Have Perut Will Travel...: KNO Day 1 │ Kualanamu to DeliPark Mall • Airbnb!

Welcome to Medan

Welcome to Medan — we picked you up again the moment we stepped off MH860. Learning from past trips to Indonesia, we had everything prepared ahead of time, including the health and customs declarations via the official link. We filled everything in two days before departure, and Immigration and Customs were smooth sailing. We collected our yellow submarines at Carousel 01 and handed the officer our pre-printed QR code before exiting.

Old Fashioned Immigration

Our passports didn’t work at the auto gates, so we went through the manual counters instead. A short queue, a friendly officer, a quick stamp — and we were officially in North Sumatra.

Railink Plans

After a quick potty break, we followed online advice and chose the scenic route into the city: the Kualanamu Airport Railink to Medan Railway Station, then a short Grab ride to Empire Tower. Tickets cost IDR65,000 (≈ MYR15/USD4/EUR3) each, and with fifty minutes before the 9:45am train, we waited at the KAI Bandara station.

Into Medan City

The train arrived at 9:30am and departed on time. The forty minute ride passed palm plantations, quiet villages, and long stretches of open land before shifting into Medan’s dense neighbourhoods and busy streets. At the station, we disembarked, took an elevator down to the turnstiles, crossed a footbridge, then rode another elevator to street level. From there, a fixed fare Bluebird taxi for IDR29,000 (≈ MYR7/USD2/EUR1) took us to DeliPark Plaza.

A Costly Mistake

At DeliPark Mall, we arranged with a driver, Pak Faisal, for a Sunday airport pickup. It felt convenient, but in hindsight it turned into a costly mistake when he refused to honour the agreed fare and overcharged us. A small scam, and a lesson learned.

Early Lunch at Fountain

With hours to spare before check in, we had lunch at Fountain on the fourth floor. My favourite Oxtail Soup wasn’t available, so we settled for Nasi Sop Iga Sapi, Nasi Soto Medan Sapi, and Iced Lemongrass Tea, later adding a Banana Split and Fountain Coffee King. Total damage: IDR297,400 (≈ MYR68/USD17/EUR15).

A Strenuous Walk to Empire Tower

At 1:30pm, Helen messaged that the Airbnb was ready. What should have been a simple walk next door became a sweaty workout: dragging our yellow submarines down a long ramp to Jalan Guru Patimpus, continuing along Jalan Laboratorium III, then hauling everything up another steep ramp before finally reaching the lobby. A memorable arrival, to say the least.

Empire Tower’s Little Secret

The condo had a strict no vlogging rule, which meant we couldn’t feature Helen’s lovely apartment on our channel. You win some, you lose some — and the unusually tight privacy made us wonder what kind of stories this building preferred to keep behind closed doors.

Anyway, stay tuned for the next video as we begin exploring Medan!