Out of all the places I’ve visited I would have to say Danau Toba, which translates to Lake Toba, remains my favorite place in Indonesia. After a super volcano erupted and caved in on itself, 70,000 years ago, it created a magnificent lake with an island in the middle of it, named Samosir. It is the biggest volcanic lake in South East Asia and the second biggest in the world. It is so big it looks like the sea, except it sits so still and glistens when the light hits it. I fell in love as soon as I landed on this little island and glanced out onto the lake. We were told you can swim in it, but part of me didn’t want to disturb the peace of the water, reflecting the mountains above it. However, it is very hard to resist. read more
Toraja has a very unique culture, as it focuses around death. People save their entire life for funerals because, for Torajans, it is a celebration of life. When a person dies it is their time to leave earth so they can enter heaven. This celebration can take place a week after someone has passed away or ten years after, meaning a body can be kept in one room for ten years before it’s buried. Families treat a dead body like it is still alive, but very sick, until they have enough money to hold a funeral. They lay the dead body in a room, fully dressed and continue to bring food and water to it, as an offering. This death culture may make the place seem grim and depressing but it is the complete opposite. When I first went to Toraja, with my friends, I had an experience that I wanted to share with everyone that