All about Medan

Medan is the capital city of North Sumatra province, Indonesia. It is the largest city in Sumatra and the Indonesia's third most populous after Jakarta and Surabaya, with approximately 2.5 million people. Medan means 'field' in Bahasa Indonesia and Malay languages but the name actually originated from the Karonese word 'madan' which means to 'get better' or 'healthy'.The city located in the north of the province, and has a nearby harbour Belawan, and an international airport Polonia International Airport. It is situated in the fertile swamp at the junction of the Deli and Babura rivers where the original village of Medan Putri was founded by Raja Guru Patimpus in 1590.
The city has a mix of communities, reflecting its pre- and post-independence history. It is famous throughout Indonesia as the home of the Batak people, although the ancestral sites of these people are scattered throughout northern Sumatra. In addition, there is a large ethnic Javanese comunity, largely made of of the descendants of people shipped from Java in the last century as part of the government's transmigration policy, an attempt to relieve the chronic overcrowding on Java.
A highly visible component of Medan's population is the large number of ethnic Chinese, who control much of the business sector. Finally, the city has a sizeable community of Tamil descent, the people known as keling. A well-known Tamil market, is the Kampung Keling. In addition to Indonesian, Javanese, Hokkien, Tamil and English are spoken.

Climate
Straddling the equator, the climate in Medan, just like other areas in Indonesia, tends to have a fairly even climate year-round. There are two seasons; i.e., the dry season and the rainy season. The temperature throughout the year average 22oC to 29oC, but the north coastal plains are usually hotter up to 34oC. Humidity average a high 75%.

Clothes
Light weight clothing is advisable in this region because its warm temperature and humidity. In formal meetings, men commonly wear ties and long sleeve Batik shirts. Nevertheless, if you go to mountainous areas, you need jackets and sweaters.

Electricity
Power supply is 220 volts / 250 cycles is large cities, but 110 volts is still used in some areas. Normal outlets are plugs with two rounded pins. It is advisable to check electricity supplies before using any appliances.

Food
North Sumatra has a variety of food. Rice is the staple food which is usually eaten with meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.In Padang Cuisine restaurants, a variety of dishes are placed on the table in front of you but you only have to pay for what you eat. Western meals are provided in all hotels serving foreign tourists. Chinese and Japanese cuisine is also available in some restaurants, even in some small ones.

Snack time at Night
Kesawan SquareLocated in the core of the city, before known as “Kesawan” or “Ahmad Yani Road”, a shopping complex and business center at day time, becomes a place to find almost every specific Medan’s snack at night time.Merdeka WalkAlso in the core of the city, at Merdeka Field areal or Balai Kota Road, built by private sectors together with the local government on 2005, Merdeka Walk is famous for its Eastern like tent, live music and karaoke, local and international food such as Pizza and Fried Chicken from McDonald.Lili Suheri ParkThis park is located at the intersection of Listrik Street and Zainul Arifin Street, near by Selecta Building and Gleanegles Hospital. Medan’s food you can find here are dim sum, sop langsa, sate etc.Pagaruyung StreetFamous by the name of Kampung Keling, at Pagaruyung Street and mostly occupied by India Tamil tribes. Snacks found at night time are Martabak India, Kwe Tiau etc.Sri Deli ParkLocated at SM Raja Street, across The Great Mousqe of Medan and near by Maimunah Palace, with fishpool in the center sorrounded by café in tents, visitors can fish while enjoying snack time.

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