Samosir Island, Lake Toba Sumatra 1975 - Before the tourists arrived.

This is a pictorial story of a trip to Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba in Sumatra in 1975. We were on a year long trip from London to Australia and having flown from Penang in Malaysia to Medan in Sumatra we caught the bus and the a ferry to the island in Lake Toba and to the village of Little Tuk Tuk

Samosir Island is the ancient volcanic plug in the middle of the lake formed in a huge volcanic crater. It has a single small road around the narrow edge of the island, but has no cars and only a few bicycles. Transport is usually on foot.

The ferry from Parapat runs on most days bringing the locals back from shopping trips and the odd traveller. It is a Christian Island set amid a predominantly Muslim Sumatra.

It has developed a very distinctive architecture.

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