Polisi Indonesian policemen on clean-up duty at Maimoon Palace, Medan, North Sumatra, take the opportunity to photograph me.
It is only a short hop from Singapore to Indonesia by boat or plane, but it may as well be a whole world away (q.v. From Resort to Reality).
Last month, after a week in the ultra-modern high-rise city-state of Singapore (Magical Flying Machines and Gardens by the Bay), my husband and I took a side-trip to Sumatra, Indonesia’s largest island. The flight from Singapore’s Changi Airport to Medan takes just over an hour. As soon as we walked out of the brand-new Kualanamu International Airport, however, there was no doubt that we had arrived in a different country: old Dutch colonial buildings rubbed shoulders with Moghul architecture; decrepit vehicles crowded the dirty, littered streets; political posters and billboards competed for attention; and the heat, dust and smells tried to work their way into our vehicle. According to Lonely Planet, Medan regularly comes up in response to: ‘What’s the worst place you’ve ever visited?’
But for all this, after the high-octane buzz of the somewhat-sterile Singapore, I found North Sumatra markedly more relaxed. Instead of rushing around, staring at or talking into their phones, people actually looked at us – and smiled. They took the time to chat and have their pictures taken. Except for the chaotic traffic, everything was slower.
It is, indeed, a very different place.
“Selamat Bahagia” Colourful billboards sponsored by local businesses offer their “Congratulations” to selected newlyweds in Medan.
Maimoon Palace Tourists on the red carpet outside Maimoon Palace, Medan.
Shoes on the Marble Nothing says “Asia” more clearly than a pile of shoes outside a public building.
Podium of the Sultan Maimoon Palace was built in 1888 by Sultan Ma’mun Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah, who ruled Medan from 1873 to 1924 – thanks to his good relations with the Dutch who were expanding their tobacco trade in the area.
Outer Pavilion There is half a cannon housed inside the pavilion that sits in the palace grounds. The story is that the very beautiful Princess of Deli Tua rejected a marriage proposal from the King of Aceh to the north. The King was so angry he invaded and was about to win the war, until one of the princess’ brothers turned himself into a cannon, shooting out wildly, and preventing the King’s troops from capturing her.
Children in Traditional Dress There is a wardrobe booth inside Maimoon Palace, and you can dress up as a Dato’ (Sultan) or a Princess, and then have your picture taken inside the buildings. Costumed by their parents, these children posed happily for me as well.
Interior The palace architecture is a mixture of cultures and styles. The predominant colour is yellow, a Malay favourite, and the design blends European, Islam, Spanish, Indian, and Italian elements.
Police Clean-Up Maimoon Palace is still used for special events. The local police are enlisted as security and clean-up detail.
Police Crew Seeing me with my cameras, the clean-up crew spontaneously came together for a group photo.
Dutch Influence Dutch colonialists were significant in developing the area from the 1860s, and the buildings in Medan reflect this.
Tjong A Fie Mansion Completed in 1900, the Chinese-European, art-deco style mansion built by Tjong A Fie (1860-1921), a prominent Hakka merchant who owned much of the land around Medan, is a distinctive contrast to the other buildings around it.
Field Post Office The post office in the middle of Medan, completed in 1911, is another example of Dutch colonial architecture.
Becak 3-Wheeled Taxi Cab In the square outside the post office, becak drivers wait for customers…
Parking Warden … while officers monitor the parking in the area.
Australian Troops Tip Top Restaurant (and its menu) traces back to Dutch colonisation. As I drank my locally-grown coffee in what was once, reputedly, “THE restaurant in Medan”, I was taken by the historic photograph of Allied troops marching through the Medan streets in 1947.
Open-Plan Kitchen Well west of Medan, we stop for lunch, which is cooked in a hot, dark kitchen, over open flames.
Turangie Palm Plantation Since 2009, Indonesia has been the world’s largest producer of palm oil, giving the country’s economy a much-needed boost, but contributing to social and environmental problems…
Oil Palm … including de-forestation, soil and habitat degradation …
Turangie Palm Oil Mill … and polluting smoke from the processing plants.
Rubber Trees Of course, rubber plantations are just as damaging to the soil. Indonesia is the world’s second largest natural rubber exporter.
Girl in Purple In the rubber plantations, we met a young girl, whose father is British …
Mother and Son … and her best friend, whose father is German. The friend’s mother described her work tapping the rubber trees.
Bridge to the Eco Lodge At Bukit Lawang, a suspension bridge leads us over the Bahorok River to our accommodation.
Perhaps it is fitting that, in this “other world”, we had a dip-bucket rather than a shower, and we had no hot water in our open-air bathroom…
Never mind! We had a national park next door: home to the few remaining Sumatran orangutans, whom we planned to visit the next day – showered or not!
[…] As soon as we walked out of the park boundaries, we were back in the rubber plantations, much like those we’d seen, mile after mile, on the drive from Medan the day before. […]ReplyCancel
[…] It was hard to leave the Gunung Leuser National Park, but our itinerary called for us to move on. And, much of the overall impression of any trip comes from the smaller things: the insights into day-to-day life, the “ordinary” landscapes, and the people you meet along the way, as you travel from one place to another (q.v. Ursula’s Weekly Wanders: Medan to Bukit Lawang). […]ReplyCancel
Billy on the Roof The sod roof of the Old Country Market building, Coombs, BC, is very attractive to the local goats.
It’s not a long drive along Highway 4a from the (relatively) populous east coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island to the more remote and storm-battered west coast. From the small city of Parksville in the east to the district of Tofino on the west takes only about 2.75 hours (174 Kms), so there is really no reason to stop en route.
But, how could anyone resist the idea of “Goats on Roof”?
I certainly couldn’t!
The small community Coombs is only 10 km west of Parksville, but we had started our drive in Nanaimo, 30 minutes further south, so it was a good time for a coffee break.
Old Country Market Originally established in 1973, the Coombs Country Market – with its distinctive sod roof – houses a restaurant, a fresh produce market, and various other shops.
“The Root Cellar” Dark and cool, the covered open-air produce market is the modern incarnation of the original road-side fruit stand.
The Root Cellar We weren’t in the market for anything other than coffee and cake, but we still enjoyed the crisp, clean colours of the fresh vegetables.
Coombs Paddock It was all the rich green grass on and around the market buildings that inspired the idea of goats.
Goat Shed Sod roofs are insulating: retaining warmth in colder weather and promoting evaporation in summer.
Sod Roofline Kristian Graaten, who emigrated from Norway to Vancouver Island in the 1950s, modelled the original market building structure on Norwegian sod-roofed houses.
Lanterns The Old Country Market houses a range of emporium products, as well as imported and Canadian foodstuffs.
Pottery Shop Other shops feature a range of local crafts…
Hummingbird … and arts.
Billy Goat Of course, the goats on the roofs of the buildings are the real attraction.
Nanny Goat Goats have been trimming the sod roof of the Coombs market buildings for more than thirty years.
Billy Goat
From Coombs, it is a 40 minute drive west along the winding Alberni Highway past Cameron Lake and through the tall stands of old-growth Douglas-fir trees known as Cathedral Grove, to Port Alberni, at the head of the Alberni Inlet, where we arrived in time for lunch.
Fish in the Fountain In the courtyard at Alberni Harbour Quays, Alberni’s fishing is celebrated: the area boasts halibut, five different species of salmon, and yearly runs of steelhead.
Alberni Harbour Quay Alberni is a deep-port city in the heart of logging territory.
Loose Logs
“Bank Robber” It is a working harbour, busy with log boats, tugs, and fishing boats.
Flags Flying The Canadian and British Columbian flags fly on the winds on the inlet.
Guys on the Pier… … enjoying coffee in the sunshine.
Fiddling Just around the corner, a local group is practicing their swing.
From Port Alberni, the Pacific Rim Highway winds and climbs and drops a further 126 kilometres (two hours driving) to Tofino on the west coast.
We arrived with enough time to settle into our accommodation, explore the small, but charming, town, and plan the next day’s excursion, before watching the mist roll in over the neighbouring islands and the late afternoon sun slant over the water.
Afternoon Mists The waters between Tofino and the neighbouring islands are quiet as the mists roll in …
Afternoon Sun … and the afternoon sun glints on the seaplanes and boats.
Boats on their Moorings As the fog descended, the view from our room became more atmospheric.
It’s certainly not a long drive, but it is an enjoyable one.
And, our brief taste of the west coast had whetted our appetites. I was looking forward to our planned exploration of the surrounding waters more fully by boat the next day.
Performing the Chhath Pūjā Standing in the cold waters of Gadsisar Lake, Jaisalmer a husband and wife present offerings to the rising sun.
It has been said that you can not count the number of deities in the Hindu cosmology. And while, technically, they are all manifestations of One Supreme Being, it does make for a lot of festivals and religious observances.
Of course, some gods – and festivals – are more important than others.
Chhath Pūjā, also known as Dala Chhath, is dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya, and Chhathi Maiya, Surya’s wife or consort. Of significant importance, especially in Bihar, northern India, the four days of ritual observances are performed to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to ask for favours.
On the last day of the pūjā (Hindu prayer ritual), devotees gather on the banks of a river or pond to give offerings (Arghya) to the rising sun before breaking their fast with family and friends.
Kartika Shukla Shashthi, the sixth day of the month of Kartika in the Hindu Calendar, was November 9th last year. I wasn’t in Bihar – I was in the desert city of Jaisalmer with photographer Karl Grobl, local guide DV, and a small group of photo-enthusiasts – but as a significant number of people from Bihar live and work in the “Golden City” of Rajasthan, it was almost as good.
Gadsisar Lake Before dawn, we arrived at Jaisalmer’s man-made lake, which was constructed around 1400 A.D. as a conservation tank.
On the Ghat As early as we were, a number of Indians were already camped out at this popular pilgrimage spot.
Devotees True worshipers follow four days of ritual bathing, fasting and abstinence. These women have been in the waters of the reservoir since 4am.
My Informant Others participate to a lesser extent. This woman, a local English teacher, was happy to give me a place on her family’s mat, and explained the proceedings to me.
Women in their Finery Still others welcome the opportunity to meet and chat …
Mother and Child … and are happy to pose for pictures.
Offerings As the morning gets lighter, offerings are made ready.
Still Standing Parvaitin, the main worshipers, pray for the well-being of their family, and for the prosperity of their offspring.
Smiling Man
Offerings As the sun comes up, families – with the exception of unmarried girls – come together in the water to pour milk over the offerings and say prayers. In this family, the teenaged daughter is the one taking video.
Offerings
Pavilion on Gadsisar Lake
On the Ghats The sun is up; the worshipers share out the offerings, …
Portrait of a Teenager
Portrait of the Boys
Leaving the Pūjā … pile into vehicles and head home for a (strictly vegetarian) feast to break the fast.
Sādhu Chhath Pūjā is the only Hindu holy festival which involves no pandit (priest). We met met this local holy man on our way out of the lake area; he had missed out on sharing in the offerings to the sun, so I bought him a chai before heading home to my own breakfast.
I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast after such an early start –
Though probably not as much as those Indian people who had assured their family’s good fortunes for another year.
Wow, another fantastic post! Ursula, I love reliving the events through the images you capture…additionally, your thorough research and captivating writing style really bring it all to life again. Bravo!ReplyCancel
Officially starting in Torquay, gateway to Victoria’s “Surf Coast”, and hugging the rugged coastline along the Southern Ocean for 243 kilometres (151 miles) to Allansford, just outside the Victorian regional centre of Warrnambool, The Great Ocean Road is worthy of its listing as an Australian National Heritagesite.
Ocean Road Sign, Torquay After almost two hours of driving suburban motorways, it was a relief to finally reach a signpost for the Great Ocean Road – even if the immediate surrounds seemed inauspicious.
Torquay boasts a “Surf World Museum”, but as we had only three days in which to cover a suggested five-day itinerary from Melbourne to Adelaide, we stopped only long enough to pick up some maps, brochures, and lunch, before heading to our first (of many) beach stops.
Bell’s Beach Waves were rolling in, but not a soul was riding them. Bell’s Beach is a renowned surf beach. I don’t surf, but I’ve seen Bell’s Beach tee-shirts as far away as Indonesia.
Lagoon, Aireys Inlet From another car park, it’s a short walk along a sandy lagoon…
Split Point Lighthouse … and up to the lighthouse affectionately known as the ‘White Queen’.
Split Point Lighthouse As is fitting for a lighthouse visit, the skies were grey, and scattered rains fell. This lighthouse featured in Round the Twist, a popular children’s show that was never missed in our house.
Eagle Rock From the lighthouse surrounds, there are views over the dramatic coastline around Aireys Inlet.
Listed as the world’s largest war memorial, the Great Ocean Road is remarkable for more than just its magnificent scenery. Built by some 3000 returned First World War Australian soldiers and sailors (“Diggers”) between war’s end and 1932, the road served as both a means of employing returned servicemen, and as a tribute and memorial to their fallen comrades.
The Diggers by Julia Squires At the Memorial Arch, a statue commemorating “The Diggers” who built the road was unveiled in 2007.
Seagull There is no better place to find fresh fish and chips than on a harbour where the boats come in. We stopped for an early dinner at the waterside in Apollo Bay.
Last Light We tucked in for the night at Cape Otway Lightstation, at the southern-most point in the Cape Otway National Park.
Cape Otway Lightstation Operating from 1848, Cape Otway is the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia.
Bicycle Although decommissioned in January 1994, the Lightstation and grounds are open for exploration and tours.
Cape Otway Desk Historical and other informative displays are mounted in the various well-maintained cottages.
Koala While driving the 12 km back from the Cape Otway Lightstation through the Cape Otway National Park to rejoin the Great Ocean Road, we saw our first wild koalas in the tree-tops.
Koalas Remarkably hard to spot from the ground through the gum-tree branches and foliage against the bright morning sky, most of the koalas seem to be asleep. Their fur and funny faces make them look cute and cuddly, but the same claws that keep them from falling out of trees can inflict nasty injuries.
Gibson Steps Descending the 86 steep stairs to the bottom of the Gibson Steps affords a fabulous view, from the beach up, of looming rock stacks – a taste of what is to come.
Incoming Waves The colour of the Southern Ocean as it laps onto the beach at Gibson Steps is remarkable…
Cliff Face … as are the striations on the steep cliff-face behind us.
Next Stop: The Twelve Apostles It seems there never were twelve rock stacks – but little matter! They are magnificent, and easily accessible from the car park.
Twelve Apostles The coastline and rock formations seem to stretch for ever, and the walkways follow…
Twelve Apostles … providing breathtaking views in both directions.
The Loch Ard Gorge Area Just ten minutes further along the “Shipwreck Coast”, still in Port Campbell National Park…
The Loch Ard Gorge Area … there are more carparks, more walkways, and more stunning views.
Loch Ard Gorge Loch Ard Gorge is named for the clipper Loch Ard, one of many ships wrecked in the area.
Breakers The Loch Ard ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island in 1878. The two survivors (from 54 passengers aboard) made it into this cove, and somehow one of them, 15 year old Tom Pearce, climbed out of the gorge to get help. Watching the waves break, both inside and outside the cove, and looking up at the steep walls of the gorge, it seems an impossible feat.
We, of course, had the benefit of another steep, narrow, staircase – but even then, the assent out of the gorge felt like hard work.
There were countless other paths to follow, and both inland and coastal areas to explore, but we had, sadly, run out of time. We continued our drive west, and didn’t even see a marker when we left the magnificent Great Ocean Road behind us at the other end.
But we now know what to look out for, and when we have more time, we’ll be back…
[…] in the earth’s layers to produce these sea stacks. We were reminded of our visit to the “Twelve Apostles” in southern Australia earlier in the […]ReplyCancel
[…] had just driven the length of Australia’s Great Ocean Road, a drive through scenery so magnificent that it rates its own UNESCO World Heritage listing. […]ReplyCancel
[…] – mostly because of habitat loss, and I’ve only ever seen them once in the wild (see: The Great Ocean Road). Even in zoos they can hide, so it was nice to get so close to these balls of […]ReplyCancel
Galloping into the Year of the Horse Featured sculptures: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay. (iPhone4S)
February 14th was a special day this year: there was a full moon.
Across Western countries, the fourteenth was Valentine’s Day, that most romantic celebration of love, or most cynical expression of consumerism, depending on your perspective. In North America, the full moon was the “Snow Moon”, named for the heavy snowfalls February usually brings.
In Theravada Buddhist countries, the February full moon signals the holy day of Makha Bucha(Māgha Pūjā), the anniversary of the day when the recently-enlightened Buddha was spontaneously visited by 1,250 disciples.
And, in any country with a significant population of Chinese heritage, this full moon marked the last day of the 15-day celebration of the Lunar New Year: bidding farewell to the Year of the Snake, and welcoming the Year of the Horse.
Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival is a BIG deal. In China, many offices close for a full week or more as families travel to get together to celebrate. In Singapore, where we happened to be this year (for the Singapore Airshow), Chinatown was ablaze with lights and colours, and the restaurants were full. Internally-lit giant pink horses pranced and galloped down the central boulevard of the main street. Golden coins floated overhead, and lucky dragons with their accompanying drummers were never far from view.
Even the Singapore gardens got in on the Lunar New Year festivities.
It was the wooden horse sculpture on the posters for the Gardens by the Bay that drew me out to explore this relatively new complex. The 101 hectare (1,010,000 m2) redevelopment garden-park consists of three waterfront gardens and a conservatory complex; well beyond what I could manage on a sticky-humid Valentine’s Day.
I settled for a visit to the two cooled conservatories: the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome.
Magnificent Bull by Walter Matia Sculpture is everywhere around the garden complex.
Supertrees Overhead, the 25 – 50 metre vertical gardens loom against a heavy, humid sky.
The Falls Inside the Cloud Forest Conservatory, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall falls 35-metre (115 ft) to the base of Cloud Mountain.
Orchid The entry level is lush with moisture-loving exotics.
Violets
Walking the Cloud Walk High overhead, visitors wind around the elevated walkways.
Walking through the Waterfall Across a small lake, people can be seen walking under a waterfall.
Orchid
Plantpot Man Timorese wooden sculptures are scattered around the Cloud Forest.
Impossibly Beautiful Orchids
Mushrooms
The Lost World View through to the Marina Sands hotel.
Pond in the The Lost World … at the top of the Cloud Forest.
Venus Fly Trap
Walk in the Clouds
Flowers in a Tumble
View from the Lost World, Cloud Forest… … like something from Pandora, the Supertrees are visible through the waterfall…
Under the Waterfall
Gardener In the large, cool Flower Dome, the mild, dry climates from various regions around the world are replicated.
Cactus The succulent garden within the Flower Dome contains various cacti, baobabs, and other succulents from the world’s arid zones.
Eastern Cowboys Weathered wood horsemen from Timor Leste.
Golden Coins In a central display area, the Lunar New Year is being celebrated.
Mother and Foal
Galloping Horses Featured sculptures: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay. Happy New Year!
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
Perhaps it is fitting that, in this “other world”, we had a dip-bucket rather than a shower, and we had no hot water in our open-air bathroom…
It’s certainly not a long drive, but it is an enjoyable one.
[…] As soon as we walked out of the park boundaries, we were back in the rubber plantations, much like those we’d seen, mile after mile, on the drive from Medan the day before. […]
[…] It was hard to leave the Gunung Leuser National Park, but our itinerary called for us to move on. And, much of the overall impression of any trip comes from the smaller things: the insights into day-to-day life, the “ordinary” landscapes, and the people you meet along the way, as you travel from one place to another (q.v. Ursula’s Weekly Wanders: Medan to Bukit Lawang). […]