Blogs from Lake Maninjau, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia - page 2

Den heutigen Tag hatte ich eigentlich als 'Post-TSH'-Ruhetag eingeplant, aber die knapp 40 km bis zum Danau Maninjau waren härter als erwartet. Aus Bukittinggi hinaus folgte ich noch gut 5 km der Hauptstraße in Richtung Padang und bog dann rechts auf die, seltsamerweise nicht ausgeschilderte, Straße nach Maninjau ab, welche leicht hügelig begann, sich nach einigen Kilometern jedoch steil in Serpentinen einen Pass hinauf wand. Hinter der Passhöhe begann eine kürzere Abfahrt mit wunderschönen Ausblicken auf die herrliche Landschaft des Berglands von Westsumatra. Im Tal angekommen ging es abermals hügelig, meist bergauf, auf 1100m bis zum Rande der Bergkette, die den Maninjausee umschließt. Was folgte war eine dramatische, knapp 10 km lange Abfahrt mit 44 numerierten Spitzkehren durch traumhafte Reisterrassen hinab zum Seeufer, 600m unterhalb gelegen. Die Ausblicke auf den See waren sag... read more

After landing in Padang I headed straight for Bukittinggi and got ripped off for the journey up here so didn't get the best first impressions of Indonesia then or for the next 24hrs but things have picked up somewhat since then. I spent a night in Bukittinggi and then headed down to lake Maninjau - An incredible crater lake inside an extinct volcanoe. The lake is surrounded by extremely steep cliffs/slopes, which are all covered in the usual rice paddies and small settelments surround it. On the bus on the way down I met another English guy by the name of David who was with an Indonesian lady by the name of Christine. At first I thought they were some sort of dodgy couple but it later turned out that she was acting as his guide ... read more

After arriving in Lake Maninjau, my guide left me. It was raining and I was damp and alone in a strange land. A motorcycle took me to my homestay (read hostel) - Lillie’s. I had to weave my way through the rice paddies for about 5 minutes from the road to reach the homestay. Arriving was a surreal experience. A cluster of chalets nestled amongst luscious trees, right against the lake, and there was no one in sight. The cafe was complete with coyboy style swing doors; it all felt like it was some sort of jungle ghost-town. Eventually the attendant woke up, and showed me to my room right on the lake. I suspect I was the only westerner in miles. I spent the rest of the day in quiet contemplation, writing my journal as ... read more