Indonesia: Bukittinggi

After a marvellous time at Samosir Island we travelled back to the mainland by ferry. Afterwards we drove towards Sipirok. We halted several times during our drive to visit a pineapple plantation and a rice-field. We saw women working these fields. They even came to talk to us and showed us how they cultivate! During the ride we also stopped at a local pharmacy since I had been bitten a lot by insects during the night. The itch was driving me insane! Luckily the salve I bought was very effective.

We drove and drove for hours on the Trans Sumatra Highway, but where was the way? The road was horrible so we were extremely happy when we arrived in Sipirok. Sipirok was a complement of our trip. It's an authentic and serene place, with no tourists in the area. Perfect to take a breather from our busy trip. We slept in a Batak hotel. It was a fantastic experience!

After breakfast we headed to Bukittinggi. Of course during our drive we had some stops. We visited Ursotolang, an old village where there are remains of the Mandailing Batak houses. Our second stop was Bonjol. A town that lies just at the equator line, it's a touristic spot.

Once arrived in Bukittinggi we noticed that there were a lot of things to do! The first thing that caught our attention was Bastion De Kock. It seems that Indonesia was a colony of the Netherlands for more then three ages. During the second world war Japan conquered large pieces of the Dutch East Indies campaign and the population of Indonesia became stronger with there own movement. After the Second World War Japan gave up and Indonesia declared its independence.

So we walked towards Bastion De Kock, which wasn't very impressive, but the bridge that connects the bastion with the museum Taman Bundo Kanduang was! There's a great view on the lively main street of Bukittinggi. The museum is packed with traditional items of the Minangkabaua tribe. It’s tribe from a Buddhist kingdom in Sumatra and existed around the 14th century.

Tomorrow we're heading towards new discoveries!

Good night!

Amina

Source: https://wonkgonewild.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/fort-de-kock/