It is hard to believe that the day before yesterday I wanted to break up my tent and flee from the island of Samosir in Lake Toba to find my peace in the jungle around Ketambe in North Sumatra. Today, after the fourth night in Tuktuk, the small town on the east side of the island, I walk around for two hours and inwardly praise myself for the harmony of the place and the joie de vivre and the loving interaction of the Batak residents with each other. At the same time, I calculate in my head the maximum number of days I can stay here before I have to continue to the north of Sumatra to start my journey home in several stages.
Strange how fickle I am.
In the evening, when I look in the mirror, I realize that I got a sunburn on my neck and décolleté during my little hike in the morning. I smeared plenty of sunscreen on my arms but, as is so often the case, left my neck untouched. Now my Aprés-Sun-Gel is used. I actually wanted to put it on my final list of things I didn't need to bring with me on this trip. In the course of this, I wanted to venture into the thesis that sunburn is something for amateurs, because real travelers always wear the right clothing for protection and sufficient sunscreen. So it's not good for the skin, but it's very healing for my ego when my red neck shines at me in the mirror.
