Toba tales

Toba tales

* Lake Toba is the largest lake in Indonesia, and Southeast Asia, measuring 100 km long and 31 km across. It is also the world's deepest lake at 450 meters.

* Lake Toba was formed 75,000 years ago as the result of an enormous volcanic explosion, what some scientists consider the biggest in the world's history.

* The island of Samosir in the center of the lake is 530 square kilometers, or about the size of Singapore. It is believed to have been formed about 30,000 years ago in another huge volcanic explosion.

* Samosir was actually a peninsula until 1906, when the Dutch colonial government cut a canal through the narrow isthmus connecting it to the mainland. Many locals feared that the action would bring disaster to the area.

* Parapat is the best known town surrounding the lake, famous for its array of Batak textiles, woodcarvings, ceramics and other handicrafts. The local vendors are famous (notorious!) for their refusal to say no in selling their wares. The site of many hotels, it is also the place to find out about jet skiing, water skiing and other water sports.

-- Sumatra (Periplus Editions)