The day began badly.  Leaving Berastagi, we had a couple of near misses with insane bus and truck drivers.  The Trans-Sumatra highway was just too crowded.  So we took a right turn and headed down towards Harangaol.  It was a fabulous descent with spectacular views over lake Toba.  The day ended on a high point when we also found out that there were boat connections with Samosir Island.