Tag Archives: Sumatra

Flat Fixer – Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

Flat Fixer - Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

Flat Fixer – Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

This is a flat fixer. I saw them everywhere I went in Medan. It’s a bicycle with a sort of trailer built on the side. On the trailer is an air compressor run by a gasoline engine. There was an air tank hooked to the compressor. Someone would pull in with a flat or leaking tire and the guy would take it off and fix the tire on the spot. If you live in Medan, Indonesia you’d never have to worry about having a flat tire.

Chili Sauce – Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

Chili Sauce - Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

Chili Sauce – Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

I would have thought it was ketchup. But it’s not. In many countries in SE Asia, when you see a push-pump out in the condiments section, it doesn’t contain ketchup, it contains chili sauce. Ketchup you have to ask for. So is the chili sauce hot? You’re kidding, right? You’re asking me if the chili sauce is hot in places like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia where you can’t get bland food? Yes, it’s hot. I usually cover my nachos in jalapenos back home, but I’ve had a couple of situations in SE Asia when I really regretted taking a bite of food, because it contained some of the hottest chili peppers I’ve ever had the displeasure of tasting.