Blogs from Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia

Ranajky opat vedla. Dnes som chcel dat turu na sopku talang ale nakonec od toho upustam, bo este stale mam na nohe chrasty a nechcem si to strhnut. Prioritu tu ma trek za orangutanmi, takze sa radsej setrim a nie ako na mindanao kde som na liecenie sral co sa mi vypomstilo. Berem motorku, vcera jeden poskok vravel, ze treba nechat zalohu pas ale dnes ho nik nechcel. Prvy problem najst pumpu v spleti uliciek. Jednu som nasiel avsak samoobsluzna, tak na to prdim a idem na vypadovku smer solok. Cestou vela zastavok na kontrolu smeru. Konecne kupujem aj prvu vodu, doteraz som fical len na free z ubytka. Jl dr soetemo je hlavny tah a je tam aj pumpa. Tam kopa aut a motoriek. Nasledoval som motorky a predbehol som sa. Naucil som sa nove ... read more

Este k vcerajsku. Vyuzil som pracovnu oproti ubytku. Bol tam akurat jeden chalan tak mi to ukazal ako to funguje. Inak je tam aj navod. Nuz najskor som si v automate rozmenil papierove peniaze na 0.5rm. Ked to zacalo padat, myslel som, ze som vyhral v automate. Potom som do pracky nalozil pradlo, tu zavrel. Zmackol program hot, dalo sa aj cold (lacnejsie), nahadzal mince a uz to islo. Prasok sa tam pridal automaticky. Pranie trvalo 25.min, cas som travil na izbe. Oblecena bunda a dlhe nohavice, bo som dal opat oprat vsetko co som mal. Len na klobuk som zabudol. Po dokonceni prania som prehadzal veci do susicky. Opat 25min. Ono keby bolo na ubytku miesto na susenie poriesil by som to tam. V takomto teple a slnku by to bolo vyschnute hned. Ok a ... read more

Ja, vollgedröhnt nicht zugedröhnt - Tuak, den lokalen selbstgebrannten Reisschnaps mussten wir noch nicht trinken - mit Musikbeschallung, wie Gewehrsalven knatternden Motorrädern und jetzt wohnen wir auch noch direkt neben einer Moschee. Normalerweise erträglich, aber heute ist Sonntag, da lief der Lautsprecher von vier Uhr bis acht Uhr früh. Anscheinend darf da jeder mal was aus dem Koran vorlesen, denn viele Stimmen klangen noch sehr jung. Als wir um halb Acht beim Frühstück waren hat dann die laute Musik im Frühstücksraum, die mit dem großen Fernseher (5% Nachrichten, 95% Werbung) konkurrieren musste, die Stimmen von der Moschee übertönt. Auch beim Besuch des Sianok Canyons, im alten Königspalast der Minangkabau und am Fort de Kock, einer übriggebliebenen Befestigungsanlage der ehemaligen holländischen Kolonialherren, erklang aus den auf dem jeweiligen Gelände verteilten Lautsprechern... read more

Our next destination was the Harau Valley, and getting there was the longest, most complicated journey I have ever undertaken. It involved the following: a shared taxi, a ferry, two aeroplanes, two buses, a minibus and a motorbike taxi. We had a small break in the middle of this journey for an emergency trip to the hospital for Zena. She had a high fever, aching muscles, headache, fatigue and vomiting. Classic symptoms of malaria. If untreated, some cases of malaria can be fatal. So we headed to Medan hospital with the greatest of speed. The hospital was clean and surprisingly efficient. We were attended to immediately, assigned a bed and blood samples were taken faster than you can say "antiprophylaxis". Within two hours Zena was diagnosed with a "miscellaneous viral infection", thankfully not malaria. The fever ... read more

Mum was lying on a sun lounger reading when the 8.6 quake occurred, apparently a significant enough quakes to make worldwide headlines and generate mass panic..except for mum, who chose to just keep reading. She felt her lounge start shaking and thought..hmm..what's going on here. So she stood up, lifted the lounger to see if there were 'animals' under there moving around. Now think about this. Statistically, what are the chances that a couple of pangolins wandered out of the jungle and thought, yes, just what we need for our romantic interlude, an australian on a sun lounge, right at that moment. Like that would happen! Now statistically, the chances of an earthquake on the Sundra arc is pretty high, up there in the top places likely to make your lounge move. So mum stood up, ... read more