We are back in Medan but only after surviving one horrific, four-hour ride on a supposedly air-conditioned bus. As the bus left Lake Toba, the internal climate was reasonable but at that point we were enjoying the cool air at the Lake's altitude of 900 metres. Before long however, we were descending into the tropical heat of the lowlands and the air being pumped through the bus's interior seemed to be the same as the air on the outside. The windows couldn't be opened and for the next three and half hours I sweated continously and lapsed in and out of consciousness.
As the bus traveled along, the driver picked up more passengers, far in excess of the number of allocated seats, and so the aisle filled up with more bodies who in turn generated more heat. A guy standing in the aisle beside me decided to light up a cigarette in spite of the no smoking signs but was persuaded to extinguish it by some other passengers. Finally, on the outskirts of Medan, the bus broke down completely and we were forced to catch a becak to our hotel.
The becak is a motorcycle with a sidecart for passengers and is intended for two adults at the most. This day it carried two adults (Desy and myself), two children (Sabina and her cousin Ilham) plus a large suitcase, my backpack and several smaller bags. We must have made quite a sight and attracted many stares, especially with a Westerner on board. We battled through Medan's chaotic afternoon traffic (it was about 4pm) and I wish I could have captured the scene with my camcorder or digital camera but I was half-dead by this stage and intent on survival not documentation. The incident,though undocumented, will remain firmly etched in my memory under the category of "things survived but never to be repeated".
As the bus traveled along, the driver picked up more passengers, far in excess of the number of allocated seats, and so the aisle filled up with more bodies who in turn generated more heat. A guy standing in the aisle beside me decided to light up a cigarette in spite of the no smoking signs but was persuaded to extinguish it by some other passengers. Finally, on the outskirts of Medan, the bus broke down completely and we were forced to catch a becak to our hotel.
The becak is a motorcycle with a sidecart for passengers and is intended for two adults at the most. This day it carried two adults (Desy and myself), two children (Sabina and her cousin Ilham) plus a large suitcase, my backpack and several smaller bags. We must have made quite a sight and attracted many stares, especially with a Westerner on board. We battled through Medan's chaotic afternoon traffic (it was about 4pm) and I wish I could have captured the scene with my camcorder or digital camera but I was half-dead by this stage and intent on survival not documentation. The incident,though undocumented, will remain firmly etched in my memory under the category of "things survived but never to be repeated".
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