to do it, just avoid weekends or peak seasons.
On the way back, not far from Holbung Hill, I stopped at Sibeabea Hill. In this area, you can find Kelok Lapan and the world’s tallest Jesus statue (as of 2025, standing at 61 meters). I rode to the end of Kelok Lapan and found that the road simply came to an end. There were a few people fishing there. The place was very quiet, and you could see Lake Toba at water level, calm and peaceful.
I got back on the road and visited Efrata Waterfall. The waterfall is located directly next to the parking area. I took some photos there and tried doing a long exposure shot. After that, I planned to head straight to my lodging for the night in Samosir.
The scenery today was some of the best I’d seen on the whole trip. Everything felt a bit unreal, and there was never a dull moment on the road.
When I reached Samosir, I stopped for lunch before heading to the lodge. The owner asked where I was from and assumed I had come to Samosir to watch the ongoing event, the Aquabike Jetski World Championship. I didn’t know anything about the event and hadn’t planned to watch it. It seemed to be a big deal, but I simply skipped it. Just a few kilometers later, I arrived at JWN Parbaba, my lodging for the night. I got there around 3:30 PM and quickly took a nap.
I woke up two hours later to the sound of a Westlife song, “Flying Without Wings”:
For me it’s waking up beside you
To watch the sunrise on your face
It was sung by the owner. It seems to be a local tradition for each house to have this type of sound system. Before I took a nap, a neighbor was also singing something, but I didn’t recognize the song (honestly, it was a bit annoying and almost made it impossible for me to fall asleep). But when I woke up, the owner’s singing was really nice; it felt different in a good way.
At night, I went out to find dinner and ended up with just rice and a fried egg. I also stopped by a convenience store to buy some snacks and a bottle of mineral water. The area was very quiet at night, and there wasn’t much to do. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, while faint sounds of waves from the lake echoed in the background.
4th Day - 22 November 2023
I woke up with a rash on my hand and leg. I wasn’t sure what had caused it, perhaps a bug, but when I checked the room and the bed, I found nothing. The pain from the rash lasted until I returned to Jakarta.
My journey around Samosir today took me to Sidikalang, with only one stop along the way at Batu Passa Liang. The morning was mild and the road quiet. Following Google Maps, I arrived at what was supposed to be the location, but saw no signs. Riding slowly, I discovered a small road leading down to the lake. At the edge, a local man rested under a tree as the wind blew from the water. I parked my motorcycle and walked to the end of the land, where a single tree stood above rocks. The still water offered a peaceful escape from daily noise.
I stand for 30 minutes and enjoy the serenity, then continue my journey. You can see multiple perspectives, including a big waterfall from the other side, a small town that connects Samosir and Parapat, clouds over the lake, a rice field with a lake view, and a cliff and mountain in the center of Samosir that are covered by mist.
It took me around 3.5 hours to reach the Aek Tano Ponggol bridge, which connects Samosir and Sumatra. I just realized that I need to return to the main road, past Pandang Tele tower. I thought there was a shortcut road that went directly through Sidikalang. I only wear a cotton jacket; the gloves I used to use were still wet from yesterday’s rain, and the way back was very cold. I could see the lake yesterday from the road, but today it was shrouded in fog, and visibility was low due to light rain. During my ride, it’s very quiet; there’s no one and no vehicles around, except for some monkeys that sit in the middle of the road. It’s a very strange ride.
When I reach the main road, the weather is not getting any better. The road was very smooth and straight, and not many other vehicles around, so I could ride fast. I hadn’t eaten since the morning, and along the way, I didn’t find any restaurant that drew my interest. Like 40 KM before today’s destination, I stopped at a convenience store and bought some snacks. I saw many riders with Jakarta plates, which suggested they were doing some touring.
I have no more places to visit today, so I continued to stay at the homestay Sitabotabo 2 for the day and planned to buy lunch afterward. When I arrived, the place was very quiet, but later that night, it was full. It looks like this place is popular with drivers or workers. I opened Google Maps to find what to eat and eventually took away from the Padang restaurant. It was still around 4 PM when I had nothing to do anymore, so I decided to take a nap. At night, I went out again to have dinner. I bought Indomie for dinner tonight, the only food I choose if I cannot decide what to eat. After that, take a full rest, as tomorrow is planned to be the longest ride of this trip. However, it eventually turned out not to be the longest ride due to my lazy habit of checking the maps.