The Beauty of Lake Toba in Parapat Public Open Space, Simalungun - North Sumatra

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Hello everyone
Some time ago, precisely during the 2023 Christmas holidays. My family and I went on a short holiday trip to several popular destinations in my province. For information, I live in Medan City which is administratively in North Sumatra Province. As a local person, there are two most popular holiday destinations that are the perfect holiday trip for local city residents, namely going to Berastagi or the second alternative, going to Prapat, Lake Toba.

Our family plans to visit these two destinations in just two days. First destination, went smoothly and successfully. We got the best accommodation in Berastagi and also did a lot of things. Next, we departed in the afternoon from Berastagi to Prapat, Lake Toba. The journey took around 4 hours using a mobii but we were very determined to go there because we were not sure about accommodation.

Finally in the afternoon, we arrived at Prapat. My family and I are looking for a hotel or accommodation that we can rent for one day. Finally, after we used all our connections and asked many people. We didn't get a room that suited our budget and desires. Since we had arrived in Prapat, I invited my family to go to Parapat Free Beach or Parapat Park.

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Parapat Park / Parapat Public Open Space

Parapat Free Beach or often called Parapat Park, is one of the tourist destinations around Lake Toba which is a favorite spot for many people who visit Lake Toba. Parapat Park is popular because it is a tourist spot where you don't need to pay fees and entrance fees to be able to enjoy every ride and view here. We only need to pay the parking fee for our vehicle, according to the rates set by the government.

Parapat Park has a large enough area for us to enjoy. The front of this garden is a large flower garden area. We can also sit and relax in this place, because adequate facilities are provided. Besides, if we bring children. We can take advantage of playground facilities which will make our children happy and happy.

From a distance, I also saw a unique spot. We will see a pair of stone statues, with reliefs and styles wearing traditional Karo clothes. The position of this statue looks very good, it is not striking but makes people look at it. I also saw many people taking photos with the backgroung of this statue.

Entering the inside of Parapat Park, we will see a public space area which is very busy with community activities. There are electric vehicle rentals such as scooters and electric cars for children. People seem to look happy and happy enjoying various activities here. Oh yes, we will also see a landscape with the words "I Love Lake Toba". This landscape looks tacky, but is quite popular with visitors as a photo background.

I walked towards the edge of the lake which was fenced with 150cm high iron. On the iron edge, I saw several local children from around Parapat who were performing stunts if we gave them some money. These children will jump into the lake which is almost 10 meters high. This attraction is very dangerous but is an interesting spectacle for tourists.

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Panoramic View
One of the best spots in Parapat Park is Panorama View Lake Toba. I believe, Lake Toba can always provide the best views and will be unforgettable for anyone who comes there. Even though I am a local and have been to Lake Toba several times. However, I will always feel stunned and enchanted moments every time I visit this place.

I really appreciate the parties involved in making accommodations from this panoramic view. As I remember, when I was a child. When we visited Lake Toba, we could only see it from the roadside or lakeside without enjoying any facilities.

I am grateful, at least the government is concerned about providing tourist facilities to domestic visitors who visit Parapet. As we know, sometimes the government doesn't really care or prioritize public spaces like this at tourist attractions. For the government, hotels and entertainment venues are considered more profitable and generate high taxes.

This panaroma view consists of one landscape and three levels of panorama view. I only arrived at the ground floor. I tried to take some photos from there and got beautiful views and also photos of the crowded conditions of the place. Unfortunately, some parts of this place look like they lack maintenance and repair.

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Local Ports and Ships
After descending from this panoramic view, my attention was attracted to several ships that were leaning on the edge of Lake Toba. These boats are a means of transportation used to visit Samosir Island which is in the middle of Lake Toba.

Geographically, Lake Toba has a very unique shape. This giant lake was created by a powerful volcanic eruption and created a caldera which became the lake it is today. In the middle of this lake, there is a large island and several small islands which are the residence of some of the local people in Lake Toba. Because of this, these ships play an important role for the Toba people. So, that's all my story this time. See you at another time.

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