Medan, Indonesia: Day 01
When I planned for this Adventure Cycling for Humanity 2011 – Indonesia, I spoke o a few experienced long distance adventure cyclists, I usually got a smile and a polite response, “good luck mate”. I knew what they wanted to tell me was, “it’s going to be tough, mate…” But I wasn’t expecting that it would be this tough! Just getting the visa extension was already difficult and now that I am already here, I am still working to try to get it sorted before I leave for my journey. So far, there’s still no good sign that I will get it. We will see what happens once I reach Padang. As for now, I will make do with whatever days I have left and see what will be the next step that I will make.
Since I have replied most of the questions sent over during the past weeks, I will settle the three I got recently. Ok! Please keep sending your question to fluidrider@gmail.com
* Please do not send me question with short / incomplete spelling as I don’t have the time to correct it.
Question 01: (Face2Face Question):
You mentioned about your $180.00 bike, you not kidding right?
Answer:
*laugh* Yes, I bought it for $180.00 at Cash Converter, Tampines. Any kind of bicycle is a short trip away from your home or a click in eBay. To me, there is no such thing as a good bike that suits you 100%. Try using a used or cheaper version and from there slowly note down what else you will be need. Start from ground up.
Question 02: (Facebook Question):
Hi Uncle Ra, I am planning to get a bicycle. Any recommendations?. I want (need) one that has a full suspension if possible and for those trail roads. Any decent one but not too expensive?
Answer:
You can browse www.togoparts.com. There you can find all sorts of full-suspension bikes. Try a few before committing to any of it.
Question 03: (FaceBook Question):
Since you’ve been into this cycling for a long time. May i know where I can find a full used suspense bike for FR/DH?
Answer:
Hi, I am not a free ride or downhill expert. But if you’re looking for a used FR/DH bike, your chances are higher if you go to www.togoparts.com
Before I start my journal, would like to share with you all something that happened back in July while I was visiting my cycling apparel sponsor, Keypower International (2XU), to collect my gear. I sat in a Chinese Muslim foodcourt, Bagus, and there seated next to me was an old man. Since I love chatting to the elderly to know about the old Singapore and much more, we got into chatting about what I do and what I was doing with a bike with load (I was training on that day). I told him exactly what I intended to do, going to Indonesia to visit villages and teaching kids to play the game of Ultimate Frisbee. After hearing that, he reached into his pocket and took this $2.00 note, handed it to me and said, “Please help me give this to the first kid that deserve this.
The $2.00 note
While servicing my bicycle this morning, I was approached by a lady with her daughter carrying a basket of boiled chicken eggs. They didn’t hassle me to buy any but asked if the bike next to me is mine and where I was heading too. Looking at her gal, I know she deserved the $2.00. After taking the picture below, I went, got the $2.00 and hand it over to her. It’s wasn’t much but I could see her appreciation. (pic: the girl with her mom) I knew now why the old man wanted me to do that – there is actually no words to describe the feeling but I made the decision to continue doing whatever I had planned to do even if my visa doesn’t get extended.
Servicing my bike before my big ride
The girl & her mom selling boiled eggs
Medan
It was really a hard trip just to get here. When I was doing my research for this adventure (getting here), it was planned to be from Penang by the sea route and that was supposed to be the most ideal and cheapest. But due to some work matters, it didn’t happen as planned. In the end, I did some minor changes on my departure method and knew to get to Medan from Singapore with a bicycle wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. What I was told by a few other world bicycle adventurers, the best is always by the slow sea route. Most airlines here are not bicycle touring friendly just yet and to see a bicycle in a box being checked-in is a new concept to many counter staff. You can see the surprised expression of one counter staff in Changi Airport when I told her it was a bicycle.
Next was getting into Medan by budget airline. There is no direct flight. Most will hop from somewhere and if you’re lucky, they pick up more people along the way and fly out to their final destination. My first choice was an ‘orange and white’ budget airline but they sounded very reluctant to take my bicycle in hence quoted me a very high price for the excess luggage. I got back into looking at other budget airlines and after checking from the few options, I locked in to the best deal – that was what I thought initially until they told me in Changi Airport that my bicycle weighed 20.9kg! I did weigh the box with the bicycle in it after packing the bike in, it weighed only 13.5kg. When I told them that, the counter staff just shrugged me off and pointed me to their “accurate weigh-in” version. Next was, when I was told the airline will charge me the excess from Singaporeto Jakarta and onwards from Jakarta to Medan. This I don’t’ understand and when I ask the counterstaff why should I pay the excess baggage twice, the response I got from her was, “so you won’t have trouble with the people in Jakarta airport”. Say what? I probed the counter check-in staff for the printed policy but they didn’t have one and told me casually, “that is how we operate”. Oh yea? Charging double for a single trip? I will remember to visit the office when I return, wait for me because when I reached Jakarta, I was told otherwise.
I love flying certain budget airlines but I don’t’ believe there is such thing as budget flight because I am sure they will find ways to get back whatever operating cost incurred to them from the other passengers or methods. That is what I think.
Editor’s note:
I completely agree with your last comment/statement brah. Especially “A” certain red and white budget airline. They make you pay for every damn thing else on top of the cheap ticket, then they resort to tricks like delaying a flight so that two flight merges to safe them cost when both their flights have low occupancy. I call them “CON AIR A”.
Everything was cool, as my ol’ bro Yunos Yusoff was there to soothe everything down. I was the last person to check-in due my excess baggage and one thing led to another. Obviously I was holding the fight and when I reached the boarding gate, I was asked to keep going in and out of the security screening as they couldn’t find where the beeping sound come from. In I go, beep… and they use the detector to find the sound. “Sir, can you walk out and in again?” So I go out, step back in and gain the detector when all over me no sound. Here I was being searched, this one airline ground crew (I am not surprised, it’s another pinoy) chasing me. “Sir, you’re the last person, can you come quickly…” I was so furious I gave her a shit load, “you want to help me tell this Ms Security Officer the idiot proof to search me?” In the end, they couldn’t find where the sound came from and let me go. Make a guess where the sounds come from if you have travelled on a bike tour before.
The day got better when I boarded the flight. I met with this cool kid. Faisal Rosobin, 10 years young from Jakarta, a Singapore Permanent Resident and studying at the Si Ling Primary School. A football/soccer player for his school team with aspirations of becoming a pilot. “If I cannot be a pilot, I will play football professionally.” He is actually traveling by himself back to Jakarta to visit his grand mother. This is not his first time traveling alone. He has been to Bangkok, Bintan, Batam and he told me this, “I wanted to go to a cold country like the USA or Europe but my mother told me no…” and he showed me his ‘Unaccompanied Minor’ tag and said, “You see this yea? I got a lot of this at my home”. Apparently this kid has also cycled from his home to Johor, home to Mandai Zoo and more. I just got myself a new cycling friend in a flight to Indonesia.
Faisol the young traveller
Instead of reading my book as usual when I am on a flight, we chatted away, Faisal shared with me about his trip alone and most of the time, he will have a hard time getting a hotel room because of his age. “One time yea, when I was in Bintan Resorts, they don’t want to give me a room. So I called my mother, and after talking to my mom, they let me have a room”. I can see his big wide smile. To me, this kid is a real adventurer. When the plane landed we gave each other a “high five” and I promised to meet him at the terminal to say hi to his auntie.
While waiting for my luggage at the conveyor belt row, Faisal saw me and ran towards me, we gave each other a “high five” again and continue chatting. He was so happy to see me again that he shared with his minder about me. We parted ways from there and no, I didn’t get to see his auntie as I was escorted away by two Airport ground baggage handling staff.
(Unaccompanied Minor can only leave the plane last with the flight crew or the pilot before handing the UM over to specified ground crew)
I think we Singaporeans know it in our hearts it’s really home when we touched down in Changi whenever we return from somewhere. It’s another story if you fly out to somewhere famous for it inconsistency, bureaucracy and officialdom of words such as, “no, this is not allowed. How do you want to settle this?” I got that many times traveling in and out of Indonesia. I am more than prepared for this when I was asked to follow the two Ground Baggage officers. The game plan was always to stay calm, collected and smile.
That’s of course if you are not carrying anything illegal. I did some appreciation where the two gentlemen brought me and from the looks of it and reading the signage, it’s where the customs and immigrations would be waiting for me. I figured they would conduct a thorough search and my worry was that my bicycle box would be ripped open. If that happened, I am screwed as I would need to get on to another terminal to board my connecting flight to Medan.
”Bapak dari Singapura ya?” One Officer asked a standard question.
“Ya betul…”
”Kesini bikin apa ini pak?” He continued.
”Makan angin, pusing pusing aje” I replied as it is. Yes I am going to the unseen sights of Indonesia.
”Oh gitu..” He smiled and gesture to me to move away from the trolley and took over pushing the trolley.
We went in straight to the custom and immigration gate, where they asked me to place all my luggage and the box on the screening belt. When that was done, I walked through the security gantry (still with the beeping sound), collected my box and the 4 panniers and I was asked to continue my way with a very clear direction to the shuttle bus.. Before I left, the two gentlemen wished me all the best and we shook hands.
That was it. I turned around to see them walk away, “what was that?” I pushed my cart back to the gate to handover my custom papers. I stood there for a little while more to absorb in on what just happened. “wow…” I whispered to myself. This is in Indonesia. Is this the sign of progress? Let me see what will happen next. I continued making my way to the shuttle bus bay, within minutes, the shuttle arrived and I was helped with my luggage. It was a little bit messy but it worked. I got to Terminal 1B (domestic airport) within ten minutes and getting all my baggage out from the shuttle was a breeze. Checking in was no hassle at all and I am in the terminal less than 10 minutes but the real Indonesia transportation organization surfaced, the boarding gate was filled to the brim. At least three flights were delayed. I couldn’t exactly nail down which destination and from which airline but it was something I was a little surprised to see. It was like in a packed stadium and what would happen if people started rushing out in an event of a fire? There wasn’t any control at all. I had 20minutes before my flight departs for Medan. What is there for me to do but push my way in. It was hard work and made worst by me being tired. Getting to the boarding gate counter, I was told the plane was on the tarmac and the ground crew was now preparing it. I was asked to wait somewhere to listen for an announcement. Thirty minutes goes by and I push my way in again to the gate, “Wait for announcement ya pak?”. Another 30 minutes gone and again I go to check, “Wait for announcement ya pak, now the plane is being prepared.”
Walking out from the boarding gate, I could feel the disappointment. In 2009, flying from Singapore to Bali, our flight was diverted here due to some technical fault. We landed around 1030am in Jakarta and when I asked what time will we would be able to continue our flight, none of the ground staff could give me an answer. Later on when I asked if we could go for our lunch, I was told better not. We waited until 1.30pm when we were told to board another plane. Sitting next to the emergency exit, we both were briefed separately on how to operate the emergency door. This was the exact conversation in English,
”WHEN the plane doing the emergency landing in the sea, you turn the handle like this” She motioned it to me.
”When?” I asked.
”Ya…” The flight crew smiled at me and walk away. I looked at my partner and she held my hand tight and said, “Is she for real?” I don’t know, maybe what she meant was “IF the airplane did an emergency landing…”
In the end, I finally heard the announcement for boarding. I hadn’t had my lunch, I was tired and at this stage, I wished I was cycling instead of flying. One thing I realized here (at least at the busy airport and Medan, people don’t actually understand the concept of queuing up. People just go forward, more like rush forward to get in to somewhere that is not going anywhere until all people boarded the plane. I took my time knowing there wasn’t any point rushing. On the plane, my seat which was right in the front row was taken by a lady. I told her that she was in the wrong seat, she pointed to me to go somewhere. What? I specifically wanted the front seat for a reason and now a lady told me to go away. Of course, I asked for the crew to get it sorted out for me, same, the flight crew was asked to find me another seat. Welcome to Indonesia. We don’t punish the whole family because of one so I take it she is one nasty Indon. I walked slowly along the aisle to look for anempty seat, saw one and took it. In front was a crying baby, left to me was a business man and right to me was a lady that got irritated from the baby wailing. “I am going to have a great flight.” I spoke softly to myself.
Departing Jakarta
In the end, I slept through the flight until we landed in Polania Airport in Medan. A small international airport, one of the three in Indonesia. I walked on the tarmac after getting of the plane and knew fully well it was not over until I got all of my luggage and the bicycle in the box.
Walking into the airport’s small arrival hall, I was greeted with the many porters hogging the trolley. I needed to hire the porter service in order to get the trolley which I wasn’t keen as I am here not to get any help as much as possible. Now the only way for me to get a trolley was to get out of the arrival hall and waited for someone to finish using their trolley.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, I got only my front two panniers and box with my bicycle. I kept waiting for my two rear panniers until the luggage handler shouted from outside, “habis…” No more baggage from the outside. What? I got my spare clothing in there, my bicycle spares and my important riding gear.
Stay calm and concentrate. I knew there was no way for other people to take luggage not belonging to them out from the hall. I scanned around the small arrival hall and saw at a corner my two black panniers. I pushed my trolley slowly and prayed that everything was still in there. I was lucky nothing was taken. I think covering the panniers with the rain cover and tightening both panniers with bungee cords helped. I got everything up on the trolley and walked out of the hall. I thought walking out from the arrival hall to get a trolley was when I got my luggage got knicked.
The sound of “Taksi Pak, taksi Pak” immediately greeted me. I just smiled and walked to one corner to wait for my Medan contact, Om Baren and Adi, both cyclists from Medan. Even standing in a corner and keeping myself low profile wasn’t easy. There would always someone observing you from far and once I settled down, a gentleman approached me trying to hustle me to buy a pair of shades. Raybans, Rudy Projects and many more. Good price and nice design but I don’t have an extra Rp200.000 to spare. I thanked the gentleman and he walked away.
All my luggage outside Polania Airport, Medan
Om Baren showed up exactly at the spot I was waiting without even me needing to tell him where I was. After a short introduction, we decided to open up the box and assemble the bike there and then. We were like basking outside the airport hall showing off our skills of assembling a bike. People just stood around us to see how it is done. Within 10 minutes, my bike was set and the panniers mounted and we were ready to go makan. I rode my bike out from the airport grounds while Om Baren and Adi escorted me on their motorbikes. The thing is if you have a local contact, they will be bring you to places usually tourist won’t get to see or eat. I had my first taste of Medan when they brought me to Jalan Polania, 15 minutes outside the airport for the famous Mee Soup Ayam and here I got my first taste of spicy Chilli Medan.
Medan's famous Mee Soup Ayam shop
After makan, we rode through the busy roads of Medan for a short introduction and, it was then that I realized the roads was not organized and a little too crowded to cycle. I know now that the rest of my cycling adventure would be very tough from here onwards.
Outside Yuki Simpang Raya - one of Medan's busy interaction
