I found the above sign — and its whimsical rundown of tourist options — at Lake Toba, Sumatra.
Apparently a gold-capped variety of magic mushrooms grow on the mountain slopes of Samosir Island, and it is locally legal (in the de facto sense, at least) to harvest and sell them. Many of the restaurants in the tourist-town of Tuktuk offer up magic mushrooms in their breakfast omelettes.
Though Lake Toba has been quiet and bucolic the few days I’ve been here, it has long been a stop-off the “Banana Pancake Trail” — that string of party-friendly word-of-mouth South and Southeast Asia backpacker haunts that stretches from India to Thailand, Cambodia to Indonesia, Vietnam to the Philippines.
The beauty and isolation of Lake Toba is certainly a reason this sprawling volcanic landmark is on the Sumatran vagabonding circuit — as is the chill vibe of the palm-wine-swilling Christian-animist Bataks who live here.
But I’m guessing the magic mushroom thing is what ultimately landed this place on the Banana Pancake Trail.
(More thoughts on the legacy of the Banana Pancake Trail — and what its destinations are like these days — in coming weeks.)
Note: “Dispatches” are short vignettes, profiles, and mini-essays written and posted from the road, often in tandem with my Instagram account. For more full-formed writing, check out my book Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, or the Essays or Stories archives on this site. I don’t host a “comments” section, but I’m happy to hear your thoughts via my Contact page.
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