bukiittinggi

I was originally off to climb the most active volcano in Sumatra today but due to the guide declaring it unsafe to do so I decided to wander round the nearby town of Bukittinggi instead. Apparently it's a tourist town but I've really not got much of a clue why that is nor did I see anyone who didn't look like a local. Regardless I went into a nearby hotel to see what was on offer and came away with two things. The first was the panorama, a cliff on one edge of town which overlooks a canyon and is inundated with monkeys. It was also home to an old Japanese tunnel system. The second was the zoo. Like I said there wasn't much on offer.


Note to self: Next time you go to an area with monkeys don't ring a can of fanta otherwise you end up with quite the fan group...

             The canyon was quite pretty though. The cliff you can see in the background was probably all made by one eruption from the nearby volcano system. It's about 40m high.

This is Bukittinggi's emblem, in fact they're so proud of it that I sort of expected it to be, well more than just a clock tower that's about 20m high. Instead I was much more interested in the photo below it which seems to suggest that there's a strong Eric Morecambe fanbase in the area...

The mountain in the background here is the volcano I was going to climb. Didn't look to be having any current activity but I bowed to the guides greater knowledge. Apparently lava feels quite hot if you end up in it.

The next few shots are from two hills (one houses and old fort, the other a zoo with species as exotic as the pheasant and the pig...) which are linked by a bridge which spans the main way through town.

Mount Merapi overshadowing the town:

 

 

A different building which gives a better idea of the roof design (how very exciting...)

 

happiness can be drawn from the human face below: D
place called taruko can be an alternative for your vacation

 

 

    and do not forget the silent witness to the cruelty of the invaders in INDONESIA