"Travelling is like flirting with life. It's like saying,,,,, "I would stay and love you but I have to go"
I was born in a small village in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra Province – Indonesia. I grew up there while my environment taught me to be independent since I was kid. My parents taught me a lot how to handle my own shit on my own. My parents just supervised and guided me. Graduated from primary school, my parents sent me to the boarding school. IT was like 6 years in a row. Sometimes they came to visit me but mostly they didn’t give me a visit because they wanted me to be independent.
Graduated high school, I went to the best university in Eastern Indonesia which is located in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. During my academic years at university, I never went back home. I’ve promised myself to finish my degree first before going back home. So once I graduated, I was so happy because finally I could come back to my motherland. It was such an extraordinary happiness I have ever felt in my whole life.
So once I came back home, everything was still the same. The weather was still nice, the view was getting cooler than before, my room was still warm. The most important thing is, I had so many plans to do. Meeting old friends, visiting my primary schools and guess what? EXPLORING MY MOTHERLAND. I would like to share some interesting places in my motherland.
Here We Go!
- Jam Gadang a.k.a Big is the primary landmark of Bukittinggi City. It’s located in the center of the city. The structure was built under Dutch Colonial as a gift from the Queen to the controller. You can see the roof on the top is the traditional roof of Minangkabau Clan of West Sumatra Province. One unique fact about this clock is the feature of number four it’s written “IIII” instead of traditional Roman Number “IV”. Based on local stories, “IIII” represents four workers who died during constructing the building and other locals also mention the reason they didn’t put “IV” because Dutch was afraid Indonesia would gain their independence since “IV” stood as “Indonesia for Victory”. But then whatever the reasons behind that number, the building is becoming the icon of Bukittinggi city just like Big Ben in London.
- Ngarai Sianok a.k.a Sianok Canyon or Quiet Valley is a beautiful valley that is like Grand Canyon Colorado in Indonesia. This canyon called “Sianok” because it flowed “Trunk Sianok” which means crystal clear river. Sianok canyon is also often referred to as the “Dream Land of Sumatra ‘ has a fascinating natural scenery while you can enjoy the view of the mountain as well.
- Lobang Jepang a.k.a Japanese Tunnel was built during World War II by Indonesian forced labors under the occupation of Japanese from 1942 to 1945. It has a length of approximately 1,400 meters. There are some alleys here which previously used for various purposes such as meeting place; eating place; sleeping place; military barracks and detention space. Actually, there are 12 rooms for military barracks; 12 rooms for the bed; 6 rooms for ammunition, 2 rooms for food, 1 room for romusha as well as 1 room for the hearing.
- Tembok Raksasa Koto Gadang a.k.a Great Wall of Koto Gadangis a new tourism spot in Bukittinggi City. The Great Wall of Koto Gadang is a long bridge connecting Bukit Tinggi and Koto Gadang, West Sumatra, with a length of 1.7 km and a width of 2 meters. This place was made similar to The Great Wall of China but in a smaller version. There are 1000 steps to go through Koto Gadang but the scenery is worth to see.
- Fort de Kock was built on the top of Jirek Hill during the Dutch colonial era. Fort de Kock was founded by Captain Bauer at the year 1825 as the Netherlands East Indies government fortifications of the people in the face of opposition led by the Padri War Tuanku Imam Bonjol.
- Limpapeh Bridge is a bridge over Ahmad Yani street, Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. This bridge has a length of 90 meters and a width of 3.8 meters. Fort de Kock fortification is connected to the Bukittinggi zoo (re there is also the traditional house of Minangkabau Clan here) by this bridge. This bridge lies above Chinatown. We can see the beauty of Bukittinggi downtown from here.
- Ngalau Indah Cave is located in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra. This cave is one of my favorite tourist places. The deep cave will lead you to feel the vibe of silences along the way down. This cave is really suitable for people who are looking for inspiration.
- Lembah Harau a.k.a Harau Valley is located in between Payakumbuh and Pekanbaru. The scenery is really amazing since the area around this valley is mostly for rice field place and so green and fresh. There are also some waterfalls here. If you’re lucky, you will not be able to leave this place because the temptation to stay there is too strong.
- Pesisir Selatan a.k.a South Pesisir especially for their beaches. The tourism objects are Painan Carocok Beach, Puncak Bukit Langkisau (Peak Hill Langkisau in District IV Jurai), Jembatan Akar (Root Bridge), Bayang Sani Waterfall (District IV Nagari Bayang Utara), Batu Kalang Beach, Mandeh Tarusan Tourism Area (Koto XI Tarusan), Puncak Taratak (Silk) and Pasir Putih Kambang (Lengayang). All the tourism object has always been a tourist destination every turn of the year celebration. Each of these objects has beauty, uniqueness even different from one another. However, from a number of tourism objects that are most crowded and the main destinations of tourists to visit are Carocok Beach, Peak Hill Langkisau and Batu Kalang beach.
- Pamutusan Island. How to get there? Stop in Padang city then heading to Sungai Pisang to cross the sea in order to reach the island. The road to get there is a bit tricky by riding a bike which even harder by riding a scooter so do not take a risk by riding a weak bike. Once you arrive in Sungai Pisang, reach the island by small boat. What an adventure. Pamutusan Island is perfectly awesome for snorkeling and swimming.
