Tuk Tuk, Samosir Island

Tuk Tuk, Samosir Island (30 April 2006)

Tuk Tuk (GPS: 2.66301, 98.84897) is a peninsula on the eastern coast of Samosir Island, in Lake Toba. It is the main tourist village on the island, and it is here that tourists to Samosir find most of the accommodation, from simple guesthouses called losmen to upmarket resorts.

It is not difficult to understand why Tuk Tuk is the tourist centre of Samosir Island, for it is by far the most picturesque part of the island. When I was there, I stayed at Hotel Silintong, which sits on a promontory with breathtaking views of the lake. Every now and then, we could see boatmen rowing past our hotel.

Tuk Tuk is located across a bay from Tomok, another village where there are ferry services to Parapat. A small country road leads from the Tuk Tuk peninsula to the rest of Samosir Island.

We happened to have a few hours on hand, so we did a walking tour along the peninsula. Along the way, we found a number of losmen as well as souvenir shops. The scenery across the lake was great. At one point, I heard church bells. When I saw the locals dressed in their best clothes walking towards a village church, I realised it was Sunday morning and they were going for services. So I decided to join them, to see how church is like on Samosir.

The little church building was packed with worshippers. I found out later that its name was Gereja Santu Alfonsus. Some come by motorcycle, but the majority simply walked. I had the chance to take a look at their bible and hymn book. All are in their language. It was a marvellous experience to attend church in Tuk Tuk.