DAY 21: City tour

FINALLY! The day we have been waiting for has finally come! Our very generous receiving university planned a weekend tour for us, overnight! Since our destination is quite far from Medan, we had to leave as early as possible. By 8:30 AM, we’re already at UMSU with our things. We brought one of my big bags and pack our things that can’t fit in our backpacks. When we got at UMSU, there’s Miss Yayuk, Sir Adam, the driver, and the van that we’ll ride for the trip. It was a LOOOONNGGG trip. Good thing Sir Adam has this chips that we really are obsessed about. It’s funny how at first we’re shy so we kind of get one by one. Sir Adam said “just take it if you want it. Don’t give it back if you’re not yet done eating”. Triin and I just looked at each other and kiddingly said “if we give it back after we’re done, it’s already empty”. Aaaaaand so we did finished it all. That was our first phase of the trip. The second phase was everyone is talking and laughing and having fun; third phase: everyone has their earphones blocking their ears and listening to music; fourth and final phase: everyone’s sleeping. In my case, I know I slept hard. I’m really not a morning person and I stay up at night waaaaaaay too late. A part of me wanted to just appreciate the view of everything we’re passing through – good view, lot of trees, and many mountains; Miss Yayuk said that that line of mountains is what separates the North and South Sumatra. It was very beautiful! – But another part of me just wanted to rest so that I would have the energy to enjoy when we arrive at our destination. I guess I had the best of both worlds. FIRST DESTINATION: SIPISO-PISO FALLS. We went up the mountain for us to go here so it is REALLY COLD. Even though the sun is up, the wind’s breeze still stings on my skin. I get my shades, jacket, and my monopod so I could take a video and pictures. We appreciated the view for a while and looked around. We looked for a toilet to pee and retouch then we found more souvenir shops nearby. The items are too pricey so some of us didn’t buy anything plus, Miss Yayuk is already calling us to have some lunch. Even there, we took a lot of pictures. Sir Adam brought his camera, and surrendered it to Miel. Miel is very skilled in stuff like this. He’s a member of a university-wide organization back at home that’s responsible for all the behind the scenes during events, technology, photography, and stuff like that. Sometimes, he also directs productions of the university and events such as Baccalaureate mass for our seniors, and many more. He sure comes in handy on times like this. And considering that we are vain “millennial”, a hundred shots would never be enough! We took a lot of selfies and talked before our food came in. After we eat, we tried to take photos of the waterfall itself, then we took photos of ourselves too; supporting each other in what pose they have to do next. We took more photos on the side where we can see the Lake Toba. Afterwards, Miss Yayuk suggested for us to go down for us to take a better picture of the waterfall, and warned us to not go further down because it’s difficult to climb back up. We asked her to come with us so she won’t miss the fun but she said “I’m too old for that”, haha! Gita stayed to accompany her and so, our journey climbing down, BEGINS! The stairs going down is kind of too wide for each step you really have to have big paces for you to step one stair at a time. Some of the cement is broken too; maybe it has been worn out over time. Along the way, the view is marvelous! You can see how the mountains gave way to the waterfalls in the middle. It was surrounded by the greenness of the nature. The path is formed like an S going down so there are times that we can’t see the waterfalls because the path is facing the other side. As we went further down, we’re getting really tired and for some of us, our legs are shaking already. We’re starting to worry about how difficult it is to climb back up. But naaaaahh, nevermind. We’re here for the view, for the experience. It’s worth it. And at last, we got the perfect spot for a picture! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! If we go further down, we might have the chance to swim, but first of all, it’s too cold; second, it’s WAY too far down; and third, Sir Adam followed us already to tell us we need to leave. So we had a few more shots and asked Sir Adam for us to take a picture of him with the falls. But he said, he’s been here for the third time already. WOW! Imagine having few chances to see such beauty! And now, time to go back up. Oh my Lord. Somewhere in the middle, I can already see some white light ready to take me; or that’s just my sight blurring because I think I’m about to pass out. Nonetheless, we got back up alive and safe, and we’re off to our next destination!

SECOND DESTINATION: TAMAN FIRDAUS

We arrived at around 4PM after a long trip. It’s really cold here so, I need to pee. Miss Yayuk told us that she only gives us 30 minutes to go around and take pictures but I guess we took a liiiiittle bit longer than that. After I went to the restroom, I went to search for my colleagues and there they are… taking pictures… AGAIN. Taman Firdaus is a temple and when translated to English means “heaven” or “Eden”. So maybe it’s somehow related to how Christians believe the world began. That explains the big monument of a man and a woman naked that we believe is Adam and Eve. Who would’ve thought we took a right guess? We took some photos and after a few more minutes, we went back and head on to our next stop.

THIRD DESTINATION: MENARA PANDANG TELE, SAMOSIR

This place gave us full access to the view! It’s really open and nothing much blocks the view so you could easily appreciate it. Miss Yayuk, Sir Adam, and Gita had to pray for a while so we went around without them. There’s this place that we went in to that has like, a higher platform, so we could take a better picture of the view. We went in for 7,000 rupiah and when we got in, we saw these mini huts that could be so Instagrammable. And on the other side has cemented blocks people can sit in and take a picture for a nice view. It was really breathtaking. I was so overwhelmed and excited. God really is an artist. We took photos and before we know it, they’re done praying. Gita went in and took a picture of us. They said we needed to go already, so we didn’t have the chance to go up to where we planned to go in the first place. We still took good photos so I guess that’s enough. It’s already 7PM so we probably get going because it’s getting late. We then head to where we’re staying the night.

FINAL DESTINATION: PARBABA BEACH HOTEL

Finally, we’re here!!!! It’s really nice here. I look around and it’s very neat; flawless; and then there’s… OH. M. G. THE BEACH IS RIGHT THERE! Well, obviously that’s why it’s called Parbaba “BEACH” Hotel. I ran immediately towards the beach and just appreciate it. I’m really obsessed about beaches because they’re so relaxing. Well this time, I guess I’m not relaxed because I’M SO EXCITED. But, before anything else, we need to go to our rooms and settle down our things. Triin and I did a little room tour video before we head to the beach. The room is spacious enough for two people, but there’s neither fan nor air conditioner here. I guess because it’s already cold in this place that there’s no need for those. There’s a queen size bed, a TV which isn’t really working for us because everything is in Bahasa, a table with two chairs, and the bathroom looks really luxurious, and it’s not a squat toilet! There’s another big mirror at the back of the bathroom door, and one by the sink. Oh, this room is really pretty I don’t want to go home anymore! After settling, we head to the beach. It’s late, so it’s a little dark around already. There’s light stand everywhere though, so we could still walk around. There’s a volleyball net that made us regret not to bring a volley ball! The four of us – Arvin, Miel, Triin, and I – plays volleyball. I think that’s what most of us have in common other than we love Math. It’s VERY COLD out here. We walked around a bit more and after a few moments, Gita called us to eat. There’s a lot of food! For tonight’s meal, we have tilapia! It’s a kind of fish that we also eat in the Philippines. I forgot how they call it here but, that’s how we call it in the Philippines. We finished our meal and head back to our rooms to change. Turns out it’s not a very good idea to walk on the beach with shoes. Sands kept on going into my shoes! I changed my pants to shorts so I could walk by the water. Triin and I wore our sweaters and meet Angel outside. We went back to the beach and walked around. After a while, we rested on a swing we saw nearby and just talk about our stay there – everything good and bad happening on our trip; how much we’re going to miss Indonesia when we get home already. I think the three of us are the most attached here because we grew more attachment to the students and the place. I’ve always dreamed of a moment like this – chilling on a beach with good company, that sting that the cold breeze makes your skin feel, and just talk about how everything is going. It’s nice. I wish we could stay longer. But we have to get up early tomorrow and it’s getting late, so we head back to our rooms and rest.