Travels with V

Indonesia

Travels with V

Indonesia

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Across the sea to Sumatra

Batam - Padang

(If you want to begin this journey from where it actually started – in exciting Singapore, click here).

Indonesia might seem an odd place for a four-week journey, but of course it’s a huge country with tens of thousands of islands and and all kinds of landscapes. Most tourists to this country of course go to Bali and Lombok, but then they miss the charm of the everyday Indonesia, like the friendly people, the fantastic food of Sumatra and the and the lush green of the great and mystic Flores.

Sumatra

The ferry from Singapore to Indonesia leaves from a terminal inside a gigantic shopping mall in the harbour. The ferry ticket is really cheap, around 20 Euro, and the journey takes about one hour.

Of the disembarkation port, Batam, we didn’t see a lot, but obviously there has been attempts at creating a sort of “mini-Singapore” here, with Shopping malls and a fun fair. But it doesn’t appear to have been all that successful. Not surprising.

We grab a taxi to get to the airport in Batam, but arriving there is a shock. A chaotic, overcrowded check-in hall where passengers with mountains of baggage constantly tried to push themselves to the front of the que.

Queing is something of a cross between a line to ski lift and a wrestling game. We had to constantly fight for our place inch by inch.

The big boxes on everybody’s cart are probably imported goods from Singapore now transported to other parts of Indonesia for reselling. Clothes, shoes, toys, things like that. But eventually we are at the counter, get our boarding cards, and go for somewhere to just sit down and breathe some air.

When breathing has returned to normal again we go looking for something to eat. But all we can see is tarpaulins everywhere, as if everything is under repair. But then we understand. We hve arrived during Ramadan, the month of fasting, and many restaurants are closed. But behind the tarpaulins some are still open, so as not to upset the worshippers. We find this to be rather practical strategy, and immediately order some nasi goreng .

The flight from Batam to Padang is relatively short, it’s just across to the other side of Sumatra. And there it was truly a different story. There we were welcomed by a ding-dong band playing among the conveyer belts at the baggage delivery.

Now we head out to the Indonesian archipelago of more than 13 000 islands. Come with us!

Our top 5 in Indonesia:

The people. Most people we met were extremely friendly and helpful. Tourism is not so developed in most places and people are curious about you. Often they ask you join them for a selfie with a westerner.
The food. Yes, you sometimes get fed up with Nasi goreng (chicken with rice) och Bami goreng (with noodles) but everywhere there’s also served lots of fantastic food. Spicey but not necessarily hot.
The crowds. Indonesia is densely populated and youth are a big part of it. It’s a great thing to just sip on a cup of fine Indonesian coffee and watch life pass you by.
The nature. Sadly ijn many parts of the country the jungle forest is being cut down to give space to sterile oil palm plantations. But there are protected spaces on Sumatra with rich forest life, and on islands like Flores nature is still largely unspoiled.
Flores. Yes, again, it’s magic and beautiful. A favourite!!

Travels with V

Indonesia

Travels with V

Indonesia

world travels

themes

about us

🇸🇪 swedish

Across the sea to Sumatra

Batam - Padang

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