Indonesia | Feb 1-3 |
Last leg of the Sumatra journey. Took the ferry from Tuk Tuk to Parapat, with great views all round. There were 3 options for roads to take, I ended up choosing the wrong one, which turned out to be the worst road I experienced in Sumatra. But did get some great views of Lake Toba from above. It was a long 6 hr drive.
Stayed 2 nights in Medan, and was happy I did. While I had not given the place high marks on my prior 2 visits, this time I explored around more and was surprised how nice a city it is, with a solid Straits Chinese infused history and culture, a Little India (wasn't expecting that), and lot's of gentrification work in progress. Must-do activities are the Tjong A Fie Mansion, a very well maintained heritage house of a leader of the city's Chinese community, easily on par with Jim Thompson's House in Bangkok. And across the street, Tip Top Restaurant, another outstanding heritage venue. I also had a great dinner at Cahaya Baru Indian Food, another old-school venue, really good. Outside the hotel I stayed at, Wisma Sederhana, there is a street of Chinese street food, very busy. Medan also has many modern mega-shopping malls.
After a day of roaming on the NMax, I returned the bike to Ganda Rental, after 3 weeks, a fast and easy process, all good.
Ride: 165km | 5.5 hrs
Stay: Wisma Sederhana | $10 | 4/5
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