I was not planning to go to Indonesia, however, when I heard that it is
only a short 2 hour boat ride from Malaca, Malaysia, I couldn't help myself.
So, I took a little break from exploring Malaysia and hopped on a boat
headed for Dumi, Indonesia. As it turned out, this two hour boat ride
turned into something else completely. Dumi is nothing more than a
sleepy little seaport town and apparently it wasn't very safe for
foreigners. So, after quickly flipping through my guidebook, I
decided to take a 9 hour minibus ride to a place called Bukittinggi.
There are only three things I want to let everyone know: One, the
minibus are SCARY! They drive like there is no tomorrow and the Satan
is chasing them. Two, the best attraction of Bukittinggi is its
volcano! No matter how out of shape you are the 6 hour climb to the
top of the volcano is worth it! I think once you see the photos, you
will agree with me. Three, while the rest of Indonesia maybe in
trouble, Bukittinggi is as peaceful as any other places I have been to.
The people there are friendly and caring. If you have a chance to go
through there, take some time out and say hi to the people around you.
You will be pleasantly surprised by their hospitality!
Since I did not stay too long, I cannot do Indonesia justice by
describing what it is like so I won't. I will leave that for you to
find out yourself. So, pack your bags and go!
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Bukittinggi
The suspension bridge |
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Horse Carriage Taxi
They are everywhere! |
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Wonderful New Friends
While walking in the market, I met Aida (in the middle) and her friends! They are so friendly! |
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More Wonderful People
As I walk further into the market, I met more people. Here are two very friendly locals who were very happy to see their pictures in my digital camera |
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Local Minibus
This is their version of a public bus |
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Minibus Station
I am not sure how this works but somehow everyone can figure where the minibuses are going |
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Wonderful High School Kids
Girls, thanks for the direction! And I will miss you too! But sorry, no kisses. Hehehe From left to rigth Remi, Mira, Meri, Merry, Pona and Mira. Did you get all that? |
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Japanese Cave
During WWII, Japanese used thousands on slave labors to dig a well fortified underground fortress in Bukinttinggi to defend against possible American invasion |
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Japanese Cave
Cell where slave labors were kept and killed |
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Japanese Cave
Near one of the many entrances to the cave |
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Japanese Cave
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Friends Along the Way
While visiting the Japanese Cave, I met Syahrul and Pembinz. They are really cool and showed me around for the rest of the day. Thank you guys! |
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Dinner - Indonesian Style
When you sit down at one of these restaurants, they will immediately put tonz and tonz of dishes on the table. You pay for only what you eat - literally! So, if you eat one out of three pieces of chicken on one plate, you pay for only that one piece. Just don't ask what happened to the other two... |
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Military Museum
Though the museum itself is small and uninteresting, having wonderful friends who can show me around was certainly fun and exciting |
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Clock Tower
One of the landmarks of Bukittinggi |
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Volcano
We started at 11:30PM and climbed for approximately 6 hours, a total of 1750 meters, and what awaits us was unbelieveable. The volcano itself is 2750 meters but we started climbing at 900 meters. |
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Volcano
While sitting at the summit, I could not help being mesmorized by the clouds that surround us. |
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Volcano
As the sun ray slowly breaks through the darkness, the whole sky is lit up in a shade of bright yellow |
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Volcano
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Volcano
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Volcano
Thanks to the strong and chilly wind at the top, we were able to avoid the choking effect of sulfur gas |
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Volcano
All around, you see volcanic rocks that come in so many different colors |
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Volcano
Am I still standing on solid ground or flying trough clouds? |
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Volcano
Looks like scences from a scentific fiction doesn't it? |
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Volcano
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Volcano
Notice the shadow of the volcano on the clouds... |
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Volcano
My teammates and the two guides |
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Volcano
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Volcano Crater
The crater itself is about 200 to 300 meters deep |
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Volcano
Okay, so I wasn't exactly big on fashion... |
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Volcano
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Volcano
The sulfuric gas, the bitter cold, and the lack of any signs of life made me wonder... am I still on earth? |
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Volcano
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Volcano
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Volcano
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Volcano
Everyone in the group stopped for a photo. |
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Volcano
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Volcano
After seeing so many wonderful pictures, how can you afford not to go? If you do go, however, please do look for my digital camera's battery, which I accidently lost at the sumit. It is a Canon NL-1B type! Thanks! ( : |
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