Since we arrived in Medan late in the evening, we didn’t really get a chance to look around. So Eric and I decide to do a little exploring before we head north to Bukit Lawang.
There’s an old saying “if you can’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” It also applies to cities, which is why my write up on Medan is so short.
After breakfast, we pack up our bags and head to the bus station.
Sumatra has an interesting bus system… one that takes us a bit to figure out. It can be a little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it makes perfect sense. Let me try and explain it.
In larger cities, like Medan, there are multiple stations depending on where you are heading. If you want to take a public bus south, there is usually a specific station located on the southern outskirts of the city. If you want to take a public bus north, then there is another station located on the northern outskirts of the city. If you want to go east or west, they are usually paired off with either the northern or southern bus stations. Unless they’re not, in which case they each have their own specific bus station.
A quick point on the term “bus station”. Sometimes a bus station is actually a large building or parking lot meant for buses. Other times it’s just a specific intersection where all the buses leave. And sometimes it’s both – a bus will leave the actual bus station and then drive down the road to a corner and wait for more people to get on. As well, when it comes to public buses there are specific drop-off and pick-up points along the way. But you can also flag any bus down and get on it and then tell the driver exactly where you want to get off.
If you want to take a private bus, they each have their own offices where you pick up the bus. But they also have offices at the public bus stations and you can pick them up from there as well. They too have specific drop-off and pick-up points along the way, but you can also flag any private bus down and get on it and then tell the driver exactly where you want to get off.
To get around the various towns and cities, you can take taxis which are more expensive and rarely use the meter, so you have to negotiate the price ahead of time. The other option is to use the local transport system, which consist of opelets. An “opelet” is essentially a cargo van, but shorter, with bench seats that line the sides of the vehicle. These have semi-specific routes which start and finish at the various bus stations. When you see the one you want, you flag it down and hop on. When you see your stop, you let the driver know and he’ll let you off. Of course, you never have to worry about looking for an opelet – they go up and down their route, honking their horns non-stop to get your attention. If you want one, turn around. If not, you better learn how to tune them out or you’ll go insane from the varieties of “honks”, “beeps”, “jingles” and “bells”. The fare is typically a standard rate, though it’s good to clarify it ahead of time… you’ll see why later on. The big problem with opelets is that they are not designed for people carrying big backpacks and I often get myself caught on the door when trying to get in. So you can imagine the muffled laughs I receive while entering.
So there you have it – Indonesia’s bus system in a nutshell. Any questions?
Eric and I easily catch the correct opelet to get ourselves to the north/west bus station, which is where we need to be to catch a public/local bus to Bukit Lawang… today’s first goal.
We are learning that travelling with step-by-step goals is a less stressful way to deal with unknowns and changing variables.
We get ourselves settled on the bus and wait.
I forgot to mention that when it comes to departure times with public buses, there are none. The bus will leave when the ticket collector feels there are enough people to justify the start of the journey. This also applies somewhat to private buses, though not as bad.
We wait for about 45 minutes before we take off, which actually isn’t too bad.
On the bus ride, we meet a guy named “Bubba”, who is from Bukit Lawang. He’s very friendly and speaks English impressively well. We later discover he is a local guide for the jungle treks and recruits guests to stay at a particular hotel in the area. Since it turns out the hotel he recruits for is one of the places we are considering staying at, we follow him to the Ecolodge. It’s a beautiful place, set on the edge of Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser (Gunung Leuser National Park) and overlooking a river with a small set of rapids.
Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser is the reason Eric and I have decided to come here. We want to hike in a Sumatran rainforest and look for wild orangutans. In order to do so, the national park dictates that anyone wanting to hike in the jungle must do so with a guide. So we check into the Ecolodge and then head out to look for a guide and then find some dinner.
We end up hiring Bubba because he’s knowledgeable, friendly and a great marketer – he proudly shows off a book filled with notes and recommendations from other clients. Eric and I are now even more excited to leave on our trek, so to celebrate we go in search of dinner.
We find a little place, just off the main road, called “Warung Yusri”. “Warung” is the Indonesian word for “café” or “little restaurant”. The owner, Rita, is super-friendly and when Eric and I aren’t sure what to order, she tells us not to worry and prepares us a feast of local dishes – grilled chicken, gado gado, tempeh, mixed vegetables, perkadells (I’ve spelt it phonetically… I don’t know how it is really spelt) and rice.
The food is AMAZING and Rita is a great host – she cooks for us, lets us enjoy our meal and then sits down to chat with us and teaches us names of new vegetables, dishes, etc.
Needless to say you will see a pattern to our eating habits while in Bukit Lawang.
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