Bon Voyage! - West Sumatra

2017 has given me so many experiences, especially being able to explore several places in Sumatra, Indonesia. In this post, I only will tell you about my experiences in Bukittingi, West Sumatra. 

But, do I travel or do I go on holiday? Let me tell you the differences between holiday and travel. 

Holiday is a trip where you completely forget all of your worries, pamper yourself as much as you want, and usually stayed in one place. The journey is already planned; your airport is booked, stayed at 4-5* hotel that you've booked, and you don't have to worry about running out of money, The activities that you'll have is less strenuous and you tend to be more relaxed. On the other hand, traveling can be more tiring than holiday. The days are spent by exploring a destination, either by walking, cycling, hiking, etc. The budget that you'll spend is less expensive. Instead of staying at 4-5* hotel, you'll stay in some nice hostels which actually can surprise you or questionable hostels. Instead of carrying a suitcase, you'll carry a backpack. And the outfit you'll wear is a comfortable clothing, yet sporty.

Travelling as a Backpacker

Pampering Yourself on Holiday

Okay. 

After I explain you the differences between Holiday and Travel, let me tell you my holiday experiences!

• Bukittinggi, West Sumatra

[ February 2nd, 2017 ]

Before I went to Bukittinggi, I went to Pekanbaru, Riau to visit my uncle. I went there by airplane from Jakarta by myself. I met my family which is already arrived at my uncle's. We stayed there for 3 days. Too bad, I didn't take any picture there. As the day went by, We went to Bukittinggi by car. To be honest, I love trips by car more than taking a plane or ship, because we get to see so many different cool places on our journey. According to GoogleMaps, the trip will take more or less 5 hours 20 minutes but since my dad is a really fast driver, our trip took more or less 3 or 4 hours!

On our way, we stopped to see the famous "Kelok 9 (Sembilan)" in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra. Kelok 9 means 9 sharp turns.

Kelok 9

After we arrived at Bukittinggi, we stayed at Indria Hotel for 2 nights. We stayed there because it's the only place with 4 empty rooms. The hotel is nice for a budget hotel. In front of every each room there's a sitting area, free wifi, and the location is great because it's close to Jam Gadang, Pasar Atas, Pasar Bawah, and public transport are plenty. I would recommend this hotel if you're on tight budget. Later, after we were done unpacking and showered, we're not ready to sleep yet. Even the weather is not that nice (drizzling), we went out to see Jam Gadang. We ate Nasi Kapau which is another name for Nasi Padang. It might look the same, but the taste is so much better than what I had in Jakarta.

Jam Gadang

The next morning, we went shopping to the famous clothing line that you only can find here in Bukittingi; Kapuyuak. You might think is a strange name but if you translate it to Minang Language, it means Cockroach. This clothing line is quite similar to Joger because they sell simple accessories and clothes with words on it. Kapuyuak also has a cute logo for their store, it's a Cockroach with samurais on its back! The prices are not that expensive as well.

Check out their store!

After we're done shopping, we went Lobang Jepang. Lobang Jepang is a bunker of protection built by Japanese army forces around 1942 for defense purposes. The length of the tunnel that reaches 1400 meters and has a width of about 2 meters. In this tunnel, there are surveillance room, ambush room, prison, eating room, courtroom, and armory room. If you're at Bukittinggi, I would recommend you to go here. 

They open at 7.30 - 18.30 and they charged us Rp 8.000/person. This place is close to Panorama Park with its many monkeys and you can look directly at the Ngarai si Anok (Anok Canyon) which is a popular tourist spot in Bukittinggi. They also provide us a tour guide so we won't get lost and they'll explain to us more about this place. You don't have to worry about the inside, now the inside is much nicer and cleaner. They also have an arranged lightning inside, so that we can see better in the dark.

The Map of Lobang Jepang

The Entrance of Lobang Jepang

Inside of Lobang Jepang

Ngarai si Anok (Anok Canyon)

Next, we visited Wildlife Areas and Cultural Kinantan because my little cousins want to see some animals. The place isn't overcrowded. The ticket price for an adult is Rp 10.000 and for a kid is Rp 8.000. 

In my opinion, there were many new animals I met in the zoo which lives in the Indonesian culture. The zoo is located on the peak of Bukittinggi itself, the nice view from Limpapeh Bridge and a very nice park for to hang out. However, the zoo itself is in very poor condition and the animals are sad. The size of the cage the animals were in is far too small. Besides, I didn't like the way people treated them. It was painful to watch children poking the animals. Even their parents just watched them bullying the poor animals.

Limpapeh Bridge

Birds on the Dirty Pond😔

Then, We went to Lake Maninjau. Before we went there, we stopped by Anai Waterfall. We took a couple picture there and then passed the famous Kelok 44 that usually used for bike racing

Anai Waterfall

My Family and I in front of Anai Waterfall

Kelok 44

We saw Lake Maninjau from an uphill. The view is breathtaking, and we stayed in a traditional coffee shop or as we called in Indonesia; Warung Kopi. The weather is cold because the wind is very strong. 

My Mom and I

Lake Maninjau

When we were done, we went back to Medan and I spent the rest of my holiday there. I would recommend visiting Bukittinggi because there are so many places you can visit and see. There are many food choices and various hotels for you to stay in. The weather is cold and windy.😀