Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2015 | Page 113

Travel | Berastagi

are modest, but it’s clean and comfortable
with all the necessities provided,
including hot water.
Abdy, my host-cum-guide here in Berastagi,
is a local man who speaks fluent English,
French and Indonesian as well as the local
Karo dialect. He took me up to the rooftop
to show me the view: quite stunning. Mount
Sinabung stood tall and proud, and all of
a sudden it spat a plume of volcanic ash
upward into the air. I was concerned at first,
but Abdy assured me it was not a major
eruption. Living next to a highly active
volcano comes with a different set of
challenges. He calmly gave me a mask to
wear and suggested that we explore outside
the city while waiting for the ash to settle.
He took me to see the Sipiso-piso waterfalls,
about 45 minutes from the homestay.
Sipiso-piso literally means ‘knives’, the falls
named for the jagged cliff walls from which
they drop 120m to the narrow gorge below.
It’s an absorbing sight. As a bonus, just
opposite the falls you can see the
northernmost tip of Indonesia’s
biggest lake, Lake Toba.
On the way back into town, we stopped by
two traditional villages – Dokan and Lingga
– both of which still maintain the old Batak
Karo way of life. One of the most distinctive
aspects of their culture is their traditional
Batak Karo architecture, which produces
characterful houses of a unique square shape
with angular facets and defining horned
roofs. The water-buffalo horns on the roof
are believed to protect the house’s occupants
from danger and to ward off bad spirits. The
beautiful painted patterns too have their own
individual significance. The Karo people are
natural craftsmen and artists. How could
they not be inspired by the magnificent
nature that they call their home? Abdy tells
me one house typically fits eight families
with only separators between each
family inside the house.
We headed back to the homestay and called
it a day. Back in town the ash had settled and
the vibrant greenery surrounding Berastagi
was now covered in a fine grey. August 29,
2010, marked the last major eruption of
Mount Sinabung following 400 years of
dormancy, forcing 30,000 people to be

The locals’ houses and
vegetable fields located at
the foot of Mount Sinabung
– an active volcano.
The easy-to-moderate
hiking trail to the
other active volcano,
Mount Sibayak.

Recent Mount Sinabung Eruptions

2010

On August 29, 2010,
the volcano experienced
a minor eruption after
being inactive for
over four centuries.

2013

On September 15,
2013, the volcano
erupted again. More
than 3,700 people
were evacuated.

2014

On February 1, 2014,
a further eruption
occurred that sent
clouds of hot ash
2km into the air.

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