Bukittinggi ~ A Very Special Day Sightseeing!

Good Morning! Selamat Pagi!

A Day of discovery and a wonderful Day it was!  We woke up and had our continental breakfast here in the hotel: fried rice, mie noddles, some kind of soup, yes there was some toast and papaya juice - freshly juiced!  A real Indonesian breakfast...I tried a little of it - do want to "get into the life style here" ha!

W decided the three of us to take a tour ~ today.  What could we go and see here in Bukittinggi?


 "Endang"

the general manager here at the hotel was so helpful and ever so sweet! She sat with us on the couch here in the Lobby and we chatted and she made calls from her smart phone and helped find us a taxi  driver to take us for the day.  500,000 rupiah's = $50,- ...Rebecca would go half with us!  Alright where do we go first? 

Ah....a strange but unique kind of flower called Rafflesia  that comes out 2 months out of the year - it would be out of town in a jungle area - "well that sounds interesting!" and then we also had read in the travel book about Harau Valley - a canyon tucked away about 55 km from town...and worth seeing.  So that was our plan and that is what we did!

"Zul" our driver was ever so kind and attentive to us!  He brought water for us for the trip.  Opened the door for us and was such a kind person!  He took us first to the flower...15 km out of town.  Bukittinggi is a busy town so it took an hour to drive there through lovely rice fields and beautiful landscapes of mountain scenes!  Bukittinggi is 900 meters elevation ~

 We were winding into the mountain area and Zul turned off the road past a village and then turned up this dirt road...gosh I thought where is this flower?

There was some homes and fields of rice...so pretty and so lush.  As Zul drove down this small dirt road we passed two tourists coming down this dirt road too.  They had possibly been dropped off by a local bus.  They were heading towards us as well...walking along this dirt path...we said Hello! 

 It turns out they were Spanish tourists from Madrid...Augustine & Teresa...and they too were curious about this flower and had also heard about it through the Lonely Planet travel book, as we all had!
Ha...and such a informative and helpful travel book!

Anyway they also did not realize that it was far away from town and did not know it would be a 1 1/2 hour hike to and from!  So we handed them some water - and we were ready to do the hike!

There was this guy sitting and waiting on his scooter and "Yol"  told us he lived in the area and would be willing to bring us up to the flower for $5,- each 50,000 rupiah's...well when we heard it was way into the jungle - we all agreed to hire him to take us there and oh my goodness were we glad we had!

Here are some scenes as we walked this path into the jungle.

 We climbed higher and higher......

Yol was a good guide being careful to side step when we needed to - there was some poison ivy - "itch itch" and he quickly broke off the branch by it stem and flung it away!  It did not at all look like the poison ivy of my past experiences - glad he did!

He showed us the cinnamon tree and let us smell the bark, he showed us the coffee bean just growing wild, he shared some herbs growing wild...all so interesting! He also told us about the Lawuk coffee.....hmmm....interesting coffee you guys...Marilyn P. you had read about that once remember? We all decided that was not the coffee for us! We laughed and laughed - all of us! Yol & Zul too...!

                                        He shared this pretty leaf with us...fussy looking!

We walked the trail...up up up...walking single file into the deep jungle! Gosh I felt like we were on safari....

....any minute now Tarzan would be swinging past us! 

Yeah Yeah pretty corny huh?!!!!!

Here is the whole gang...Rebecca, Teresa, Nick & Augustine and last our driver Zul! Yes he came too even though he had seen the flower before! 

 We came across this  "kingsize ant" Yol pointed it out to us! He looked scary...but we walked right over it! 

Yol kept walking on and on and it seems we were going deeper and deeper into the jungle...just look how lush it was!  The path was almost overgrown...

Crossed over many creeks along the way...mud, slippery rocks and turning left and right and still climbing higher....

and then....we turned a corner and Yol said...there!

As you can see from the pictures this flower was on a very steep slope but of course we were determined to see it up close! 

This is amazing ....gosh look up.... there.....there it is....THE FLOWER..right there on that steep slope! You would of missed if Yol had not brought us to it! 

Yes and still growing to 1 meter wide (3 feet wide) ...(it was only about 55 cm at this time) 

It was truly an amazing plant! Isn't this a unique one?  It felt like a rubbery texture...later thinking about it I thought it might be of the mushroom family...but no they call it a flower!

One by one we climbed up close...it was a very steep slope...you had to hold onto trees & have a good grip with your feet too...and it was muddy and damp!

Rafflesia Flower (here's a little info for you click on the blue link!)

This was a shot from the flower down to Zul - 

each one of us took several pictures balancing ourselves on the steep slope - it was slippery and muddy but oh Boy - so worth it!!!!!

Well slowly we started down...so pleased to have seen the Rafflesia flower! Wow! 

 and then we came to the creek again...and by this time we were all "cooking" from the heat and humidity!

Just had to cool off...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! 

 Gosh coming back into the little valley was so pretty...

 This sweet man was just sitting along the path...he is one of the villagers ~ 

 Augustine & Teresa were such a friendly couple and we so enjoyed talking and getting to know one another! Rebecca who is a interpreter Spanish-English had a great time talking to them too...she had a chance to enjoy her second language and it was delightful to hear them speak going back & forth! Well we chatted and snacked and then we heard that they were heading up to the Harau Valley..... just like we were next! They had rented a Homestay there - a bungalow and would be hiking around in that valley for a few days...so we said well we are going there...why not hop in with us? Zul is that OK?

So off we went...all of us in the car...and we enjoyed one another's company and sharing stories of how, where and what one another's plans were in our travels!

By this time we had worked up an appetite! So as we were heading towards our next sight of the day - Zul brought us to a big dining hall and we all sat together and had a "nasi Padang" which is a very a special Sumatra meal. 

 We received bowls of white rice and then lots of small dishes of different foods: fish in curry sauce, spicy salads, chicken in curry or fried, a kind of leafy spinach, soup, green beans with a nice flavor to it...and would you believe it the whole meal for 100,000 rupiah....just $10,- Wow!

They way it works is this: all these dishes are set on your table and you dish up what you like...at the end of the meal...you only pay what you eat! Yes - they come to the table and look at the left over little plates and figure what was eaten and charge you only for that!  The rest is used again for others!

NOW mind you...you use the spoon in the dish to scoop it onto your plate!  That is the idea!

Well off we went for another 55 km drive on to Harau Valley! 

We began to see these high walls of massive rock...

And as we got closer it was so very high! 

We drove into this narrow area surrounded by these massive walls of rock!

Can you see how straight up this is?

Look carefully....do you see the palm trees growing along side this water fall?

...pretty high up huh? Palm Trees growing along the stream? Straight up!

It was amazingly high...it reminded us a little of Yosemite somehow!

The local boys were enjoying the spray & water from the Fall coming down...they just played and played!

They were good swimmers - diving into the water - didn't need to have anything to play with - just one another and the cool water.... (not cold though!)

All at once - it began to rain...and we ran under cover! it came down pretty hard! 

We had to drop off Augustine & Teresa at their Homestay - and so we found the sign Abdi Cottages and followed it!

Zul had to go over a bridge...

It was a bit tight...coming towards it ...but a man walking along the way told our driver that it would hold  the car and to go ahead and go over it!

So we did.....

.... and then we came to this lovely little valley tucked away...and these darling little bungalow's and we just knew this was it...this is what Augustine & Teresa had booked on the Lonely Travel book and oh it was so cute and so serene! Picture perfect huh?

We said our good-bye's and hugged one another...exchanged email address and promised to share our pictures taken of them, and they would do the same!  How fun!  Their plan was also to climb a mountain Merapi  in the coming days...one of the 3 volcanic mountains near to Bukittinggi~

Well it has been a great day and it was time to head back to town...and along the way while taking pictures out of the car - we passed this bedja loaded up with people and the driver had the greatest smile!  Oh it warmed my heart!

Picture him on the side steering the motorbike and you can barely see the people in the bedja....covered with plastic - at least 5 young men jammed in there!

They were all waving at us! 

Wow...what a day...to see all this beauty and then the people...all so friendly and approachable and kind! 

How special and what a warm welcome it is to Nick's homeland  and my father's too! 

We feel it!

Departure out of Lake Toba to Bukittinggi September 1, Sunday

A Trip to Remember!

Wow what a day we had!  We were at the pier at 7:45 am and the ferry brought us into Parapat and we went to the Bagus Travel where we had booked the taxi for Bukittinggi!  Rebecca who had finished her week at the conference on the island would be traveling with us again - she is planning to see a little of Indonesia before she heads back to the US!  She was pleased to go with us and then on to Padang where she would catch a flight to Bali and spend another week there!

We were so pleased to share the ride with her and she too was pleased to do the same!  Would you believe it.....we even had the same driver that took us from Medan to Parapat a week ago...yes Markos! Hey Markos...how nice you are our driver again...and even Rebecca is with us again too!!!!

We got into the SUV and loaded up the suitcases and off we went...departure

time 9 am - and drove till 10:30 pm through the jungle of Sumatra on a two or 1 1/2 lane road called the Trans Sumatra Highway...pot holes, rain, ditches and cars, buses and scooters on it!  Markos is a good driver BUT oh my goodness you guys...Markos drove fast and it was a continuous passing of cars and sharp mountain roads!

We will remember this trip!  We saw some  really beautiful scenery which I will enter ~ we did a clip on the conditions on this road....and it was a bumpy video clip! Well Rebecca, Nick & I said - "we have experienced a new thing - a trip through the jungle...and we will all remember it"

 A river shot off the bridge ~

 Markos was alert and he kept driving through the rain, the muddy roads and the pot holes and passing cars...he did a good job and we were thankful!

 We did a stop for lunch and Mister Bood who was in the oil business traveling for many years even in Germany...warmly received us hungry travelers and gave us a warm welcome!

(Oh by the way...a little insert..ha....you know those toilet's that you have to squat to use? Yes you do remember don't you?  Well guess what? Ellen either uses those or doesn't go! Oh my goodness - is that ever a experience! I am always looking for doors to hold onto, a knob, a hook, anything....BUT when you gotta go you gotta go! Little by little I too am learning to squat...oh my goodness I just had to share that with you all! And guess what?????? Yes you just better have toilet paper with you! OR else you are in BIG trouble!!!!) 

These little motorized enclosures are common in this area!  Cute huh?

              

Well around 8 pm the cars up ahead had come to a stand still....oh oh....what is going on?

We found out a tree had fallen across the road - there was cars and trucks turning around and others moving up and in he distance we could hear a chain saw!

We waited for about 30 min - a nice break really! And then the cars began to move again.  The villagers in the area that live along this highway just came out of their houses and they sawed this tree right there on the two lane road...it was at least 4 ft across judging when we passed!  Everyone passed a little money out of the window to the kind hard workers - they were drenched from the rain...out there working with their bare hands...so many people rolling the cut trees away!  Amazing how everyone just comes to help!

Well at 9:15 pm - we actually drove over the Equator! Yes that was pretty cool!

Markos stopped so we could take a picture! 

Hey how often does one travel from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere!

Pretty cool huh?!!!!

Like we said 10:30 pm we arrived at our hotel...bushed but safe and sound!  We thanked Markos and we knew he would be heading back to Lake Toba in the morning again...that long and windy road! Poor Markos! 

We were beat...bed time in Bukittinggi! 

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Today Monday ~ 

Taken from our balcony we took some morning pictures of Bukittinggi ~ a cute mountain with a 900 meter elevation (2700 ft) it was nice and cool - just comfortable like Lake Toba~

Cute roof tops huh? It is a different style then in Lake Toba area from the Batak people.  This has the pointed  Minangkabua roof.  

 We were on a center plaza in the middle of town.

We had a good rest and then got up to a new day in a new town! 

Rebecca, Nick & I had a bit to eat and then we went out to look around.  Our hotel manager called a taxi show us some highlight's of the town.

Bukittinggi has a European flavor to it and we enjoyed our day out! 

As we enjoyed the sights we were surrounded by school

children and they had a homework assignment: Go find a tourist and ask them questions: where they are from? how old they were? how many days are you in Bukinttinggi? and if we would sign our names to their homework booklet, and last take a picture with them!  Yes! 

We will....and we signed and we took pictures and more pictures and the kids came warm and friendly with lovely smiles...look at the pictures we took of them...they were all so sweet and so pleased to have a picture of us!  

I said to Nick & Rebecca "now I know how those movie stars feel....ha!"  We were very very popular for a while...until we finally had to pull away and have a bit to eat....but from a distance 4 young boys

kept an eye on us and then - when our lunch was finished - they came into the restaurant and graciously asked if we would answer some questions! Well of course we will!

 But they were sweet and appreciative!

We walked around ....nosing through a market place...

We visited the Fort de Kock

                                                                      a Dutch fort

This location was used because it is the highest point in Bukittinggi and so the Dutch protected the area. 

We also went to another sight Panorama Park ~ This park was in a beautiful setting overlooking this deep canyon!  With the mountain in the background! Rebecca said "pose" you two!

and a Japanese Cave  - a Plaza with a clock on it that our Dutch Queen had donated in 1920 -
and nosed around in a market place!  But the biggest treat was a horse drawn cart - Yes the 3 of us plus the driver all piled into this little cart and off we went!  Our horse was named "Melanie" and I was feeling bad for the horse pulling all four of us!  But he was surely tired of standing in one position too waiting for a tourist to come along!  Melanie went off with a good trot!  A fun experience for sure! 

 I am having a hard time downloading pictures here at this hotel...it is going one at a time and it is taking f o r e v e r.....so bear with us...we will try at our next location!  It is Tuesday morning and we are taking a cab to a reservation park here 55 km from our hotel and also going to see a flower that is a meter in width (3ft wide) and it only blooms two months out of the year! 

So that is our plan for today  - tomorrow we are heading by bus to Padang the coastal town.

We hope to settle there for a few weeks ~ Rebecca will be flying out to Bali from the airport there -

So will catch up with you all soon with pictures ~ but did want to let you know we are well and safe and enjoying our time here in Bukittinggi ~ Looking forward to more contact in a few days ~

Wifi here at the hotel is not good.....again!  Ugh!