'Beca' or otherwise trishaw or pedicab is a common kind of transport or preferable choice of transport to get around within the city center of Medan. With minimum charge of Rp1,000 for a one way ride to Medan Plaza, we reckoned there was nothing to negotiate about the price.
The ride took us through the polluted (industrial) city of Medan. Apart from 'beca', Angkota bus (the yellow mini bus) is another alternative way of transport in Medan or if it rains.
The 3rd largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta and Surabaya. Like any other poor city in South East Asia, Medan City experiences problems with transportation, air pollution, traffic congestion and vehicular growth that keeps increasing year by year in accordance with the city's economic and population growth- that was what we were told.
In short it's a polluted, noisy and dirty city. The city where child labour is still widely used today.
The 3rd largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta and Surabaya. Like any other poor city in South East Asia, Medan City experiences problems with transportation, air pollution, traffic congestion and vehicular growth that keeps increasing year by year in accordance with the city's economic and population growth- that was what we were told.
In short it's a polluted, noisy and dirty city. The city where child labour is still widely used today.
The town on our way to Lake Toba.
Medan came about from a little village to a city today due to its vast potential for agriculture's volcanically enriched soil. During the Dutch colonial era, tea, coffee, tobacco and rubber were produced with imported Chinese labour, resulting in one of the largest populations of Chinese anywhere in Indonesia.
Then in 1960s due to the assimilation into the new order under President Suharto's (strong advocate for Chinese assimilation) government and as part of 1967's 'Basic Policy for the Solution of the Chinese Problem' and other measures, all but one Chinese-language papers were closed, all Chinese religious expressions had to be confined to their homes, Chinese-language schools were phased out, Chinese script in public places was banned, and Chinese were encouraged to take on Indonesian-sounding names.
We met a street vendor who spoke Hokkien fluently to us, he was telling us about how he got his Indonesian name although he's a Chinese. Speaking Chinese in public places was banned during the 1960s assimilation period, according to him.
Medan came about from a little village to a city today due to its vast potential for agriculture's volcanically enriched soil. During the Dutch colonial era, tea, coffee, tobacco and rubber were produced with imported Chinese labour, resulting in one of the largest populations of Chinese anywhere in Indonesia.
Then in 1960s due to the assimilation into the new order under President Suharto's (strong advocate for Chinese assimilation) government and as part of 1967's 'Basic Policy for the Solution of the Chinese Problem' and other measures, all but one Chinese-language papers were closed, all Chinese religious expressions had to be confined to their homes, Chinese-language schools were phased out, Chinese script in public places was banned, and Chinese were encouraged to take on Indonesian-sounding names.
We met a street vendor who spoke Hokkien fluently to us, he was telling us about how he got his Indonesian name although he's a Chinese. Speaking Chinese in public places was banned during the 1960s assimilation period, according to him.
We rented a mini bus and visited a small village on the outskirts of Medan before heading to the famous Lake Toba. It was the afternoon after the rain, the path that leads to our host's house in the village was muddy. We observed most villagers on the outskirts were truly in need of clean water which in this poor region, it was hard to come by.
Perhaps, to own a sow and boar is considered wealthy to the farmers to escape the cycle of poverty.
From the village, it took us few hours ride in the mini bus to the mountain village of Brastagi in the Karo highlands.
From the village, it took us few hours ride in the mini bus to the mountain village of Brastagi in the Karo highlands.
Then to a dip in hot volcanic springs.
The stunning view of Lake Toba.
0 comments:
Post a Comment