Medan Day One

We left for Medan on Wesak Day via firefly. It was my first experience flying with firefly and it was okay. The seats and delays were just like Airasia but with complimentary drinks and muffins. The flight took approximately an hour to reach our destination. And of all the places, I met Jaja and husband at the airport. And then I bumped into Bari. What a wonderful coincidence! Since it was a company trip, we all had to wear the company’s corporate t-shirt for a group photo session.

My favourite boy

We arrived around 1-ish pm local time. The time difference is one hour, Malaysia being an hour faster than Medan, so we gained some extra time. First stop, was of course – nasi padang. No pictures there since we were too busy stuffing our faces with food. We went to the hotel after lunch to freshen up. The hotel that we stayed in was Hotel Grand Angkasa, with a local five star rating (I don’t quite get this but that’s what’s written everywhere and that’s what the tour guide told us too). The hotel was definitely not a disappointment. It’s a ‘will-visit-again’ material.

The whole group went to a batik shop first. I didn’t buy anything there because it was just ‘a’ shop. I was looking forward to go to the pasar where you have rows and rows of shops and since the competition is so stiff, you’d end up with the best bargain.

Then we moved on to Fashion Outlet (a factory outlet). Here, my husband went crazy. And I wouldn’t blame him because if I was a guy, I’d go crazy too. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts, polo tees. The boys in the family bought lots of things here while the ladies didn’t shop much. I’ve been to Bandung’s factory outlets before so I know that the one in Medan is nothing compared to the ones in Bandung! I was saying to my husband, if you think this is crazy dirt cheap, wait ‘til you go to Bandung. So, as for factory outlets, I’d still say, Bandung is the place to go.

All the shopping made everyone hungry and dizzy (that’s me!), we continued our journey to another nasi padang place but this time, we were served with ikan bakar and ayam bakar yang sedap gila. I forgot, I was supposed to snap pictures of the food not pictures of myself…but yeah, you get the idea.

What's going on here??

Still not tired from all the stops and what-nots, the group visited Medan Mall as our last stop for the day. It was already 8 pm. Here, I bought batik dresses only because the batik was a lot nicer than the first shop and they had more choices. And it was cheaper too. I got each one for less than RM30. I don’t know when or if I’ll ever wear them or where I’m going to wear it to but I had to buy because it was so cheap. And because I haven’t bought anything for the day and I’m losing out. The mall itself is nothing special, it’s just like our Summit mall. A far cry from the gorgeous shopping malls in Jakarta, of course, but it wouldn’t be fair to compare. However, I found one nice boutique with super reasonable prices. Well, I had to go through the racks one by one to find some nice gems but I was satisfied. I bought four tops for less than RM100. Not bad. We got tired waiting for the others so we just chilled out, had coffee and doughnuts.

This is what marriage will do to you. Or at least to me. Memang I dah gemuk, Alhamdulilah. Sedapnya doughnut! :)

By the time we reached the hotel it was about 10pm local time and there was a karaoke session, which I skipped because I was already sleepy (it was 11 pm Malaysian time, mind you) and went straight to bed. That was Day One. No sightseeing, yet.