Blogs from Bukittinggi, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia - page 3

Why would anyone, just for the sake of seeing a flower, come off a nine hour bus trip and get straight onto another bus for a further 21 hours? That’s what I did. I don’t know if it can be considered intrepid, inspired, or just insane. The flower in question, of course, is the Amorphophallus titanus by Bukittinggi. When I last saw it on the 21st of October it was still a bud and it wouldn’t be in proper flower for about ten days, by which time I’d have left the country. But the more I thought about it the more I realised that to leave Indonesia without having seen such a profound rarity would be madness. MADNESS!!! You can plan a trip around orangutans or tapirs or Komodo dragons, but not around a flower that ... read more

Vi befinder os i oejeblikket paa Sumatra, i en by der hedder Bukittinggi, hvor vi har vaeret siden i forgaars. Siden sidst har vi faaet taget vores advance open water og maa nu dykke ned til 30 meter. Det var rigtig fedt at tage certifikatet, men ogsaa en smule graenseoverskridende (isaer da vi skulle natdykke og hoppe i vandet, hvor det var baelgragende moerkt!!) Men da man foerst var kommet i, var det faktisk ikke saa slemt. Nu glaeder vi os til vi skal bruge det videre paa vores rejse. Efter Thailand havde vi et kort stop i Malaysias hovedstad Kuala Lumpur i et par dage, hvor vi fik vandret byen tynd. Vores vaerelse var igen ikke noget at skrive hjem om. Et rum uden vinduer, meget tynde vaegge (det var ligesom at bo i Norgesgade ... read more

You’ll have to excuse a slightly more subdued tone to this entry, but I seem to have come down with a dose of Bukittinggi-belly and am thus feeling slightly dodgy at the moment. Ron and a few others struck off before dawn this morning to climb a volcano, but as I’m having eruptions of volcanic proportions myself, I wisely decided to strategically place myself near the loo and do very little else… Anyway, after heading off from Tangkahan on a bus that had already seen better days during WWII, we rolled into Berstagi late in the afternoon, having deposited Tim on the side of the road as he was keen to head back to Bukit Lawang for another trek. Berastagi is the agricultural centre of Sumatra and thus they are fairly non-plussed by the pittance of ... read more

Saya Mau Sewa Sepeda Reports arrive of a washed out bridge along the Trans-Sumatran forcing a circuitous detour connecting Lake Toba to regions south. Kay who speaks for her partner on all matters, cringes at the though of a twenty-four hour busride. The Scotsman explains that he made the journey from Bukittingi in six hours, first by road to Padang, thence flying Air Asia to Medan where he caught a direct bus, but last minute bookings are implausible for the shoestring traveller. Kay will return to Wales in a few weeks time for her sister’s wedding and ought to have a proper tan. Patty and her will journey up the Central Highlands to Aceh and Pulau Weh, an island paradise for divers inundated each weekend with NGO staff. I opt for the overnight bus, what doesn’t ... read more

Bukittinggissa ihailimme kanjonimaisemia Taman Panoramassa ja kavimme myos japanilaisten kaivamissa toisen maailmansodan aikaisissa tunneleissa. Apinoita oli tietysti paikalla myos! Muu porukka vietti vuoristokaupungissa koko paivan ja iltapaivalla koulun jalkeen myos Lotta, Kasperi ja Ika tekivat tunnin bussimatkan Payakumbuhista Bukittinggiin ja liittyivat muiden seuraan.... read more