Asia Mega Tour 2026 - Days Six and Seven - Medan With The Rhythm Method

When we do our international trips, visiting of our far flung family is always a significant part. And each family member has a different vibe when we visit. When visiting the #2's at one of their international postings, there is a specific vibe. And as #2 has moved up the seniority ladder at the State Department to positions of greater responsibility, our visits need, of necessity, to fit into her schedule. AND, it always seems that when we are visiting, SOMETHING, pops up that puts her and 2B into work related stress (while we were in Shanghai in 2024, there was the visit by the Ambassador that hand not been planned for when we made our plans to visit, and that required a lot of work from both of them). THEN, not only is their work stress, BUT, they get all guilty that they are not taking care of their dear old parents the way they should.

By now we are somewhat accustomed to this but it can leave us in a position where we are not in full control of our own schedule. This is particularly true if where they are stationed is not as visitor friendly as others. For example, in Hong Kong and Shanghai it was very easy for Wife and I to make our own way around. When the #2's were stationed in Manila, there was no way we were going off on our own. Medan, is sort of more like Manila. It's not a place where people walk. It does not get a lot of tourism, so there's not necessarily a lot of places to go visit. Compared to other places we've visited in SE Asia, there are almost no other Westerners here. While I'm used to that in Ghana, there I have a whole support system I work with. 

All this is a rather long way of saying we're kind of going with the flow here, rather than doing our usual being out and exploring. The current Iranian crisis which started while we were here, of course, added stress to anyone in the State Department. #2, who is now the number one person as Counsel General, has a lot more responsibilities. In addition, it is Ramadan in this predominantly Islamic county and the Consulate is holding an Iftar (breaking of the fast) dinner today as I write this post. 

However, neither international crisis, nor work responsibilities are going to keep 2B from making sure the de-I has an incredible culinary experience. 

Auto Window Photography 

As we are not able to get out and do our normal 'wander and shoot' photography, Wife and I have been relegated to just taking random shots from the cars as we are being driven around by either #2 or 2B.

Mosques

 

 

 

 Mall Entrance

 

 Little India Bazaar

 

Chinese New Year's Decorations (there is a very large ethnic Chinese population in Medan) 

 

 

 The Counsel General's Living Quarters

 

 #2 and I got pedicures. I opted for Indonesia/USA solidarity symbolism

 

Visiting the Sultan of Deli's Palace

The Sultanate of Deli dates to 1632 when it broke off from the Sultanate of Aceh. There is a long and complicated history associated with the Dutch East India Company. The current Palace was built by the 9th Sultan in the late 19th century and is noted for combining Malay, Indian, Islamic, Dutch, Spanish, and Italian influences. You can visit a small part of the Palace but most is still used by members of the Sultan's household (which we were told are around 45 people)

Unfortunately, I was kind of rushed in and out so didn't get a full on shot of the front. You can visit Wife's blog to see that. 

Exterior

 

 

 Interior

Coat of Arms

 

They are very proud of their tobacco and tobacco products

 

 Highly engaged staff

 Outside the Palace Compound

 

 Should de-I and Wife take on the role of Sultan at the Tower

 

 

 The Current Sultan (his father died young). This was done 10 years ago.

 

 GASTRONOMY!!!!!!

 But come, we know this is why we are with the #2's. 2B is the instigator but #2 always is the enabler by ordering so enough so we try everything (and have enough for about two meals with the leftovers).

 Just a snack at the Mall

Chicken Tenders anywhere here are great. Deep frying is powerful culinary strength. They are made with dark meet so are always more juicy than in the U.S.

 

 Wife with Strawberry Milk Cake

The taste is like strawberry shortcake but the texture is softer and the cake tastes like it is made with whip cream

 

 Eating at a 'Indonesia/Chinese' diner

Not really a diner, but not a fancy place. Just a place you go to get a meal. Everything we've had is so good, I am dispensing with the Yums metrics. Everything is at least two 

Duck Noodle Soup

 

 Some other kind of noodle soup

 

 Fried noodles (catching a trend here?)

 

Fried Fish...like everything else fried...Yum (I know I said I wasn't but I couldn't resist)

 

 A Variety of Veggies

 

 Steamed Daikon Cake 

I've had this many places including in the U.S. and love it always.

 

 Korean BBQ

I love Korean BBQ which is a grill at the table concept. There is just about every option for Asian cuisine in Medan.

 A rather different means for cooking ventilating than I've seen. Under that grill is a container of live coals (no gas burners here). And that ventilation duct looks like it came from Dr Who!

 

 Grilling a very small amount of the vast quantity of meat ordered

 

 Washed down with Shoju, a fortified spirit made from either rice, sweet potato, or buckwheat. Goes down like wine but with 50% more alcohol content! 

 

Asia Mega Tour 2026 - Days Four Thru Six - Introduction To Pulandia In Medan

We have arrived in Medan, Indonesia. Third largest city in Indonesia. Largest city on the island of Sumatra. Historically important because of its strategic location along the Strait of Melaka. But for the purposes of this blog WAY MORE IMPORTANT is the fact that it is the current location of the fabled, almost supernatural Queendom of Pulandia. Long time visitors will know that Wife and de-I have an almost masochistic attachment to visits to this land of excitement and gastronomy and have Platinum Status with it's captive travel planning company, Pooh Lee Shah Travels. To further make this trip a bit different, Dowager Queen Pooh has morphed her Earthly persona and is now the Counsel General for the United States in Medan! 

In all seriousness, it is a bit different to watch #2 work when she is in fact the head of the operation, even though this is a tiny outpost of the U.S. government. And with all the craziness going on in the world and the fact we are in a predominantly Islamic country, I would say the #2's are not really excited for us to just be wandering around on our own. This is okay because we have been pretty beat up from our long trip. Further we didn't do a lot of advance research on Medan and what we did indicated there wasn't a ton to see or do in the city. It's not the easiest place to walk around. We came with a mindset that we really wanted to hang with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. 

AND (unspoken) knowing we would get the full-on gastronomic experience that comes with each visit to Pulandia. Of course, it is not like de-I has to be led kicking and screaming. (That would be Wife pleading to not have her digestive track overrun again). Upon our arrival, the initial itinerary was something like, 

• On Sunday we will be having this meal at this place
• On Monday that will be followed by lunch here and dinner here
• On Tuesday it will lunch at...

 You get the picture. Actually we are lining up other things along the way and by the end of the week we will be getting out and about. 

 We haven't had an opportunity to take pictures in the real sense of the term so I just started to take shots with my phone as we drove around. So consider these just a bit of 'stream of consciousness'

Things are actually pretty slow here because it is Ramadan. A lot of people go back to their homes for the holiday. Public schools are closed. And many retail (especially food) businesses are closed until after sundown. 

 

 The Counsel General's vehicle has a flag so you are sure to know there is someone official inside.

 

 

 Market that would be busy if it were not Ramadan

 

 

 This sign says Goodbye / Thank you

 

 

Captain Wife and 2.1 chilling

 

 Let the Gastronomy Begin

On Saturday night we were to go to high end Indonesian place but our reservation was messed up so we changed plans and went to a smaller place, well known to 2B and #2 that served a more eclectic Western focused menu

Bone marrow

 

 Scallops in a cream sauce

 

 A sort of Japanese Katsu Chicken Cutlet with Curry Sauce

 

 We ordered a dessert that was 'Pancakes with a Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream'. We all thought it would be like crepes. But no. It was actual pancakes. We kind of looked at it askance until we tasted it, then scarfed down almost all of it.

 

 Sunday afternoon we went to dim sum place for brunch. So many wonderful things and I only took pictures of a few.

Waiting for Dim Sum to start showing up.

 

Disembodied hand serving up fried rice noodles

 

 Eggs with shrimp...many Yums

 

 Shrimp in a thin rice paper wrapper steamed...Many Yums

 

 Philippine Style Lumpia...Also Many Yums

 

 One thing not shown here was a chunk of pork leg done Philippine Lechon style...also Many Yums. I don't even remember everything else we ate. 

A note on the food scene in Medan. 

Medan has a diverse population. It has the local Indonesian population. There is also a large community that has Chinese roots going back centuries. There are influences from Europe. An Indian Hindu population, etc. All this makes for a very varied food scene. Things here are also very inexpensive. 

We had one splurge meal at a place that is normally only an event center but is open for lunch. It is right across the street from #2's office

Her being helped across a crazy street by her driver.

 A Chicken based soup to which you added bean sprouts and cilantro - Yum

 

 Appetizer plate with fried chicken, some kind of sort of dumpling that had been fried, a vegetable something, some crispy chip like somethings, and a scallops in sauce with macadamia nuts. Generally good. Two Yums.

This was a whole fish cooked in butter and garlic. Two Yums

A fried tofu with some kind of sauce - INSANE amount of Yums!

 

 

Fried Rice. Often times fried rice is just 'okay'. This was very good. Two Yums.

 

 

 

Nice looking fruit display for dessert

2B wanted us to try a tofu pudding with a sauce made from local service. Not so much to my liking.