Cubadak Island

Arrival in West Sumatra

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December 5th 2007
We arrived in West Sumatra late at night on December 4. A larger airport at Padang than expected but bit of a melee from the start and very hot and humid. The two men at Immigation took an inordinate amount of time reviewing passports and then stamped forms with vigour. After an hour we were waived through to collect our bags which I managed after only a short sharp tussle with shark-like wannabe ... read more

Asia » Indonesia » Sumatra » Padang

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The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hos... ... read more