Above: Approximate route for the day.
Highland on two wheels
I hired a motorcycle and driver for the day to take me around to various Minangkabau cultural sights, especially the beautiful architecture set amongst the green countryside. Travelling with me was a 21 year old English student Mike and his driver. Strangely he’s studying English (Singlish?) literature in a Singapore university … go figure!
We started off with a stop at one of many snack stores (called sanjaias) where all sorts of crunchy munchies were being sold and/or made … ranging from buffalo-skin crackers to a multitude of flavoured tapioca chips.
Kerupuk kulit (puffed buffalow skin “chips”).
Kerepek singkong balado (tapioca chips with chilli).
We passed beautiful padi fields against a backdrop dominated by a volcano so big that you can hardly see it (it blends into the blue-grey sky and the top merges into the greyish clouds). That’s Gunung Merapi, a rather active volcano.
We made stops at various Rumah Gadang (traditional mansions) and also a water-powered coffee mill. A few sights were centred in an area around three townships close to each other: Batu Sangkar, Pagaruyung and Batu Basurek.
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- A rest stop enroute.
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- Ploughing the traditional way. When your diesel tractor plough conks out, you can make rendang from it. So better stick to the buffalo.
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- Rao Rao Mosque between Bukittinggi and Batu Sangkar.
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- Coffee mill, powered by water mill.
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- Harnessing power from the stream.
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- Coffee mill, powered by water mill.
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- Inscribed stone at Pagaruyung from the 1300s.
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- Rumah Gadang Bundo Kanduang Batu Basurek.
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- Another traditional home near Pagaruyung.
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- Istano Silinduang Bulan at Pagaruyung.
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- Istano Silinduang Bulan at Pagaruyung.
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- Istano Silinduang Bulan at Pagaruyung.
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- Free honey at Istano Silinduang Bulan at Pagaruyung.
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- Inclined floors and windows at Istano Silinduang Bulan at Pagaruyung.
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- Padi fields near Pagaruyung.
From there, we headed to Belimbing (meaning, starfruit) where we went through a very old traditional Minangkabau house which wasn’t as ornate as most of the others.
This one was known as Rumah Gadang Kampai Nan Panjang. The small rooms are located off the public area in the old house. With tiny doors into the these rooms, they reminded me of cabins on old ships.
From Belimbing, we headed down to Lake Singkarak before heading back towards Bukittingi via Padang Panjang.
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- Padi fields near Belimbing.
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- Padi fields near Belimbing.
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- Rumah Gadang Kampai Nan Panjang.
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- Inside Rumah Gadang Kampai Nan Panjang.
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- Lake Singkarak.
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- Surau Nagari Batipuh.
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- Rumah Gadang Padang Panjang,
We made one last stop at Pandai Sikek which was renowned for making songket (silver/gold-threaded fabric).
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- At Pandai Sikek, the signboard takes after the IDR5000 note.
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- The IDR5000 note.
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- Rumah Gadang Pandai Sikek.
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- Detailed decoration on Rumah Gadang Pandai Sikek.
Minangkabau culture
The Minangkabau culture is matriarchal or matrilineal … the woman is the head of the household and the most important man is the woman’s oldest brother. Their heritage has a strong link to the shape of the buffalo’s horns … as seen in the upturned roofs on houses and on the traditional headgear of their women the horns of a buffalo. Minangkabau people have spread throughout the archipelago across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. But this is their homeland.
Eating on the street
Tonight I tried sate (satay) padang … it is normal sate (bbq skewered meat) served with a different sauce from the usual peanut one. Their yellow gooey sauce is made from rice-flour and turmeric which I thought it was quite delicious. Kinda like a soupy gravy. Things are pretty traditional here and sate is served on the street on a plastic plate lined with banana leaves … each customer gets the same plate but a fresh new lining of leaves.
Next I sampled the more familiar peanut sauce sate and that really blew me away. The stallholder folded me a two-inch piece of banana leaf to use as a spoon so that the leftover peanut sauce wouldn’t go to waste.
Sate padang with the yellow rice-flour sauce.