Saturday, October 20, 2012
We started our adventure from Rumbai at 8:00 am this morning. We’ve just had four day professional development work time with Jeff Utech – loved it.
We are heading southwest from Rumbai to the mountain town of Bukitinggi or otherwise known as Big Clock Town (Kota Jam Gadang) for the big clock tower built by the Dutch during the early 1800’s. There are three mountain peaks here – Merapi (name of our neighborhood in Duri), Singgalang and Sago. The city sits at 930 meters, so we might be in for a treat with cooler temperatures. I did pack sweatshirts for our equator living family.
The “highway” that we traveling on is a narrow two lane road filled with potholes and driver’s anxious to pass one another. Everyone honks at one another to let others know that they are there. It reminds a little of a long bus ride from Hanoi to Hoi An expect a little less aggressive. Our driver is traveling at about 90 km per hour. I think with all of the passing, we are feeling much like the balls inside an intense game of ping pong and Phoenix just leaning over to tell me that he feels sick. The sides fo the road are filled with small business stalls selling piles of pineapple and gasoline. The contrast to that is the numerous nurseries that we’ve passed. Amongst the disorganized mess appears a beautiful mosque or home. It is a land of contrasts for sure. There is a so much money in this land deep beneath the ground yet little is reinvested into the people here and the country’s infrastructure. I’m not sure if that is purposeful or not, but myself pondering that. Compared to the highways of the United States or Malaysia, there is not comparison. That is why I use quotation marks to describe the road that we currently travel. We still see motorbikes used to carry families of 4 or 5 easily. I like that is Indonesia, people are free to choose to follow the religion of their own choosing. We just passed a palm tree in the middle of the road. Not sure if it is marking a pothole or making a statement. Hummmmm…..We had our first Indonesian traditional style meal. Many dishes are brought to the table with a large bowl of rice. Each person at the table can try any of the sauces and if you eat the contents with lamb, beef, chicken, fish, or vegetables, you just pay for what you ate. Our meal was completely delicious and in the middle of a rice paddy. We watched a man create rebar by hand under the window of the restaurant. Video available later. We also drove through some new highway construction that was really amazing. In this world of contrast, seeing construction at that level seems nearly impossible. I’m guessing that the road had washed out or there was a major landslide and this spurred on the construction project.
Bukitinggi is a hip mountain town by Indonesian standards. There is a small university there and this weekend the town hosted visiting university students who found out where we were and came to interview us and have them sign their assignment sheets. We must have labels on our heads that tell say “teacher”. The girls, approximately 15 to 20, were very appreciative of having us to have a conversation in English with them. It was kind of like paparazzi. Lucky that the boys were busy outside of Ramayana shopping hall with rides and a bounce house slide. After we pulled away from the girls we headed into town to see the Kota Jam Gadang or the Big Watch Tower. The kids were more interested in the crazy characters than the historical landmark. We finished the night with metiocre food, video game arcade, and a walk back to our 2 star hotel in the rain.
We decided to head to the coast today, a day early, and booked our hotel for our return through Bukitinggi, before we left. We will stay at The Hill. It is still fairly inexpensive, but the view of the canyon and the volcanos is incomparable to the other resorts in the area. Kids made it clear that they didn’t like where we stayed the last night. The ride from Bukitinngi to Padang reminds me and Brian of a combination of Tioman, St. Lucia, and Bali. It is raw like Tioman yet more advanced. People in this region care about the appearance of their home and their gardens like Bali and the beautiful volcanic range reminds us of St. Lucia’s rolling hills. The jungle is teaming with wildlife and water. The homes host front yeard gardens that are completely water and gorgeous. There is a contrast of the times changing slowly here. I loved seeing a small girl in modern clothes running on the raised wall between the rice paddies from her front door to the street.
October 22, 2012
Awe Cubadek Paradiso Village… so peaceful and quiet. This resort is owned be three French people and they have been renting the land from an Indonesian family for the last 20 years. There is only 7 families that live on this island and that is on the north end. There is really nothing here except peace and quiet. We dove, snorkeled, canoed, hiked, played in the sand, picnicked, and ate the best food for 4 days. It was phenomenal. I loved it. Now the that we have left and meander our way back through the city of Padang (no reason to stay there) on up to Bukitinggi, the world is too noisy. The traffic is horrid as the public holiday arrives and the masses flee to their villages. I am so thankful that I’m not driving and I’m really looking forward to arriving at The Hill in Bukitinggi. What should be a 2 ½ hour drive is looking nearer to 3 or 4 hours sadly.
During our dives in Bukittingi we saw loads of pipefish, lionfish, turtles, and miniature crab and shrimp. I love to dive. It is so peaceful and quiet. I am noticing a theme for a need for quiet. I also need a manicure and pedicure after hanging out on the beach. The kids LOVED the place, as did I. There was another family that we met there from Britain who are currently living in Jakarta. They had three girls – two ages 9 and 6 and a 5 month old baby – nothing like starting another family. Our kids played really nicely together.
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