Medan, Indonesia

Medan is the capital of North Sumatra and is the third-largest city in Indonesia. Depending on your perspective, you'll either love it or hate it. If you're coming from saner parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Medan will be everything that's wrong with an Asian city: choked with traffic, pollution and poverty. If you've worked your way north through Sumatra, Medan is thankfully modern, with air-con, internet and a middle class.
Most people only stay a night and grab transport out the next day. The city's major attraction is a graveyard of colonial buildings centred around Kesawan Square. For urban junkies, Medan has lots of confusing public transport to conquer.