 |
Tuesday, April 7
Our two day boat ride was over, but to get from Pekanbaru
to Bukittingi, we (myself, Tim, and ten other travelers) hired a small
van. Far too much money changed hands and the twelve of us were quite crushed
in the tiny van, but it was much more flexible and faster than taking the
bus. We stopped a number of times to snap photos or eat. All it took was
a cry of Berhenti! and the driver would stop. We cruised all day
through lush rain forests and rich fields, finally arriving in Bukittingi.
Sunburned and tired after the long ride and the two day journey up the
river, we all relaxed with a beer in a local bar for the first time since
leaving Tanjun Penang three days earlier.
Things to do in Bukittingi:
-
Eat – The food is great, with lots of fresh fruit, and wonderful food stalls
and markets. I drank a kind of tea dessert which is a sweetened tea with
merangued egg white. Yum! We also ate an excellent omelet type thing called
murtabak
with a really fiery sauce with red and green chile pepper rings floating
in it.
-
The Zoo – the animals were mothbitten and in tiny cages, but it was still
fun and the zoo was in one of the prettiest parts of town.
-
Shop – Bukittingi is a gathering place for Indonesian tourists and merchants,
so the market was full of interesting things to buy. One gentleman was
selling herbal medicines, leeches, and other magic cures.
-
Architecture - Bukittingi is home to a unique Sumatran style of elevated
homebuilding that features sloped roofs with large extensions on either
end.
-
Trek through the hills – Hey, we did this too, thanks to a recommendation
and directions in Tim's copy of Moon Publications Indonesia Guide.
We actually took two hikes.
|
|
In fact, it was the second trek that
remains one of the trip’s finest memories. Tim and I took a bus ride several
miles out of town, then hiked for about 4 hours on a series of dirt roads
that intersected a number of small villages. It was still Ramadan, so many
people were dressed up. Towards the end we passed a cow auction. During
the entire trek, small children constantly cried out 'Hallo mister' or
'Foto.' We indulged a few with some of the photos here.
I've said this other places, but I'll say it here too. The right travel
guide can really make a difference. I used an old copy of Lonely Planet's
South-East
Asia on a Shoestring, and it was quite good for most things. But it
was Moon Publications Indonesia Guide that really shined in Indonesia.
It has quite a lot of cultural information and often would mention side
trips or sights that were not in the other guides, such as the trek we
took here.
|
