So I knew from my research that Medan was a city of great diversity and rich history...but I couldn't have anticipated the joys of exploring this city as a result of this cultural blending. First, there is the food. It's so delicious and for me of the rice-based diet, it's pure heaven. Then, there are the interesting shopping districts such as the textile area that Dustin and I visited last Saturday where literally there was an Arabic family running a shop next to a Chinese vendor next to an Indian store next to an Indonesian shop...all selling the most beautiful fabrics (batiks, embroidered...) and all with a different flourish and technique. While there is certainly some ethnic tension (particularly vocalized by some Batak and Malay Indonesians I have met toward the Chinese community which has been most successful in terms of achieving middle-class dreams and controlling business and banking in much of Medan), to visit the textile district one would think that they had landed in a true and harmonious melting pot.
This city is interesting on other levels - such as the miracle of day-to-day transportation and basic functioning. The infrastructure is inadequate, as one would guess for a developing nation and it is amazing to watch people navigate these small, dirty, pock-marked streets. Add to that the very dense traffic and no real traffic rules and you can imagine the chaos...and yet it all moves along smoothly, somehow. I marvel at the girls and women who brave these streets on mopeds and motorcycles. Yesterday I saw three generations on one bike - mom driving and grandma holding the baby on the backseat. I've even seen a family of five on one bike. Amazing! I myself am sticking to becaks, taxis, and foot...and the generosity of my new friends and hosts with private cars. People keep asking if I want to learn to drive a motorbike...yikes! Those who know how much I hate driving (and how poor I actually am at it) know that's a terrible idea - especially in crazy conditions like this!
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| A view of the city from the rather posh Aryaduta Hotel. |
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| The city is dark at night, save for the decorative lights many places string out. |
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| There is a great deal of construction and renovation happening here in Medan. In the city center, there are shells of buildings, like the one seen here, right next to fancy malls or busy residential streets. |
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| Sweet and fried are two favorite tastes here in Medan...thus this Chicken and Cake Shop, I guess. |
