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KARO VILLAGES |
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During the Dutch invasion of 1904, most of the larger villages and
towns in the Karo Highlands were razed by the Karonese themselves to
prevent the Dutch from appropriating them. But there are villages where
you can still see the traditional wooden houses , built on thick, metre-high
stilts and home to eight to ten families. Their most striking feature
are the palm-frond gables, woven into intricate patterns and topped by a
set of buffalo horns. Inside, there are no partitions, save for the
sleeping quarters, and family life is carried out in full view of the
neighbours.
The most accessible of the Karo villages is PECEREN (Rp1000 entrance
fee), just 2km northeast of Berastagi. Coming from the town, take the
road to Medan and turn down the lane on your right after the Rose Garden
hotel. There are six traditional houses here, but although some are in
good condition, the village itself is probably the least picturesque in
the region.
There are three more villages to the south of Berastagi that, when
combined, make a pleasant day-trek from town: it takes about three hours
to cover all three. The villages tend to be extremely muddy, and many of
the villagers, especially the women, are very shy, so always ask before
pointing your camera at them. The first village, GURUSINGA , lies about
an hour due south of Berastagi. From the southern end of Jalan Veteran,
take the road running southwest alongside the Wisma Sibayak. After about
twenty minutes you'll come to a path signposted "Jl ke Koppas", which
heads off through fields dotted with family graves to Gurusinga, home to
several huge traditional thatched longhouses. The path continues along
the western edge of Gurusinga to the village of LINGGA TULU , before
passing through a bamboo forest. At the end of the path, turn left and
head down the well-signposted road to LINGGA . Three hundred metres
before Lingga village itself, is the one-room Karo Lingga Museum
(7am-5pm; donation). Lingga has some of the best traditional houses in
the area, many of which are over 150 years old. Unfortunately, the
village has also become something of a tourist trap: you have to pay
Rp1000 just to enter and guides have to accompany you into the houses
(Rp500). Once you've finished wandering around the village, head back to
the main road and catch a minibus to Kabanjahe (last bus 5pm; Rp250),
from where you can catch a bemo back to Berastagi (last bus 7pm; Rp500).
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