West Sumatra Vacation

Despite the worries of recent earthquake in Padang, Sumatra, we finally made up our mind to just carry on with our plan. So on 13 December 2009, off we flew at 7.50 am from LCCT Sepang. The flight took about 1 hour, we landed smoothly at Bandara International Airport, Padang exactly at 8.00 am (local time). Our driver/tour guide was already waiting (whom we contacted a day earlier) with a Kijang (a local MPV). From there we headed Bukittinggi but stopped by at a Padang-style restaurant for breakfast@lunch. Then we enjoyed so much watching the scenery of mountainous range that we almost forgot about the disaster that had destroyed many lives and buildings. Eventhough the route is winding (that's why it is known as 44 Curves), the wide road made the traffic smooth. The road was built along Anai Valley, so we could see strong stream of water along the way. In fact, we passed by a waterfall! The water looked clean and clear but noone dared to swim or have a picnic there, as it was very strong. Then we passed by an area where landslide happened during the earthquake. Big rocks from the mountain blocked the road, so they had to break them (manually) before removing them.
Before reaching Bukittinggi, we passed by a small town, Padang Panjang. Here we enjoyed the scenery while riding a horse cart, aka 'bendi'. It was a nice experience! Then we visited Pandai Sikek, a small industry area, famous for its embroidery. Basically all the shops sell almost the same type of materials - embroidered material, batik, songket and silver souvenir.
Finally we checked-in a hotel in Bukittinggi. Our first impression was - why isn't there any fan? why is it so noisy (as we could clearly hear the voices from the reception)? Then I discovered the answer - the hostel uses nature-concept, they let the windows open for ventilation and air circulation! Quite disappointed at first but later we could feel the cool breeze from outside, as a matter of fact, it was cold enough to make us slip into the comforter!
We had a good time there - everything was calming, as the temperature was moderate and the people were friendly (majority was Muslims). We did not miss the opportunity to record the picturesque view of Mount Merapi, Mount Singgalang, Ngarai Sianok and not forgetting the Jam Gadang and Japanese tunnel. However we could not enter the tunnel as it was temporarily closed for renovation. According to the guide, the tunnel size was 1.5 x 2.0 metres, so it was definitely bigger than Cu Chi Tunnel (built by the Americans) in Vietnam. I wonder if the Japanese are bigger than Americans?!? Shopping is another attraction at Bukittinggi... there's no other than Pasar Atas where we could find all sorts of things - clothes, silver, souvenirs, telekung etc. At Pasar Bawah we could find many kinds of fruits and vegetables which are much cheaper than what we have in Malaysia.
Our tour guide also brought us to the outskirts of Bukittinggi - enjoying the serene view of paddy field and mountains at the back ... We also learned a new term "ruko" which means house@shop (rumah + toko) - smart, isn't it?
After 2 nights in Bukittinggi, we went down to Padang and spent the final night there. Upon reaching Padang, we could see the destroy that earthquakes had caused ... cracked or collapsed houses and buildings. Some were still living in a temporary canvas house, a very sad scene in fact. As we entered the city centre, more huge buildings were seen to be affected by the quakes, so some big hotels and shopping malls were closed temporarily for repair and some had totally collapsed! So that answered the question why we only stayed in a motel that night - it did not really matter, as long as we're safe!
As early as 6.00 am the next day we went to the airport for our flight back to Malaysia. So that's about our 2009 vacation. Can't wait for another vacation ... where this time? Just wait and see ...