Sumatra is one of five big islands in Indonesia. It lies in the western part of this country. Sumatra is one of the biggest islands on the world. Like the other islands in Indonesia, Sumatra has the beautiful natural view, especially in the West Sumatra Province. There are many places on the province that you can visit.
The cities in West Sumatra are famous with its cultural habits. The people are strong still to keep their culture. One of the historical cities you can visit is the Bukittingi. Bukittinggi is located 2 hours north east by road from the international airport. The only way to get there is by car but don’t worry the roads are good and smooth. There are several option for you to go around:
Personally I prefer by Chartered Minivan, People said this is the cheapest mode of transportation, the car is quite good it was Honda Odyssey 2.4 with 7 seats capacity. The cost is around 2.5 USD or IDR 25,000/ person. But please be patient because sometimes the driver will need to wait until at least 5 seats are occupied.
Some friends said they prefer to go using Bus, if you agree with this then I suggest you can go using DAMRI Bus, first you need to reach Padang (USD 1.8) and from there take the minivan to Bukittinggi (USD 1.5). Personally I am not suggesting you to take the bus because its going to be a long winding road. J
If you are the Taxi type of tourist you can go to Bukittinggi using Taxi from the International Airport of Minangkabau. The fixed price to Bukittinggi is around USD 19. You need to pay USD 8 upfront and the rest after you arrive. I recommend you this mode of transportation if you are in groups not more than 4 people.
This city is famous with its views too. You can try many traditional foods that you cannot forget. In this city, you can visit the natural sightseeing place, which is Sianok canyon and the Japanese Caves (Lubang Jepang). It is a network of underground bunkers and tunnels built by the Japanese during World war II.
Even though the canyon is not too big, but the natural view we can see there are fantastic. During dusk you can observe bats flying from gorges to the forest to get some fruits from the trees.
In this city still, we can see the Jam Gadang, or the West Sumatran Big Ben. This big city clock is near the central 
market in the town. You will experience great moment during your visit in this city. If you a shopping addict then you will love to visit this place, there are 2 markets near Jam Gadang. Pasar Atas (Upper Market) and Pasar Bawah (below Market). Pasar Atas is where you’ll find so many souvenirs and clothes sold for a very cheap price, say for example one pair of woman slipper is only cost you around 0.7 USD, leather woman slipper for only 3.5 USD and many more. Pasar Bawah is dedicated for fruits and vegetables trade, so after shopping in Pasar atas, let you thirst and hugger satisfied with lots of food, fruits and veggie in this area.
You can through two hours trip from the West Sumatra capital city, Padang. Do not hesitate to have the new adventures in this city. You can contact the website Indonesia.travel for more info about this place.
Posted in 
Tags: 
