SUMATERA - December 2006

Exchange rate at the time of writing: USD 1 = IDR 8993

MEDAN updated:
Medan has a new fun fare ("Medan Walk") in front of the railway station. There are merry-go-round, arcade games, an open food-court, a McDonalds restaurant. On weekends and in evenings, busy with locals of all ages. A carpark is inside.
Medan is still a messy place as it always was. There are more newer cars today but traffic is chaotic and pollution a big issue.

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SUMATERA - April 2001
(Medan, Berastagi, Danau Toba)

Exchange rate at the time of writing: USD 1 = IDR 10800

MEDAN:
It's noisy, dirty, chaotic, a bit unsafe. For most, just a transport hub. Change money and get an onward ticket.
If you're compelled to spend time in Medan, you could enjoy eating, shopping, cinema, slow Internet. All is cheap.
Should you meet other travellers in these times of crisis, they are likely the more interesting and the less normal ones.

Safety: A lot of people will warn you to be careful, hide valuables, watch your stuff, not walk outside after 7pm, .... These warnings can be more frightening than the actual situation but surely they don't come without a reason. Be particularly careful when you have to stop at red traffic lights or in traffic jams. For a cyclist, a strong wooden stick of about 50cm length can be very useful in keeping robbers and thiefs at distance. A long pedal-spanner works as well*. Now don't expect that you have to whack someone every time you stop, it's more like once in a month.

*Later, the security check at Penang Airport was dramatically impressed and would not allow that I carry the spanner in my hand luggage.

In Medan, try to pick up a copy of "North Sumatera Tourist Information". I found it at Zakia Hotel, other places distribute it as well. This free monthly brochure is very useful for the budget traveller. It contains info on tourist destinations, tips for smooth travel, advertising of guesthouses, restaurants, shops and tour operators. It's just a few pages, but much more up to date than a guide book.

Budget accommodation in Medan:
- Tapian Nabaru Hotel: Dirty, run down, in need of repair. Double rooms w/ shared bathroom start at Rp 8500. Green surroundings. A few long-time westerners stayed there because it's central and still quiet. Otherwise mostly local guests.
- Losmen Irama: Small dark rooms, semi-clean. Double w/ shared bathroom from Rp 20000. Local guests.
- Hotel Zakia: A bit better than Irama, relatively large building, offers everything for the traveller. Staff can provide all sorts of information, tours can be booked, crowds of tour guides hanging around. Mr August, a long-time westerner who stays at Zakia, makes a living on trading coins, while he suffers a lot from the loudspeakers of the nearby mosque. He enjoys a chat and is full of valuable information.
If you wander around in the area of Zakia / the mosque / Yuki mall / Mac Donalds, watch your stuff.
- Around the mosque are several other places that I haven't checked. Go ahead.

The Hash House Harriers are nice folks and at the end of the run, there's beer as you'd expect. Apart from the beer, you'll also find a wide selection of other drinks plus nice food. Soccer shoes are best for the trails, but then it's not so dramatic either. For the 4km trail that we took, even rubber slippers / bare feet would have worked - slower though.

BERASTAGI:
Budget accommodation:
- Wisma Sibayak is a real travellers' place. One of their clean new double rooms w/ attached bathroom is Rp 35000. Cheaper options available.
There's a restaurant, movies on TV, booking of tours and the company of very entertaining Batak staff. It's amazing that Rosa recognized me 6 years after I last visited the place.
- Losmen Sibayak belongs to Wisma Sibayak. The location is more in the center of Berastagi and they have some rooms in a penthouse-style thing. In the back is a restaurant and tours can be booked, too.
Of both above-mentioned places, Losmen Sibayak seems to be more popular amongst travellers.
- There are several other places around. Not checked.

Climbing Mount Sibayak:
We are 3 and hire a guide thru Wisma Sibayak, at a price of Rp60000.
As we head out and talk with our guide, we learn that we have to pay him Rp80000, as he has to pass Rp60000 to the guesthouse so that nothing would be left over for himself. We want to go back and discuss it with the guesthouse, he argues that then he could lose his job so he'd rather go for Rp60000.
I believe our guide is employee of the guesthouse. For the salary he receives, it is expected that he occassionally leads tourists up Gg Sibayak without an additional compensation for his physical effort.

We reach the startpoint of the climb by public minibus, from there hike along a hilly road to an abandoned construction site (initially planned to become a public bath with hot springs, but hot springs were not found and the project was scrapped).
Our guide explains there'd be a shorter way with a high chance of being robbed by local villagers (once someone sees you he blows a whistle and further up you are robbed). To guarantee our safety, our guide carries a parang along in his rucksack.
From the abandoned construction site onwards, the road turns into a somewhat steeper trail and an old staircase.
The trail emerges from the forest, passes sulfur springs / funnels and continues to the peak.
The stony areas and the sulfur exhausts demand some caution, but it's at no point a difficult or dangerous path.
We're lucky with the weather, it's dry and warm. Up to the peak, we wear shorts, T-shirts and suntan lotion. Once we're on top, clouds rise and block the view. We take lunch, the clouds give way and photos are taken, eventually we descent.
The way down starts out rocky and requires caution, then there are old stairs and eventually we reach the hot springs.
After an extensive break at the pools, a public minibus takes us back to Berastagi.

Difficulty of this climb: Easy. We had an unexperienced female climber with us, and though she arrived exhausted (like everyone else), she made it.

Risks: Gg Sibayak is not a dangerous mountain (assuming you take one of the well-trodden trails) and hiring a guide from a reputated guesthouse may seem like a waste of money to an experienced climber. However, no mountain is perfectly safe and robbers are becoming more common, so a guide could be an excellent investment.

Equipment needed: The climb can be done with rubber slippers, shorts, T-shirt and without bringing any water or food. More adequate would be the following:
Trecking sandals or hiking boots, hat, shorts, T-shirt, suntan lotion
Backup clothing: Long tracksuit bottoms, pullover or warm shirt, raincoat
To feed yourself, carry 0.7 - 1 liter of water plus 1 hi-cal meal
Other things you might want to carry: Medicine, whistle, rope, flashlight. Hopefully, you won't need any of these.
Should you go without a guide, don't forget your parang (large knife).


TOUR FROM BERASTAGI TO PARAPAT:
Tourist mini bus cost Rp 45000 / person with stops at traditional village and Si Piso Piso waterfall. We booked at Losmen Sibayak.
The trip starts out smooth, shortly after Si Piso Piso it goes scenic (a winding road along Danau Toba).

SI PISO PISO WATERFALL:
Good photo opportunities (of waterfall and Toba Lake) if the weather is right. Tremendous fall. A path with steps, stairs and ladder leads down, go and come back almost 1h. Near the bottom of the fall it's slippery and very wet. Swimming directly under the fall is not really possible due to all the water in the air, making seeing and breathing difficult. Then there's not only water coming down, other stuff as well. I found a dog that had crashlanded on the bottom.
At the level of the parking, small shops are selling souvenirs and food.
Entrance fee to the waterfall is collected at a booth on the access road: Rp500 entrance fee + Rp200 insurance + Rp100 rubbish disposal = Rp800 per person. Have small change ready.

PARAPAT:
Parapat entrance fee is Rp1000 for visitors. Has to be paid at a booth on the road to Parapat.

TUK TUK:
Boat from Parapat to Tuk Tuk costs Rp2000 per person. The boat can stop at most guesthouses in Tuk Tuk, tell them where you want to get off.
Budget accommodation:
- Samosir Cottages: Rp30000 (attached bath, hot water). Clean and nice.
- There are lots of other places in Tuk Tuk. Due to a lack of business, some rent out at prices so low that I feel sad for them.
Food: Pretty good and cheap all over the place. Western food is widely available. Pizza !!


HOLIDAY IN SUMATRA - NOW ?
I've visited Medan, Berastagi and Danau Toba first in 1992, then in 1995 and again in 2001. It has never been the smoothest area to travel, but it has also not changed much. If it has been OK for you some years ago, don't hesitate to visit these areas now. Benefit from the low prices and help those who work in the tourism industry.

At this time, there's fighting in Aceh and I heard travellers ask "what does it mean, >war< ? Can we go or not ? Is diving good on Pulau Weh ?"
I was to scared to find that out, but maybe I'm just getting old...

eof