Trying to leave the train station lots of tuk tuk drivers were being pushy and following me on the street so I went into a nearby hospital to get directions. 

Once they pointed me the right way I crossed over the train track bridge and turned left to head to the town centre. Trying to walk to the hotel an easy landmark to guide me was the Masjid Reya. 



Walking thru the city at night not only did I see roaches scurrying on the sidewalk but also a rat. I went to a convenience store to get something to drink as I hadnt had anything since airport security and budget flights charge for drinks. The convenience store was really cheap, about .30 cents for an ice cream. 

Once I reached the Maimoon Palace the Masjid Reya was easy to spot. Initially I would have passed this in favour of coming in the day but it looked impressive all lit up.

When I went in I was amazed by the Moorish style architecture untypical of Sumatra. I took lots of pictures and the Mosque was emptying as the prayers were ending. 

 
 






































 

As well as the arches they had stained glass, quite unusual for a Mosque, along with a giant copy of the Quran on display. 

Some boys were charging 2000IDR (.20 cents) to look after your shoes when you went in. I passed by again during the daytime the next day. 

Now somebody was at the front gate charging 10,000IDR ($1) and sign a guest book to go in but if you went thru the side entrances nobody was there. I'd already been in and just wanted some shots so took them from outside the walls. 

Again it was quite impressive by day with its arched walkways. The building is a triangular design with a dome at each corner and a giant dome in the centre. I believe it was built by a Dutch architect about a century ago along with the Maimoon Palace which I would visit tomorrow.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 




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