Discovering The Hidden Gems of Medan In Not More Than RM660 / SGD220

MJ, Richard and I have known each other for 8 years and despite having gone on several staycation and weekend road trips, we have never traveled abroad together. So when AirAsia was having their promo last year in June, we decided to finally do a backpacking trip to Medan, Indonesia. Tagging along is two other friends, but one had to bail out 2 months before the trip due to personal reasons and the other one stood us up few days prior to departure. Richard had just sprained his ankle a week earlier and MJ had just recently change job but we all decided to go ahead with the trip no matter what. It's something we had decided a year ago, and we refuse to cancel it. So off we go, even if it's just the 3 of us.




Day 1: KLIA2 > Kuala Namu Airport > Medan City

The day has finally come and our flight was scheduled to depart from KLIA2 at 8pm but it was delayed by about an hour. The flight took off around 9pm and reached Kuala Namu Airport at approximately 9pm local time. After clearing immigration, we walked over to the bus terminal just outside of the airport and boarded the city bus (RP20,000 per person / RM6 / SGD2) to Jalan Halat, the street where our hotel, Carolina Transit is located. The city bus is unexpectedly small and cramped even for someone as petite as I am, even if you were to board without a backpack. The seat is basically smaller than AirAsia's and the leg room is approximately less than 20cm apart. We waited in the bus until it is full before the driver set off. The bus stopped at several stops until we finally reach Jalan Halat. We alighted and asked for direction to go to Carolina Transit. After checking in and putting down our backpack, we set off to find some food to fill our growling stomach. Unfortunately, it's passed 10.30pm and the place we set our mind to go for food hunting (Jalan Selat Panjang at Chinatown, heard there's a lot of nice local food there... if only our flight wasn't delayed T.T) is closed at 10pm, so we asked the hotel reception for some recommendation on Martabak, local Indonesian pancake.

"If Plan A didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters! Stay cool"

The friendly reception directed us to a place called Makyung which is only about 5 minutes walk away. We were expecting some hawker stall on the roadside only to realise it's a cafe. It was quite late at night so we decided to just try this cafe instead of insisting on trying street food. The martabak here lean more towards the crunchier side and actually kinda resemble pizza in my opinion. We order one signature martabak panggang and one martabak banjir which were not bad but were a tad bit salty for my liking. The more bites I took, the saltier it taste.    

Richard was feeling very hungry and decided to sample their fried rice and ordered  Nasi Goreng Cabai Ijo. It's indonesian fried rice came with a fried sunny up and a piece of fried chicken drumstick. The main highlight was the crispy drumstick which got us all wanting to order an additional portion of that chicken only to mistakenly ordered a different kind of fried chicken, which was... VERY SALTY. Hahahaha. Our bill came to a total of RP138,100 (RM45/SGD15) which includes a glass of avocado juice and a watermelon juice.

It was 11.30pm by the time we finished our meal and return to the hotel after buying some drinking water from a local mini-mart. We took turn to shower and head to bed, ready to embark on our journey the next day.

The next morning we woke up at 8am local time, showered and packed our bags, ready to head out for breakfast. MJ had shortlisted a few famous local eateries around Jalan Semarang and Jalan Selat Panjang (aka, in Medan's Chinatown) which is about 2.5km or 35mins walk away from our hotel. We only have several hours to spare in the morning to sample some local food as our journey to Lake Toba would be taking almost an entire day. So we checked out and with our backpacks, we walked out in search for our breakfast.

Masjid Maimun spotted on our way to Medan's Chinatown

With no internet and no map on hand but screenshots of google map and info googled by Richard the night before, we walked towards Jalan Selat Panjang where the famous Tiong Sim Mie Pangsit is located. And when we felt lost, we stopped and asked for directions. The local people do stared at us a little (it's pretty common when you backpack) but when we asked them for direction, most of them willingly guide you to your destinations.

Mie Pangsit Tiong Sim, one of the famous local food in Medan City

After about 30-40mins walk (plus getting lost and asking for direction), we finally reached Mie Pangsit Tiong Sim, where they serve a local Medan cuisine called, well, as the name suggest... Mie Pangsit. For those who wandered, mie means noodle (Indonesian spelled it Mie while Malaysian spelled it Mi or Mee) and pangsit is dumpling (aka wantan or wanton in Malaysia/Singaporea/Hong Kong). With that said, Mie Pangsit is their local rendition of wantan noodles. Instead of char siew, theirs are served with shredded pork meat, chicken meat or duck meat and fried shallots and chopped spring onions. We ordered 2 bowls of noodles to share since we would want to try other food as well. The noodles look slightly dry at first when it was brought to our table causing the three of us to raised our brow. Once we took the first bite, it doesn't feel dry at all, but instead very tasty. The noodle is quite springy and doesn't have that disgusting strong after-taste of the typical yellow noodle and that's a plus point. And once you mixed the whole bowl of noodles with all its ingredient together, the fried shallots give this extra crunch, which I loved.

Mie Pangsit (RP35,000/RM11/SGD3.8) aka their local rendition of wantan mee

Ps: I did some googling after seeing the above photo that this shop is located at Jalan Semarang instead of Jalan Selat Panjang and noted that there's actually two Mie Pangsit Tiong Sim in Medan. Once is since 1933 (the one we went) and the other is since 1940 (the one well-known located at Jalan Selat Panjang). There's some story behind these two stalls, which if you are interested you can refer to this blogger's post here. I guess MJ's research refer to the one at Jalan Selat Panjang which we meant to go the night we reach Medan. There are plenty of other delicious food (a long long list) but too bad our flight got delayed and we reached here too late. Google Mie Pangsit Tiong Sim and most info will refer you to the one at Jalan Selat Panjang as well. I guess we just so happened passed by this one at Jalan Semarang and thought this is it. Nonetheless, it was still a delicious bowl of mie pangsit I never regret having. Afterall, there's no benchmark for me to compare against.

"Life takes us to unexpected places, and charm is a product of the unexpected"

After burning a total of RP79,000 (including 3 glass of teh manis), we walked out of the shop and looked for Soto Kesawan, another local specialty MJ found through her research. After some asking around we walked into an alley where we saw some food stalls lying around but no sign of any soto. We then spot a Chinese uncle in front of a pau stall called "Bak Pau" (he's the owner by the way) and decided to ask for direction. We asked for direction in Bahasa, but the man replied us in Cantonese when he heard MJ and I conversing in fluent Cantonese. Frankly, we were shocked to find people speaking Cantonese in Indonesia. We asked about Soto Kesawan and direction to Amplas bus terminal, from which we will be taking local bus to Parapat (where people take ferry to Lake Toba). Mr Bak Pau (that's what he asked us to called him, it's not some kind of nickname I give) was surprised that we would want to go to Amplas terminal and persuade us not to go and to rent a private car instead. MJ and I exchanged look and we insist on going. Bus from Amplas to Parapat will only cost us about RP40,000 per person (if I remember correctly) while renting a minivan will cost us RP120,000-150,000 per person. It's a clear choice to us and we've got the whole day spared for traveling anyway.

Soto Kesawan, and it's halal

Bak Pau then decided to first bring us to buy a sim card (since he knew we didn't get any) and he recommended a decent soto place next door (since he has no idea where Soto Kesawan is). We end up not buying any simcard since it wasn't any cheap deal (we were offered RP70,000) and we don't think we needed mobile data, but it turned out the soto place next door is actually Soto Kesawan! He left us there to have our meal while he went back to his shop. He asked that we return to find him and he will guide us to Amplas.

Our soto being prepared

For those who wonder, soto is an Indonesian traditional soup dish composed of broth, meat and vegatables. The more commonly found soto is the one like a clear chicken soup, and that is what I normally have in Malaysia and Singapore. However, Soto Kesawan is rather different. The soup base uses coconut and their specialty here in soto udang (prawn). Well, that's sometime different from what I usually have and I was eager to try it out. Since we just had 2 bowls of mie pangsit, we decided to order only a portion of soto udang.

Soto Udang (RP27,000/RM9/SGD3)  in creamy coconut broth base

The soto is served with a plate of white rice. Luckily we had some mie pangsit earlier, because the portion was rather small. It kinda resemble Thai tomyum at first but it was milder and not as creamy of tomyum. The prawn is also fried before added to the soup instead of being cooked in it. The soup is light and refreshing but taste didn't linger in our mouth for long unlike Thai tomyum. Hmmm... I actually kinda wish it is thicker and creamier, but then it's not soto already? Dilemma dilemma. Nonetheless, it is still a decent bowl of prawn sotong, just not something I would crave and return for more.

Avocado juice (RP16,000/RM5/SGD1.7) topped with a spoonful of milo powder

As promised, we return to find Bak Pau after finishing our soto and we found him having his breakfast (or was it lunch? or brunch?) with his other Chinese friends. All of them disapprove of us going to Amplas terminal. Aparently, the bus terminal is infamous for having many pickpocket and swindler and they warned that it's not worth risking it. They even offered to send us to a private transport company called Paradep where we can take a shared minivan (air-conditioned) to Siantar and then transit to Parapat from there. It's relatively faster than the public bus (no aircon) from Amplas to Parapat which make many stops along the way and cheaper than a direct private car from Medan city to Parapat. So off we went to Paradep and managed to negotiate for RP50,000 per pax. We said goodbye and thanked Bak Pau for his assistance and Richard exchanged number with him in case he wants to meet up shall he fly to KL in the future. 

We waited for about 40mins until the scheduled departure at 12.30pm. As with the previous minibus we took from the airport to Medan city, this minibus is also small and cramped but with slightly bigger leg room. Richard was the unfortunately one as a not-so-petite guy sat next to his and he was unable to sit properly for the first hour of the journey. He turned back to look us several times to check if there were any available seats behind us and I finally noticed the situation. I spoke to him in Mandarin that there are several seats behind us which attracted the attention of the guy seated on the row of seat next to MJ and I and stroke a conversation with us. Turned out he's from Siantar (the town where this minibus is headed) and we learned from him that Amplas is indeed infamous for being a crime spot where tourists and even locals are drugged and scammed. Phew~! Thank god we listened to Bak Pau and his friends.

We even asked Elsen (this friendly guy from Siantar) how to do a transit from Siantar to Parapat and how much would it roughly cost and he ended up helping us make phone calls to car rental company and secured a local price of RP20,000 (RM6/SGD2) per person from Siantar to Parapat. Once we reached Siantar (the entire journey was 4 hours by the way), he even waited with us and ensured we got into the car safely and being charged not more than the agreed price. Wow! We were so lucky to be meeting good souls during this trip. He even left us his name card (and added each other's facebook) and offered help shall we need any while in Samosir Island.

"Once of the best thing about traveling is meeting unexpected people in unexpected place at unexpected time in unexpected manner"

We waited for the car for about 40mins and after bidding farewell to Elsen, we squeezed ourselves (again) into the back seat of a mini MPV car and continued our journey to Parapat, together with 4 more local Indonesian ladies, where we would be taking boat to Samosir Island. In case you wonder yet again, Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world believed to have been formed by a massive volcano eruption almost 70,000 years ago. Scientists believed that the eruption have formed an ice age that almost wiped out the entire population. Samosir Island is within the lake. So, it's basically and island within the island of Sumatra. And to go to Samosir Island, one would need to take a boat from Parapat. There are basically two ports in Parapat - Tigaraja and Ajibata. Tigaraja is a port mainly catered for tourists who go to Tuktuk Siadong, the resort area of Samosir Island while Ajibata will bring locals to Tomok, a local village on the island. 

The entire car ride took us about an hour, and we finally reached Tigaraja at 6.30pm and the last boat (7pm) has yet to arrive. We bought some mineral water and bananas from a nearby stall which was still opened at that time and waited for our boat to arrive. The price of the boat ride varies according to the drop-off point and we were charged RP15,000 (RM5/SGD1.60) per person to get to our hotel - Lekjon Cottage. We were lucky that we were able to catch the last boat at Tigaraja as we met a Perakian the following day who took a boat from Ajibata to Tomok only to have to pay RP40,000 (RM13/SGD4.40) for an ojek ride to Tuktuk. Phew~! Indeed a lucky day for us.

After one hour of ferry ride to Tuktuk Siadong (we were dropped off right in front of Lekjon) and checked into our hotel and quickly walked out for dinner. We had been starving the entire day since our last soto udang and we were in the mood to feast. Turned out one of the famous restaurant recommended by backpackers - Jenny's is just right around the corner, about 5min walk from our hotel. So we dashed out to Jenny's right after putting our luggage in our rooms. 

Since we had sufficient budget left for dinner (as we did not have lunch), we decided to treat ourselves better for the night and we ordered barbequed fish (it was tilapia), curry chicken, tomato omelette and gado-gado. Tomato omelette and gado-gado (Indonesian salad with peanut sauce) was okay but the barbequed fish was simply delicious. We burnt RP165,000 (RM54/SGD18) that night for dinner but it was worth it. Let the photos do the talking, shall we?

We then went to the reception to ask about car rental package for the next day. We were told that renting a bike will only cost us RP100,000 (RM33/SGD11) per day. But since MJ and I do not know how to ride a bike, we had to settle for car/minivan rental as the island is too big to be explored by bicycle. The hotel staff quoted us RP700,000 (RM232/SGD77) for a car and after much negotiation, he suggested that we take a becak (bike-rickshaw) instead which would cost us RP500,000 (RM165/SGD55). The package includes a driver which would also serves as our guide and the route would cover up to Tele Tower, the highest point in Samosir Island offering a bird's eye view of the entire Lake Toba. We took the deal and went to bed anticipating tomorrow's adventure.

MJ and I woke up early the next morning at 7am to shower and prepare ourselves for the day. We then went to the lake side to immerse ourselves in the beautiful scenery before heading out for breakfast.

Our room rate does not include breakfast so we ordered the breakfast set which costs RP30,000 (RM10/SGD3.30) per person. The set is a choice of either nasi goreng (fried rice) or mie goreng (fried noodle) with coffee or tea and fruit juice or fruit salad.

Contrary to the promise that RP500,000 include a ride all the way to Tele, the hotel staff now claimed that the driver will only take us to Panguruan and no further. A ride to Tele will be charged an additional RP100,000 (RM33/SGD11). He even claimed that he did not promise that our package includes a ride to Tele. We were furious at this sudden turn of event. There's no way we would allow them to try rip us off, so we stayed firm and refused to top up the additional cost. We even asked for a refund and cancelled the booking. We were ready to change our plan and explore the island by ourselves even if it means forgoing Pangururan and Tele. Shocked at our insistence, the driver and hotel staff gave a second thought and after some bargaining, we settled for an additional of RP50,000 if he agrees to cover Tele. We finally came to an agreement and hop onto the becak.

We passed by houses after houses, fields after fields, schools after schools and churches after churches (did I mentioned that majority of the Batak people of Samosir are Christians?) and the view of Lake Toba on our right and Samosir Mountain on our left is simply breathtaking. At times we felt like we are on a road trip somewhere in New Zealand (sans the snow) or Nepal. After some time, we forgot about the argument we had earlier and we were chatting and laughing with the guide.

We saw some signboard about a nearby beach called Pantai Indah on our way so we asked the becak driver to bring us to the beach instead. He told us that the most beautiful beach on Samosir Island is actually Pantai Pasir Putih Parbaba, which literally means White Sand Beach, and drove us there. Upon arrival, we were awestrucked! Behold.... photos, photos and more photos...

The admission fee to this beach is RP10,000 (RM3.30/SGD1) per person but I wouldn't mind paying since this place is such a heaven. The beach sand is fine, soft and so white I felt like lying there all day long, only if it wasn't so hot and sunny. Another plus point to this place is that it was not crowded at all. We hardly seen only people here, not to mention tourists. It's such a hiddem gem and we were in love with this place. 

The babi panggang is only RP20,000 (RM6/SGD2) per person and we even paid for the driver's portion. The pork meat is tender and fragrant, and if you like spicy food like I do, dip it into that accompanied chili sauce. However, unlike the chinese-style roasted pork, the skin ain't crispy nor crunchy, but instead hard and chewy. So, ditch the skin and just eat the meat. It's easily one of the most delicious meal we had throughout our entire trip and I strongly recommend this place. Just look for the church in the photo above. 

After fulfilling our growling stomach with a satisfying lunch, we went to Pangururan hot spring which is not far away. 

The entire place looked like a quarry to us and the driver told us that Samosir has not been raining for the past 7 months and thus the hot spring here had dried up. The pool we dipped had water drawn in using pipes and that has kept this place running. No wonder we saw so many dried cornfields on our way here. This island is undergoing drought! We are so lucky to come from a place where it rains every now and then and we never really need to worry about drought. Let's hope it rains soon in Samosir Island.

"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. So, appreciate the luxury of having water and don't waste a single drop"

Visitor will have to pay RP10,000 (RM3/SGD1) for entrance fee into the hot spring if they do not eat or drink at the restaurant. So, we sat down and have some tea while enjoying the beautiful Santorini-like view. We skimmed through the menu and something interesting caught Richard's attention - mie gomak. Curious how it would taste like, we ordered a portion. Apparently, mie gomak is an Indonesian-style spaghetti. I had a bite of it and the saltiness turned me off. Quite tasty but sadly too salty for my liking. 

A small hut where one can sit there and have a nice view of Lake Toba

View of Lake Toba

The sky is still shinning brightly at 3.30pm

An abandoned resort

View from abandoned resort

Sorry girls, this macho guy is taken

It feels like Bali

The lonely tree

No photoshop

The lonely tree and the emo girl who had got sand in her eyes

Buying a durian in Tomok Village

Indonesian durian

So-so roasted pork

Curry vegetables

Barbequed curry tilapia

Food was so-so compared to Jenny's (and the food are actually grilled and fried instead of barbequed) and since I was still hungry (once a glutton forever a glutton) I suggested to head over to Jenny's for second round. We ordered a barbequed pork (yes... it's pork day) for sharing (but basically I'm the only one eating) and cup of lemon ginger tea for MJ who wasn't feeling well. 

Barbequed pork

Served with salad

It was 9.30pm when we finally finished our supper and we went back to our cottage to rest. 


Day 4: Tuktuk > Parapat (Tiga Raja) > Berastagi 

Restaurant, oh restaurant, why you block my sunrise view?

Waiting for our boat, in my signature "sexy back" pose

The boat is here

The boat came sharp at 8.30am and we boarded it, paying the same RP15,000 (RM5/SGD1.6) like we came in the other day. The boat went from one hotel to another in Tuktuk and headed to Tiga Raja port at Parapat.

Great skin condition while in Lake Toba. It could be the lake water we shower with and the fresh air

Fishermen fishing for fish and prawns

Goodbye Samosir, we will be missing you

Reaching Parapat

A busy market in the morning

Martabak manis - peanut filling (RP8,000)

"The best part about backpacking is to travel like a local. Eat what the locals eat, do what the locals do. It's the true essence of travelling" 

Mie Lontong (RP8,000)

Bakso

While the owner was preparing our bakso, one local lady ordered a gado-gado and upon seeing how it was prepared (because it looked so delicious) we decided to also order one. So one bakso and one gado-gado. Total bill RP20,000. My verdict? Love the gado-gado. It was better than Jenny’s. 

Gado-gado

Nasi Pattaya

Mie Ssam Ssam

Mie Goreng

Dinner was instant noodles

Hot tea on the house

Day 5: Berastagi > Sibayak > Berastagi > Sipiso Piso Waterfall > Gundaling Hill > Hotspring > Kuala Namu Airport > KLIA2

Somehow kinda resembles Mount Kinabalu

Waiting for sunrise

Local hikers waiting for sunrise

We waited for sunrise but we were doubtful that we would be able to see one since it drizzled the night before and the weather was quite cloudy. We waited and waited until the sky turned completely bright yet there was no sign of that "egg yolk" we were anticipating. 

BFF goal - scaling a volcano together

Mount Sinabung

After tons of selfies and photos with Mount Sinabung as our background, we followed our guide to the crater. The way down was so much easier that we reached the crater in no time. On our way down though we see some locals making their way up and some of the ladies weren't properly dressed up. Some are in leather jackets while others are in long maxi dress. Is this a volcano for hiking or is this a dating place? MJ and I can only laughed at this sight and followed our guide obediently to the crater. The other hikers' eyes were on us as well since we were the only foreigners that day. Where are the other foreigners? 
The entire crater looked like an archaeological field at first and if you were to look closer, you would see pebbles being arranged to formed words, specifically names. Those must be the work of fellow hikers! So MJ and I followed suit and started forming our own initial followed by countless photos and selfie. 

Leaving our mark

We are each other's best friend

We then made a move to descend only to turned back because we forgot about Richard. So we added his initial and more selfies. Haha... 

We love you Richard! Sorry we almost forgotten about you

Once done, we started descending and on our way down we passed by another steam vent. Uh-huh! This must be one of the sources of that defeaning sound we heard on our way up. As we stood closer to the vent, nothing else but the sound of steams emerging can be heard. 

The driver offered to send us to the airport later that day for RP100,000 (RM30/SGD10) per person but we rejected the offer as we were low on budget. We planned to take public bus from Berastagi to Medan then transit to the airport. It would only cost us about RP30,000 (RM10/SGD3) per pax that way. 

The driver than drove us to a nearby Chinese hawker stall for breakfast. Richard ordered curry mee, while MJ and I order fried kuay teow and fried bee hoon. We then proceeded to famous Sipiso Piso waterfall. 

Curry noodle

Fried kuay teow

Fried bee hoon

Yao zha guai / You tiao (RP5,000 each)

Epilogue

"As with any journey, who you travel with can be more important than the destination"

Expenses breakdown for whole trip:
Flight ticket: RM102 per person
Lodging: RM171 per person (RP530,000)
Transport, tour and entrance fees: RM247 per person (RP765,000)
Food: RM140 per person (RP434,000)
Total spent: RM660 (SGD220)

Thanks for reading. Love you guys!

"Travelling doesn't have to break a bank. You just need to do it wisely"