Toba Lake is the largest lake in Southeast Asia located in North Sumatra, Indonesia. According to local legend, the lake was formed when a young man married a magical golden fish that he had caught. They had a child together but the man broke his promise never to say the child was born from a fish. In anger and sadness, the fish woman and child disappeared into a great storm that filled the area with water to create Lake Toba. Today, the lake is considered sacred and stories say its guardian spirit is the fish woman who still protects the lake's immense depth.

1. World famous is the crater Toba Lake in the Batak highlands;
approximately five hours drive from Medan. Toba Lake is the largest
lake in South East Asia and also one of the most spectacular,
surrounded by tall mountains and with the large island of Samosir in
the middle. If we descend from the mountain we see the lake glittering
in all its beauty. The Dutch writer Rudy Kousbroek even called Toba
Lake, 'the most beautiful place on earth'. Most visitors stay on the
peninsula of Tuk Tuk on Samosir, named after the linguist Herman
Neubronner van der Tuuk. In general people stay several days on
Samosir to discover the island, to visit traditional Batak villages, to
swim in the lake and go to the hot springs in Pangururan.

4. For the first time visitors, going through Medan-Parapat route
seeing a lake as big as that made Samosir appear like an amazing
grand island. However, the island perspective will certainly faded
with the increase in Toba plateau visitor, Nias and the other places in
the south, through Medan-Berastagi route. Samosir occupied a central
geographical position in the Toba plateau region. With the declaration
of the Toba Samosir Regency (the inhabitants 302.000 lives, the area
with wide of 3.440 km including the lake) it finally ascend from only
a shadow into a Regency. Moreover, the width of Samosir Island
exceed Singapore (647 km), in fact Toba Lake almost twice bigger
than Singapore. The Samosir image in tourism books as the
backpackers location must be changed because this historic place
must restore the greatness of its past.

5. Legend of Toba Lake
Once upon a time, lived a young orphan farmer in the
northern part of the Sumatran Island. This area was very dry. The
young man lived from farming and fishing. One day he went
fishing, he already fishing for half of the day but still not getting
any fish yet. So he returned home for the day turns to night, but
when he nearly left he saw a big beautiful golden fish, he then
caught the fish and brought it home. He intended to cook the
fish right away but watched the beauty of this fish he then
cancelled his intention. He chose to keep it as pet, and then he
placed it in a big pond and feed it. On the next day, like usual, he
went to his farm, and on the noon he comeback home, to have
lunch. But when he arrived in his house he was very startled for
the meal had prepared to be eaten. He then fears that the fish
might be stolen, and then hastily he ran to the back of his house.

6. However, the fish was still in place, for a long time he
thinks, “Who cooks those meals”, but because his is very
hungry, he ate those meals. But this incident continued to
occur again repeatedly, every time he came home for lunch,
the meals are prepared on the table. Then one day this young
man made a strategy to find out who cooks those meals, the
next day he then began to commence his strategy, he then
hide around the trees close to his house. He was waiting for a
long time, but the smoke in his kitchen still has not been
seen, and when he then intended to return home, he began to
see the smoke in the kitchen.

7. "Hey woman, who are you, and where are you came from?” the
woman began to drop tears, and then the young man saw his fish
was no longer in the pond. He asked the woman, “hey woman,
where is the fish in that pond?” the Woman cried intensely, but
this young man continued to ask and finally the woman answers,
“I was the fish that was caught by you”. The young man then
startled, but because he felt that he had hurt the feelings this
woman, then he said, “Hey woman, did you want to become my
wife??” the Woman then startled, he stay quiet, then the young
man said “Why are you silent??” Then the woman said, “I wanted
to become your wife. But with one condition.” ”What is the
condition?” the young man quickly asked, the woman then said,
“In the future if our child was born and grew, never even once
you said that he/she was anakni Dekke (child of a fish) ”. The
young man then agreed to that condition and swore he will never
say it.

8. Then they were married and granted a child. When the child was
6 years old, this child turn to be very naughty. Then one day the mother
told her child to deliver meals to his father field, the child then went to
deliver rice to his father. But in the middle of the trip, this child was felt
hungry, then the child opened food package for his father, and ate the
food. After finished eating, the child then wrapped it back and continued
the trip to his father's field. On arrival the child gave the food package to
the father, the father was very happy, the father then sat and
immediately opened the food package that was sent by his wife to be
carried by his child. But he was very startled when he opened the
package there is only bones remained. The father then asked his child
“Hay my child, why there are only bones left in this package??” And the
child answers,” In my trip I felt hungry, so I ate the food.” Listened to
that the father was very angry, he then slap his child and said, "Botul
maho anakni dekke (Why you child of a fish),".

9. The child is then ran home crying and ask to his mother “Mak,
Olo do na in dokkon amangi, botul do au anakni dekke? (Mother,
is it true what father said, that I am a child from a fish?) ” Heard
his child's words his mother was startled. While dropping tears
and saying in her heart, “My husband has violated his swore, and
now I must return to my place.” Then the sky was suddenly
become dark followed with lightning, thunder, storm, and rain.
The child and the mother disappeared, from their footprint
emerged a spring that flowed water as swiftly as possible. Until
this area was turned into a lake, that was named as “Tuba Lake”
the lake without mercy, but because of the bataks was difficult to
say “Tuba”, then this lake was mentioned as.

10. TOBA LAKE
According to the local Citizen, the mother return
as a huge fish (the lake guardian), and until today no
one is able to measure the depth of this lake. Many
tourists that tried to dive into the lake but never return.
The lake depth in the book is only estimation not as a
fact.