Welcome to day-1 of #rcruiseshiptravelog
Welcome to day-1 of new series of my travelog. This time, we go to Medan to attend our friend's wedding.
We took morning flight from Jakarta. Actually I liked how the Soekarno-Hatta Airport transforming. It's so easy to do self-service check-in using the provided machines. Especially if you dont bring any luggage. zap zap, and then you could enter the gate.
And then, there's a room with full of resting chairs, equipped with tv and charging station, with super cold temperature. As the first to arrive, I was waiting the others in that room. Well, I couldn't really enjoy it albeit empty, since the temperature was friiizinn.
The plane was quite empty, so we could choose our preferable seat :D
We arrived at Kualanamu International Airport. It was my first time visiting the airport. In my previous visits to Medan, I always went to Polonia which located in city center. Soo practical, wkwk. I do love some of the decoration in Kualanamu.
In the airport, we met with the others who flew with similar schedule.
We took morning flight from Jakarta. Actually I liked how the Soekarno-Hatta Airport transforming. It's so easy to do self-service check-in using the provided machines. Especially if you dont bring any luggage. zap zap, and then you could enter the gate.
And then, there's a room with full of resting chairs, equipped with tv and charging station, with super cold temperature. As the first to arrive, I was waiting the others in that room. Well, I couldn't really enjoy it albeit empty, since the temperature was friiizinn.
The plane was quite empty, so we could choose our preferable seat :D
We arrived at Kualanamu International Airport. It was my first time visiting the airport. In my previous visits to Medan, I always went to Polonia which located in city center. Soo practical, wkwk. I do love some of the decoration in Kualanamu.
In the airport, we met with the others who flew with similar schedule.
08:09. Our rented car with its driver was already waiting. Oh wait, paw was the driver. lol. From the airport, we dropped our bag in our accommodation, plus picked alfi up.
In the first pic is Masjid Raya Medan, or often called Masjid Raya Al-Mashun, built in 1902-1906, long before Indonesia Independence Day. I think it's so elegant. I didnt expect that a building pre-Independence could be that grande, and it's not built by colonial. Perhaps will go there on next my visit to Medan.
Second pic: inside the accommodation.
Third pic: pillow face! lol. and why my glasses were purple!
In the first pic is Masjid Raya Medan, or often called Masjid Raya Al-Mashun, built in 1902-1906, long before Indonesia Independence Day. I think it's so elegant. I didnt expect that a building pre-Independence could be that grande, and it's not built by colonial. Perhaps will go there on next my visit to Medan.
Second pic: inside the accommodation.
Third pic: pillow face! lol. and why my glasses were purple!
10:02. We headed to the breakfast spots. Yes, spots, with 's' (plural). Winda acted as our guide during our trip in Medan. They were actually located nearby our accommodation, thankfully.
First destination was RM Sinar Pagi (since 1961) which served Soto Medan. Winda actually recommended its lung menu as her favorite. But unfortunately, it's already sold out! Well the name is sinar pagi, dan kita ke sananya udah ga gitu pagi sih. Jadi, ya memang sudah risikonya kalau kehabisan.
I ordered half portion only, since I knew that we planned to go to multiple spots, so I had to reserve space in my belly.
The soto was awesome! the broth was savory and delicious. I tried so hard to not order another portion. The peyek udang (what do you call it?) nya juga enak!
Then, we went to next stop: Kedai Kopi Apek. Kedai kopi Apek ini sudah ada sejak tahun 1923 yang didirikan oleh Thia Tjo Lie atau yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan Apek. Nama Apek diambil dari bahasa Tionghoa yang artinya kakek (maap hasil copas ni).
Menu andalan kedai ini diantaranya, kopi Mandailing dan telur ayam setengah matang serta roti bakar selai srikaya.
Uniknya, kedai ini tidak menggunakan kompor atau mesin pemanas untuk mendidihkan airnya. Hanya menggunakan tungku yang di dalamnya ada kayu bakar.
Berhubung saat itu masih pagi, jadi makanan yang sudah ada pun terbatas. Serba salah ya, di resto sebelumnya kesiangan, di sini kepagian.
First destination was RM Sinar Pagi (since 1961) which served Soto Medan. Winda actually recommended its lung menu as her favorite. But unfortunately, it's already sold out! Well the name is sinar pagi, dan kita ke sananya udah ga gitu pagi sih. Jadi, ya memang sudah risikonya kalau kehabisan.
I ordered half portion only, since I knew that we planned to go to multiple spots, so I had to reserve space in my belly.
The soto was awesome! the broth was savory and delicious. I tried so hard to not order another portion. The peyek udang (what do you call it?) nya juga enak!
Then, we went to next stop: Kedai Kopi Apek. Kedai kopi Apek ini sudah ada sejak tahun 1923 yang didirikan oleh Thia Tjo Lie atau yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan Apek. Nama Apek diambil dari bahasa Tionghoa yang artinya kakek (maap hasil copas ni).
Menu andalan kedai ini diantaranya, kopi Mandailing dan telur ayam setengah matang serta roti bakar selai srikaya.
Uniknya, kedai ini tidak menggunakan kompor atau mesin pemanas untuk mendidihkan airnya. Hanya menggunakan tungku yang di dalamnya ada kayu bakar.
Berhubung saat itu masih pagi, jadi makanan yang sudah ada pun terbatas. Serba salah ya, di resto sebelumnya kesiangan, di sini kepagian.
11:51 ~sorry for the blurry pic. Our plan actually only consisted of culinary spots. However, we were aware that our desire was constrained by our belly's space. Ga muat cuy. So from the second culinary spot, we decided to take a break and took a detour: visiting Rahmat International Wildlife Museum and Gallery, yang termasuk dalam natural history museum. Museum ini dimiliki dan didirikan oleh Rahmat Shah, ayah dari aktris Raline Shah.
Singkat cerita, ini adalah museum yang isinya berupa hewan-hewan hasil buruan yang diawetkan. Hmm, emang berburu boleh? Nah, katanya ada yang namanya Perburuan Konservasi. Jadi, katanya berburu sesuai aturan yang berlaku demi menambah populasi. Emang bisa? Dugaanku sih mengikuti prinsip yang ada di piramida makanan ya. Kalau populasi pemangsa terlalu besar, bisa-bisa nanti terjadi ketidakseimbangan. Ataupun memburu binatang yang sudah tua, sehingga "aman" untuk diburu.
Walaupun ya, kalau baca lebih jauh, tentang hal ini banyak kontroversi sih. jadi, legal hunting ini katanya salah satu alasan diperbolehkan adalah karena salah satu sumber utama pendanaan untuk konservasi. Jadi, daripada ada perburuan liar, mending perburuan legal dengan harga mahal dan termonitor dengan baik. Begitu katanya. Saya ga riset lebih jauh sih.
Waktu itu museumnya sepi, waktu di parkirannya pun hanya kami seorang (padahal 7 orang). Kirain tutup, karena kami hanya disambut oleh landak-landak di kandang. Untungnya buka. Dan ternyata dalemnya bersih dan terawat dengan sangat baik ya.
Koleksinya sangat menarik, walau saya lebih senang melihat binatang hidup daripada yang sudah diawetkan ya. Spot favorit saya adalah di section 'Night Safari', karena dibuat lebih niat dibandingkan bagian lainnya (third slide).
Last photo: coplo goat aka kambing koplo
Singkat cerita, ini adalah museum yang isinya berupa hewan-hewan hasil buruan yang diawetkan. Hmm, emang berburu boleh? Nah, katanya ada yang namanya Perburuan Konservasi. Jadi, katanya berburu sesuai aturan yang berlaku demi menambah populasi. Emang bisa? Dugaanku sih mengikuti prinsip yang ada di piramida makanan ya. Kalau populasi pemangsa terlalu besar, bisa-bisa nanti terjadi ketidakseimbangan. Ataupun memburu binatang yang sudah tua, sehingga "aman" untuk diburu.
Walaupun ya, kalau baca lebih jauh, tentang hal ini banyak kontroversi sih. jadi, legal hunting ini katanya salah satu alasan diperbolehkan adalah karena salah satu sumber utama pendanaan untuk konservasi. Jadi, daripada ada perburuan liar, mending perburuan legal dengan harga mahal dan termonitor dengan baik. Begitu katanya. Saya ga riset lebih jauh sih.
Waktu itu museumnya sepi, waktu di parkirannya pun hanya kami seorang (padahal 7 orang). Kirain tutup, karena kami hanya disambut oleh landak-landak di kandang. Untungnya buka. Dan ternyata dalemnya bersih dan terawat dengan sangat baik ya.
Koleksinya sangat menarik, walau saya lebih senang melihat binatang hidup daripada yang sudah diawetkan ya. Spot favorit saya adalah di section 'Night Safari', karena dibuat lebih niat dibandingkan bagian lainnya (third slide).
Last photo: coplo goat aka kambing koplo
Rahmat Shah telah mendapatkan penghargaan tertinggi dari Safari Club International (SCI) 'African Big Five Award'. SCI merupakan Club berburu International yang diakui oleh seluruh dunia. Dan beliau merupakan orang Indonesia pertama yang mendapatkan penghargaan ini pada tahun 1996. African Big Five yaitu gajah, badak putih, banteng afrika, singa dan macan tutul afrika. (semua hewan ini boleh diburu di Afrika dengan aturan, seperti gajah diburu kalau gadingnya minimal 1,5 meter di Tanzania dan harus di atas 50 pounds untuk daerah Afrika lainnya. Hal tersebut menunjukan kalau hewan itu sudah tua).
The museum displays various collections of wildlife from the smallest to the largest according to the habitat. Koleksinya pun menurut saya sangat lengkap dan menarik. Museum ini katanya galeri sejenis yang pertama di Asia.
The museum displays various collections of wildlife from the smallest to the largest according to the habitat. Koleksinya pun menurut saya sangat lengkap dan menarik. Museum ini katanya galeri sejenis yang pertama di Asia.
14:03 After our stomach was ready to be filled (again), we headed to the next stop: RM Tabona. From the 3 culinary spots that we visited so far that day, this was the largest.
Menu utamanya adalah bihun kari, bisa pilih mau pakai jeroan ataupun daging. Saya pilih daging saja lah ya. Bihun kari pun disajikan dengan kentang dan juga ayam. Wait, ayam? Iya, jadi ada daging sapi dan juga ayam reunian di mangkuk kari ini. Protein galore!.
Menurut saya, rasanya lezat! Kuahnya sangat kental dan gurih. Kekenyalan bihunnya pun pas! Ok, just by imagining it is enough to make me hungry.
.
RM Tabona ini katanya berawal dari Pematang Siantar tahun 70an, kemudian buka di Medan tahun 80an. Wah klasik ya. Nah, ternyata katanya sudah buka juga di Pluit dan Muara Karang di Jakarta.
Anyway, actually I tried to avoid posting food pic on the feed in this acct, but I've no good pic of the place :/.
Menu utamanya adalah bihun kari, bisa pilih mau pakai jeroan ataupun daging. Saya pilih daging saja lah ya. Bihun kari pun disajikan dengan kentang dan juga ayam. Wait, ayam? Iya, jadi ada daging sapi dan juga ayam reunian di mangkuk kari ini. Protein galore!.
Menurut saya, rasanya lezat! Kuahnya sangat kental dan gurih. Kekenyalan bihunnya pun pas! Ok, just by imagining it is enough to make me hungry.
.
RM Tabona ini katanya berawal dari Pematang Siantar tahun 70an, kemudian buka di Medan tahun 80an. Wah klasik ya. Nah, ternyata katanya sudah buka juga di Pluit dan Muara Karang di Jakarta.
Anyway, actually I tried to avoid posting food pic on the feed in this acct, but I've no good pic of the place :/.
Es Krim Ria. Actually I was already full, so didn't order much: Es Krim Ria (of course), Martabak, and Sate Padang as the snack. For the ice cream, we ordered es krim soda, as one of its specialties. Another option was es krim buah.
This ice cream joint was opened since 1936 (another old merchant we visited that day!). Es Krim Ria dibuat pendirinya dalam bentuk wujud happy (senang). Nama tersebut menurutnya bermakna pengungkapan senang ketika menikmati Es Krim Ria.
For me, the taste of ice cream was okay, but not memorable. Perhaps because I wasn't hungry that time. The other foods' taste also forgettable. Hmm, perhaps other culinaries that we tasted earlier were just superior.
After that, we went back to our accommodation to ... eat! Kidding, to take a rest and do some prep before attending the event later at night. Well, I ordered some dimsum nelayan for afternoon snack. lol.
The accommodation actually is adjacent to the Old Medan City Hall that's been refunctioned as a restaurant.
The city hall was built in 1908 during the Dutch colonial period, as kilometre zero in Medan, and was originally built for De Javasche Bank (now Bank Indonesia).
This ice cream joint was opened since 1936 (another old merchant we visited that day!). Es Krim Ria dibuat pendirinya dalam bentuk wujud happy (senang). Nama tersebut menurutnya bermakna pengungkapan senang ketika menikmati Es Krim Ria.
For me, the taste of ice cream was okay, but not memorable. Perhaps because I wasn't hungry that time. The other foods' taste also forgettable. Hmm, perhaps other culinaries that we tasted earlier were just superior.
After that, we went back to our accommodation to ... eat! Kidding, to take a rest and do some prep before attending the event later at night. Well, I ordered some dimsum nelayan for afternoon snack. lol.
The accommodation actually is adjacent to the Old Medan City Hall that's been refunctioned as a restaurant.
The city hall was built in 1908 during the Dutch colonial period, as kilometre zero in Medan, and was originally built for De Javasche Bank (now Bank Indonesia).
Dance til drop, like, literally. You could see the change from super power in the first video until low-bat mode in the last. lol.
So, at night, we visit our friends' wedding ceremony, that thankfully the traditional ritual had already finished earlier. Since it could be very long! Haha.
When we arrived, there was no one on the stage where the dais was. I thought we were late! Finally we saw the bride and groom, and they were gorgeous.
We were the first the one to take the food in the banquet, felt honored. (nope, we didn't ask to be prioritized ya. altho we were actually hungry. lol).
and then, yeah, we went to the stage to take the photo with the couple, and dance!
Could you see how happy and ecstatic we were? especially in the first few videos. But at the last video, we were exhausted! lol. I thought it's around 10 mins that we were dancing on the stage!
Apparently the musicians just won't stop to play the music until we give them the code to stop. hahaha.
A really good time!
So, at night, we visit our friends' wedding ceremony, that thankfully the traditional ritual had already finished earlier. Since it could be very long! Haha.
When we arrived, there was no one on the stage where the dais was. I thought we were late! Finally we saw the bride and groom, and they were gorgeous.
We were the first the one to take the food in the banquet, felt honored. (nope, we didn't ask to be prioritized ya. altho we were actually hungry. lol).
and then, yeah, we went to the stage to take the photo with the couple, and dance!
Could you see how happy and ecstatic we were? especially in the first few videos. But at the last video, we were exhausted! lol. I thought it's around 10 mins that we were dancing on the stage!
Apparently the musicians just won't stop to play the music until we give them the code to stop. hahaha.
A really good time!
After attending the wedding, we continued our culinary journey. This time we went to Nasgor Komdak, located in Kampung Madras.
Wiki said ~ Kampung Madras is the Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. It hosts a large Indian community (mostly Tamil).
In the mid-nineteenth century, the colonial Dutch began importing Indian labor to work on Sumatran plantations and to construct roads, trenches, and dykes; today, Sumatra is home to as many as 60,000 people of Indian descent, many of whom reside in Medan.
This area was originally called Patisah (Tamil: பெடிசாஹ்), and the name became a district in Medan called Petisah. The enclave's name changed to Kampung Madras to reflect the native land of the people of Indian descent who reside there. However, many people still refer to the place as Kampung Keling, a more derogatory term that may be offensive to some of its residents and others.
You know, the lighting from the temples at night were so cool! It reminded me of the atmosphere of Little India in Singapore or KL. I didn't know that Medan had such a place, although it's my third time in Medan. And I also didn't know about the history of Kampung Keling before. I feel so enlightened. lol. Thanks wiki!
Our first destination in Kampung Madras was Nasi Goreng Komdak. It's a good one! And yes, we ordered shared menu, since we already ate at the wedding earlier.
Wiki said ~ Kampung Madras is the Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. It hosts a large Indian community (mostly Tamil).
In the mid-nineteenth century, the colonial Dutch began importing Indian labor to work on Sumatran plantations and to construct roads, trenches, and dykes; today, Sumatra is home to as many as 60,000 people of Indian descent, many of whom reside in Medan.
This area was originally called Patisah (Tamil: பெடிசாஹ்), and the name became a district in Medan called Petisah. The enclave's name changed to Kampung Madras to reflect the native land of the people of Indian descent who reside there. However, many people still refer to the place as Kampung Keling, a more derogatory term that may be offensive to some of its residents and others.
You know, the lighting from the temples at night were so cool! It reminded me of the atmosphere of Little India in Singapore or KL. I didn't know that Medan had such a place, although it's my third time in Medan. And I also didn't know about the history of Kampung Keling before. I feel so enlightened. lol. Thanks wiki!
Our first destination in Kampung Madras was Nasi Goreng Komdak. It's a good one! And yes, we ordered shared menu, since we already ate at the wedding earlier.
6th culinary spot that day aka 7th merchant (one is delivery order): Kwetiau Akuang. It's within walking distance from Nasgor Komdak. Despite its chinese name, don't worry, it's halal! The joint was opened since 1960s – with a wok and a spatula, Kwetiau Akuang has since became one of the legendary culinary spots in town. The stall was named after the current owner’s dad, the O.G person behind the wok, the late Mr. Akuang.
The Kwetiau is stir-fried with oil, fishball, veggies, and also shrimps. Because it’s stir-fried on a wok with charcoal as a source of heat, the smoky flavor is enhanced—both from the aroma and the taste. They primarily use duck egg instead of chicken egg, and it gives richer taste.
And I loved it like A LOT! I know, it's my 3rd dinner, but it's just so good. It's different than any other kwetiau's that I ever had. So so good.
8th merchant: Martabak Piring. While waiting for our driver to pick us up, we ordered Martabak Piring, basically martabak that was cooked on a plate. I don't really remember the taste. lol.
The Kwetiau is stir-fried with oil, fishball, veggies, and also shrimps. Because it’s stir-fried on a wok with charcoal as a source of heat, the smoky flavor is enhanced—both from the aroma and the taste. They primarily use duck egg instead of chicken egg, and it gives richer taste.
And I loved it like A LOT! I know, it's my 3rd dinner, but it's just so good. It's different than any other kwetiau's that I ever had. So so good.
8th merchant: Martabak Piring. While waiting for our driver to pick us up, we ordered Martabak Piring, basically martabak that was cooked on a plate. I don't really remember the taste. lol.
9th and final food merchant that day: Duriaaan as the dessert at the legendary durian ucok.
It's open 24/7 and if you dont like the durian that was served to you, you can ask to change it with the new one.
Actually the "rejected" ones wont become a waste, since it'll be used to be processed for other form of durian as food (eg. pancake durian, es krim durian, and so on).
Oh, how I do miss it!
It's open 24/7 and if you dont like the durian that was served to you, you can ask to change it with the new one.
Actually the "rejected" ones wont become a waste, since it'll be used to be processed for other form of durian as food (eg. pancake durian, es krim durian, and so on).
Oh, how I do miss it!
