It's not the destination, but the journey

Hi again!

Last I left you I was getting ready to embark on an epic journey across oceans and mountains. I have since completed that journey and am able to write about it. I left Penang at 9 in the morning on what I thought would be a 5 hour trip across the Straights of Malacca - it turned out to be more like 8 hours. But that was okay as the ferry had plenty of shoot 'em up movies to keep playing the entire time. It was a bit overwhelming. At first I was excited since they had movies in English, but after the first one, I got a bit bored and would have rather listened to music or read my book but the sound was overpowering. We started with Rambo IV and then went straight into a car racing movie of some sort then actually finished the journey with a flick actually called Shoot 'Em Up. We pulled into the harbor but hadn't reached our destination. While I was forewarned about this next challenge, it added another hour to my journey. When you leave Penang, you purchase a ticket to Medan. That ticket doesn't actually get you to Medan. It gets you to the port closest to Medan, but the port is about an hour from the city. I got off the ferry and proceeded to go through immigration. They hearded all the white people off the boat (there were about 8 of us) and ushered us to a counter which was labeled 'BANK'. Here we forked over our crisp $25US entry/visa fee. They then gave us a nice skip of paper which we carried to the next counter where they processed our visa and stuck it into the passport. Fairly simple. Once we left immigration, however, things got more complicated and we were attacked by the many people trying to get us to go with them somewhere (they really didn't care where). Luckily I had met an America guy, Jason, who had taken the ferry over to Penang a few days earlier to get a new visa. He was traveling around for two months and you can only get a one month visa. He was a really cool guy - a budding evolutionary biologist. So he was able to guide me to the right bus which took us the last little way into Medan. It was also fortuitous since I was then able to leave my bag in his room while we explored the city before my overnight bus to Banda Aceh. My introduction to Indonesia was fantastic. Arriving in Medan, the bus ride, the sights, the sounds, the smells re-ignited a feeling in me that I haven't felt in a while. It was the feeling I had when I rode through the streets of New Delhi in the middle of the night coming from the airport. It was the same feeling I had crossing the border into Honduras on a whim. It was this feeling that comes with entering a new and foreign place. It's hard to describe, but those who have traveled now what I mean. And for me, it's been a while since I've felt that sensation. I've done a lot of traveling but most places I've been too are relatively familiar to Thailand. They challenged me and were fantastic places, but this for whatever reason sparked this feeling. I'm still processing that (I think part of it is the general sense that Indonesia is somewhat forbidden or off limits to Americans) and will get back to you. Walking down the streets of Medan, we were met with such enthusiasm that it was almost as if we were clowns performing. We drew so much attention and the "Hello Mister's" were never ending. Everyone wanted to be our friend, and then take us somewhere. It was quite an experience. We found the requisite ATM and then went to grab dinner. For an introduction to Indonesian fare, I couldn't have asked for a better menu. We ate at a little roadside stand which beckoned us with its mound of fruits in the cart window. Piled high with a wide assortment of fruits and veggies, we answered the call. I had Satay Padang and a chocolate and avocado shake. Satay is found in Thailand (it's marinated meat on a skewer and grilled) but this was served over pressed rice chucks and covered in a peanuty/garlicy sauce that was to die for. The avocado and chocolate shake was one of the most wonderful drinks I've ever had. I would never have guessed that combination would work, oh but it does. My habit of being a food traveler has again pushed itself to the front and I find myself eating more often than not. But I'm okay with that. I then headed to the bus station to catch my overnight bus. From Medan, it's about 12 hours to Banda Aceh. I climbed on board and we took off fairly on schedule. The bus ride was characterized by three things: the freezing temperatures inside, the steadily increasing noise and nuisance created by the trash which was thrown on the floor and then slid around and lastly the incessant moving about in my chair as the bus careening around corners, stopped for passengers along side the road and slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting someone. It was a long night. But I've come somewhat accustomed to rides like that so I was actually able to get some decent sleep despite it all. I think the temperature bothered me the most. I got in early and made my way to the ferry for the short (well, relatively speaking) journey to Pulau Weh, my destination. But that'll have to wait until next time as my time is running out.

Have a wonderful day!

Ryan

Oh! I almost forgot. After we hit the ATM, Marcus, a German guy who was also with us, stopped at McDonald's for a quick burger. He ate it and the then was carrying the wrapper around waiting to find a bin to toss it in. He didn't find one. He brought it with him into the place where we ate dinner and left it on the table as we left. The shop owner came running after us as we left with the wrapper. In Indonesia, any rubbish you carry around with you is something you want to keep because if you didn't want it you simply tossed it aside.