Some of the junior children at Lake Tekapo School, in the South Island of New Zealand, have sent their Flat Stanley’s on an adventure to Indonesia. Their class is learning about different cultures and their Stanleys are going to help out by sharing their experiences in Indonesia and maybe other destinations.
Tuesday 3 May 2016
Medan, Sumatra
Medan is the largest city in Sumatra. From the airport the, Stanleys and I, took a train into the city.
It was not very far to my hotel from the train station. Google maps told me it was a 15 minute walk, so I decided to walk. It was a very interesting 15 minutes which felt much longer.. All of the locals were in cars, buses, becak (motorbike with a side cart) or on motorbikes. Have a look at the video below to see what the roads and footpaths are like in Medan.
There wasn't very much room left to walk on the footpath because they were crowded with motorbikes, food stands, building supplies, rubbish and so many other things.
The parking area beside a market.
The Stanleys and I only stayed Medan for two nights. It was too busy, loud and dirty for us and the locals weren't very friendly.
Hi Lincoln, I'm not sure why they aren't very friendly. Maybe they are just busy and I don't speak very much Bahasa Indonesian so it is hard to communicate. I never saw any other tourists when I was walking around so maybe they are not used to tourists. Nikki
Hi Preston, The only car I went in in Medan was the car that came to pick me up and take me to Bukit Lawang (in the jungle). It took an hour for us just to leave Medan because it is so big and there is so much traffic. Nikki
Paquita asks: Why is it really dirty? Taylor asks: do the locals drop rubbish around the town? Fred asks: Did you ride a motorbike in Sumatra? Xavier asks: Why was it really noisy? Ava asks: Was the food different to NZ? Charlie asks: How do say Hello in Malaysian? Preston asks: What language do most people speak in Malaysia and Indonesia? Ava asks: Do they use different tools to write with? Nick asks: Is there more motorbikes than cars in Medan? Phoebe asks: Are the houses there made from different materials to NZ houses?
Hi Paquita and Taylor, It's really dirty because a lot of the local people drop their rubbish on the ground instead of putting it in the rubbish bin. Sometimes people sweep the streets to make it tidier but it doesn't take long before there is more rubbish. Nikki
Hi Xavier, It's really noisy because there are so many cars and motorbike and they toot all the time. They toot: -before they pass a person or a car, -before they go around a corner to warn other traffic they are coming, -to get people's attention if they are a taxi offering you a ride, -just because they can (well that's what it sounded like to me). Nikki
Hi Ava, The food in Sumatra is different to New Zealand. They have lots of rice and noodles here like in Bali. The food can be spicy. The other day I bought a spring roll and was offered a fresh green chili to go with it. There are soups, fried food, barbecue meat and curry on most menus. Nikki
Hi Nick, From what I saw, I think there are more cars than bikes on the road in Medan. However, there were a lot of cars parked on the side on the road and on the footpaths, so I'm not really sure. Nikki
Preston asks: Have you seen any art there? Katsuto asks: Did you see people dropping rubbish? Fred asks: Have you seen any schools? Xavier asks: Are there any parks there? Charlie asks: what are the motorbikes with the sidecars for? Nick Asks: What type of cars do they have there?
Hi Katsuto, I have seen lots of people dropping rubbish. They just drop it when they are finished with it. I sat beside a lady on the ferry from Pulau Weh to Banda Aceh. There was a bag of rubbish on the seat beside her so she threw it into the water. Nikki
Hi Fred, Yes, I have seen a few schools. All of the children wear uniforms and they start earlier than New Zealand schools but they finish earlier too. I've seen children going to school at 7am. The school times are different in different regions of Indonesia. Nikki
Hi Xavier, There are lots of parks here. Football is popular and I have seen lots of adults and children playing football in parks. I have also seen people walking. In Banda Aceh, I saw a brass band practising. Nikki
Hi Charlie, The motorbikes with the sidecar are just like a taxi. I've been in a few of them now. In Java they have slightly different ones. Look out for the photos in the Yogyakarta post. Nikki
Lincoln asks: Why are the locals not very friendly?
ReplyDeleteHi Lincoln,
DeleteI'm not sure why they aren't very friendly. Maybe they are just busy and I don't speak very much Bahasa Indonesian so it is hard to communicate. I never saw any other tourists when I was walking around so maybe they are not used to tourists.
Nikki
Preston asks: Did you go in any cars here?
ReplyDeleteHi Preston,
DeleteThe only car I went in in Medan was the car that came to pick me up and take me to Bukit Lawang (in the jungle). It took an hour for us just to leave Medan because it is so big and there is so much traffic.
Nikki
Paquita asks: Why is it really dirty?
ReplyDeleteTaylor asks: do the locals drop rubbish around the town?
Fred asks: Did you ride a motorbike in Sumatra?
Xavier asks: Why was it really noisy?
Ava asks: Was the food different to NZ?
Charlie asks: How do say Hello in Malaysian?
Preston asks: What language do most people speak in Malaysia and Indonesia?
Ava asks: Do they use different tools to write with?
Nick asks: Is there more motorbikes than cars in Medan?
Phoebe asks: Are the houses there made from different materials to NZ houses?
Hi Paquita and Taylor,
DeleteIt's really dirty because a lot of the local people drop their rubbish on the ground instead of putting it in the rubbish bin. Sometimes people sweep the streets to make it tidier but it doesn't take long before there is more rubbish.
Nikki
Hi Fred,
DeleteI did ride a motorbike in Sumatra. You will see some photos and videos on the next posts from Sumatra.
Nikki
Hi Xavier,
DeleteIt's really noisy because there are so many cars and motorbike and they toot all the time.
They toot:
-before they pass a person or a car,
-before they go around a corner to warn other traffic they are coming,
-to get people's attention if they are a taxi offering you a ride,
-just because they can (well that's what it sounded like to me).
Nikki
Hi Ava,
DeleteThe food in Sumatra is different to New Zealand. They have lots of rice and noodles here like in Bali. The food can be spicy. The other day I bought a spring roll and was offered a fresh green chili to go with it. There are soups, fried food, barbecue meat and curry on most menus.
Nikki
Hi Nick,
DeleteFrom what I saw, I think there are more cars than bikes on the road in Medan. However, there were a lot of cars parked on the side on the road and on the footpaths, so I'm not really sure.
Nikki
Preston asks: Have you seen any art there?
ReplyDeleteKatsuto asks: Did you see people dropping rubbish?
Fred asks: Have you seen any schools?
Xavier asks: Are there any parks there?
Charlie asks: what are the motorbikes with the sidecars for?
Nick Asks: What type of cars do they have there?
Hi Preston,
DeleteI didn't really see any art in Medan. I will take some photos of some Indonesian art to show you.
Nikki
Hi Katsuto,
DeleteI have seen lots of people dropping rubbish. They just drop it when they are finished with it. I sat beside a lady on the ferry from Pulau Weh to Banda Aceh. There was a bag of rubbish on the seat beside her so she threw it into the water.
Nikki
Hi Fred,
DeleteYes, I have seen a few schools. All of the children wear uniforms and they start earlier than New Zealand schools but they finish earlier too. I've seen children going to school at 7am. The school times are different in different regions of Indonesia.
Nikki
Hi Xavier,
DeleteThere are lots of parks here. Football is popular and I have seen lots of adults and children playing football in parks. I have also seen people walking. In Banda Aceh, I saw a brass band practising.
Nikki
Hi Nick,
DeleteThey have the same kinds of cars here as we do in New Zealand.
Nikki
Hi Charlie,
ReplyDeleteThe motorbikes with the sidecar are just like a taxi. I've been in a few of them now. In Java they have slightly different ones. Look out for the photos in the Yogyakarta post.
Nikki