my experience in west sumatra

Monday,August, 1 2011

Assalamu’alaikum Wr.Wb.

    Last holiday, I went to West Sumatra with my wife and my mother. We went there by bus. It named “Jambi Transport”. It was on Friday, 24^th of July 2011. We arrived at the bus station in the evening. Then the bus moved to Padang at about seven o’clock in the evening. All the way to Padang, we could see many villagers’ house and trees.

    At about eleven o’clock in the morning, we arrived to Padang. We got out the bus then got in the public transportation to find the hotel. We arrived to a middle class hotel in Padang city. And then we took a rest.

    The next day, we went to “air manis” beach. We went there by a motorcycle. It is not far away from the hotel. About fifteen minutes later, we got to the beach. The beach is full of people. They played around and some of them just sat on the cottage on the shore. The beach was beautiful and the waves were big but there was much rubbish and many goats and dogs around. I think some people don’t care of the cleanliness of the beach. And also the government has a great responsible to make the beach clean and beautiful. If the beach is clean. It could increase the visiting of the tourist, impact the increase of the people earning.   I took the picture with my wife several times. One of them I took the picture of the stone of “Maling Kundang”. Maling kundang is folklore from Padang. It tells about the son who doesn’t acknowledge his mother. Therefore, his mother becomes angry and curses him to be a stone. It’s so really like the one who bend his body the earth and also I took the picture of the ship of “maling Kundang” .

Playing and walking around the beach make my trousers dirt. Therefore, I had to take a bath in the bedroom near the beach.

Pic. 1 Malin kundang stone-air manis beach-Padang city

    After taking a bath, I felt so hungry, so we went to the nearest canteen. We ate nasi Goreng and gado-gado. We drank a glass of tea and a glass of coffee.

    At about four o’clock in the afternoon we went home.

   The following day, we planed to go to Pariaman. We went to friend house. It is in Kecamatan Lubuk Alung. We went there by bus. It is about one hour trip. Arriving to her house, we talked and then had lunch with her.

    Then we continued our trip to Gandorai beach. It’s about forty five minute trip to get to the beach. The beach was different from air manis beach. This beach was cleaner and there are no dogs or goats around. On the shore of the beach, there many ships of the fisherman and cottages for rent. But if we buy some food or drink we can sit on it for free.

                                  

Pic.2 Gandoriah beach-Padang Pariaman

     After two hours enjoying the beach, we left for Bukit Tinggi. We got there by bus. It’s about two hours trip from Pariaman. A long the way from Pariaman to bukit tinggi, we could see the ruin of the houses because of the earthquake shacked there two years ago. Some people built their house back but some of them didn’t.

    Arriving to bukit tinggi, I felt strange with my ear. It likes a deaf. It cause of cold weather here. And I felt the cold weather rush into my bones. My body couldn’t stand for the weather.

    We found the nearest hotel. We booked it for a day. The prize of the rent is one hundred and fifty thousand rupiahs for one night. When I took a bath, I touched the water it’s so cold. So I asked for hot water to the office boy for bathing. And then, when I went to bed, I ha to put some blankets to make my body warm.

The next morning, we planned to go to great clock and then to “valley sianok”. Our first destination was great clock. It is not far a way from the hotel. About five minutes walk we got there. A long ago, I had been here but the situation is much more different. There are many changes to “Jam gadang”. It looks like cleaner and the paint is glossy.

Enjoying the scenery, we went to the traditional market. It named “pasar atas” and” pasar bawah”. Many people in Sumatra have known that the prize for clothes and many other things here is the cheapest of all. I think the seller form Jambi also buy the things they sell here.

     We bought some clothes and some snack for my family. “Yes, it’s true”. The prizes are really cheap. I bought Muslim dress”al-mia” for a hundred and ten thousand rupiahs. I think if I buy in Jambi, it can be two hundred thousand rupiahs.

Pic. 3 Great clock- Bukit Tinggi

   Then, we continued our trip to “valley sianok”. It’s about five minutes walk from the traditional market. We had to buy the ticket to enter the gate of sianok valley. It’s about three thousand rupiahs per person.

   The scenery of a big valley is so amazing. This is the fact of the mighty of Allah SWT. I really realize that we, the human is much smaller then our God.

 Pic.4  I and my wife are in Sianok valley- BukitTinggi

    Suddenly, I saw a family of foreigner; one man and three women. They focus on enjoying the scenery of the valley. I greet one of the foreigners ” Good morning. Miss?         I Asked.”Good morning!”she said.”Where you come from, Miss?” I asked. She replayed” Germany”. Then I asked” May I take a picture with you?” She answered” Yes, off course”. But I forgot to ask her name and phone number.

Pic.5 With a tourist-in Sianok Valley-Bukit TInggi

    Still in Ngarai sianok, I passed the Japanese tunnel. Japanese tunnel is the cave made by the Japanese troops when the war in Bukit Tinggi, but I didn’t want to enter it because we have to save our time to go back to Padang before”Asar”. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. At half past three we left for Padang.

 

Pic. 6  My beloved wife in Japan tunnel-Bukit Tinggi

     At about five o’clock in the afternoon,  we arrived to Padang. We found the nearest hotel then took a rest.

    The next day, we went to  Solok. We went to  my grand mother house. My mother spent her childhood here. It is about one and half hours trip from Padang. We went there by bus. Arriving to my grandma house, we cleaned the house because there is only my cousin Surya who stay in. My grandma was in Jambi at that time. The house became clean and comfort after cleaning. So , we can take a rest comfortably.

    The next morning, we went to market to buy anything we need for eat. I bought some fruit and vegetable.  The sellers in the market were more then before. They used the road to put their things for sell. Therefore, the buyer had to pass the narrow road.

    The next day, on Thursday, 30^th  of June 2011,   we went to Jambi back at seven in the evening. We went to Jambi by rent car because there is no ticket seller in  “kota Solok”. The following day, at nine o’clock in the morning, we arrived to Jambi .

OK, that’s my story, my friends

See you!!!!!

Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.