Indonesia
Southeast Asia and the world’s largest archipelago: Over 240 million Indonesians inhabit over 18.000 islands, spanning three time zones. 300 languages are spoken, although the lingua franca Bahasa Indonesia, is spoken by almost everybody. Indonesia bore the grunt of over 350 years of colonization by the Dutch. The island of Java is the most densely populated, its large, hectic cities attracting labor migrants from far and wide. Bali, the small Hinduistic island to the west of Java, is the main port of call for most tourists. Capital: Jakarta Population: 240 million State religion: Islam Languages: Bahasa Indonesia Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (RP)
Sumatra, the island of gold, orangutans & spicy food
Home to about 10,000 plant species, 200 mammal species and 580 bird species, the tropical rainforest heritage of Sumatra covers 2.5 million hectares of land. Its attractions include the massive lake Toba, orangutans and spicy padang cuisine!
Lake Toba, Sumatra’s Gem!
Most people, when first setting eyes on Lake Toba, will be surprised by its immense size. In fact it’s 100 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide! Samosir Island, in the lake’s center, is the lake’s highlight. This island is not only beautiful but one of the traditional lands of the Batak people who greet you by saying “Horas.”
Food Heaven in a Medan Alley: Jalan Selat Panjang Medan
Medan, 9:45 p.m. The city’s commonly unruly traffic has died down. But this is not the case in a narrow street tucked behind Jalan Semarang, about a kilometer south of Merdeka Square. Under the orange gleam, hot steams billowed out from a food cart displaying pork buns. Jalan Selat Panjang is famous for its food, along this street you will find some of the oldest Chinese eateries in Medan.
Sumatra, the Island of Gold, Orangutans & Spicy Food
By: Dalih Sembiring
Sumatra, also spelled Sumatera, is in its entirety Indonesia’s largest island. One may say that Kalimantan or Papua is larger, but those two islands are shared with other countries.
Sumatra: The Island of (Black) Gold
It has been suggested that the world’s sixth largest island got its name from “Samudera,” a 13th century Muslim harbor kingdom located in the northwestern part of modern day Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, Indonesia’s only province authorized by national law to implement sharia-inspired regulations. Around that time, the island was also referred to as Bhumi Malayu, the land of the Malay people and culture.
Lake Toba, Sumatra's Gem!
By: Isaac Olson
Coming across the words, "supervolcano" and "largest known explosive eruption anywhere on Earth in the last 25 million years" were enough to spark my interest in Lake Toba. Then again, I'm a little childish in my love of giant explosions.
I came across the above words on Wikipedia after trying to figure out what there was to see and do around Medan, Indonesia and northern Sumatra. In reality, Lake Toba's days of exploding and plunging humanity into doom are over. Today, it's a peaceful holiday destination for lovers of mountains, lakes, and tropical environments.
Most people, when first setting eyes on Lake Toba, will be surprised by its immense size. In fact it's 100 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide! Samosir Island, in the lake's center, is the lake's highlight. This island is not only beautiful but one of the traditional lands of the Batak people who greet you by saying "Horas."
Food Heaven in a Medan Alley: Jalan Selat Panjang Medan
By: Labodalih Sembiring
Medan, 9:45 p.m. The city’s commonly unruly traffic has died down. But this is not the case in a narrow street tucked behind Jalan Semarang, about a kilometer south of Merdeka Square.
At a bend inside the alley, a street light illuminated the wooden windows of aged, two-storey houses. It was a romantic welcome for my friend and me, both first-timers to Jalan Selat Panjang. Under the orange gleam, hot steams billowed out from a food cart displaying pork buns.
Jalan Selat Panjang is famous for its food, along this street you will find some of the oldest Chinese eateries in Medan. Feast on mie pangsit tiong-sim (noodles served with stuffed dumplings), kwetiau goreng (wok-fried Chinese rice-fetucinne), pokpiah (Singapore-style vegetable-stuffed dumpling).
