Getting around Sumatra is very easy and very cheap but at times not the most comfortable. A lot of the bus services are small mini vans. Some are dedicated to tourists and charge a bit more or you can be brave and get the local buses and enjoy a ride with an overload of Sumatrans. I once caught a bus from Bukit Lawang to Medan. The bus was mini van was big enough to sit 12 adults comfortably. We had 28 people on board and some extras sitting on the roof. That was an interesting trip.
Plane
Airports are located at Medan, Padang and Pekanbaru. Organising a flight in Sumatra is cheap and easy. Flights between cities can be irregular so booking ahead can avoid travel delays.
Padang Batam 400000 Rp
Padang Denpasar 575000 Rp
Padang Jakarta 299600 Rp
Padang Jogyakarta 461700 Rp
Padang Medan 285000 Rp
Padang Surabaya 528800 Rp
Padang Batam 400000 Rp
Padang Denpasar 575000 Rp
Padang Jakarta 299600 Rp
Padang Jogyakarta 461700 Rp
Padang Medan 285000 Rp
Padang Surabaya 528800 Rp
Buses
You can book bus tickets in all the hotels. All hotel operators get a commission for booking your ticket. Some will charge the same amount as if you book at the bus station but others put a markup on the ticket. Remember these people are just trying to make a living and when you convert how much extra they are putting on it's usually only 50c or a $1 more so don't stress out about it.
You can flag buses down as you are walking along. If they have room they will stop and collect you.
Here's a general guide to the bus fares around Sumatra:
Medan to Lake Toba 40,000Rp
Medan to Brastagi 28000Rp
Medan to Bukit Lawang 32000Rp
Bukit Lawang to Lake Toba 60000Rp
Bukit Lawang to Brastagi 45000Rp
Brastagi to Lake Toba 40000Rp
Lake Toba to Bukit Tinggi 110000Rp - A 12 hour bumpy trip! This goes via the Equator with a quick stop off to take a pic and buy a tshirt!
These are popular tourist bus routes so they are scheduled daily.
Trains
The train network is very small in Sumatra due to its mountainous nature. You can catch trains from Medan to Pematangsiantar, Tanjung Balai and Rantauparapat. Also in the south you can catch a train from Bandarlampung to Pelembang and then on to Lubuklinggau.
Ferries
There are a number of ferry services with the Sumatra on rivers and Lake Toba. Majority of the ferry services are to get the islands of the coasts of Sumatra.
Fauna – Sumatra
Sumatra is home to some of the rarest species of animals and plants in the world.
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran Tiger is the smallest of the sub-species of tiger in the world. They live deep in the rainforests of Sumatra eating wild pigs, monkey and deer.
Like other tigers they will sit half submerged in lakes or ponds during the heat of the day.
The strip pattern of these tigers are as unique as human finger prints.
There are only around 400 - 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. They are located in various rainforests in Sumatra but the majority of them are located in the Gunung Leuser National Park.
More information - http://www.tigertrust.info/
Thomas Leaf Monkey
Sumatran Gibbons
There are 11 species of gibbons living throughout south east asia with 3 different species of Gibbons in Sumatra. In Sumatra there is the Agile Gibbon, the White Handed Gibbon and the Siamangs.
Asian Elephant - Proboscidea
Proboscidea meaning animals with trunk. The Asian elephant is smaller in size as well as having smaller ears than the African elephant. You can find Sumatra elephants in a number of areas including Aceh, Tangkahan, North Sumatra and in the southern provinces including Way Kamblas National Park.
Sumatran Rhinoceros - Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
The Sumatra Rhinoceros is the only 2 horned Rhino living in the Asian region. Fewer than 300 Sumatran Rhinoceros exist today. Refered to as the hairy Rhino because of it's long course hair unlike other Rhinos - (Javan Rhinos, Indian Rhinos, White Rhinos and Black Rhinos) which appear hairless.
Sun Bear
Sun bear and the smallest bear in the world but with surprising strength for it's size. The have long probing tongues for eating honey in large bee hives. They are not bothered by bee stings and eat the bees along with their honey.
The Sun bear has loose baggy skin which helps it maneuver through the tree tops. The palms of their paws are furless giving them good grip when climbing. Their sharp claws are also good for gripping the tress or for ripping open termite nests.
Binturong - Arctictis binturong
Binturongs are often called 'bearcats' because of their appearance. Like cats, they have sharp meat eating teeth but surprisingly at least half of their diet is fruit and leaves.
These animals are found trees deep in the rainforest where their muscular tail helps them get around and their dark colour keeps them well hidden.
Malayan Tapir - Tapirus indicus
Malayan Tapirs mainly live close to water in swamps and hilly forests. They graze at night using their short trunk to gather leaves, buds and fruits into their mouth.
With short, slender legs they are good at swimming, running and climbing. This helps them keep out of danger and hide from predators like the Sumatran tiger.
Small clawed ottor - Amblonyx cinereus
Small clawed ottors live in the water ways of Sumatra hunting on fish and shellfish. These animals mate for life and both take part in feeding and looking after the infants. Even in murky water their whiskers feel vibrations in the water zoning in on their prey. Also their sensitive toes feel for shellfish and other food in the mud.
They live in small groups, using up to 12 different calls to communicate with each other.
Fishing cat - Prionailurus viverrinus
Fishing cats love the water and are excellent swimmers. They have partially webbed feet which aids in swimming and catching fish and birds in the water.
Fishing cats live near wetlands, rivers, creeks and swamps.
Dhole - Cuon alpinus
Dhole live in a pack of 5 - 12 controlled by a breeding male and female - the rest of the pack is their offspring. These have dog like characteristics but also can cluck like a chicken.
Dhole eat deer, wild sheep, rodents and rabbits. As a pack they can hunt animals ten times their size.
Salt water Crocodile
Swamp Crocodile
The Sumatran Swamp Crocodile is found in North Sumatra and Aceh. The area surrounding Lake Banko near Ket is the last remaining habitat of the Sumatran Swamp Crocodile.
Horn Bill
Buffalo
| Reptiles | Lizards | Snakes |
| Insects | Ants | Glowing millipede Glow worm |
Flora – Sumatra
Sumatra has some of the rarest and unusual plants and trees. The majority of Sumatra's rainforest have been cleared for farming though there are still a number of National Parks remaining.
Sumatra is home to the Rafflesia arnoldi, the largest flower in the world, as well as the Amorphophalus titanum, the world's tallest flower.
There are 16 different species of Rafflesia flowers found in Sumatra, Rafflesia Arnoldi being the largest flower in the world, discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Joseph Arnold in May 1818. The plant flowers between August and November. The flower can weigh up to 10kgs and is sometimes referred to as the corpse flower because of the pungent smell it gives off, similar to rotting meat. The smell is only present, when flowering to attract flies to carry it's sticky pollen to another plant. The Rafflesia Arnoldi can be see in the Rafflesia Sanctuary, near the village of Palupuh, 16km north of Bukkittinggi.
Other species include Rafflesia Gaduansi found in the Bung Hatta Nature Reserve near Padang, Rafflesia Acehensis and Rafflesia Zippelni can be found along the Alas River in Gunung Leuser National Park near Kutacane and Ketembe.
Amorphophalus titanum, the tallest flower as well as Rafflesia Arnoldi can also be found in the rainforests near Bengkulu. It only flowers once every three years and can stand over 2 meters tall.
Gunung Leuser National Park has glowing mushrooms that glow a luminescent green at certain times of the year.
Sumatran Orangutans
Orangutans, or Orang Hutan in Indonesian meaning Forest People (Orang - man, Hutan - forest). Orangutan are apes - closely related to humans, are 97% genetically identical to humans. Orangutans were once widespread throughout south east Asia but now are limited in the wild to 2 places on this planet, Sumatra and Borneo. Fossils have been found to show that they were once living as far as southern China.
It's thought to be that there are only around 7300 left in the Sumatran wild and expected to become extinct in 2020 - that's only 13 years from now! The orangutan are confined entirely to the the northern area of Sumatra where there are extensive forest reserves, mainly the Gunung Leuser National Park.
At Bukit Lawang there is the Bohorok Rehabilitation centre were orangutans are reintroduced into the wild. The Bohorok Rehabilitation centre was setup in 1972, similar to the Sepilkok Rehabilitation centre in Sabah North Borneo by Barbara Harrison in 1964. This centre was setup as a forest station where young apes confiscated from illegal captivity by authorities, could be systematically rehabilitated for life in the wild.
Orangutan are solitary animals, coming together for mating and minimal social interaction. Their diet consists of mainly vegetarian items like fruits, nuts, plant shoots and tree bark. They have been observed eating some small insects like termites, bird eggs and small mammals.
Orangutan can travel several kilometers per day looking for food and make a new nest each night in a tree for sleeping.
At birth the orangutan is already covered with reddish-orange hair, thick and long at the back but much thinner in front. Almost immediately after birth the baby clings face-inwards to it's mother's body, so the mother's warmth passes readily to it through the bare abdominal skin.
The infants stay with the mother until they are 7-10 years old. The females gain fertility at around 10 years old and remain fertile until they are 30 years old. They generally only have babies every 6 years. Adult males play no part in rearing the young. Pregnancy lasts about 9 months with the female giving birth to a tiny baby of about 3 pounds. During it's first 5 to 6 months the baby clings to it's mother day and night. At 4 or 6 months the baby will begin small excursions of its own, keeping close enough to it's mother to be able to hang on again quickly.
Other than Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra they are also found in Tanjung Putin and Kutai National Parks in Kalimantan, Indonesia as well as Sarawak and Sabah Borneo (East Malaysia).
Orangutan in Zoos around the world
Perth Zoo Australia
Perth Zoo is part of a captive breeding program of the Sumatran Orangutan.
On 20th October 2007 saw the birth of Nyaru, the first baby of 14 year old Negara. Perth Zoo's Leif Cocks said the baby boy was doing very well and Negara was a great mum.
Perth Zoo recently celebrated the 12th anniversary of it's release of Temara, a female orangutan into an Indonesian National Park.
There are many charities around the world worth donating money to to save the orangutan and Sumatran wildlife. Some of these are:
Orangutan Foundation International
Australian Orangutan Project
Currently funding projects like:
Anti logging patrols
The orphan care centre in Kalimantan
The lamandau rehabilitation centre
Peat swamp restoration in central Kalimantan
Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah
Surfing in Sumatra
Sumatra is the 6th largest Island in the world so has some incredible surfing spots along it's coast line as well as the smaller islands that surround Sumatra.
Surfing for beginners
Most of Sumatra's surfing spots are for experienced wave riders. Though if you are a beginner and looking for a good beach break which is safe to learn how to surf than Air Manis Beach in West Sumatra, just south of Padang is the place to go.
Air Manis Beach is within a secluded bay surrounded by forested hills. It only takes 30 minutes to get to from Padang. Here the waves break over soft sand rather than coral like in other locations so safer to learn. The wave height is around 0.5m to 1.5 meters. The water is clean though not always clear due to the fine sand that gets churned up by the waves. The surfing season at Air Manis Beach is from February to October when you can surf all day.
For surf instructors contact Rick Cameron on +62 751 767 888 or at w
Other places in Indonesia good for beginners are:
Kuta and Legian, Bali
Pangandaran, West Java
Grupuk, Lombok
Experienced surfers
Good surfing can be found at the following places:
Pulau Banyak off the western coast of Sumatra in the Aceh province. You can access Banyak Islands from Singkil on the west coast. Banyak Island Lodge offers an exclusive 8 person lodge with excellent surfing right in front of the lodge. For more information check out the Banyak Island Lodge website.
Telo Islands off the west coast of Sumatra just on the border of North Sumatra. Rougly half way between Nias and Mentawai Islands. Good reef and point breaks.
Asu Island off the coast of west Sumatra
There are many companies that organise surfing tours where you live on a boat moving along the coast to catch the best waves.
Surfing Tours
http://www.freedomsurfing.com/ - offering surfing tours for Mentawais, Hinakos, Telos, and Banyak Islands.
Surfing Charity
Six years ago, physician and surfer Dr. Dave Jenkins went on a surf charter to the Mentawai Islands with one goal in mind: to find perfect waves. The surf proved to be everything he had hoped for. What he also found, though, were the Mentawai people---mostly women and children-–-suffering and dying from the ravages of malaria and other preventable diseases. Troubled by the inequity of lifestyles and moved by compassion, Dr. Jenkins went on to establish SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs. With the support of the New Zealand and Australian governments, the global surfing community, and most importantly the Mentawai people of the affected areas themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.
Snorkeling and Diving
in Sumatra - Indonesia
Snorkeling and scuba diving in Sumatra is fantastic!
Cuttlefish
Sumatra after all, is the 6th largest Island in the world, so it has plenty of coastline. Surrounded by tropical waters, Sumatra has some great coral reefs and wildlife living. Getting to some of the fantastic reefs takes time and effort but well worth it.
Moray Eel with Yellow Margin Gymnothorax
Snorkeling and diving can be done in a heap of locations off the coast of Sumatra as well as the various island that are close to Sumatra. Great wildlife and coral reefs can be located on Pulau Weh, Pulau Nias, Pulau Banyak and around Padang to mention a few.
Peacock Grouper
Great places to snorkel or dive in Sumatra
Off the coast of Padang.
Dive holidays are available from various companies within Sumatra. For bookings before you leave check out:
http://www.sportdiver.com/destination.jsp?destinationID=10078
PADI diver courses can be completed on Pulau Weh. Prices for the courses will be much cheaper than in your home country. http://www.lumbalumba.com/
Rubiah Tirta Divers can also arrange dive trips and PADI dive courses on Pulau Weh. http://www.rubiahdivers.com/
Last updated 11th March 2009
Whitewater Rafting – Sumatra
Whitewater rafting can be done in many places in Sumatra. In 2001 Sumatra hosted the international rafting world championships.
The closest places to go white water rafting from Medan are on the Bohorok and Wampu Rivers close to Bukit Lawang about 3 hours by bus.
The Bingei River which is also easy to get to from Medan has grade III and grade IV rapids when there are high water conditions. Other times this river is excellent for beginners.
In West Sumatra there are other rivers where white water rafting can be arranged. The Ombilin River which is feed off from Lake Singkarak and the Batang Anai River which is feed from Lake Minginjau close to Bukkit Tinggi. Both of these rivers offer whitewater rafting for beginners.
Once in Sumatra it is very easy to find a travel company that arrange organised tours to go whitewater rafting. There are also some companies you can arrange these tours before arriving in Sumatra:
Tubing
If full on whitewater rafting is not your scheme but you still want to experience the river there are plenty of places like Bukit Lawang offer a safer option of tubing down gentle parts of the river with no large rapids.
You still need to be a strong swimmer as the tubes can overturn easily.
Last updated 1st January 2009
Bull Fighting- Sumatra Indonesia
Bull fighting, or water buffalo fighting, is practiced across most of Sumatra. It is very different to the Spanish bull fighting with a Matador against the bull. In Sumatra they fight bull against bull and very rarely is there injury to the bulls.
The bulls are generally starved for several days to put them in a bad mood. They are then brought to the field and pushed together until they lock horns and start to push against each other. The loser is the first bull to pull away from the fight and run away. Fights can last several seconds or alot longer depending on the determination of the bulls.
Although betting is illegal in Indonesia sometimes it seems that it is the number one pastime for Indonesian men.
Last updated 20th July 2008
Sumatran Languages
Sumatra has around 52 languages.
Indonesia has hundreds of languages throughout the archipelago of 13,000 islands. Bahasa Indonesia (or Indonesian language) which implemented throughout the whole archipelago after Indonesian gained independence from the Dutch in 1945 on 17th August.
When Sakarno took control off Indonesia during the 1949 independence from the Dutch, he implemented one language across the archipelago - bahasa Indonesia.
This is taught in all Indonesian schools along with the local language and English in some schools.
Sumatran Languages
Padangese
Sumatran food
Sumatran food is traditionally very spicy with lots of chilli, lemon grass, ginger, garlic and coriander. Some of the spiciest food in all of Indonesian is the Padangese food from Padang in West Sumatra.
Sumatra Chicken Curry
Beef Randang or Rendang is a dry beef curry which is quite spicy but delicious with the most tender beef pieces. See recipe.
Soto is a traditional Sumatran noodle soup very similar to a Laksa with coconut milk and spices. usually served with Ayam (chicken). See recipe.
Sumatra Chicken Curry (pictured above) is a colourful dish with a fresh flavour with the combination of coriander, chilli, ginger and lime. Click here for the Sumatran Chicken Curry recipe.
West Sumatran Fish Curry. See recipe.
West Sumatran Fish Curry. See recipe.
Bubur jagung is a popular dessert made with corn which can be served hot or cold. See recipe.
Sambal is Indonesia chilli paste and is used in many different dishes or added to noddle soups while eating. See recipe.
Durian Sambal is an old Sumatra dish combining the unusual flavour of the Durian fruit and spicy chilies. See recipe.
Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng are almost part of the staple diet of Indonesians and Sumatrans.
Ayam Tangkap - Achenese, a spicy chicken dish cooked without coconut milk like the Padangese food.
Gulai Merah (Red Short Ribs Of Beef)
Bawang goreng is fried, dried onions and is used extensively for garnishing Indonesian food like Nasi goreng or soups.
Ayam Kacang Bukkitinggi - Peanut Chicken
Ayam gooreng (fried chicken) is traditional all over Indonesia but especially tasty in Sumatra.
Gulai Daun Singkong Tumbuk Grilled Fish with Green vegetables
Gulai Merah (Red Short Ribs Of Beef)
Rujak (Pungent Fruit Salad)
The majority of Sumatrans are muslim so there is very little pork available although in the larger cities like Medan it is available in Chinese restaurants. The Batak people around Lake Toba are mostly Christians so you can get some excellent pork dishes there.
Sumatran Coffee
Coffee was first produced in Sumatra in the 18th century under colonial domination by the Dutch.
The majority of Sumatran coffee is grown around the Lake Toba district in North Sumatra with it's high altitude. There is another major growing area near Lake Tawar in Aceh province in the far tip of Sumatra.
The best coffee grown in Sumatra is exported to around the globe. While traveling around Sumatra you may not appreciate the way the Sumatrans serve the local brew. Generally they just dump a spoonful of ground coffee in a cup and the add hot water with no filtering process. You need to leave the coffee sink to the bottom of the cup before drinking otherwise it has a very gritty texture but is sure a great kick starter in the morning.
There is very little pasteurized milk in Indonesia so generally when you want a white coffee they add condensed milk which then makes the coffee extremely sweet.
Purchase Sumatran Coffee online:
Sumatran Legends
As with any people, there are certain folk lore or legends about how these people came into being in this region.
Lake Toba legend
History shows that Lake Toba was produced from a huge volcanic eruption, creating a crater which filled with water over thousands of years but the Batak people have a different story to tell:
Thousands of years ago before Lake Toba was a lake, this regions was lush farm land. One solitary farmer discovered the Toba valley and decided to make it his home.
He found a nice stretch of land he could farm for his own existence, along side a small lake.
As well as the fine produce his farm produced, the lake provided him with ample fish to eat.
One day, while farming his land he noticed a fish poking it's head out of the water watching him. Thinking this could be lunchtime he moved closer to the lake to see if he could catch the fish. As he came close to the fish ready to pounce, the fish spoke to him.
He froze, amazed that the fish could speak. The fish said that she could take human form and be with him as his wife and bear him a son.
Although he was happy on his land, with all the food he could eat he had been lonely so he quickly agreed. Before she took human form she said to him that he could tell no-one that she was really a fish from the lake, otherwise she would return to the lake as a fish and could never be with him again. He was not bothered by this as he had not seen anyone else in the valley since he discovered it, so knew he would not tell anyone.
They became man and wife, and she bore him 2 sons. He enjoyed many happy years with his beautiful wife and 2 sons. After several years the boys were strong enough to help their father farming their food.
Each day the father and 2 sons would set off across the farm attending to all it's needs. It was hard work in the hot conditions of Sumatra but each day his faithful wife would bring him and her sons lunch and cool water to drink, spending time talking and laughing with her family.
Late one morning, while she was preparing the lunch for her boys and husband, she had an accident in the kitchen and had to attend to her wounds before heading off to take the food and water to her family.
The husband noticed that his wife has not appeared at the usual time of day when they most needed food and water. They worked on knowing she would not be far. As the time passed, the husband become more tired from the work, hungry and dehydrated from the sun. Soon the husband erupted into a rage, believing his wife had betrayed her family. He quickly yelled to his sons that he was stupid for marrying a fish.
As soon as he said that she transformed back to a fish, returning to the lake. She realised why she had returned and was stricken with grief as she would never see her children or husband again. For the rest of her life tears fell down her face which eventually filled the Toba valley creating the huge Lake Toba of today.
West Sumatran buffalo fight with the Javanese
The Javanese came to Sumatra and tried to counquer them so they could take control of the rich fertile farming land.
The West Sumatrans proposed that they settle the land dispute with a bull fight.
The Javan King, knowing he had many fine bulls accepted the proposal.
The Javans wen't back to select their finist bull and toot it to West Sumatra to fight with their prize bull.
The Javan bull was put into the bull ring and was very surprised to see a small baby calf (female) come into the ring to fight. The Javan bull rather amused stood their allowing the calf the chance to knock him over.
The West Sumatrans had strategically placed metal spikes onto the small horns the calf was developing.
As the calf was still suckling from her mother, she had strong neck muscles to reach up to the teats.
The calf mistook the bull for it's mother and ran to its underbelly and began proding to find a teat to feed on.
The repeated jabs from the metal spikes ensure a quick death of the Javanese bull.
The Javanese quickly retreated back to Java allowing the West Sumatrans to feast on the dead Javanese bull and to keep their land.
Bukit Tinggi local folklore called Bujang Sembilan
Sumatran tigers/pussy cat
Thousands of years ago, before man had entered the jungles of Sumatra and the animals rule the land the Sumatran Tiger and cat (before it was domesticated) were proud cousins, always helping each other out in the big bad jungle.
One day a very hungry Sumatran Tiger had been hunting for food for days. It was loosing energy and not sure if it could catch anything substantial to eat. As he was loosing all hope he look up into a banana tree and saw one of his cousins high in the tree, where he couldn't reach, feasting on bananas.
Although the Sumatran Tiger didn't eat bananas he thought that if he had a few it many give him enough energy to catch a tasty deer.
He called to his cousin for him to throw down some bananas to give him more energy so he could hunt something to eat.
The cat became scared and thought that if the Tiger only had a bit of energy he may become his second course before he went hunting for some deer.
The yelled to the Tiger that he would help him to gain some energy but he wanted the Tiger to open his mouth and close his eyes, so the cat could feed him but have some time to flee before becoming lunch.
The Tiger agreed, closing his eyes and opening his eyes. The mischievous cat decided to play a trick on the Tiger, not feeding him bananas to strengthen him but to weaken him to ensure his own escape.
The cat turned around and pooped off the tree into the Tigers hungry mouth. As the Tiger started to chew he realised he was not chewing on sweet bananas. He quickly spat his mouth load out and yelled up into the trees as the cat bolted through the canopy, ' CAT! You may have fooled me, but now that I have tasted your poo, and know what you poo smells like, I can track you anywhere in the jungle and will catch you!'.
Since that day the cat, and his ancestors, the domestic cat bury their poo!
Cultural Tips in Sumatra
Here are some basics guides for traveling around Sumatra not to offend the locals. A lot of these tips apply to other Muslim countries.
When receiving and giving things, including money, always use the right hand, however inconvenient it can be at times. See bottom tip for reason.
Use only the right hand for eating. Sumatrans generally use the hand to eat - no knife and fork. Rice is pinched into a ball and then pushed into your mouth with your thumb.
When eating with fingers, clean them in the water bowl provided. Wait until everyone has finished eating before you go to wash your hand.
If using spoon and fork, leave them backside up as a sign you have had enough.
Placing your hands on the hips, even casually, is a sign of arrogance or anger.
It is rude to place one's feet in such a way that the soles are facing another person.
Take off your shoes when visiting someone's home.
If you visit someone's house you may be asked if you have already eaten - "Sudah Mekan?" The polite answer is Sudah. (Already).
If a meal is spontaneously provided, it is impolite to refuse.
When leaving it is polite to thank the wife, even if she has spent all evening in the kitchen.
Men touching men and women touching women is commonplace but touching between the sexes is rarely done in public.
Avoid visiting Moslem homes during prayer times - five times a day.
Burping is normal. Farting is not.
Don't throw things to anyone. It is more polite to hand it over, even if it means moving.
Be prepared for squat toilets and no toilet paper! Most up market hotels have westernised toilets but the sewerage system still doesn't handle toilet paper and will generally clog the toilet making a mess. There will be a basket next to the toilet for the paper waste. Yes can get smelly so try the local way - the bucket of water next to the toilet.
The Sumatrans don't use toilet paper and think it uncleanly to just use toilet paper. There will always be a bucket of water with a ladle or a hose for cleaning yourself. The left hand is used for this purposed - therefore rude to pass things with the left hand. No tips on how best to do this. Just have to work it out yourself for best technique.
As a Sumatran man asked me - if someone slapped some shit on your forehead and then offered you some toilet paper to wipe it off or a bucket of water to clean it off which would you use???
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