Temples of Prambanan I spent the morning considering excursions for the coming days, and whether to use public transport or a shared vehicle (organised through an agent). I opted for the latter as it saves time and it isn’t very much money in the scheme of things. I was picked up along with three other […]

I fly back to Penang from Medan this evening, so there’s enough time to do the sights around Medan.  I’ve done the Chinese/Nyonya attraction (Tjong A Fie mansion), so it’s time to do those related to the Malay royalty and the Muslim population. Firstly to Masjid Raya which is kinda next door from the hotel […]

Visit to the Posh Hospital I went to the doctor today to have my cold looked at … I was cycling through various symptoms for the last 3 weeks plus … caught it in Hong Kong when Kim and I were there.  I felt it was affecting my chest and ears.  I can’t let it get […]

Above:  I was surprised my guesthouse provided a peluk, gulung or bolster.  It’s a cuddle pillow. Leaving Berastagi I woke to a dry morning, thinking that it would be OK for me to attempt climbing the volcano Sibayak. Popping out, I couldn’t see the two nearby volcanoes. The whole sky was grey. I thought, if […]

Above: This picture of Berastagi makes it look quite nice. And it was taken when dry … without all that mud. Today I took a 3.5 hour shared taxi-ride to the town of Berastagi, also in the highlands. The surrounding area is very fertile and they grow lots of cabbage, carrots and other vegetables. Unfortunately […]

I woke and found the guesthouse reception and restaurant closed. On the street, it seemed rather quiet. Shops that were open were unattended. Then I realised it was Sunday and most people were either at church or recovering from the night before. It’s hard to imagine that Samosir island some decades ago was home to […]

I had planned on cycling to various sights around the island but it seemed a lot easier to go on a motorbike with Alfred (my German taxi-mate from Medan, and now neighbour in the guesthouse). It turned out to be a seven hour jouney with three coffee stops and a sightseeing stop too. We circumabulated […]

Good morning Medan.  As it was raining,  I opted for the easy solution to my transport requirements.  The hardy solution would have involved crossing the busy street using the overhead bridge with my pack, to either the taxi company … or to catch a minivan to the long distance bus station. Thanks to some guy […]