This story starts out like any usual backpacker story: we book a “tourist bus” (minivan) to Medan airport from Bukit Lawang. We’re the only tourists, jammed in the back with locals, very little leg room and terrible AC (so we’re sweating). It should take 3-4 hours max and we’d planned to write some blog posts when we get to the airport. However, in Binjai the minivan pulls over, and we’re “asked” whether we can wait an hour, because we are going to pick up two more backpackers.
Begrudgingly, we agree to go to a local mall and kill some time.
When we got there, it’s as if we went to the zoo. Except we were the animals! I don’t think this mall at Binjai gets many white people. People giggled and whispered to their friends as they ogled at us. One woman was FaceTiming a friend and spun around to get us in the background. We posed for several pictures with children and adults alike. People wanted to shake our hands.
So this is what it is like to be famous!
It’s a trend that repeated in Jakarta. Once we posed for a selfie with one group, other groups would come running up to us wanting a picture. At one point, there was even a waiting line! It was something I’ve not experienced since Myanmar, and even then, not to the same degree.
I’m not going to lie, there was something very strange about it. It was kinda humbling to make people happy by simply having a picture with them. By the end though, I’d perfected my “smile and pose even though I’m ready to leave now”. I got a glimpse into the world of why famous people opt to try and keep a private life.
Anyway, back to Binjai. After 1.5 hours of hanging around the mall, running some errands, we finally hit the road to the airport. The other two backpackers never materialised…
Jakarta
We chose not to linger long in Jakarta. It’s a crazy, bustling city that can be overwhelming to the senses!
We visited the National Monument, which has a museum inside that (understandably) doesn’t paint the Dutch in a very positive light.
Later that night, we enjoyed a drink at the relaxing Awan Rooftop Bar.
After recharging on sleep and picking up a SIM card, we jumped on a train to Yogyakarta the next morning. See ya later Jakarta, hello Yogya…!