Following my quiet, solo time at Lake Toba, I was ready for some beach time, so I headed to one of Sumatra’s beach islands on the west coast called Nias Island. There are a LOT of islands to choose from in Indonesia, and Nias isn’t usually on the backpacker trail radar. I ended up on … More Indonesia days 17-19: authentic beach village life on Nias Island
Following my first 3 days at Lake Toba, I stayed another 3 days to round out the perfect lakeside retreat. These past few days were filled with more scootering around Samsosir Island (island within Lake Toba), learning more of local Batak living, and lots of relaxing by the lake. Day 13: scooter adventure day 3 … More Indonesia days 13-16: scooter adventure around Samosir Island, Lake Toba (part 2)
What a wonderful few days it has been. I am currently blogging in Lake Toba, the largest lake in Indonesia and a key site for tourists coming to Sumatra. Lake Toba was one of those rare places that I immediately fell in love with from a photo, and I knew I HAD to come here … More Indonesia days 10-12: scooter adventure around Samosir Island, Lake Toba (part 1)
After my jungle adventure in Bukit Lawang, I headed to Berastagi next, a town in the highlands further south in Sumatra. Berastagi is known as a stop-over town on the way to Lake Toba (a more popular site in Sumatra). It’s often skipped over by tourists, but since I had the time, I figured I … More Indonesia days 7-9: Berastagi highlands + sunrise hike at Sibayak Volcano
I’m back from my 2-day trekking adventure in the jungle! This is a popular activity as tourists come from all over to see orangutans in the wild. Sumatra is one of the only places in the world where organutans live (the other is in Borneo, also in Indonesia). A Sumatra jungle trek has been on … More Indonesia days 4-6: overnight camping & spotting wild orangutans in Sumatra’s jungle
And so begins the second chapter of my gap year travels. My first few days were filled with looong travel days and reaching a jungle village on Sumatra Island. I decided to spend my entire month in Sumatra because of its reputation for being an adventure-lover’s paradise and being more off-the-beaten-path. So far, I’ve been … More Indonesia days 1-3: beginnings in jungle village Bukit Lawang, Sumatra
I Run Like A Girl 