Leaving Kalimantan with all its jungle and river charm felt like closing a chapter full of wild adventure. Now, the wheels of the plane (the presidential one, of course) carried Nisa's entourage and The Corrs toward the westernmost island of Indonesia: Sumatra. Their first destination was one of the world's most spectacular natural wonders: Lake Toba in North Sumatra, the largest volcanic lake in Southeast Asia, perhaps even the world.
The air travel toward Silangit or Kualanamu Airport (Medan) was filled with The Corrs trying to guess what Lake Toba was like. "So, this is a lake formed from a super-massive volcanic eruption thousands of years ago?" Sharon asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "I read in Nisa's guidebook that the eruption almost wiped out mankind!" "Technically, yes," interjected Jim, who had definitely read the same chapter (or perhaps a thicker geology book). "The Toba Super-eruption was one of the largest supervolcano events in Earth's history. The energy released was equivalent to thousands of atomic bombs. It's fascinating to imagine the impact on the evolution of Homo sapiens at that time." "The important thing is the lake is safe now, right, Nisa?" Andrea asked anxiously. "No potential for another eruption anytime soon? Or a sudden emergence of a lake monster from the crater bottom?" Nisa laughed. "Safe, Andrea. Now the lake is very calm and beautiful. And the monster is probably just a giant carp."
The land journey from the airport to the Lake Toba area, specifically to Samosir Island located in the middle of the lake, took several hours. But the view was totally worth it. The road wound up and down, passing through cool pine forests, green valleys, and finally... the extraordinarily vast panorama of Lake Toba unfolded. The water was calm blue, surrounded by magnificent, green giant caldera walls. In the center, Samosir Island looked like an emerald green jewel.
"This... this isn't a lake! This is an ocean!" Caroline shrieked in awe upon seeing Lake Toba for the first time from the Tele viewpoint. "It's hard to believe this was formed by a volcanic eruption," Sharon added, genuinely mesmerized.
They crossed to Samosir Island by ferry (a comfortable VVIP version, of course) and headed to their accommodation: a beautiful lakeside resort with modernized Batak Toba traditional house architecture. Each room had a private balcony directly overlooking the lake.
After a short rest and enjoying lunch with typical Batak dishes like grilled nila fish and sambal tuktuk (which immediately reignited Sharon and Nisa's chili contest), Nisa announced the evening agenda.
"Tonight we won't be doing any heavy activities," Nisa said. "But we are going to try experiencing one of the most favorite forms of entertainment for the Batak people here..." "What is it? Bullfighting?" Andrea guessed. "No," Nisa smiled. "Karaoke!"
"Karaoke?!" The Corrs exclaimed together. Their faces showed a mixed expression of amusement and slight... horror? They were world-class musicians, but karaoke?