Back then, in my childhood, I hated going to the Sipiso-piso waterfall. The memories that stuck in my head are those of me crying, either because I was not allowed to get to the bottom of the waterfall which involves going down hundreds of stairs, or because my parents scolded me for asking for piggyback on the way up to the starting point. But this time it was weirdly an encouraging journey for me to prove to myself that I could do it myself. And though I had to make a few stops to catch my breath on the back up, the view as the water cascading down and hits the rock was incredible. I planned to spend a night in Berastagi, a cooling little town one-hour drive from Medan. My friends and I only had a night to spare before our flight out of Medan the next day. We decided to get to Sipiso-piso waterfall which was just another 1.5 hour drive from Berastagi. It was the best decision. I give credit to our wonderful driver, Om Bendol, for driving really smoothly throughout the journey. He’s been with our family since before I was born. He was asking me if I really want to get down there. Of course, I said. Then he told me to take as much time as I need as he waited for us in the car. We spent 3 hours down and up altogether. Anyway, the journey from Berastagi to the waterfall is not at all boring. Yeah, sure, I was hugging my bolster in the front seat, sleeping, but our driver woke us up to take pictures at this amazing view of Toba Lake. With this view, I knew the waterfall was nearby.

It was a nice short trip and cardio exercise. We headed to Berastagi and checked in at the Hotel.