We stopped after an hour and a half because it was part of the contractual deal with the taxi company. Their driver always stops at this "taxi terminal" I think because they feed the drivers for free in exchange for them bringing in customers. Exactly like Cracker Barrel! The restaurant had the usual assortment of foods and beverages, and featured free tea. We were interested by a few things, starting with the mountains of noodles ready to be eaten. They'd be heated in a wok before being served. It looks like they are ready for a big rush!
Crunchy fish goes great with a mountain of noodles.
These are some other meat and vegetable items, all swimming in hot sauce. The candle, we decided, was to keep the flies away.
Jacob helps himself to some free tea. Warm with lots of sugar. I had a cup of coffee (served in a normal clear glass) and it was super hot. I had to use a napkin doubled over for insulation. Of course it was loaded with sugar and floating grounds.
This is the route to the restroom, a sort walk through mounds of wet sand. Nothing like tracking big layers of sand into the squat toilet. The sand was there to support a construction effort that was not yet started. Given the erosion of the sand piles, I'd say it has been there for a long time.
In Medan we connected with Marnala, who was there supporting a government program to train teachers so they can get a designation of "officially certified" which doubles their base salary. We had just a few minutes with her and it was a tearful goodbye. She has been a great friend to us and have invested a great amount of time in helping make us comfortable and welcome. She is patient and kind and never stops trying to understand what we are saying. We will miss you Marnala!
Cruising along the streets of Medan we saw many interesting sites, perhaps less interesting than they would have been five weeks ago. This motorcyclist is carrying around two huge stacks of baskets. I don't know how he kept them from tipping over. The red and white banners along the sidewalk fence are being sold for the Aug. 17 Independence Day celebration.
After enjoying a tour of offices at Nommensen's Medan campus, the Rector (the big big boss) took us out for a very nice lunch. It was perfect until they serve the durian cake for dessert. Being brave travelers we had to take a few bites of this delight, which is the favorite of some Asians. This will never become a western favorite. Unfortunately it put a rather vile last taste in our mouths after a truly great meal. After getting in some good internet time on campus, we continued to the Palace for a tour. Kings of this area (around Medan) lived here until 1945, when they were thrown out, along with the Dutch colonists.
Crunchy fish goes great with a mountain of noodles.
These are some other meat and vegetable items, all swimming in hot sauce. The candle, we decided, was to keep the flies away.
Jacob helps himself to some free tea. Warm with lots of sugar. I had a cup of coffee (served in a normal clear glass) and it was super hot. I had to use a napkin doubled over for insulation. Of course it was loaded with sugar and floating grounds.
This is the route to the restroom, a sort walk through mounds of wet sand. Nothing like tracking big layers of sand into the squat toilet. The sand was there to support a construction effort that was not yet started. Given the erosion of the sand piles, I'd say it has been there for a long time.
In Medan we connected with Marnala, who was there supporting a government program to train teachers so they can get a designation of "officially certified" which doubles their base salary. We had just a few minutes with her and it was a tearful goodbye. She has been a great friend to us and have invested a great amount of time in helping make us comfortable and welcome. She is patient and kind and never stops trying to understand what we are saying. We will miss you Marnala!
Cruising along the streets of Medan we saw many interesting sites, perhaps less interesting than they would have been five weeks ago. This motorcyclist is carrying around two huge stacks of baskets. I don't know how he kept them from tipping over. The red and white banners along the sidewalk fence are being sold for the Aug. 17 Independence Day celebration.
After enjoying a tour of offices at Nommensen's Medan campus, the Rector (the big big boss) took us out for a very nice lunch. It was perfect until they serve the durian cake for dessert. Being brave travelers we had to take a few bites of this delight, which is the favorite of some Asians. This will never become a western favorite. Unfortunately it put a rather vile last taste in our mouths after a truly great meal. After getting in some good internet time on campus, we continued to the Palace for a tour. Kings of this area (around Medan) lived here until 1945, when they were thrown out, along with the Dutch colonists.Outside the palace we found a little building with a thatched roof. It housed the famous "Split Up Cannon" which you can read about in this sign.
First of all, it was really weird to have a sign in English. This was a baffler. It doesn't give a date, but the tour guide inside had a wrinkled piece of paper with the story also in English, with the date of 1630 for the event. So the deal is that the king of Aceh (northern kingdom) demanded that the royal family in Medan deliver their daughter as a concubine. Her brothers thought it would be fine for her to be the Queen of Aceh but not a concubine, so they send the king a rejection note. Of course this did not settle well with the King, so he sent his forces to attack. The two princes of Medan then changed forms to prepare for battle, one becoming a dragon and the other this cannon.
The cannon was fired non-stop during the battle and subsequently exploded. This section remains in Medan while the other is somewhere in the Caro (highland) region. The palace itself was pretty nice for a place that had been unoccupied since 1945. Here we stand in front of the "everyday" thrones.
The entry area just inside the front door was beautifully painted.
The main room was big enough to play basketball in, but there were no goals. This is the king's throne for formal sessions with visitors. I first thought it was his bed but Reina later was able to explain that the platform was really short because the king sat on it rather than laid down.
Reina has been a great friend to us and, though very busy with her responsibilities as Head of the English Department, wife and mother, has always made the time for us and our friendship.
The Dean bought a book about the kingdoms and the Dutch colonists and discussed the point of view of the author at great length. It seems the Dutch were quite brutal in their treatment of the locals, and the king was content with the arrangement because he received 1% of the Dutch profits from their operations in his kingdom.
This is the exterior view of the palace.
After leaving the palace it was time to head for the airport. The Dean enjoyed playing his Batak greatest hits music at high volume and doing some Batak dancing demonstrations as we drove along.
Traffic was quite heavy, it being rush hour, and there were boys selling Independence Day items. When I mentioned that we would like some then it became a priority to stop and get some. We tasked the Dean with being a tough negotiator and he conducted some tough bargaining with the boys, who will be great used car salesmen in the future.
We're nearly at the airport and this Sharp billboard caught my eye. These ladies are wearing the native headdresses, with the one on the left wearing our favorite one of the Simalungun.
This entryway to the Medan airport is decorated with the peaked roofs found in the traditional Batak houses.
As a final official act, the Dean gave each of us an official certificate verifying our work for and representing Nommensen.
First of all, it was really weird to have a sign in English. This was a baffler. It doesn't give a date, but the tour guide inside had a wrinkled piece of paper with the story also in English, with the date of 1630 for the event. So the deal is that the king of Aceh (northern kingdom) demanded that the royal family in Medan deliver their daughter as a concubine. Her brothers thought it would be fine for her to be the Queen of Aceh but not a concubine, so they send the king a rejection note. Of course this did not settle well with the King, so he sent his forces to attack. The two princes of Medan then changed forms to prepare for battle, one becoming a dragon and the other this cannon.
The cannon was fired non-stop during the battle and subsequently exploded. This section remains in Medan while the other is somewhere in the Caro (highland) region. The palace itself was pretty nice for a place that had been unoccupied since 1945. Here we stand in front of the "everyday" thrones.
The entry area just inside the front door was beautifully painted.
The main room was big enough to play basketball in, but there were no goals. This is the king's throne for formal sessions with visitors. I first thought it was his bed but Reina later was able to explain that the platform was really short because the king sat on it rather than laid down.Reina has been a great friend to us and, though very busy with her responsibilities as Head of the English Department, wife and mother, has always made the time for us and our friendship.
The Dean bought a book about the kingdoms and the Dutch colonists and discussed the point of view of the author at great length. It seems the Dutch were quite brutal in their treatment of the locals, and the king was content with the arrangement because he received 1% of the Dutch profits from their operations in his kingdom.
This is the exterior view of the palace.
Traffic was quite heavy, it being rush hour, and there were boys selling Independence Day items. When I mentioned that we would like some then it became a priority to stop and get some. We tasked the Dean with being a tough negotiator and he conducted some tough bargaining with the boys, who will be great used car salesmen in the future.
We're nearly at the airport and this Sharp billboard caught my eye. These ladies are wearing the native headdresses, with the one on the left wearing our favorite one of the Simalungun.
This entryway to the Medan airport is decorated with the peaked roofs found in the traditional Batak houses.
As a final official act, the Dean gave each of us an official certificate verifying our work for and representing Nommensen.
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