Going deaf in Padang
The first time I came to this medium-sized city in the south-western part of Sumatra was in 1996. I had just started my first big job after graduating from college, and had to do some field work for a proposal. I didn't see anything of the city, just whisked through it to go to the boonies. I remember little from that visit except the crappy hotel I will not stay in again, and the little souvenir shop with lots of nice embroidered goodies.
This time, I already have seen, like, half of the city and more. The highlight so far is the Andalas University campus up in the mountains of Limau Manis, about half an hour by an air-conditioned, smoke-free, fragrance-free, and noise-free taxi (bless it! not even a trace of cigarette smoke!). A little bit about the campus: it's superbly laid out, with a modern interpretation of traditional architecture, and with great views of the surrounding mountains and, in the distance, the lower-lying town and the sea. In fact, I think of all the university campuses in Indonesia I've seen, it's the best so far.
What I will be ranting about this time, actually, is how loud the music are being played in the public transport (busses, minibusses) of this place. Now, I've been to almost all major towns in Sumatra, so I can confidently report that out here people like their music LOUD and everyone tries to outdone their neighbors. In my opinion, however, Padang City breaks the record for realy going out of their way to bust your ear drums. After a day riding in and out of busses, I feel my ears going numb, my organs beating to a leftover rhythm, and my head pounding with a curiously sharp, but narrowly located, throbbing. It's as if some nerve cells in the noise sector of my brain is pulsing against my skull.
And the music! It's either old, B-type, rock songs, or maddening techno-style mixes that repeats a phrase 3,000 times before moving on to repeating the next for another 3,000 times. The awfulness of the music actually is what I mind most--the noise I could somewhat guard against by jamming tissue into my ears.
I actually asked several drivers (at first out of anger, but after several rides out of curiosity) as to the reason why they play music so loud. The consensus is that this is a marketing gimmick! It seems that the drivers think that the ladies and gentlemen of Padang City would rather board those vehicles which will guarantee premature deafness and numbing of the brain! And especially the young gentlemen (Aha, another evidence confirming they're the least health-conscious, aka suicidal, layer of any population).
Anyways, to you out there heading this way: bring industrial-grade earplugs if you plan to do any time with the Padang City public transport system. Riding next to the driver is best (that is, if you don't mind second-hand cigarette smoke as an added-ambiance), since speakers are located in the back for customers' maximum enjoyment. Enjoy!
This time, I already have seen, like, half of the city and more. The highlight so far is the Andalas University campus up in the mountains of Limau Manis, about half an hour by an air-conditioned, smoke-free, fragrance-free, and noise-free taxi (bless it! not even a trace of cigarette smoke!). A little bit about the campus: it's superbly laid out, with a modern interpretation of traditional architecture, and with great views of the surrounding mountains and, in the distance, the lower-lying town and the sea. In fact, I think of all the university campuses in Indonesia I've seen, it's the best so far.
What I will be ranting about this time, actually, is how loud the music are being played in the public transport (busses, minibusses) of this place. Now, I've been to almost all major towns in Sumatra, so I can confidently report that out here people like their music LOUD and everyone tries to outdone their neighbors. In my opinion, however, Padang City breaks the record for realy going out of their way to bust your ear drums. After a day riding in and out of busses, I feel my ears going numb, my organs beating to a leftover rhythm, and my head pounding with a curiously sharp, but narrowly located, throbbing. It's as if some nerve cells in the noise sector of my brain is pulsing against my skull.
And the music! It's either old, B-type, rock songs, or maddening techno-style mixes that repeats a phrase 3,000 times before moving on to repeating the next for another 3,000 times. The awfulness of the music actually is what I mind most--the noise I could somewhat guard against by jamming tissue into my ears.
I actually asked several drivers (at first out of anger, but after several rides out of curiosity) as to the reason why they play music so loud. The consensus is that this is a marketing gimmick! It seems that the drivers think that the ladies and gentlemen of Padang City would rather board those vehicles which will guarantee premature deafness and numbing of the brain! And especially the young gentlemen (Aha, another evidence confirming they're the least health-conscious, aka suicidal, layer of any population).
Anyways, to you out there heading this way: bring industrial-grade earplugs if you plan to do any time with the Padang City public transport system. Riding next to the driver is best (that is, if you don't mind second-hand cigarette smoke as an added-ambiance), since speakers are located in the back for customers' maximum enjoyment. Enjoy!
posted by fantarara at 10:10 AM
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