Our final destination was Medan city.
Medan is not exactly a fancy city with tall glass-glazed buildings and fine arts lined up along the streets. But they have a rich history where you can learn from. Honestly, their government should start privatizing the maintenance of their museums otherwise it would be such a waste for Indonesia.
Unfortunately my brother fell ill that day so we sent him back to the hotel for him to rest. Bought buckets of ice to cool him down and let him rest while we were out for sight seeing.
We visited Istana Maimun (Maimoon Palace), the residence of Sultanate of Deli. No, not Delhi. Deli. Sultan of Deli still lives however the Sultan no longer holds any official power.
The palace has a unique architecture, mixing the elements of Malay cultural heritage, Islam, Spanish, Indian, and Italian style.
 |
| Singgahsana (throne) of the Sultanate of Deli who reigned from 1630-1814. |
 |
| Trying out the traditional Malay sultan outfit. |
 |
| Burning under that outfit! The weather is not helping! |
Since we were there, we visited the Great Mosque of Medan, a stone's throw away from the palace. It used to be in the same compound as the palace. The mosque was built in three years since 1906, designed by a Dutch architecture, A.J. Dingemans.
 |
| The entrance of Masjid Raya Al-Mashun, alternate name of it. |
 |
| The interior of Masjid Raya Medan. |
Our sight seeing did not just end there. I am really grateful to be able to celebrate new year in Medan this year because the fireworks were spectacular. Being a huge fan of pyrotechnics, the countdown event witnessed pyrotechnics blasted off fifteen minutes to midnight. Owning firecrackers and other form of pyrotechnic is legal there, so just be careful!
I literally watched too much fireworks that night my neck started to ache. You know those instances back home you're trying your best to get the best shot of the display because it's short. Well, there it was quite long to the extend my battery ran out.
Needless to say though, the firework choreography is nicer back home. To me this year, that doesn't matter!
