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Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia
  • Gina Steiner
  • Gina Steiner

Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia

A 70-day adventure by Gina Read more
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  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Sony guesthouse, Sumatra, Indonesia

    January 25, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    This guesthouse is wonderful and weird at the same time. Here the weird part: It was built in the 90th and it seems like no renovation of the building happened since then. Here in Sumatra with this high humidity and rain during all year you can imagine what happens to a building not taken care of. This fact and that we were the only guests in this guesthouse until yesterday (when a Dutch couple arrived) makes it weird and a bit apocalyptic. The wonderful part is the location on Samosir, since it is outside the village Tuk Tuk which makes it incredibly calm and peaceful. Nevertheless you have 3 families around which offer food, it’s called restaurant but you more or less eat in the living room of the family. The guesthouse itself has a wonderful garden of which a gardener takes good care. It’s located at the shore of lake Toba 400m away from the next guesthouse at the shore. This gives you the feeling that’s *your* lake. In addition the small ferry drops you at you personal boat launch. It not only feels like *your* lake, it also feels like your *own estate*, since there is nobody around except you. I hope the Dutch couple either stay in their room, or leave soon 🤪.Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Tuk Tuk, Sumatra, Indonesia

    January 27, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Today we switched the hotel and now live in a Batak house ❤️, again with garden 🌺 and lake 🌊 view... I won’t tell you the price since it is embarrassingly cheap. I travelled a lot since I was 16 but this place here is one of the nicest I found so far (except of Anini beach and Polihale state park in Kauai, Hawaii). So we’re going to stay until Saturday and then move on - the plan is to find some really lonely islands 🏝. And now I’m going to jump into the lake... 🏊🏼‍♀️Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler
    2

    Kantor Imigrasi Kelas II PematangSiantar

    January 29, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Today was a adventurous and fortunately a rainy 🌧 day, our task today: get our visa extended. Fortunately rainy because it’s not so hot in the busses and you don’t miss a sunny swimming or cruising day 😜.

    Now the visa adventure: first you need to know that, depending where you extend your visa, it can be a matter of several days. The queues at the immigration offices can be very long and the processing also can take some days.

    My first idea was to extend it in Medan but since the city center does not attract me to stay for 3 days I skipped that idea. Next idea was to do it in Bali but since everyone does it in Bali the queues are sometimes very long and there is the chance that you might leave after closing hour not even talked to anyone.

    When we arrived at lake Toba we found out that you also can do it in Pematang Siantar, 60km from lake Toba. We also heard that there are no queues and the people are nice and helpful.

    So: getting up at 6:30, walking to the harbour and catching the ferry 🛳 in Tuk Tuk at 7:40. Arriving at Parapat 40 minutes later and looking for a shared taxi 🚖. Finding one (mostly SUVs here) and driving to Siantar for the next 2h (bumpy roads take time). We negotiated with the driver to drop us directly at the immigration, which is on the other side of the city but for some extra cash everything is possible. At 11:00 we arrived and since we had everything in place: the already filled out forms, copies of the passport, the visa and the flight ticket back, the next part went pretty smooth. Taking a biometric picture, giving fingerprints and sign digitally. We were the only ones and the guy was very friendly.

    But it’s Indonesia and you definitely need two things in addition here: patience and confidence. Although all data was right and accepted by the system, the application did not go through... problems in the central computer. The guy asked us to come again THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, until then it would be done.

    Welllllllll, my name is Gina and I’m not giving up fast 🤪. I talked with him about this and that and what I like here and about food and my job and, and, and. After a while he said he would give it a try after lunch once more.

    Ok, waiting for 1,5h. 13:00 lunch break over. Aaaaand third try it went through, yes! Now the payment but where? “You’ll find it in the backyard”, he said. But where, we looked here and there, nothing... Aaaaaah, after entering a totally wrong room *ooops* we were told: there was a BUS 🚌 in the backyard where you can pay... Ok, payment 💰 in the bus 🤪: done!

    Back into the office :14:00. Wonderful, everything done.... EXCEPT OF... “The big boss needs to sign it until the office closes at 16:00.” they guy said, and “Maybe he won’t sign it today, that happens often, so maybe you better come back tomorrow...”
    Welllllllll.... “I think your boss is in signing mood today 😉, I think I’m going to wait until the office closes at 16:00”, I said with the nicest smile I had go offer. “You can try.” he answered.

    Ok, out again and we were huuuuuuuuungry. So we ordered some food around the corner and just before the food arrived tatatataaaaaa the guy came out and said: “You’re lucy, it’s signed.” ❤️❤️❤️. We picked the visa up and finished our food. 15:00. WE MADE IT.

    So now back home... first by public shared bus 🚌 through the city to the shared taxi station and from there with the shared taxi to Parapat to catch the ferry. If you ever travelled by public shared bus 🚌 the following is nothing new for you but if not, you should at least try it once. The drivers drive like hell, the busses are squeezed with people and there are no seats but benches and not in driving direction but parallel to it. In addition the busses have no door, so you can hop in and out while driving. It’s cheap as hell but also the shared SUV taxi is cheap (1,30 € for 50km).

    At 18:00 we reached the ferry, in time for catching the last ferry at 18:30. 19:15 we jumped from the ferry on the jetty of our hotel.

    What a day, but we made it!!! ❤️❤️❤️    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Parapat, Sumatra, Indonesia

    February 1, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today was our last day at lake Toba, we decided to go to Parapat by ferry to visit the market. We found a fruit, which I never saw before, it’s called Salak and it’s skin looks like snake skin. We found it on the market and I was very curious about it. So we eat some and it is sweet and sour at the same time, very refreshing with the texture of an apple. You can see it one the picture with the blue umbrella. Salak is a species of palm tree native to Java and Sumatra. The fruits grow in clusters at the base of the palm and are about the size and shape of a ripe fig, with a distinct tip. The fruit can be peeled by pinching the tip, which cause the skin to slough off so it can be pulled away. The fruit inside consists of three lobes with the two larger ones, or even all three, containing a large inedible seed. In short: A NEW FRUIT!!! 😋
    Btw: if you wonder what the girl is doing with the fish: she sniffs the gills to check if the fish is fresh.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Singkil, Sumatra, Insonesia

    February 2, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Yesterday evening we left Tuktuk at 22:00 with Joe and his son Christian. Joe has a restaurant near Tuktuk and we joined him for BBQ and sometimes for breakfast. We talked a lot and at some point he offered to drive us to Singkil at the coast. Since we like Joe and in addition it was much cheaper than offered by the professionals we went with him and his son. It took us 9 hours for 250km, you can imagine the condition of the road, in addition there where almost no straight parts, curve after curve. I managed to sleep, so I woke up 20 minutes before we arrived at the coast. We were told to search for a captain called Aslan, he would leave with his boat at 9 am direction Haloban, a village on the Banyak islands. Finally we found the captain and his boat. During the next two hours at lot of people arrived and brought rice cooker, fridges (a lot of), rice, water, drinks, packets, steel, cable, gas, and, and, and... Everything was properly stored in and on the boat, a place for sitting on the floor was prepared and off we went. We were round about 15 passengers and like usually we were well integrated after a short time. It was a wonderful experience to be part of this temporary traveler family. After 5 hours at 14:00 we arrived at ou first stop in xxx, I will write more about that in the next entry.Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Tuangku, Banyak Islands, Indonesia

    February 2, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Our first stop was at 14:00 in Suka Makmur on Tuangku island. It’s a very small village and it seems like only very little tourists pass by. Two guys left the boat who transported a theodolite or some similar measuring device.
    After that, we passed a lot of small islands since the Banjak islands are an archipelago of almost 1000 island, some bigger and some pretty small.
    The next stop was at 14:30 in Yaahowu on the same island, where we unloaded most of the other goods like the cable, the fridges, the gas, the steal and so on and most of the other people left the boat - this took quite a while. It was amazing to sit in the shadow on the boat and watch how they manage to get the stuff out of and from the boat and how they organized the transport away from the jetty - it was like watching a documentary on arte 🤪.
    Then went on to our final stop: Haloban, on the same island - we arrived there at 15:45.
    But this was not our final destination... we still needed to hop on another island called Tambarat, but since there in no „public boat“ to Tambarat we needed to get a fisherboat to bring us there. We found captain Wawan and after he went out for shopping some fruit for Ira & Viki (our hosts in Tambarat) we left half an hour later with a boat full of food and water. The final part of our trip took us round about 40 minutes and we arrived save and sound at or final destination at 17:30. Finally, 19,5 hours after we left Lake Toba. It was an amazing experience and we were so happy that we chose this kind of transportation (alternatively we could have ordered a personal speedboat directly from Singkil to Tambarat island). We saw so many new thing and met so many nice people ❤️❤️❤️ - when I watch the photos a big smile covers my face.
    Ira, our host for the next few days in Tambarat welcomed uns and prepared some very delicious food - instantly we felt at home.
    More about Tambarat in my next entry....    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Tambarat, Banyak Islands, Indonesia

    February 3, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Welcome to Tambarat, a small island of 1km in diameter within the Banyak archipelago.
    Tambarat is uninhabited except of Ira & Viki and their 4 basic bungalows. The bungalows have one big and comfortable bed (bedsheets with a pink unicorn🦄), a mosquito net (violett 🤪), some shelves, a small table, some hooks at the wall, light, a broom and a terrace with a table, 2 chairs and a hammock. Ira cooks 3 wonderful meals per day and you have a coffee/tea/water flat rate. There are two toilets with water basin and scoop, which you can use for showering 🧼. We have a generator here but use it only 3 hours per day from 19:00 to 22:00 and if we’re lucky we also have wifi then...
    This is the place where you dream of, when you dream of a lonesome island 🏝. The water is wonderful clear and we have a reef, with a loooooooot of fish 🐠. So guys excuse me, I need to go snorkeling and chill in the hammock, listening to some music 🎶 (I brought my boombox 🤪).    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Selamat Datang, Banyak Islands Idonesia

    February 8, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Yesterday at noon stormy weather arrived and we had huge waves and a lot of tropical rain until early in the morning today. We were watching the weather forecast to find out, if it would be possible to cross over to Singkil, Sumatra by boat. This morning at 7:30 the rain was over and we left from Tambarat with the fisherboat to Haloban, Tuangku island. We loaded some goods and switched to a bigger boat. Fortunately not only the rain 🌧 was over, also the waves 🌊 were not too big to cross over.
    As usual we made another stop, loaded and unloaded some goods and watched the fishermen and children at the harbor. We loaded some big boxes 📦 with fish 🐠, and as you can see the fish is pretty colorful.
    It really feels adventurous to cross the open ocean with this kind of boat and big waves but fortunately it stayed calm enough to safely reach the harbor in Singkil, where Joe waited for us to bring us to Lake Toba.
    Already when we left we decided to pass by Lake Toba once more on our way back, because it’s so peaceful there, the people are nice, the food good, the lake wonderful clean and the temperature relaxing. So now: another week at Lake Toba ❤️.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Samosir, Sumatra, Indonesia

    February 9, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    How does a typical Lake-Toba-morning looks like?
    I stand up and from our balcony I check if the lake is still there and if there is some weather - all is still there and it looks great as usual! Then we take a swim and enjoy the clear and fresh water. Then we go for breakfast: fruit, fruit aaaaaand wait... fruit 🍉 🍌 🥭 🍍 well and iced coffee for sure. Then we take the canoe and check if the lake is really ok, well it is... and then, surprisingly, we go swimming. After that we dry up on the sun chair and then... well well well... then it’s already time for lunch 🤪.Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Canoe, Lake Toba, Indonesia

    February 11, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Today it was a bit cloudy, so we took the opportunity to go by canoe (again).
    In the beginning we appreciated some small drops of rain (although the climate is great here, we have 30°). We went along the shore and stopped by Joe's for a fresh papaya juice. I will definitely miss the fresh juices at lot when I'm back home... On the way back we met some fishermen by boat and also at the shore. They are so relaxed here, I hope I can bring some of it back to Hamburg.
    It's amazing how may birds you can observe here and a pity that I did not bring my binoculars but at some point you have to reduce your backpack.
    So now: swimming!    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Batak houses, Samosir, Indonesia

    February 12, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    The Batak Toba are one of six Batak tribes that inhabit northern and central Sumatra. Each tribe has a distinctive culture and architectural style. Two Batak tribes are Muslim, while the the Toba and another tribe are Christian. The Batak Toba people are concentrated around Lake Toba, the world's largest caldera lake. Their houses are among the most distinctive in Indonesia, with their famous boat-shaped roofs and finely-decorated carvings.
    Batak Toba houses are found in groups of ten or less, constituting small villages. Because of frequent warfare among the other tribes in the past, the houses are built close together, often side-by-side (though rarely connected). Since much of the area is wet year-round, the Batak place their buildings on stilts to avoid flooding and dampness. A typical village consists of a row of houses flanking a corresponding number of small rice granaries, one for each house. Between the two rows of buildings runs a street called an "alaman", which used to serve as a workyard and as a place for drying out rice in the hot sun. Nowadays, most of the granary buildings have been converted into houses, but their original purpose remains recognizable since the granaries were always built on six pillars, while houses had more.
    The Batak Toba house is organized vertically into three distinct zones. The lower zone--the area beneath the house raised on piers--functioned as a work area and as an open-air pen for animals.The next zone—the floor of the house—is a living area where as many as four different families crowded together (nowadays there is usually one family per house). Ladders were once used to access the living area from the ground, so that in times of war the ladder could be quickly retracted and the opening sealed. At present, many families have installed stairs for convenience.
    The highest and most important level of the house is the upper storey, which extends about 1/3 of the depth in from the front of the house. In this area family valuables and ancestral shrines are located.In front of this area, facing the street, is a veranda used for open-air storage.
    The roofs of the Batak Toba houses are formed of sugar palm fiber thatch, held together with rattan cords. However, many houses have abandoned the labor-intensive thatched roof and have converted to zinc metal roofs, which are far more durable in the humid climate.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Kebun Raya Samosir, Indonesia

    February 12, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today we crossed Samosir island in the middle by motorbike. So we cruised from on shore through mountains, forest and the plateau to the other shore. It was a very nice ride since it is a wonderful landscape and the people are so friendly and welcoming. They grow a lot of eucalyptus in parts of the forest and in between you can find huge tree ferns. On the plateau you can find farmers and a lot of water buffaloes 🐃 - you can find more about water buffaloes 🐃 in another entry.
    It was round about noon when we met a lot of children coming from school and in the beginning I did not know what they were up to. They walked along the road and when they saw us, they held the hand up in the air 🤚🏽. I thought: this is a weird way of waving 👋🏽... but then I understood: they wanted to give me 5 🤚🏽. So I spend the next quarter of an hour driving by children and giving 5 to all children in Samosir 🤪. Rainer was a bit annoyed I must admit 😇.
    We also passed an area which is called „Kebun Raya Samosir“ which is planned as a conservation area. Translated it means „Samosir Botanical Garden“ and the area is about 100 ha big. Since it is in planning there is not much to see yet, the collected plants will display endemic pine species, collections of medicinal plants, natural dyes, fruit and wood producers. Until now the Samosir Botanical Garden has built a management office, nursery, embung, environmental road.
    So we went across Samosir and back and when we arrived back at the shore, we still had a lot of daylight left over 😁 so we went along the shore direction east but I will write about that in another entry...    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Water buffalos, Sumatra, Indonesia

    February 12, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    You can meet water buffalos all over Asia and they are different... Two extant types are recognized - the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt, and Italy, and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze valley of China in the east.
    This are Swamp buffalos and in contrast to river buffalos (which prefer deep water) they prefer to wallow in mudholes which they make with their horns. During wallowing, they acquire a thick coating of mud.
    At least 130 million water buffaloes exist and more than 95.8% of the world population of water buffaloes are kept in Asia. More people depend on them than on any other domestic animal. They are especially suitable for tilling rice fields, and their milk is richer in fat and protein than that of dairy cattle. Water buffalo milk is processed into a large variety of dairy products, including: cream, butter, ghee, heat-concentrated milk products, fermented milk products, hard cheeses and soft cheeses.
    Water buffaloes thrive on many aquatic plants. During floods, they will graze submerged, raising their heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants.
    Here you can see a curious one...    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler
    11

    Pakpahan, Sumatra, Indonesia

    February 12, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After we crossed Samosir island today, we still had some daylight left over. So we decided to drive along the Samosir shore to Pakpahan.
    It is a stunning route - one serpentine after the other and the road is newly paved. First you drive up from the shore to the mountain crest ⛰ and then along the crest. So when you go east, you have the lake on your left side and the rice terraces on your right. From time to time you pass small villages and farms. There are some restaurants and coffees along the road, some of them are build at nice view points. So you can enjoy a drink while gazing into this huge crater lake.
    As usual here, everybody greets you, when you drive by - so you never feel separated.
    If you ever come to Sumatra you definitely have to visit Samosir in Lake Toba and if you do, I strongly recommend to rent a motorbike and drive along this crest direction east - I am not sentimental but I literally cried for sheer beauty.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Batak values, Lake Toba, Indonesia

    February 15, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    This is a graffiti in Tuktuk. In Batak culture, the qualities of a king are written down in 8 traditional Toba Batak values. They point out what is expected by the community from their king. The graffiti shows rule no.8: «Sihorus na lobi, sigohi na longa; sipatuat na butong, sipanangkok na male»
    That means: Speak smart and wise.

    Here all 8:
    1. «Parbahul-bahul na bolon» that is, not easily angry or emotional, and hurt.
    2. «Partalaga so ra mahiang, paramak so ra balunon, parsangkalan so mahiang, partataring so ra mintop» that is, like to help others both materially and morally, advice at any time, in public interest.
    3. «Talu in huta, monang in balian» that is, succumbing to the common good.
    4. «Jinama Rungkung Jinama Pargolangan, tuk dohonon ni munsung ndang tuk jamaon ni hand» that is, does not promise something that is impossible to fulfill; or don't talk a lot without doing anything.
    5. «Tobu tolong na so marlaok bota, na so lupa di uhum na so lolos di tona» that is, act based on the rules and legal provisions and listen to the advice of others.
    6. «Elek tu na poso, hombar tu natua-tua» that is, close and attentive and incorporate the opinion of all parties.
    7. «Mangido is very grimy, mangido gogo tu babiat» that is, asking for advice from people who are right and not because of close friendship.
    8. «Sihorus na lobby, sigohi na longa; sipatuat na butong, sipanangkok na male» that is to speak smart and wise.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Sadness, Lake Toba, Indonesia

    February 15, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    I‘m a bit sad to loose this view from my balcony... It’s our last evening at Lake Toba, tomorrow morning we‘re leaving direction Medan, stay there over night and fly ✈️ over Jakarta to Bali the next day. There we‘ll also stay only one night and fly ✈️ over Istanbul to Hamburg.
    Although I‘m missing my friends & colleges, my son, my plants 🌱 and my apartment, I definitely will miss this wonderful clear lake, the swimming, the climate and the friendly Indonesian people 😕. To celebrate our departure we had Batak Toba Fish 🐟 BBQ this evening, it made a bit easier...    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

    February 16, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today our long travel home began. It will take us three stages, so today stage one... After waking up, going swimming for the last time in Lake Toba and having a wonderful breakfast, we took the boat 🛳 to Parapat at 12:30 and arrived there round about an hour later. We took the shared bus to the bus station 🚌 and caught the bus to Medan at 14:00. The wonderful kitchen at Romlan prepared some take away nasi goreng for us, which we enjoyed in the bus. At 17:30 we arrived in Medan at Amplas bus station and ordered a gojek cab. Finally at 18:15 we arrived at Bua guesthouse... So the first stage went pretty smooth and tomorrow we’re up for the next stage 🤪, wish us luck...Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Kuala Namu, Sumatra, Indonesia

    February 17, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    I am no longer used to getting up at half past seven in the morning with the alarm clock ⏰... today we're going to make stage two, so we went to Kuala Namu airport in Medan. The dew glittered on the rice fields this morning as we set out. Rama fixed us some rice and eggs 🍳 for breakfast and drove us to the airport ✈️. The airport was almost empty, what a strange feeling at an Asia airport... empty... no long lines and no hordes of people who are shouted at by their cell phones - usage of headphones seems pretty uncool here. I felt like on another planet 🪐 - everything empty and quiet - I think Covid-19 makes this possible.Read more

  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Jakarta, Indonesia

    February 17, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Jakarta - this is quite a huge city... I'm happy that I don't have to stay here over night. Yesterday we were rebooked and now we have not only two, but four hours stay in Jakarta. Well, since we started early it’s not a problem and we will arrive in Bali at eight o’clock. So today is a boring airport day and since I‘m not into shopping 🛍 it is aaaaaaa *drumm-roll* AUDIOBOOK 🎶 day ❤️. I downloaded three new ones yesterday 🥰.
    Btw for you as information: we flew Batik Air and I have to admit that this was the worst food I ever had in an airplane. Until now I’m still amazed by the food on Turkish Airlines flights.    Read more

    See translation
  • Gina SteinerCambodia, Vietnam, IndonesiaTraveler

    Bali, Indonesia

    February 18, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Yesterday we arrived in Denpasar, Bali - our last stop before we hop over to Europe again. I always avoid to stay in Bali but as a connection point it’s practical. So we arrived yesterday, did the online check-in for the flight over Istanbul to Hamburg and today we went out for a Bali tourist day 🤪. You can imagine that nor the temples are comparable to Angkor Wat nor the beaches to Tambarat. But for tourist chilling in the beach club it’s perfect 😉.Read more

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