Medan, Northern Sumatra

I arrived to Indonesia via a one hour flight from Penang, Malaysia. I entered the airport from the runway and immediately made eye contact with the 'visa on arrival' woman. I veered in her direction, paid the $25 and got my sticker and 30 days in the country. I couldn't extend the visa for an additional month on the spot unfortunately. Immigration was quick and as I entered the baggage claim area I happened to make eye contact with 'my ride' waiting outside. Wow, I thought, this is a fucking breeze. I got my bag, already on the carousel, exchanged a hundred bucks into the local currency and pretty soon was in a truck on my way into Medan.

My hotel in Medan was nothing to write home about. Just enough to take a picture and post it on Facebook. For 50,000 rupiah (about $6) it was nothing fancy. Just two single beds and an enclosed bathroom. And it was on the fourth floor, a bit of a hike, but I couldn't complain for the price. Most importantly to me, it seemed like it would be quiet. In retrospect, it would have been nice to have a sheet on the bed although I seemed to sleep adequately without. Also would have been nice to have a sink and some toilet paper, but maybe for $6 I'm asking too much!

This is the Grand Mosque, I think. I'm pretty helpless at knowing what things actually are, mostly because I don't really care.

I didn't find much to do in the town. After a nice Indian lunch with my local friend I was on my own to rest and explore. After some internet research and plenty of wasted time on Facebook and not doing what I initially intended on doing, I ventured outside and was quickly asked for an interview by some young girls around the Grand Mosque. It was nice to actually talk to someone and bonus, feel like I was doing them a favor. After some meaningless exchanges and forced questions, I could see that I would probably eventually tire of such 'interviews' if they happened on a daily basis.

Kids practicing one-legged rollerblading. Proved pretty difficult as they were on the ground the majority of the time.

I walked around mapless in the direction of the biggest buildings. I didn't see much. I got a lot of smiles and felt generally positive about being here and thinking it's going to be good time. I walked through a mall and quickly found my way out. Turned out to be mostly an overheated amusement park for children and none of the stores had anything I would have been interested in buying, namely local food and drink.

"Take a picture!" So I did. And then they asked for some money for food. I pretended not to understand.

A while later, I ended up at the public swimming pool. And eventually got my bearings when a female attendant pointed me in the right direction after nearly entering the women's changing area. Got a lot of stares and joined the kids diving off the side and swimming short laps width-wise instead of length-wise. Unfortunately I couldn't completely let my guard down as I left my bag containing my laptop, digital camera, mobile phone, iPod, wallet and passport by the side of the pool. Could only imagine popping my head up to see it missing so I didn't stay underwater for any great length of time.

In general, I felt a little unsafer than I typically do in Vietnam. Some sketchy looking people in the midst of all the friendly folk and the most disturbing was the bare-chested, barefoot one-eyed guy who might have had dried blood on his face if I'm remembering correctly. I probably made that part up, but I honestly can't remember. Might have just been scars. In any case, his glance wasn't friendly in nature and I hastened my pace and felt glad it wasn't dark. He probably didn't have much to lose.

I enjoyed an early dinner at Raya Cafe near to my hotel. The local specialty, Nasi Goreng aka fried rice, was delicious. Couldn't complain for a buck. The beer also hit the spot. My laptop on the other hand, couldn't connect and I was ready to beat the shit out of it. One of these days, I swear, hopefully after I get all the important stuff transferred to a usb and have a new, faster replacement in the wings.

Late, late later, I went to a local bar/restaurant to have a drink with my friend. On a Sunday night, it was less than packed and the big Guinness tasted nothing like a Guinness, but it was good nonetheless. Felt like a strange place for sure. With smoke in the air and so few customers, it felt like I was in a once popular Nevada casino or a bingo hall back in the eighties. Can't say why exactly, it just didn't feel like Indonesia was going to feel. And the ride home, the same. Could have been back in my hometown on a rainy night. Maybe it's cause I wasn't walking, in a bus, in a tuk tuk or on the back of a motorbike. When I got back to my hotel, reality set in.

And in the morning, I set sail from Medan (i.e. took the local bus) to the jungle a bit further south. More to come soon.