Padang: A gateway to the wonders of W. Sumatra

Padang: A gateway to the wonders of W. Sumatra

By Dorothy Aksamit

PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): I had been to Padang before but my
memories were fuzzy. After an exhausting two night third-class
voyage from Jakarta, I had spent another sleepless night in the
hotel that hosted Padang's first disco, so by the time I boarded
a morning bus to Bukittingi, I was comatose.

Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, the largest island in the
Indonesian archipelago and the fourth largest island in the
world, has traditionally been a transit stop on the way to the
ethereal cloud-brushed hills and emerald valleys of the
Minangkabau.

Here, in fairy tale houses with multiple horn-shaped roofs,
vividly illustrating the legend of both their origin and their
matrilineal society, women weave cloths of gold with impossibly
intricate patterns and on ceremonial occasions become goddesses
in shimmering golden headdresses.

It's no wonder that travelers rush through Padang. On this
second trip -- after a 45 minute Silk Air flight from Singapore
-- I again expected to stay one night.

However, at the Bumi Minang Hotel I felt at home right away as
everyone from the bellhop to the waitress greeted me in English.
The lobby had a holiday air as some guests watched a young woman
weaving golden songket cloth beside the gift shop. Beyond
the patio, bronzed surfers were having a last swim before their
trip to Siberut in search of the big wave. How things had changed
since my last trip a few years ago. I contemplated a two-night
stay.

On the way to my room I stopped by the desk of Rimbun Tours to
ask about bus schedules. Iwan gave me a brochure listing several
intriguing tours. Since I wanted to take pictures I decided to
give up busses, take a two-day tour and return to visit Padang's
off-shore islands.

The intensively cultivated highlands were more lush than I
remembered. Rolling hills were covered with manicured tea
plantations; clove and red-tipped cinnamon trees and spreading
coffee bushes were shaded by tall trees. Valleys were a terraced
patchwork of rice in every stage of growth with graceful
volcanoes as a backdrop.

I stayed at the Nuansa Maninjau Resort, which is high on a
bluff overlooking Lake Maninjau. The hotel's quiet elegant rooms
and cottages surround a central meeting and restaurant complex.
The restaurants and heated pool overlook the lake. At dinner that
night, earnest young men dressed in black entertained visitors
with a martial arts demonstration. Pencak silat martial art was a
dying art until it was revived for tourists. A party in a private
dining room was seated Minang style around a floor mat filled
with myriad dishes, including a huge golden carp traditionally
eaten only by the king.

In Bukittinggi we made a quick round of the sights, the fort,
the zoo, the mini-grand canyon and the Japanese tunnel. But what
Iwan wanted me to see was the Novotel Hotel, which is built like
a Moorish castle. I had to admit I felt like I'd fallen off a
Persian carpet as we entered a three-story lobby with a bubbling
fountain. We had lunch on an expansive terraced garden leading to
a pool and gazed at the town through keyhole windows.

Back in Padang, Iwan surprised me by stopping at a large two-
story white building with a discrete plaque reading "Padangsche
Spaarbank". Inside we found Norma Dulfer from Germany. Norma has
been restoring the bank building for four years and has now
opened a charming colonial hotel with six rooms and six suites.
Meals are served on the veranda as colorful fishing boats glide
down the Batang Arau River.

Sipping campari on a veranda that harked back to Raffles's era
with its tile floors, antique furniture, potted palms, stained
glass windows and kerosene lamps, it was easy to get caught up in
Norma's enthusiasm. After a second campari I could almost see the
first sailing ships as they brought the red lacquer, brass urns,
delicately carved roof ornaments, incense and joss sticks for the
Chinese temple, the finest building in the Old Town. I could see
the sails unfurl as the ships left loaded with gold and pepper.
Norma swears there are other former Dutch merchants' houses as
fine as the Batang Arau Hotel, and her dream is that other
investors will restore the area to its former splendor.

Donning rose-colored glasses, I followed Norma as she stepped
over piles of nutmeg drying in the street. Her historical tidbits
seemed to touch the sagging storefronts with a magic wand: she
found her billiard table in that house, and in the next one was a
room with safes, pens and inkwells untouched for a century.

The eight-sided building was a Japanese checkpoint, and Norma
pointed out the details in the building, both Indian and Arabic.
She showed me the antique shops and the jewelry shop where I
could order an eagle pendant, cast in gold just like hers.
Although Norma hasn't yet convinced any other hopeless romantics
or history buffs to join her restoration efforts, she is
encouraged by the newly formed Sumatra Heritage Trust, whose goal
is to preserve the natural, cultural and architectural heritage
of Sumatra.

I had planned to leave the next day but on Norma's veranda I
met Rob, the Australian captain of the Sans Souci yacht. Rob
invited me to join his passengers on a visit to two getaway
islands, each of which had only one resort.

Cruising from Teluk Bayur, the principal port of Padang, we
seemed to be on an enormous lake in a ring of islands. First stop
was Sikuai Paradise Resort for refreshing coconut drinks and a
swim in a large pool built right beside the sea. I could have
happily settled into one of their thatched roof rooms, four to a
bungalow, with all the comforts of home: AC, hot water,
telephone, video and mini-bar.

Next stop was Cubadak, a rustic resort with Italian flair.
Here, a sumptuous seafood brunch miraculously materialized while
we swam and snorkeled in a sea that was more than bathtub-warm.
At Cubadak, swaying palms separate wooden bungalows with thatched
roofs just steps from the sea...and windsurfing and a certified
dive course.

Half of our group preferred Sikuai Island with all its modcons
and half preferred the rustic simplicity of Cubadak, but we were
all mesmerized by the Indian Ocean sunset. Ribbons of soft salmon
brushed across a dusky blue world of islands, sea and sky, while
fishing boats with neon light arcs floated across our bow like
jumbo fireflies.

I stayed on one more day exploring Padang by bendi, horse-
drawn carts that waited while I took a quick look at the museum,
the well-stocked malls and intriguing markets. Cinnamon, cloves
and nutmeg are sold by the kilo instead of the ounce and men sit
polishing good-luck stones for brass rings. I sampled what must
rank as the world's best Chili Crab at Simpang Enam restaurant.

The sign of a great trip is that even before you leave you
long to return. I needed two more days to sample more spicy
Padang food and to explore Carolina Beach where there it's
rumored that Aim Zein will drop you off at a Robinson Crusoe
Island which has thatched huts and where you can swim with
turtles. And if I had another week, I could have sailed across
the Indian Ocean and paid a visit to the medicine men of Siberut.

Padang, yesterday's transit stop, is definitely today's
gateway to the wonders of West Sumatra.

-- For more information contact the West Sumatra Tourism Forum
at wsumatra@indosat.net.id