A mysterious lady in Medan

Indonesia, Sumatra, Medan, 18-02-2009.

Adios and goodbye it is to Penang with its neglected Chinese shophouses, its lively Chinese culture boldly mixing with its other city dwellers like the big Indian and Malay populations and backpackers from all over the world, no more relaxing evenings on the malecon watching the locals stroll tranquilly while enjoying an ice-cream, a bit of a chat with long robed Hindus while making serious work of my cherished Masala Dosa in Little India.

I leave my hotel early morning dressed in my faded blue jeans and old T-shirt, my favorite travel clothes, ready for the 6 hour journey by ferry across the Straight of Melakka to Medan on Sumatra.

I wanna do a new place each year I come here and though I've been to Indonesia five times already, Sumatra was always blissfully absent during my trips to this mostly Muslim Realm.

The ferry is a sorry affair, a beaten-up sardin can full with locals burdened under heavy packs and desperate to get a free seat, dozing off instantly after departure despite the dusty TV screen blaring away at full volume that repeats 20 minutes of a movie starring Eddie Murphy over and over again, the crying of a baby before being offered a wrinkled third world titty that somehow makes me think of an empty tabacco bag and waves that hit the windows and make me seriously wonder wether or not this rusty old boat will really make it to Medan.

Medan is a typical Muslim madhouse with dusty streets where cars are jammed bumber to bumber, their exhaust fumes adding to the already polluted and choking carbon-monoxide laden air, sidewalks full with bearded men heading back to their jobs after a quick midday meal, women with headscarves shooting me quick glances from the paneless windows of passing rusty city busses, the air heavy with the stale smell of uncollected garbage where city rats as big as stray cats thrive.

Alahu Akbar sounding from the minareths of a nearby mosque calling the faithfull to prayer while I travel by local chicken bus into the heart of this stressfull and chaotic city on a wooden bench and wondering what the hell I'm doing here.

Than I see her...a lone young woman with a guitar dressed in a dark green short dress falling just below her hips, sitting on a bench mysteriously unscarved with big round dark brown eyes and raven black shoulder long hair. She looks strangely out of place in this mad to the max Muslim city!!!

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