Indonesia > Travel day to Bukittinggi

Today I have a long travel day ahead to Bukittinggi. At eight o’clock, I leave the hotel grounds in Sipirok. Outside, it is cloudy. The area I am passing through today is predominantly Islamic. I see large mosques in the towns we pass. Many of these places of worship are funded with foreign support.

Indonesia - Drinking coconut milk

In this area, more women wear headscarves than elsewhere on Sumatra. After two hours of driving, Mario stops the bus at a small plantation. There is also an opportunity here to have coffee. In the garden, the owner shows how ginger, cocoa, vanilla, pepper, and many other spices grow. He also shows how peanuts grow underground. At the end of the tour, he has a monkey retrieve several coconuts from a tall palm tree. The coconuts are opened with a machete, and I get the chance to drink the coconut water. Then he opens the coconuts further so I can taste the coconut flesh. In Medina, the bus turns left and then right. There is also a large Qur’an school here. Both the school and the mosque are funded by the United Arab Emirates. I see numerous small houses around the Qur’an school—these are the accommodations for the students. The Islamic students prefer not to have tourists wandering around the mosque, so it’s better not to stop for photos or a walk.

Indonesia - When it rains it rains hard Very hard

A little further on, I do stop. Along the riverbanks, gold prospectors try to sieve the sand in search of gold. One man demonstrates how he works. A few small shiny pieces remain on his tray—probably gold? During lunch, it suddenly begins to rain very heavily. In no time, the area around the restaurant is flooded. I take shelter briefly under the restaurant’s canopy. Once back on the bus, Mario has to drive carefully; the heavy rain has made the road slippery. This is not just a problem for us—a motorbike coming toward us barely squeezes past the bus. We stop briefly to check if it is serious. It turns out fine. It is late afternoon when I arrive at Bonjol, where the equator lies. I triumphantly step over this symbolic line. Formally, the equator is said to lie a few meters further on, but what does it matter? I am immediately surrounded by T-shirt sellers trying to sell me a shirt. I decline. From here, it’s another two hours along a winding mountain road. Mario clearly tries to drive as much as possible in daylight and speeds along.

Indonesia - Crossing the equator at the town of Bonjol

I am surprised at how fast the bus, and indeed the other traffic, moves through the villages. Gradually, it gets dark outside. With the lights on, we continue toward Bukittinggi. It is completely dark when I enter the town. A city at night always gives a strange impression. At quarter past seven, I get out at the hotel near the center. I am quite exhausted from the long journey. Today we have covered a total of 400 kilometers. In the restaurant, a karaoke evening has just started. Many local people are enjoying it immensely. Because the karaoke is so loud, Dodi, the guide for tomorrow, cannot explain the program, so we go outside for the briefing. In the evening, I do not eat in the hotel restaurant—it is too noisy. I walk into the center and find a nice little restaurant called ‘De Kock.’ Here, I order an excellent chicken satay hotplate.