GREEN GARDEN HOTEL, BERASTAGI, MEDAN

This is the hotel we stayed in Berastagi for just one night. The room was big and there was also a large swimming pool. My two traveling companions were excited so they went for a dip even though the temperature was actually quite low outside.

This hotel would be significant as this was the place I first encountered my real life earthquake experience.

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"PAJAK BUAH" IN BERASTAGI, IN THE MORNING

1st FEBRUARY 2017 ~ "Pajak Buah" is a morning market and it seemed that was the only attraction that we visited in Berastagi. We were among the early birds as there were not many visitors at that time. There were all sorts of items on sale there but agricultural products were the focus of the market.

I got excited to see local strawberries and raspberries were also available and bought some to be eaten. Only the strawberries could be brought back home to Malaysia as raspberries would not survive the hot weather.

The market looked cleaner and more organized, and should target foreigners and tourists to stop by and spend money here.

I had to keep reminding myself that I only had 20 kg of baggage limit later. Buying too much fruits to bring back was never a good idea.

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MY VERY FIRST REAL LIFE EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE IN MEDAN

31st January 2017 ~ So what was the most significant moment that I encountered during my Medan trip? Definitely my real life encounter with a brief earthquake in Berastagi. It was about 10:00 p.m. and the three of us were happily chatting in the hotel room, sharing some ghost stories. (We boys didn't gossip, you see.) Suddenly, I heard/felt these clattering sounds, and I was looking at Mr. Irham, who was sitting beside me on the sofa, and he was looking at me, big-eyed. And we just ran out of the room for our lives, and comically, Mr. Azry who was on the bed could not really understand what was happening to us but he followed suit a few seconds after. (I had been discussing with Irham about my worry of the earthquake thingy even before arriving in Medan which was struck with a massive 5.9 Richter scale quake 2 weeks before).

We were the first to be out of the hotel building and after that, other occupants started to vacate their rooms. The shaking lasted only for about 4-5 seconds, and we waited and waited outside for more tremors but (THANK GOD) there were none. After about 5 minutes, we went back into our room. However, we were more prepared this time and we put all the important documents in our bags near the door, so we could grab them in case of emergency. I asked them not to put the door latch so we could save more time if we had to make an escape later.

Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah, there were no aftershocks after that and we all slept (like logs) and if there were any tremors, I might not be able to feel them.

That was my first ever real life experience, and I really hope I will not have to go through the same horrifying moment again. 

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MY MEDAN GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - HAVING "MEE ACHEH" BUT NOT IN ACHEH

31st JANUARY 2017 ~ We decided to stay in Berastagi on the third night in Medan as we did not want to rush back to the city. There was not much that could be seen in Berastagi except the climate was more pleasant and cooler as it is situated on a highland.

We just went to the small restaurant opposite the hotel in the evening for dinner. We opted for "Mee Acheh" [translate: Acheh Noodles]. It is funny we were eating Acheh Noodles when we were not in Acheh and at the same time, we would be able to find Bandung Noodles if we were to go to Bandung. 

MY VERDICT: the gravy was quite curry-ish and it had similar taste like our local Curry Mee. It was quite spicy but I liked it that way. Later we had the chance to try Acheh Noodles in Medan city and it tasted different.

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BLOGGING FROM BERASTAGI, MEDAN

We are here now in Berastagi, after spending our time in Parapat and Samosir Island in Lake Toba. Berastagi is located on a highland and therefore has much cooler temperature. We have not had the time to explore yet but I guess we need to rest after extreme climbing at the waterfall in the afternoon (AGAIN?). I am praying I will not get sore muscles when I wake up tomorrow morning.