We rejoin the main road and drive south towards Merek. Little more than a scratch in the earth, it marks a three-way junction—north, south and a back way of sorts to Sumatra’s west coast. It is also the launching point for Gunung Sibuatan, the tallest peak in North Sumatra, but I’ll not be climbing it. Not this time anyway.
A little south of Merek, we v…
