Bolts of cloth and hand-woven Batak ulos climb the walls at Pajak Ikan Lama, a market whose name still promises fish. Across town, bakers pull trays of honeycomb-yellow bika ambon from the oven, and plenty of shoppers head home with a box of it.
Beyond the stalls, the Sultan of Deli's yellow Maimun Palace sits on its lawn, Kesawan lines up Dutch-era buildings, and Kampung Madras keeps sari shops beside an old Hindu temple. Medan is hot and humid all year, with rain in every month and the heaviest from September to November. A Local Friend reads the menu, the map and the mood for you, from which pajak to ask for to which noodle stall deserves the wait.
