13th - 30th April
PART ONE
Bali
Flew Garuda...all same as usual...food is still ordinary but hey they were on time...yippee.
Spent the 4 days before flying to Sumatra redecorating the bungalow.
Had cushion covers, curtains made up and bought a bedspread.
Found the supermarket at Istana Kuta Galleria great for cleaning supplies & odds n ends.
Ace hardware in the same complex is huge & just like home but expensive.
Also caught up with Bopgirl at Billy's (who I spied lounging at the bar as we rode past)
Stayed for one drink as the bourbon had run out (now why was that Jill?)..hmm
Also caught up with my sister & had a heavy night before our departure the next day to Medan via Jakarta.
Introduced her & her friend to Padang food & they stumbled out quite late after our planned "early night"
Flight to Jakarta (Garuda & yes basically same service & food) was bought forward from mid-afternoon departure next day to around midday so sleep was less than I had anticipated.
Weather was ordinary for those first few days..a fair bit of rain & exchange rate lowish at around 6300 - 6400 compared to last trip in January.
Cushion covers, sofa covers and curtains:
Djeremi Shop
Jln Legian Kaja
ph 0361 7446547
Fax 0361 7446546
Bedspread/Doona Cover:
Putri Bali Agung (PBA)
Jln Legian Kelod No 143C
email:
putribaliagung@hotmail.com
ph/fax:
+62 361 761431
PART TWO
Bali - Jakarta - Medan
Caught a cab to the domestic airport.
Bags X-rayed etc on entry.
Checked in ..no passport or ID needed.
Paid the departure/airport tax.
Had to get our suitcase strapped (yellow tape thing securing the bag so you can see if it's been opened.) before checking it in.
Flight to Jakarta was just over an hour.
Landed in Jakarta.
Signage is minimal & overall the airport was at times confusing.
That day the transit area was blocked off so we were required to actually exit the airport, re-enter & then go to the check in counter.
Disliked Jarkata airport & felt uncomfortable walking through the crowds & unfriendly faces on exiting/entering the airport.
Creepy feeling & stares all round.
Finally made it upstairs to the appropriate departure area for Medan.
Boarded the plane, sat there for 15 mins to then be told "please leave the plane as we have a technical problem which we don't know how long it will take to fix.."
An hour later back on the plane & finally taking off for the 2 hour + trip to Medan.
Flying over Java the countryside is fairly flat with farms/fields visible.
The water around the coastline is brown & close to Jakarta petrol/pollutants are visible (factories etc)
Visibility low due to smog/cloud.
Once crossing the Java sea & you hit Sumatra the vegetation/land changes.
Must greener thicker vegetation (jungle) with many wide brown rivers flowing for miles.
Arrived in Medan as it was getting dark.
Small arrival area the size of one room with heaps of porters.
The International area of the airport had just been destroyed by fire so that was a bit of a mess
Transport had been arranged beforehand & the hotel bus was there to pick us up.
Off into the traffic to the Best Western Asean International Hotel.
Lots of traffic & incessant horn honking (even sitting at the red lights with no-where to go )
Public transport buses (like bemos) are literally every second vehicle on the road.
Also the motorized becaks
Very few motorbikes & more cars on the road (the opposite to Bali)
Wide streets & many roundabouts in the city.
Medan is the second largest city in Indonesia I was told....and the traffic never sleeps.....
Intended to have an early night as an early morning departure to the village was planned........oh well best laid plans & all that..
Caught up with family & friends instead
Best Western Asean International Hotel
Jln H Adam Malik No 5
PO Box 2495 Medan 20114
Sumatera Utara
Indonesia
Ph:
061 4575888
fax:
061 4561968 -4561978
email:
aseanhtl@indosat.net.id
website:
www.bestwestern.com/id/aseaninternationalhotel
PART THREE
The Village & the Wedding -
Left Medan pretty early for the 4 hour drive to the village.
Transport/driver had been organised prior to our arrival by family members.
Once leaving the built up areas of the city the countryside is either rice fields or farms until you come to the next small town (which many reminded me of Singaraja)
It is not uncommon to see small church structures/headstones erected within the rice paddies, usually on higher ground.
Every 200 metres or so there is either a Mosque or a Church located on the main road.
There is also often poles with buckets placed on them, lining the dividing strip of the road.
These are usually near a Mosque & are donation buckets to help renovate the Mosque
Medan has a mix of Melayu & Christian.
The village we were visiting was predominately a Simalungun Batak village & therefore also predominately Christian.
The village is located between the town of Siantar & Lake Toba.
There are 4 Batak tribes in North Sumatra,
Karo ,Toba,Taro & Simalungun
Each are located in a specific area of North Sumatra..eg Simalungun is northeast of Lake Toba
We stopped along the way at a local restaurant for lunch.
After being seated you are presented with what you wish to drink & then the dishes start arriving to be piled up on your table.
Rice, soup, goat, fried chicken, prawns, fish etc.
You pay for the dishes you take food from.
I passed on the seafood as was not sure how long it had been there.
As more customers arrive the dishes you do not want, or have not touched, are removed & given to the next lot of customers & on it goes.
Slept in the car until we reached Siantar & it was not long until we arrived in the village from there.
Arrived to a crowd of people erecting awnings next door & chairs being offloaded.
There was to be a wedding the next day -
A moslem marriage, as the husband to-be had converted from his Christian faith (also a Simulungun Batak) to Islam.
Part of the conversion is to undergo circumcision prior to the wedding.
Spent the first night catching up with friends & family & woke early the next day..
The PA system next door was functioning loud & clear
Festivities/preparations for the wedding started early with the cooking of the food for the guests....lovely aromas drifting from the kitchen next door.
Guests started arriving mid morning & the bride appeared in white to greet many.
Later the bride & groom appeared in traditional costume for the Moslem wedding ceremony.
It was during this part that I was able to take some photos of the ceremony.
Standing next door & trying not to be noticed while grabbing a few quick photos..was not to be.
I was invited into their home to take photos & watch if I wished.
Took a few pics from the rear of the celebration & then a guy with a camera (the official photographer) came over & ushered me through ...right next to the bride & family to take photos.
I was told later, (when people came to see where I'd disappeared to) that it was not really the "done thing" to take private photos of a moslem wedding (and I had no time to cover the shoulders) but it would be ok because I'm different being a westerner and all..
Oh great, thanks.......
The second part of the wedding, the Batak celebration, was less solemn with much smiling, singing & dancing all round.
Both the bride & groom were dressed in traditional Batak costume & the groom sang a Simulungan love song for his new wife
No photos of this part of the wedding.....I decided to keep a low profile.
Also had a tour of the village in a motorized becak.
The village is much like a small country suburb back home with the main street, little shops & then streets off this which are lined with houses.
Weather in the village is much cooler & at times was quite chilly
There are also many farms in the area producing vegetables which are sent off to bigger cities via the rail line.
No early nite that night as the PA system right out the front of the house was rocking & booming until late......
Photos of Wedding at the village
http://communityDOTwebshotsDOTcom/album/550097677KKGgln