Bunga Tetty Simbolon

1. It’s home to the largest volcanic lake in the world   Yes, Lake Toba is the biggest volcanic lake in the world. It’s also the site of a supervolcanic eruption that took place some 77,000 years ago.  The largest known explosive eruption in the last 25 million years, the Toba catastrophe is believed to have killed most humans living at that time, causing a 3-5 degree worldwide decrease in temperature. Ash from Toba has been discovered as far as East Africa and the United States.  With a history as dramatic as this, it’s no surprise that Lake Toba is the top destination for tourists visiting Medan. You’ll see that there’s no trace of its catastrophic birth, with clear blue water that stretches across an area larger than the whole of Singapore.    TSL Tip: It’ll take you a 5 hour drive to get to Lake Toba from the airport. Stay a night on Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba for a panoramic view of the lake. Samosir is accessible...

1.  Berenstain Bears The Berenstain Bears  are a wholesome bear family, “a lot like people, only more so.” Sister and Brother Bear are in elementary school and learn lessons about things like being kind and responsible. The show can seem a little too goody-goody now and then, but it never gets annoyingly so. 2.  Curious George I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: watching  Curious George  is like staring at a lava lamp — it soothes the tired parent’s soul. George is best for younger kids, since most of what the show focuses on are simple lessons like learning shapes, numbers, and colors. But honestly, I would watch it without my daughter. (#RealTalk I have.) 3.  Dinosaur Train The premise of  Dinosaur Train  makes no sense: there’s a train that allows a talking, English-speaking dinosaur family to travel through time during the Mesozoic Era. Oh, and did I mention that there’s an adoption allegory in there, too? All that said,...