Along the way I caught these two ladies doing their laundry next to the road. They are not washing from a drainage as I earlier thought, but it is a clean running water that will flow and combine with the Anai Waterfall.

Upon arriving at Padang Panjang, Pak Zul made a slight detour to visit this place

It is Rumah Gadang, built as a centre of Information and Documentation of Minangkabau Culture

The front view of Rumah Gadang. The architecture, construction, internal and external decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau

Inside Rumah Gadang.

We were elightened about the Minang culture by the docent.

The rooms. With the Minang cultures and society especially the Pepatih being strongly matrilineal, the rooms are divided among the daughters. The sons are sent to live in the mosque to study religions and martial arts at a very young age. The women here initiate the marriage proposals to men of a different clan or 'suku' and afterwards, the husband has to moves in with her family. The inheritances are passed from mother to daughter. The husbands can guard and manage the property, but they could never own themselves. Instead they have to find their own wealth. I find the cultures are unique and ingeniously teaches you (actually a man) about self-respect, indepandency, responsibility and to value and appreciate woman. (hehe..)

a view through the window, overlooking the yard and the rankiang, the rice barn.

fine ornamentation of the house walls demonstrates great workmanship

After milling a while we made a move back towards Padang, bypassing this familiar spot.

Not long before we were stopped by this guy in uniform. We were released to resume our journey when the checking showed that everything is neat, and of course with some tip.

As we were entering Padang town, the signs of devastation due to the recent earth quake became apparent.

Note how near the railway to the houses. According to our guide, the track has long been disused. Thanks heaven.

The colourful taxi. "Angkot" is what the local calls it, an abbreviation of 'Angkotan Kota' or City Transport

The ferocious Indian Ocean. Hopefully it is calm today.

Another wreckage caused by the earth quake. The major shock hit at 17:16 local time on September 30, 2009 and had a moment magnitude of 7.6 richter scale. The tremors were also felt in Malaysia west coast.

The plateau where the famous Ambacang Hotel used to stand tall.

More ruins. The impact was not so severe in Padang, only a few of the buildings affected. However the fate was not equally shared by the people of Pariaman, a nearby village where the whole hamlet was swallowed resulting of over 700 death tolls. It is a true paradox for the village to be called Pariaman, as it actually means 'a safe place'.

More colourful bus zooms past

After stopping for some refreshment we head back to the Minangkabau airport to catch our 3.30pm plane.

Finally and sadly, it is time to say goodbye. My thanks to our guides Pak Tony and Pak Zul for taking good care of us.

Olde Smoke House?

We stopped at this local industry selling local-made snacks

Their specialty is kripik labu (pumpkin snacks). You could also find myriad of odd-flavour munchies such as kripik jengkol (or jering in Malaysia), clams snack and snacks made of buffalo skin. I found it insipid. Maybe I'm just not use to it.

As usual I made my way to find any interesting subject to shoot

lucky me, the shop is situated on top of a hill, overlooking this beautiful village

some portly pumpkins on display

Back into the shop I spotted my favourite, which is also common back home. It just makes me go nuts

we continued our journey over more paddy fields and nondescript villages

until my eyes suddenly catch a glimpse of the what we later realize is a breathtaking view of the Maninjau Lake

Lake Maninjau is a caldera lake which was formed by a volcanic erruption estimated to have occured around 52,000 years ago. Located 16km from Bukittinggi, to reach here one has to descend into the crater through 44 hairpin bends, and offers stunning views over the shimmering blue lake and surrounding hills.

The road twist and turns until we reached Hamka's birth house at Sungai Batang, Maninjau. We were later told that this house was built by ABIM, Malaysia

we were warmly welcomed by Pak Hanif, Hamka's nephew whose later gave a narration of the famous author's biography. Note the resemblance.

Inside Hamka's birth house. In the glass closet is his scholar drape from UKM he used to wear upon receiving his doctorate from the institution in 1974.

Hamka's rest chair. I could somehow imagine him sitting on this chair overlooking the astounding lake on a particular sunny day. I presume that's where he got the inspiration.

Two Hanifs with the house guardian

Pasar kaget or literally means 'instant market'. Instant as it will only opens when they smell tourist presence.

a religious signage in front of Hamka's house (meaning: the world is the place to be prepared for the hereafter)

At noon, we leave Hamka's house and return back to Bukittinggi via the same twisted roads. Being Friday, some of the village folks are already waiting at the mosque to perform their Friday prayers.

one last view of Lake Maninjau

As we made our way back to Bukittinggi, I sighted a lone tree on top of a hill.

One hour later we reached Pasar Atas, Bukittinggi for some last minute shoppings

At Pasar Bawah, you could find a lot of merchandise on sell for rememberence

Acha posed in front of a kripik stalls at Pasar Bawah

smoked eel anyone?

Jam Gadang, the prominent landmark of Bukittinggi

Horse cart ready for rent

As we wait for our driver, I saw this young lad happily chasing the bubbles while his mother keeping an eye on him at the back.

My kids were not an exception

an aerial view of Bukittinggi town

Bung Hatta's palace. Bung Hatta or Mohammad Hatta was the first vice president of Indonesia and Soekarno sidekick. He is among those who fought for Indonesia independance from the Dutch.

The man himself

We spotted some baskers trying to get lucky. Unlike other Indonesia big cities such as Jakarta and Bandung their presence are uncommon here.

Mount Merapi covered in mist

Our first visit of the day is this embroidery center at Kg Baso, where they train young ladies the art of sewing. With a fee of IDR 10mill (equivalent to RM3000) you could be an apperantice here until you master the skill.

Equipped with none other than the old rickety, manual sewing-machine, these young ladies turn the once dull cloth into a beautiful and delicate garments.

Hajah Rosma, the founder. At the age of 80, she is still able and healthy.

Table cloth with intiricate, fine design

This one caught my eyes but unfortunately a tad expensive for me. You have to be a millionaire (rupiah of course!) to own this one.

Bukittinggi is trully a scenic place. With the mist covering the mountains at the background surrounded by the green and lush paddy fields and coconut trees. At 930 m above sea level, the city has a cool climate with temperatures between 16.1°-24.9°C.

We made a next stop to visit this place, the Harau Valley.

The mesmerizing waterfall of Aka Berayun, Harau Valley.

Eventhough the population in Bukittinggi is 100% moslem, dogs are a common sight. Not only as a hunting mate, they also serve as the guardian of the house and the crops, these canines.

My family took a breather in one of the stalls after the long and exhaustive journey

Some reddish pitcher plant in front of the food stalls.

The high stone wall with a green paddy field carpeting the earth’s floor marking the Harau Valley, which is situated in the Kota region district, half an hour from Paya Kumbuh.

It is just a mesmerizing place to see the green paddy fields sandwiched between the high stony cliffs

House with parabolic dish is a common sight here. According to Pak Tony, with this dish one could have the capability of viewing over hundred of channels. I thought our Astro is complex enough and the tv remote is already a combat between my kids.

House with pointed roof, the minangkabau symbol of fame and victory. The word Minangkabau itself is derived from malay words ‘menang kerbau’ or literally means ‘buffalo wins’ and hence got the look from the pointed buffalo horns.

We continued our journey to Tabek Patah, visiting this local coffee milling industry

Tea made of coffee leaves (we call it ‘coffee tea’) and tea made of mulberry leaves. Ahnaf showed how to stir the coffees with cinnamon stick for additional flavour and aroma.

Our shy driver Pak Zul and the bubbly Pak Tony

Our next stop is this popular eatery at Sungai Tarab

Self-made musical instruments made from bamboo, buffalo horns and all. Sold by a local lady in front the restaurant. Bought my kids the small ones which amazingly producing a mimique of a chirping birds. Regretted it later as the ‘two birds’ won’t stop chirping all the way back!

Again, more nasi padang, this time in we enjoy it in the middle of paddy fields

We tossed our leftovers into the pond next to us and saw these blokes skirmishing in the water to catch the food. Ironically, I bet that I have some of their relatives on my plate just now.

the view across the paddy fields towards Batu Sangkar

After lunch, we made our move to visit this majestic palace which unfortunately, is still under construction.

The Great Palace of Pagaruyung. Located in Batu Sangkar, the original palace was destroyed in 1804 riots, and the replica was again demolished in 1996 inferno. In Feb 2007, the second replica caught fire after it was strucked by lightning. The third replica is in the midst of reconstruction and target to complete by March 2010.

Istana Silinduang Bulan. Located 2km from the royal palace of Pagaruyung, this palace used to be a meeting place for the aristocrats during the heydays.

The marking stone of Silinduang Bulan Palace.

the intricate workmanship of the palace walls

the flamboyant interior