For more information about trips, itineraries, costs and dates please

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1 SURVIVING & SUSTAINABILITY - SUMATRA A Science, Humanities & Service Adventure in Central Sumatra For Round Square Conference Delegates (Oct. 9-13, 2015) For more information about trips, itineraries, costs and dates please earthmattersinfo@gmail.com TRIP OVERVIEW Sumatra is not only one of the most volcanic islands on earth today, an eruption there 75,000 years ago is now believed to have brought about the near extinction of our species. The cataclysmic Toba Volcanic eruption was the largest on Earth in the past 35 million years. It blanketed South East Asia under many meters of ash, plunged the world into darkness and altered the world s climate so seriously that only East Africa is believed to have served as a refuge for human life. Modern DNA analysis combined with volcanic fallout research from deep ice cores in the Arctic and Antarctic support these recent findings. This study adventure in sustainability will explore Sumatra s Island of Fire on an unforgettable journey, taking students on a trek to the top of a volcano and into the heart of a steaming caldera. Students will experience waterfalls plunging over the Toba crater rim, bicycle around the world s largest island on an island in the center of the world s largest crater lake and experience the warm hearted Batak indigenous peoples as they work side by side with children during a village life and school restoration project. Round Square students will explore Lake Toba communities by boat and bicycle as they delve deeper and deeper into the cultural traditions that allowed these indigenous peoples to not only recolonize the Sumatran highlands, but find ways to live sustainably within this challenging environment. Students will discover on this trip small, self-sufficient communities that are models of sustainability. They will visit ancient and sacred sites of the Batak; share their traditional foods, songs, and dances and rich cultural traditions. In the end, students will come to appreciate mankind s extraordinary ability to colonize new environments and live sustainably within them, to evolve new cultures suited to new places and, above all, humanity s indomitable spirit to survive.

2 ITINERARY: Friday / Oct. 9 Study Focus: Batak Karo culture / sustainable organic gardening / geology of Sumatra Round Square students arriving at Medan International Airport at 9:05 on a Jet Star flight from Singapore will be greeted on arrival and transferred by charter bus 2.5-hours to Brastagi in the central Sumatra highlands. Dramatic changes in vegetation can be noted as we climb from the hot lowlands to the cool central highlands with tropical plants giving way to tree ferns and pine trees. Arriving at our high elevation lodge in the late afternoon, we will be greeted by Batak Karo children in native dress that will welcome us to their territory with music, dance and traditional refreshments. After checking into our rooms, and enjoying lunch, students will have time to explore on foot the surrounding countryside where the Batak Karo peoples have learned to convert the rich volcanic soils into incredible gardens that have sustained their culture for thousands of years. Returning to our lodge, students can swim in the large outdoor pool gracing the beautiful estate-like grounds until dinnertime. After enjoying a large buffet dinner, the Batak Karo children will perform several traditional dances before teaching ISKL students their very refined and controlled dance movements. Following our meal we will have a study session in geology learning why Sumatra and Java are the most volcanic islands on earth and how the world s largest crater lake came to be formed. Overnight: Sinabung Hills Resort, Brastagi Saturday / Oct. 10 Study Focus: cloud forest flora & fauna / volcano geology / trail improvement service project / geothermal hot springs / Batak Karo architecture It will be an early morning as we enjoy a hearty breakfast and set off up the slopes of Mount Sibayak (2,095 m) with our guides for our exciting

3 volcano climb. Wreathed hornbills and siamang gibbons may be among the wildlife we will have the pleasure to view (or hear calling) as we climb through the lush montane forest into the high elevation cloud forest. Entering the caldera of Sibayak Volcano with it s loud steaming fumaroles is a never to be forgotten experience; it s like stepping into a Discovery Channel film. Here students will cook eggs in boiling water issuing from deep within the earth and see great sulphur deposits building up around gas vents. We will have several hours to explore the caldera and learn about the geology of this volcano before we enjoy a snack on the summit and begin the descent back to the valley below. Hiking back down the trail we came up, ISKL students will engage in a litter clean up along the way - part of an on-going campaign by international school groups to restore the trail to a pristine state. At the conclusion of our trek we will transfer by local bemos for a soothing soak in a natural hot spring at the base of Sibayak where we will also have our lunch. In the late afternoon we will take a trip by bus to Lingga Julu Village to view the 200-year old community houses of the Batak Karo tribe. It s fascinating to see the architectural features that have allowed these houses to stand for centuries enduring more than 1,000 major earthquakes. Returning to our lodge we will enjoy dinner together, group games and a candle-sharing circle before bedtime. Overnight: Sinabung Hills Resort, Brastagi Sunday / Oct. 11 Study Focus: waterfall micro-climes / trail clean up service project / geology of Lake Toba & sustainability of fish farming We enjoy another good buffet breakfast before checking out of our lodge and driving 40-minutes to the north end of Lake Toba with a stunning view and waterfall. Sipisiso falls plunge 120 meters over the crater escarpment to a verdant valley far below.

4 Students will descend a stairway to the very base of the falls to feel the full power of the spray and see the rich micro clime vegetation that grows here in the perpetual mist. On the return climb, ISKL students will engage in a clean up campaign as part of an international student effort to return this beautiful location to a pristine state. Returning to our bus we drive along the crater rim to our lunch site overlooking the northern reaches of Lake Toba. A restaurant here serves Sumatra s world-famous coffee luak select coffee beans that have passed through the digestive track of a wild civet cat. Following lunch we drive on to Parapat where we will board a charter boat to ferry us to Samosir Island, the largest island on an island in the world. Samosir is part of the caldera floor pushed up above the surface following collapse of the Toba Volcano into its magma chamber. The cruise across the world s largest crater lake to the Tuk Tuk Peninsula will provide opportunities for students to learn more about the ecology of this vast lake, from its native and introduced vegetation, to its bird life of egrets, kingfishers, herons and fish eagles. We will also see extensive aquaculture that helps sustain the local economy and discuss environmental impacts and the long-term sustainability of such operations. Following our meal in the beautiful open air restaurant of Carolina Cottages we will have a study session that explores the distinct geographical features resulting in Indonesia having the greatest biodiversity on Earth. Students will then take part in a group-sharing circle on the beach followed by guitar songs until bedtime. Overnight: Carolina Cottages, Samosir Island Monday / Oct. 12 Study Focus: Batak Toba history & village life / community school service project / Sustainability Forum Right after breakfast this morning we re-board our boat and cruise across the dramatic eastern shore of the lake to the isolated village south of

5 Sigapiton. This idyllic village is only accessible by boat and offers students a model community for sustainability. As we hike through the small cluster of traditional houses and up through the terraced hillside, students will see the rice, corn, cassava, and many fruits the villagers grow to supplement the fish and chickens they raise for protein. Coffee and cacao serve as cash crops to help the villagers purchase the few things they need from the outside world. The destination for our hike will be the village school where we will meet with the students and teachers and initiate our community service project. Details of this project are still being worked out, but it will likely include facility development and improvement. Batak Toba children love to sing and their voices carry across the lake, so ISKL students had better come well prepared with some songs of their own for this encounter. In the late afternoon we will depart Sigapiton Village and return to our lodge on Samosir Island where students will engage in a sustainability forum to discuss impacts introduced species like rubber trees and oil palms are having on Sumatra s biodiversity and impacts aquaculture projects might be having on the health of Lake Toba. It will be important for students to start researching information on these topics prior to commencing the trip. Following our meal we will gather in the hotel garden for a closing candle ceremony where each student, teacher and guide can reflect back on his or her favorite memories of the trip. Overnight: Carolina Cottages, Lake Toba Tuesday / Oct. 13 Study Focus: trail biking through countryside / ancient Ambarita After breakfast this morning we set off by bicycle to explore the Tuk Tuk Peninsula and the ancient Batak Toba village of Ambarita. It s a 40-minute bike ride to Ambarita - the former residence of a great Batak Toba King who held high court on stone chairs set under a sacred banyan tree and ceremoniously consumed the bodies of those found guilty of crimes. A direct descendant of that Royal Family will explain for students the ancient customs of her people.

6 Continuing on our journey, we cycle off road, past beautiful rice fields, forests and small settlements on our way back to our lodge. After checking out, we will board the ferry back to Parapat enjoying a picnic lunch as we cross Lake Toba one final time. From here our bus will transport us 3.5-hours to Medan s new International Airport for a late afternoon return flight to Singapore.