Vacation Part 3 - Medan

So the next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then hopped back on the ferry. Then we decided to hire a van instead of take the bus cause it's faster and we wanted to get to the city Medan in time to actually see some of the city. Unfortunately in the van they decided to squeeze in too many people and make some extra money so i was smashed against the side of the van while three other girls climbed in (so there were 4 of us in a seat made for 3 max) and the driver blew cigarette smoke in my face. So that was not fun. But once we got to Medan I felt much better. We dropped our stuff off and then went to have some Indian food which was awesome!

Then we went to the palace

And after that we went to the grand mosque, which was beautiful. It also marked the 2nd time since I've been in Indonesia that I've been asked to wear a headscarf. I don't have any pictures of myself though.

Then that evening we went to a cultural fair and met some more of Dave's friends. It was interesting to see just how different Sumatran people are from Javanese. The Javanese are very reserved and quiet, especially the women, and they don't like to talk about personal things or things I feel I can really connect with. So I feel that while I'm friendly with a lot of people on Java, I don't actually have any Javanese friends. These Sumatran girls were so much more outgoing. I could have real conversations with them. They were loud and funny and more like Americans I suppose. So I felt a little sad that there was nobody like that on Java. On the other had Sumatran men could be a bit rude. The bus driver on the first day just sort of grabbed me by the arm and pushed me in the direction of the bus to indicate that I should get on. A Javanese would never dream of doing that. So it goes both ways.

Anyway, here is dave with one of his awesome friends.

The next day Ben and I caught our flight back to Jakarta and as soon as leaving the airport we waited for a bus for like an hour, which was ridiculous and frustrating. Then we got stuck in traffic for a few hours. But finally we made it to Bry's apartment. Bry was a VIA volunteer last year and now she has a job through USAID. That means she makes a western salary. Her apartment was amazing! Unbelievable to someone who's been living in a village for the last year. We went out for burritos and margaritas (at insane prices but so worth it) and lived the good life for an evening.

The next morning I just barely caught my train to Jogja which was actually a really nice train. It was about an 8 hour ride. When I arrived I crashed at my friend's house and was able to say goodbye to my fellow volunteer Marisa who was going back to the states for health reasons. Then the next morning I caught my 4 hour bus back to Ponorogo.

All in all, it was an awesome vacation but wow, there was a lot of transportation and driving. Motorbikes, Trains, Planes, Ferries, Taxis, Buses, Vans. It was a bit exhausting.

Vacation part II - The day on the motorbike

On the second day at lake Toba (and our only full day) we decided to rent motorcycle are drive around. We wanted to see a lake up in the mountains that we'd been told was really nice.

Our first activity was to go to a traditional dance performance. The dance was quite different than Javanese or Balinese dance, and to be honest, I prefer the other two. But it was still interesting to see part that part of the culture.

A man blessing the dance


An engagement dance

The performers relaxing off stage

The music

The dance was in a really interesting little tourist area with traditional houses you could enter and a little museum.

There was also this buffalo that dave was afraid to touch, so I made fun of him about that for awhile. The buffalo was actually part of the dance. I'm not exactly sure the story, but I think they were dancing to bless it before a sacrifice.

Then we saw where the buffalo hang out

And nearby there was a beautiful little dock

You could tell that the locals here were quite poor, even by Indonesian standards. There was one woman trying to mandi (bathe) in the lake but all these tourists were around taking photos. And there were these kids out fishing.

After the dance we wanted to find a little restaurant near the lake to have lunch, but that proved to be an almost impossible task. Finally we found one a little outside of town that was across the street from the water. We had some super spicy (but yummy) fish and there was a puppy for me to play with! Yay for being in a Christian community that doesn't hate dogs! Except that they also eat dogs and that puppy was probably going to be someone's dinner but I don't think about that too much.

So this was the lake that we heard so much about. It was pretty small and boring and we didn't even go up to it cause it looked like it was just a pond among somebody's fields. But it was a lake on an island which was in a lake, which was on an island. So I guess that was pretty cool. There was also a funny moment where Ben and I remembered just how American we are and just how....Indonesian people here are. There was a really steep hill across from the lake and there were some Indonesians who had also apparently come to see the lake and maybe do some camping. So instead of parking on the street and walking up the hill to see the view...they decided to try to ride their motorbikes up. Ben was literally the only person who parked at the bottom of the hill. So there were these motorcycles precariously perched on the side of this hill and the drivers pretty much just had to walk them up anyway cause it was too steep to ride. Indonesians do NOT like to walk.

Even though the lake was lame the ride to get there (a few hours) had amazing views and some stressful moments on the terrible terrible roads.

Dave and Ivan stopped below to take photos

We got stuck in the rain for a bit and sat in a little restaurant. The rest of the ride home was freezing because I was wet and the air was a lot cooler than I'm used to.

That evening we just stayed in the room playing cards and eating jelly beans.

Sumatra Vaction Part 1 - Arrival

Well, I have returned from my short vacation to Sumatra. After my last post, Ben and I caught an early flight to Medan. So we ended up getting about 4 hours of sleep. In Medan, Dave (the VIA vol posted there) and his friend Ivan met us at the airport. After promising us some breakfast, Ivan took us to a bus terminal where there was no food! Then we got right on a bus for the 5 hour drive to Lake Toba, one of the most famous spots in Indonesia. I was not a very happy camper on the bus but I felt so much better when we finally arrived. After some lunch, we got on a ferry to the island in the lake and our hotel in Tuk-tuk.








Ivan, Dave and Ben relaxing outside our room. There were four of us squeezed in a two person room (two single beds and two mattresses on the floor) so it was a little cramped but it was a really nice room with hot showers!



Our room was in a Batak style building. The Batak are one of the few Indonesian ethnic groups that are Christian. They are from Northern Sumatra and have this interesting style of architecture.

Then we took a walk around the nearby parts of the island

After the walk we just relaxed around the hotel and eventually went out and had some dinner. We were all pretty tired.

Coming soon - Part II, The day on the motorbike

In Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and before today I have spent a grand total of, I think, two nights here and seen absolutely none of the city. Which seems a little silly, especially since it's not too far away from Ponorogo and I have a free place to stay (VIA owns a house there). My favorite part of the VIA house is that the stairs to go to the sleeping rooms are all a different size. So it's really annoying to climb the stairs.

So right now I am in Jakarta after a 13 hour overnight train and happy to be here. The train ride was...interesting. Not the worst overnight train I ever took but not very nice either. The lady behind me was smoking and the kid in front of my just turned around and stared at me for really long periods of time. However, nobody sat next to me, miraclously. So I guess I got about 4 hours of sleep total. I was paranoid about my bags being stolen and I was uncomfortable. But at least no one bothered me.

Normally cities stress me out but after not seeing civilization for months at a time, I'm happy to be here. I'm only spending one night but I've already eaten pizza (at a Cheesecake Factory) and seen more of the city than I did last time I was here.

Tomorrow I fly to Medan on Sumatra island to see another VIA volunteer. I'm looking forward to it but I'll post more about that after it actually happens. I have to wake up at like 4 or something tomorrow morning. That sucks.

I'll be coming back to Jakarta after three nights in Medan and hope to see a bit more of the city then. I also hope to buy some pirated DVDs.

This was kind of a random post but I feel bad that I haven't been updating lately.