Indonesia
Wednesday, 5 June, Medan, Sumatra
Well,
today, Ramadan is officially over. Thank God. Or
should that be Thank Allah?
We've arrived in the northern city of Medan in Sumatra to a public holiday of Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, not much is open here, (a bit like our Christmas Day, I guess). We don't start our sightseeing of Sumatran highlights until tomorrow, so today is a rest day.
No problem, since we were up far too early this morning to catch our flight from KL. This getting up at 4.40am is a bit wearing, but we had to be at KLIA by 6.30 for the 8.30 flight across the Straits of Malacca. One little consolation, Dave wangled us business class for the trip - a pity it lasted only three quarters of an hour.
Crossing the Indonesian coast
ion
of this which is not so common elsewhere is for the passenger to ride
"side-saddle". Presumably this is because the long dress can be a
problem.First task for Dave after our arrival was the buy an Indonesian SIM card, to fit my iPad, so we should have internet coverage in most places (fingers crossed). Most places that is, where there is a mobile phone signal. And our driver knew just the place for him to pick one up cheap - a roadside vendor (right)! So far, it's working.
A walk late this afternoon near our hotel took us around the local neighbourhood, which our driver referred to as the "Colonial area", dating back to when the Netherlands were the reigning power here in what was then called the "Dutch East Indies" - prior to World War II, after which Indonesia gained its independence.
We didn't see any sign of buildings from that era, but there were quite a few massive mansions (some in execrable taste), and a whole block which looked like it was part of a Catholic hospital complex.
Another place with a military connection is just across the road from the hotel. It was the scene this afternoon of a "open house", functions traditionally associated with Hari Raya, to celebrate the ending of the holy month of Ramadan. The "open house" welcoming sign had a warship as part of the artwork.....
(Later: I'm told he was a hero of the Indonesian battle for independence from the Dutch)
Tomorrow, we're lined up for a tour of the local highlights of Medan. Should be interesting - although fish markets etc are banned by Dave.
As promised, a tour of the sights of Medan:
First up, the biggest mosque in the city (above) - it dates back to 1905 and was built along what were thought to be the European lines of the time (keep in mind, this was a Dutch colony). To my untrained eye, it didn't look European, except for such touches as decorative stained glass windows.
As expected, I had to don a headscarf (which matched the top of was wearing, but since I had dressed as covered up as possible this morning, I wasn't required to don the abaya, the all-covering outer garment).
Then
onto the sultan's palace (above), which has seen better days, now that
the sultans in the various Indonesian provinces don't wield any power.
Their roles are purely ceremonial, unlike the sultans in Malaysia, who
appear to exercise some influence (probably more than the government of
the day would like).Part of the palace in Medan is open to the public, and on days like today, when the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations are in full swing, there were hundreds of visitors, with many of them dressed in traditional costumes (left) . If you don't have your own, there was a little booth there where the clothes were for hire for photographs.
Today's sultan is still a young man, in his twenties. He ascended to the throne in 2005 when his father was killed in a helicopter crash on rescue work with the Army after the Aceh Boxing Day tsunami.
The royal family still lives in the palace, and judging by what I could see, they live very modestly. It's not Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
Dave at Little India
Oh, and an embarassing admission from me. We're being driven around in a van which could hold a dozen people, but they'd all have to be midgets. None of the lap seat belts in the back would fit me, and only just accommodated Dave's slender girth. So I get to ride in the front passenger seat, which has a retracting lap/sash belt. Not happy Mary! (except the view from the front seat is good , so I won't complain).
Tomorrow, we leave for a night in Berestagi on the west coast of Sumatra
and a couple of days on Lake Toba, which I know absolutely nothing about.
I must read up on that tonight, but Dave tells me is a largest natural volcanic lake in the world. Not an active volcano, though, he assures me.