Indonesian rupiah: US dollar 14,500:1
July 11-13, 15-16
I failed to provide a little background on Indonesia. The country spans across close to 9000 inhabited and named islands (and a total of close to 18,000 islands) called home by 270 million people. Many of the islands have been inhabited for over 1 million years. Nowadays, it has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but the rapidly expanding economy creates growing pains. In the rural areas of Sumatra, it is primarily a cash economy with the main mode of transportation motor scooters. This changed when we got to Medan, and a very different Indonesia.
Our “private” taxi from Sorake Beach to Gunungsitoli wasn’t so private. We paid 500,000 rupiah to hire a driver. In Teluk Dalam he turned onto some side streets – we thought due to a shortcut – and eventually pulled up outside of a house. He got out, chatted with a middle-aged woman at the house, and soon a young woman with luggage came out, her bag went into the back with ours, and she got into the passenger side of the front. He also stopped outside a store, was given a large empty burlap bag and a list. The drive to Gunungsitoli is about 3 hours, so we understand maximizing the trip – but would have been nice to be told in advance. After this, the drive was uneventful. Our flight to Medan was on a turbo prop – so boarded from the rear, and the window seat allowed me to see the shipping lanes and mountains below with a lower cruising altitude of the short flight.
Medan sits in northern Sumatra, with a population close to 2 ½ million, and is the 3rd largest city in Indonesia (and the largest not on Java). It is the main banking center for the country, so attracts a great deal of diversity. We stayed at a very nice 4-star hotel next to the large mall (complete with Irish Pub!) for $35/night. Although a Muslim area, there were many bars to cater to tourists and business people. The Karibia’s spa was also nice, and we availed ourselves of the morning spa discount – both of us received a 90-minute massage for just under $30 (yes – for BOTH massages).
Historically, Medan was settled in the early 1600’s as part of the Deli sultanate. The swampy area was a later settlement on Sumatra. By 1630, the Dutch found they could cultivate tobacco and eventually trees for palm oil. Within 50 years the former swamp earned the nickname “Het Land Dollar” – “The Land of Money” and Medan became the capital of the sultanate. A palace built in the early 20th century was listed as one of the “must see” attractions.
Entry fee for the palace was 10,000 rupiah each (up from the 5000 rph quoted online – but since nothing was posted – it may be 10,000 for non-residents). Only the porch and the central room was open to the public – and most of that provided retail space. A canopied bed, a few cabinets with short swords and items had labels in Indonesian were the artifacts on display.
On the far side of the porch – tucked away – was a series of informational posters describing the history of the kingdom and its 12 Raja’s – the last of which died in 1998.
Overall, the palace is in poor repair. I realize that pride in US historic places started in the 19th and early 20th centuries – restoration efforts accelerating over the years as appreciation of the past grew. Pride of the past and history are less of a focus in a country trying to build its economy. I hope some money is invested in the palace, which could be a place for foreigners to begin to understand the diversity and development of Indonesia as a nation.
Near the palace, and in much better condition, is the impressive Mosque that is seen on most promotional brochures for the city and the nearby park.
We chose not to enter since I did not have a scarf with me to cover my hair. We took exterior photos and went across the busy street (I think in Medan all streets are busy all the time) to the little park with a reflecting pond.
Our go-to spot in the city quickly became the Healy’s Irish Pub a block from the hotel. It had great deals on beer buckets (5 bottles of Guinness Smooth – which is a chocolate stout – for 100,000 rupiah, among others). They had good pub snacks such as fried chicken skins.
Unlike in the other areas of Indonesia, Medan was very credit-card friendly (likely due to it being a banking center).
The main appeal for tourists is its good airport and proximity to the village of Bukit Lawang – which is the town next to the large National Park where you can take overnight jungle treks to see several kinds of primates, including orangutans. We chose to do a 3 day-2-night trek – which will be the next installment!