Travel Guide Medan

Sumatra's largest city (over two and a half million inhabitants) and Indonesia's third-largest metropolis after Jakarta and Surabaya. Medan is a dirty, noisy, suffocating, anarchic megalopolis; very Indonesian, despite all the vestiges of the colonial era. The town's name is synonymous with "battlefield"; indeed, it was on the Medan plain that the armies of the sultans of Aceh and Deli regularly clashed. Deli began to develop with the arrival of the Dutch. A planter named Nienhuys introduced tobacco in 1865. This rich plain then became an important center of agricultural production. Add to this the exceptional seafront on the Strait of Malacca, and it's easy to understand why, in 1887, the Dutch decided to establish the headquarters of the Tobacco Company in Medan.Today, Medan is one of Indonesia's most multiracial cities. It is home to large minorities of Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Malays, Javanese and Bataks, as well as Japanese and European expatriates. Economically speaking, Medan is Jakarta's little sister, with banks, industries and nearby coffee, cocoa, rubber and tobacco plantations. The result is a high standard of living and feverish activity. Medan's main thoroughfare is Jalan Ahmad Yani, which crosses the city from north to south.Its tourist appeal is fairly limited. Like many Indonesian cities, it takes time to get to know Medan. With its shopping malls, travel agencies and modern airport, however, it's an unavoidable stopover when planning a trip to the region. The streets of Medan are very similar to those of Jakarta: they backfire, they smoke, they honk, they squeal, they don't smell very good and they don't stop. For the walker, there are no sidewalks, only holes, puddles, street stalls, cars parked haphazardly and bits of metal sticking out everywhere, threatening to poke your eye out or cripple you. In short, Medan is not made for pedestrians. For proof of this, just look at how difficult it is to cross a main street. A few traffic lights do little to alleviate this chaotic situation.