Blogs from Bukittinggi, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia

Na ranajkach ma oslovuje majitel ci mi ma objednat motorku. Reku vedla mi ju davaju tez za 75k, vraj to tu je standarta cena. Nakonec sa dohadujeme na 70k r. Ranajky ine, vegetarianska picovina. V lobby cakam na motorku. Prichadza chlapik, ukazuje mi ako co funguje. Nevyhoda, ma pod sedanku maly odkladaci priestor, nevojde tam flasa z vodu a pod volantom neni priestor na mobil. No nic, batoh a mobil do vacku. Idem na normalnu pumpu i ked ujko vravel, ze po ceste je kopa obchodikovych pump. To su len take male pumpicky kde maju sud benzinu resp klasika vo flasiach. Na pumpe kopa aut ale motorky tu maju vyhradeny stojan. Tak hned pagi a buna. Poskok hned na mna spustil indonezsky. Dal mi na vyber, drahsi abo lacnejsi benzin, berem lacnejsi. Nadrz doplna, uvidime ci ... read more

Ranajky ako obvykle. Po jedle zistovanie u jedneho zo zamestnancov odkial chodia busi do bukittinggi. Ten vraj, ze nic nechodi ale vie mi objednat dodavku co ma vyzdvihne a vylozi v mojom hoteli, cena 50k r. Tak nic teda. Pobalil som sa a siel relaxovat k moru. Skoda tych odpadkov inak by to tu bolo ok. Po promenade dalej nasever. Bohuzial ta skoncila velmi skoro tak chodza po ceste. Premavka dost velka. Pri mori same posedenia. Jednenu som neodolal a sadol si na kokos. Vsetci mali rovnake vypisane ceny 5k r. Relax s vyhladom na more, na stole kokos. Idylku rusil len hluk z aut. Po odpocinku dalej popri mori ale auta ma nakonec vyhnali do vnutrozemia na ul. Veteran. Povodne som chcel chytit angkot (bemo, jeepney, microlet) ale rozmyslel som si to, sak to je ... read more

In the late afternoon, after two days of travelling (please check my previous blogpost, if interested), we arrived in Bukittinggi. Bukittinggi means in Indonesian “High Hill”, and it does lay almost 1000 meter above sea level. Having a human population of almost 120.000 people, Bukittinggi is the second biggest city of Western Sumatra. Padang, is the capital of West Sumatra and the biggest city of this area. During the Dutch establishment, the Dutch East Indian Company, Bukittinggi was known as the “Paris of Sumatra”, and currently in the Netherlands, Bukittinggi is still know for. The Dutch also had an impact on the city, by building a fort called “Fort de Kock”, which I will further discuss down below. The City has some great sightseeing’s you can do, but the nature around the city is also great ... read more

"Excuse me mam. Excuse me sir. Would it be possible for me to speak with you please"?A question of that nature, right or wrong, immediately launches Penny and myself into defensive autopilot. There's an almost intrinsic assumption that the enquirer wants to procure something from us we don't want to hand over. Ever the foreign the diplomat, I'll always suspiciously oblige; "Sure. What is it you want to talk about"?" Excuse me sir. I am a student and just wish to practice my English". That usually translates to one of two things;(A) He wants to practice his English via a sales pitch, or(B) He actually is a student wanting to practice his English. Waddya know, this fellow was from group B. In fact this most respectful and polite young man, along with his 14 likeminded cohorts ... read more

Dann doch lieber B2. B2 steht für Barbi, (ein Wort mit zwei B), was in der Sprache der Batak 'Schwein' bzw. 'Wildschwein' heißt. B1 ist Biang, denn Biang wird ja nur mit einem B geschrieben, und Biang ist Hund. Wenn man also an einem Haus am Straßenrand Schilder mit B1 oder B2 sieht, bedeutet das, dass hier ein Restaurant ist, was Schwein bzw. Hund anbietet. Hundeliebhaber sollten die nächsten Sätze jetzt lieber nicht lesen. Am liebsten werden ganz junge Hunde genommen, deren Knochen noch 'crunchy' sind, sozusagen 'Crunchy Dog'. (Wer Monty Python kennt, weiß vielleicht, worauf ich anspiele.) Damit der Hund auch schön saftig ist, wird er lebendig in einen Sack getan und dann mit einem Knüppel tot geschlagen. So verliert er kein Blut. Dann wird er gekocht. Lomok-Lomok heißt das Gericht. (Ein B2 Zeichen habe ... read more