Visiting Sumatra, Indonesia

[buksida]

We had a ball in Vietnam last year and I promised the kids I'd take them to a different country per year until they're intolerable teenagers ...

So I'm tentatively planning our next road trip and northern Sumatra tops the list at the moment. Air Asia offer some cheap flights and the schools are closed for 3 weeks in October so, bring it on!

Thirty day visa on arrival can be had for 25 bucks and Thais travel visa-free. Looking at flying to KL, then on to Banda Aceh and a ferry over to Pulau Weh. The plan from there is that we'll travel to Medan then down to Berastagi and Lake Toba to do some volcano trekking and bike riding.

Has anyone been there, any dos and don'ts?, recommendations, places to stay, must sees etc? Any info appreciated!

[PeteC]

That sounds like fun. See below thread. Maybe see if you can find the monument but more importantly, where the equator actually is now after all the movement. Pete

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20366

[JimmyGreaves]

Went in 1981, I know, Hua Hin has changed beyond recognition in 7 years so........ We travelled to the orang-utan sanctuary at Bukit Lawang and to Lake Toba staying in a Traditional Batak house on the island. Scenery fantastic, some great architecture also. We flew from Penang to Medan. Long time ago so memories take some time to surface but we did enjoy 3 or more weeks there.

[STEVE G]

When I was living in Indonesia, Aceh was quite dangerous as there was a separatist war going on for many years. It was a bit like the situation in the South of Thailand in that the government used to try and keep it secret for the sake of the countries international image.
For that reason I never went to the north of Sumatra but I believe that it's more peaceful now.
I always fancied a visit to Padang as the city is famous for a style of cooking that you find all over Indonesia but I don't know if there is anything worth seeing there.
I loved Indonesia but you have to get used to the people as their ability to try and scam money out of you is legendary and you get a bit cynical when just about everybody you ever have any dealings with tries some confidence trick on you. You can be in the middle of nowhere and someone in a crumpled suit will strike up a conversation with you and then offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in his improbable international business.

[Dannie Boy]

Just reading an article on BBC about the threat of the distemper virus to the Sumatran Tigers, so try to catch a glimpse of them before they disappear.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22812914

[magobligin]

My family and I lived in Medan, North Sumatera, for one year from 1979 - 1980 and from 1981 - 1986 in Lhokseumawe in the he special autonomous province of Aceh. I loved living in Aceh province even during the "troubles" where, at one time, we found ourselves under military lockdown courtesy of the Indonesian army along with other expatriates when a South Korean was shot dead by the Achenese insurgents of the Free Aceh Movement. Whilst there I travelled extensively throughout the province and even drove to Berstagi from Lhokseumawe via Lake Takendon along a somewhat dangerous military road that ran across the central mountain range. I would hazard that Aceh province is a very different place now but I am sure anyone visiting will be suitably impressed.

[buksida]

Thanks for the feedback, looking forward to it already!