Mount Sibayak

We were on a local bus just before 8am to take us to the base of Mount Sibayak, an active volcano overlooking Berastagi. We signed our names in the log book and started the hike before it got too hot. The first hour or so was on the road and it turns out most people drive it. Initially we were a bit frustrated that we didn't drive it too but then we saw a few gibbons in the jungle just off to the side of the road. A bit further on we were treated to a deafening chorus of gibbon calls. It sounded like a party and it went on for at least 15 minutes. It's incredible that only a short bus ride away from the hectic town is a dense jungle with gibbons.

Finally we got on to the path up to the volcano. Quite a few Indonesian groups (who had driven the first section) were coming back down. They all wanted to talk to us, including four policemen having a hike before work. Suddenly the jungle disappeared and the rocks were mostly bare with steam vents spreading sulphur in to the air. There was a tent up near the top and we stopped to sit with the four students from Medan who were camping for a few days.

As you'd expect, the sulphur was very stinky and while taking photos I got a face-full many times. It was a great hike and the weather behaved until we got back in to town and rented scooters to visit Lingga, a nearby village with traditional Batak Karo houses. We had to wait a few hours for the rain to stop and then we drove there via the Kabanjahe, the capital of the Karo region.

Lingga was a great little village with a large communal area and traditional houses dotted around. The houses are massive and usually shared by eight different families all in an open layout with four kitchens. They're on stilts with a storage area underneath. We climbed the ladder and walked through one after being invited in by one of the locals. It was very dark and smokey from the cooking.

A mechanic finished working on a motorbike and came over to talk to us for a while. His English was excellent and he answered our questions and told us all about the village, including that a world chess champion was born there (although I've not managed to confirm it online).

In the evening I finally got to try the local speciality of BPK (Babi Panggang Karo), which is basically delicious barbecued pork with a few little extras. Sometimes instead of advertising the dish as 'BPK' they use 'B2', which along with B1 are the two main dishes of the area. Unfortunately B1 is dog so I didn't try it.