December 1986
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On the evening of 8th Dec.1986, I was on board the Langkasuka, ready to sail from Penang to Medan on a 5 days package tour that took me to Medan, Brastagi, Parapat, Tomok and Ambarita at Lake Toba. Arrived at Port Belawan the next morning and then taken by van to Medan. Cant recall whether I put up a night here but certainly cannot forget the soto perut. It was so delicious I had two helpings. Also got hooked to buah salak. Didn't quite like the taste initially but after a few fruits I began to like it. Never fail to buy them whenever I'm in Indonesia after that. I can still recall a whole dog with the skin intact being tossed into an open fire to be roasted in the Batak village in Brastagi.Tomok presented us with some traditional Batak houses , tombs and a museum. At a dinner in the hotel in Ambarita we were entertained with some melodious singing by the Bataks whose songs were rather similar to the south-western Chinese. Lake Toba with its crystal clear water was certainly a sight to behold. The 5 days tour cost me Rm270 plus another Rm50 supplementary charge.
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