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BERASTAGI |
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Lying 1330m above sea level, 70km southwest of Medan and 25km due
north of the shores of Toba, BERASTAGI is a cold, compact little hill
station in the centre of the Karo Highlands. It was founded by the Dutch
in the 1920s as a retreat from the sweltering heat of Medan, and has
been popular with tourists ever since. The town is set in a gorgeous
bucolic landscape bookended by two huge but climbable volcanoes , Gunung
Sibayak and Gunung Sinabung, and provides a perfect base for trekking .
It's little more than a one-street town, with nearly all accommodation
running north of the bus station on Jalan Veteran.
There are a number of attractions in the town itself, including three
markets: the photogenic general market , which takes place five times a
week (not Wed or Sun) behind the bus station; the daily fruit market ,
which also sells souvenirs, to the west of the roundabout, and the
Sunday market , which takes place every other week on top of Gundaling
Hill and attracts such novelty acts as the teeth-pulling man (Rp200 per
tooth) and the snake charmer.
The post office (Mon-Thurs 8am-2pm, Fri 8-11am) and Telkom office stand
together by the war memorial, just off Jalan Veteran on the road that
leads to Gundaling Hill. The tourist office (daily 8am-7pm) is just over
the road; but the losmen are much better sources of advice. The BNI bank
at Jl Veteran 53 offers poor rates; to change US dollars, contact Toko
Mas Gemilang, the jeweller at no. 139.
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