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Medan Holidays, Hotels & Travel Guide
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Medan Holidays Overview
Medan is the largest city in Indonesia and the capital of the province of North Sumatra. The origin of the name “Medan” has been the subject of speculation amongst historians and there does not appear to be any consensus to date. Whilst the diary of a Portuguese merchant dating back to the early 16th century indicated that the name “Medan” was derived from “Medina”, an Islamic holy city in Saudi Arabia, other sources seem to indicate that the name was derived from a word in the Indian Language “Meiden”. A 2002 dictionary by Darwin Prinst suggests that Medan could mean “recover” or “be better”.
In addition to being Indonesia’s third largest city, Medan is also the third most populous after Jakarta and Surabaya. The population currently stands at just under 3 million. The history of Indonesia is reflected in the mix of communities. In addition to the ethnic Batak and Melayu Kampung people, there is large Javanese and Chinese community. The main language in use is Bahasa Indonesia though English, Mandarin and Hokkian are in wide use.
A visitor to Medan will be fascinated by the motorized tricycle rickshaws, locally known as “becak” which are a major means of cheap transportation in the city.
Medan experiences warm weather throughout the year with temperatures in the range of 21 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius in the lowlands and 15 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius in the highlands. Medan also receives a high amount of rainfall each year.
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Medan
holidays - Top Events
Being in a city with a predominantly Muslim population, one the main annual events is of course Ramadan and Eid Ul Fitr. There is a tradition of giving hamper’s gifts to friends, relatives and business associates during this season. The big day of the Hari Raya Idul Fitr takes places on the 21st and 22nd of September every year.
Medan
holidays - How to Get There
Direct flights from Australia to Medan are few though a number of airlines such as Air Asia, Qantas, Virgin Blue and Singapore Airlines operate scheduled direct flights to Jakarta, Bali and Dili. One can easily connect to Medan from these cities. The average flight time from Sydney or Melbourne to Medan is 9 hours.
http://www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au/jakt/home.html
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