Oct. 1, 2009
Melaka to Bukit Tinggi
The boat from Melaka to Dumai costs a steep RM 119 and is indeed more expensive than flights. However, I am excited about the idea of crossing the Strait of Melaka.
The boat left at 10 am and took 3 hours to reach Dumai. On the way only limited ships could be seen. Dumai is an industrial town. An oil refinery can be seen on the sea long before the pier.
Getting a 7 day visa on arrival (US$10) was no hassle. Somebody directed me to the right room and they did everything including the stamp. After immigration, I followed a “helper” who directed me to a mini-van company that runs the Dumai – Padang trip. There is no official money changer at the pier so I ended up changing money at a shop directed by the “helper” in town. At the end he just wanted a Rp 20,000 tip and that was fine for me.
The mini-van company is called BMW 2000. They have offices in a few cities in West Sumatra and charged Rp130,000 per person for the journey from Dumai to Bukit Tinggi. The mini-van left around 2 p.m. It took exactly 10 hours to reach Bukit Tinggi.
A day earlier, a strong earthquake hit Padang, just 90 km from Bukit Tinggi. To be safe, I phoned a guest house called Merdeka Home Stay while in Dumai and booked a room for the night (Rp 90,000). When I reached it there, the town seemed perfectly OK without any signs of earthquake.
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| Approaching Dumai |
Oct. 2, 2009
Bukit Tinggi
I have to say that Bukit Tinggi is a lovely town with numerous Minangkabau style buildings around, including the clock tower, many hotels and even the fire station. The two major attractions in town – The Sianok Canyon (Rp 4,000) and Fort de Kock (Rp 8,000 combined with the zoo) are worth seeing as well. Both are within easy reach on foot.
Getting a good bus to Parapat is not a lot of fun. Opelet #19 passes Merdeka Home Stay and terminates at Aur Kuning Bus Station for Rp 2,000 (20-30 minutes). The bus station is a big chaos with numerous bus companies serving similar routes. I finally found the ANS booth in the back and an old man there gladly sold me a ticket to Parapat for Rp 225,000. He said the bus originated from Padang and should arrive in Bukit Tinggi around 3 p.m. However, the bus was almost 2 hours late and when it did arrive, I noticed it was not an ANS bus, but a Bus Pariwisata bus instead. I chatted with a passenger on the bus who can speak English and boarded the bus from Padang. He only paid Rp. 185,000. The first rip-off in Sumatra.
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| Fire Station in Bukit Tinggi |
Oct. 3, 2009
Toba Lake
Despite the high price, the bus was reasonably comfortable and arrived at Parapat around 7 a.m., enough time to catch a boat from Ajibata to Tuk Tuk at 8:30 a.m. (a mini-bus took me to the pier from the main road for Rp 2,000). The boat costs Rp 7,000 and takes about 30 minutes to cross the lake. It was a pleasant trip despite one guy on the boat trying hard to sell his guest house at Samosir Cottages to all tourists onboard. Once he learned that I would not stay at his cottages, he got quite upset.
I got off at the public pier at Tuk Tuk and talked to the first “Tourist Information” shop I saw. An old guy there speaks good English and helped arrange a half day motorcycle tour on Samosir Island for Rp 125,000. I knew it was a quite high price but didn’t have much choice due to tight schedule. I first dropped by the Stone Chairs (Rp 2,000) at Ambarita, then hurried to Simanindo to watch the 10:30 a.m. traditional Batak dance (Rp 30,000). The show was not too bad although they tried to lure tips/donations from the audiences. Most of the audiences were package tours anyway and they seemed quite happy to get into it.
The hot spring near Pangururan is nice and clean although the road going there is in poor condition. The hot spring is free although everyone has to pass a restaurant to get there. I ended up having lunch at the restaurant and the food was so-so. And the motorcycle driver asked me to pay for his coffee and tea!
I took the 2 p.m. “Executive” mini-bus from Pangururan to Berastagi and paid Rp 70,000 for the 4 hour trip (I knew it was a rip-off but it was charged by the staff at the bus station – what could I do?)
At Berastagi, I first checked out Wisma Sibayak but they didn’t have hot water there. Then I went to Sibayak Guest House Losmen of the same owner. They said they had a shared room with hot water (not free) and I decided to stay (Rp 60,000). In the evening, the machine didn’t generate any hot water and the men didn’t seem to care!
As for dinner, Eropah Restaurant had very good Chinese food although not cheap (about Rp 50,000).
Oct. 4, 2009
Sibayak Volcano
I hired a guide at Sibayak Guest House Losmen (they also run a travel agency) for Rp 120,000. The tour started around 9 a.m. First we took a bus to the foot of the volcano (not the hot spring side) – it saved about 2 hours walking. Then it was a not-too-difficult climb to the crater. When we reached it there, it was just 12 noon and some local people were there doing some rituals. The guide told me that most of the water in the crater is actually from the rain and only a small part of it comes from the volcano.
The path downhill is quite steep and slippery. I got hurt two times. It took more than two hours. At the foot of the mountain, there is a paved road and the hot springs are on the left side (about 10 minute walk). The pools there charge Rp 2,000 – 4,000 and are not very clean, maybe because so many people use the facilities. A mini-bus from the town back to Berastagi costs Rp 5,000.
At the bus station in Berastagi, it took one hour for the bus to Medan to finally leave (Rp 15,000). It didn’t terminate at Pinang Baris so I spent quite sometime to finally get to the center of the city.
Finding a hotel with hot water at reasonable price in Medan is like rocket science. I finally found a place called Hotel Sumatera for Rp 200,000 (including breakfast). They have hot water but not in the shower!
Oct. 5, 2009
Bukit Lawang
Medan is a very big but highly polluted city. There is not much to see except some quick photos at Mesjid Raya and Istana Maimoon. Pinang Baris Bus Station is in the west part of the city, quite far from the center. When I reached it there, I didn’t see any buses going to Bukit Lawang. Two young guys put me to a yellow bus and asked me to pay Rp 35,000. They left the bus immediately after getting the money. It turned out the yellow bus terminates at Binjai and I was put in another mini-van for Bukit Lawang. The two young guys made a profit for this!
The journey took about 3 hours totally from Pinang Baris to Bukit Lawang Bus Station where the owner of the new but expensive Eco Lodge greeted me and tried to get my business. The thing is that although Eco Lodge is newer and more spacious, it still doesn’t have hot water that makes the Rp 155,000 price tag not worth it. He then recommended his sister’s Wisma Leuser Sibayak. At Rp 60,000, this seems to be a better value.
The same guy also arranged a half day trekking for Rp 225,000 including permit. Although the trekking only lasted less than 3 hours, I was lucky enough to see an orangutan just one hour after starting the trekking. And it was really a close touch with the giant animal – some fun indeed.
As in most tourist spots in Sumatra, dinner was expensive and not so delicious, especially the pizza. Very slow service made it even worse.
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| A Wild Orangutan near Bukit Lawang |
Oct. 6, 2009
Bukit Lawang to Penang
The trip back to Medan was more straightforward with a fixed fare of Rp 20,000. At Pinang Baris, Opelet #64 passes the airport on the way to Amplas Bus Station.
The Air Asia flight to Penang cost only Rp 289,000, making it a better choice than the 6 hour ferry for the same route.
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| Medan Airport |
Overview
The sights in Sumatra are definitely worth seeing. However, numerous rip-offs in transportation can make the trip slightly unpleasant. Accommodation is reasonably priced but hot water can be a big issue in budget places. Local food is very spicy but alternatives can usually be found especially at tourist spots, although the taste is so-so.
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