Tour The Bali

Medan
Medan was one the site of a battlefield between the Aceh people and the neighbouring Deli Kingdom. Medan is the capital of North Sumatra Province, a trading center and important harbour.

Once Medan was part of the Deli Sultanate. What is his­torically most interesting is the Mesjid Besar (Grand Mosque) and the Palace of the Sultan of Deli which has been restored to rivive its past grandeur.

Medan’s harbour town is called Belawan, which is the sea link to Penang Malaysia. Medan, Indonesia’s western in­ternational gateway maintains regular flight to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Amsterdam and Vienna. Addition­ally, there are several air connections between Medan and Jakarta, and other destinations in Sumatra.

Lake Toba – Parapat
The town of Parapat is the main tourist resort and lies oil the very shore of famous Lake Toba. This lake is about 50 miles long and 16 miles across, with a depth about 1.400 feet.
In Parapat live Batak Toba and Batak Simalungun tribes, and are happy and easy going people. They are known for their lively and senti­mental love songs. Recreational sports in Parapat are among other swimming water skiing, motor boating, canoeing, fishing, and golf at Sally golf course (19 holes) about 5 km from Parapat.
Parapat is 176 from Medan and can be reached in 4 hours by bus. The climate in Parapat is cool, and dry, making Parapat an ideal place to relax. Many hotels, bungalows, villas, resthouses welcome visitors. Small shops selling sou­venirs such as “Ulos” (local woven cloths) and specific fruits locally grown.

Samosir Island
The island of Samosir is right in the middle of Lake Toba, covering area of 329 square miles. This island is the origi­nal home of the fiercest hut kind hearted Toba Bataks. It can be reached in half an hour by boat from Parapat. Vis­iting, the village of Tomok, Tuk‑tuk, Siallagan, Ambarita are recommended for traditional Batak Toba houses, and lo­cal dances. This island has many hotels, bungalows, and rest houses.

Great Bukit Barisan
Located at Tongkoh village, in the district of the Karo high­lands, approximatelly 59 km from Medan. Formerly Tahura Bukit Barisan since 1916, known for its location called “Arboretum Tongkoh-Berastagi”, however since 1989 renovated and renamed Great Bukit Barisan Forest Park. Found there is the zoological mu­seum and a gazebo with Karo or­naments designed on the top of the roof, painted with various writings of typical welcome greetings in Tapanuli, which is “Horas”.

Crocodile Farm
Medan has the largest crocodile farm in Indonesia. Here one can see how the crocodile eggs are hatched, and then reared somewhere else. This farm is located at Asam Kumbang, 5 km from the heart of the city, and has nearly 2000 crocodiles of different kinds.

See also Bali, the famoust place in Indonesia

Posted in: Lake, Medan, Mountain, Tourism Object, Travel on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at at 8:11 PM 0 comments    

North Sumatra

North Sumatra is a large province stretching from the Indian Ocean in the west to the Straits of Malaka in the East and from Aceh in the north to West Sumatra in the south. It is thick with virgin forests, lush vegetation and jungle covered hills, terraced ricefields, cool mountain streams, strong rivers, beautiful waterfalls, peaceful white sandy beaches and large ancient lakes.

The people of the region are hospitable and warm and can he divided into five main ethnic groups; the Coastal Malays living along the Melaka Straits; the Bataks consisting of the sub‑tribes of Toba, Simalungun, Pak Pak (Dairi) and Karon of the highlands around Lake Toba and Samosir Island; the Pesisirs of Central Tapanuli along the Indian Ocean coastline; the Mandailings and Angkolas from southern Tapanuli and Nias Islanders off lie western coast of the province. These groups each have their own dialects, religious beliefs and traditional arts, customs and culture. There are also several ethnic groups who live in Medan and other towns of North Sumatra, the largest of these being Chinese and Indian. Other parts of the archipelago are represented, but non more strongly than the Acehnese, Minangkabau and Javanese who now live in many Parts of the area. As a result the area is often regarded as constituting a natural museum of Indonesia’s proto-Malay heritage in which ancient cuslonis and traditions have been preserved.

The divefersity of arts and cultures literally make this region a Garden of Eden for social scientists and culture seekers. It is a treasure chest of culture and tradition waiting to be explored, with ancient graves of Batak kings, unique dances and ceremonies, and beautiful arts and crafts. North Sumatra is also one, of the richest provinces in Indonesia for flora and fauna with a wealth of birds, butterflies, buffalo and deer. The Province proudly boats of its Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center in the Gunung Leuser National Park which is bordered by the fast flowing Bohorok River and some delightful countryside and of course lake Toba, legendary birthplace of the mountain‑dwelling Bataks and the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia.
The region also produces more than 30% of Indonesia’s export commodities and handles about 60% of them, making it a vital cog, in the Indonesian economy. Tobacco, palm oil, tea and rubber are produced in large quantities, particularly around Medan in the north of the province.
----------See : Museum Cut Nyak Dhien, Aceh, Bali

Posted in: Place of Interest, Sumatra, Tourism Object, Travel on at at 8:05 PM 0 comments