Enjoy the breeze of Singkarak Lake

West Sumatra, was awarded with the natural beauty of the hills that line the lake hollows. In addition Maninjau Lake, there is another beautiful lake in West Sumatra, clear and calm named Lake Singkarak. Singakarak Lake area size about 129.69 km with a depth of 36.5 meters above sea level and link the two district areas of Tanah Datar and Solok.

Singkarak Lake, which is the second largest lake in Sumatra, after Lake Toba is upstream from the river Batang Ombilin. From the lake Singakarak, Batang Ombilin flow and split the rice field area, and become a important source of irrigation for agricultural land. The water of Singkarak lake, also a power of generator that channeled through the tunnel into the surrounding of Bukit Barisan.

If your visit to Singkarak Lake, don’t miss the chance to climb the canoe or boat to enjoy the peace in the middle of its lake. From there, you will see the township residents lined the shore of the lake, such as a fence for the Singkarak Lake. Through the clear water, where you will see a beautiful reflection of the hills that lined surrounding, you will see The fish Bilih chasing and dancing.

Fish Bilih (latin; Mystacoleucus padangensis), which supposedly is a unique species that only one other in the world, a source of life for the community of Singkarak. If you've finished watching the beauty of the Lake Festival, you should be taking the time to pamper the taste of food tasting in a restaurant booth at the edge of the lake Festival. Their main menu is bilih fish, and you'll feel it a very unique, tasty and aromatic. Enjoy too, the road meanders along the edge of Lake Singakarak surrounded by a tiered rice fields, Bagonjong houses with a green background of the undulating hills, and the Singkarak lake wind soothing .

Getting There
If you intend to walk to the Lake Singkarak from the city of Padang, you would travel around 120km for about 75 minutes. Costs you will pay around Rp.30.000 by public transportation. From Bukittinggi, you can use public bus, enough to just Rp.10.000, you will reach the Singkarak Lake in 30 minutes only.

Where to Stay
Along the coast of Singakarak Lake there are many Homestay / Inn, and also some Hotel and Motel, such as the Singkarak Beach Hotel, the hotel that is usually crowded used by foreign and domestic tourists, this place is also very convenient for activities such as seminars, training and to break. In addition, there is also Singakarak children's playground for those of you who carry on the family as the Tanjung Mutiara, there is provided a small boat to sail in the Lake and various other children play.

Places to Buy Souvenirs
From your visit to the Singkarak Lake, you will obtain a unique souvenir. Because you can bring home Bilih dried fish that are sold each day in the traditional markets of Ombilin, Prices range up to 30,000 per kg. This bilih dried fish will be for your own memories of the Lake Singkarak.

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Eksibisi Banksy

Posting tamu oleh : Dhitta Puti Sarasvati

Saya belum sempat mengunjungi museum kota Bristol sejak museum dirombak khusus untuk eksibisi karya-karya Banksy. Eksibisi ini akan berakhir pada 31 Agustus, dan saya tampaknya harus menyempatkan diri ke sana. Banksy seperti yang telah saya ceritakan sebelumnya merupakan salah satu seniman grafiti yang berasal dari Bristol. Tak banyak yang tahu siapa dia sebenarnya. Karya-karyanya cenderung merupakan kritik sosial, terhadap berbagai isu di dunia. Ia juga pernah membuat grafiti di tembok Palestina, sebagai sebuah aksi protes terhadap konflik yang terjadi di sana.

Yang menarik dari eksibisi Banksy di Bristol kali ini adalah bahwa persiapannya dilakukan secara rahasia. Yang tahu bahwa Banksy akan melakukan eksibisi di museum hanya kurator museum. Bahkan semua karyawan museum kaget, ketika hari pertama pembukaan eksibisi dan menemukan ,museum telah dirombak total. Untuk tahu lebih lanjut coba intip site ini.

Museum terletak di seberang jalan menuju jurusan saya. Saat itu saya sedang berjalan melalui museum dan cukup kaget dengan boneka Ronald McDonald yang duduk di atap museum. Ronald McDonald tampak sedih dan seakan-akan mau bunuh diri. Tampaknya itu sebuah visi yang ingin disampaikan Banksy. Ia tampaknya bermimpi bahwa suatu hari industri fast food seperti McDonald akan mati.

Di hari yang lain saya dibuat kaget lagi ketika melewati Oxfam yang terletak di jalan masuk ke jurusan saya. Saat itu Oxfam sudah tutup, tetapi ada tulisan berupa tanda terima kasih kepada penyumbang rahasia karya-karya Banksy kepada Oxfam. Karya-karya tersebut telah habis terjual dalam waktu yang sangat singkat dan menghasilkan uang belasan ribu poundsterling.

Oxfam Bookshop

Salah satu alasan saya tidak mengunjungi museum adalah karena setiap saya melewati museum saya melihat antrian yang teramat panjang. Bahkan setiap hari ada satu jalan (yang cukup lebar dan panjang) yang ditutup, karena penuh dengan antrian orang-orang yang mau melihat eksibisi Banksy. Banyak orang datang dari seluruh dunia untuk melihat eksibisi ini termasuk (katanya) para artis dunia. Hehe saya yang tinggal hanya 10 menit dari museum pun belum ke sana. :D

Source (picture):
http://www.nerdbanite.com/2009/08/ronald-mcdonald-bristo/
http://www.bristol-street-art.co.uk/street-art-blog/oxfam-selling-banksy-merchandise

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Profil Kontributor
Puti, teman saya, seorang praktisi bidang pendidikan, menyelesaikan masternya di Bristol, England. Ini adalah salah satu postingnya tentang Bristol, kota yang ia tempati selama menjalani kuliahnya di sana. Anda dapat membaca tulisan-tulisan Puti lainnya di Warna Pastel & Mahkota Lima.

[ Ingin turut menyumbang catatan perjalanan, artikel traveling, atau foto? ]
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Tips for Traveling to West Sumatra

If you visit West Sumatra, then here are some things you can consider to make your trip more enjoyable.

1. If you wish to consume alcohol beverages, you should only do it at the bar or hotel. Don’t doing that in public places, because local peoples will stay away from you, or maybe they away you go.

2. If you bathe or swim in a public place, you should not wear bikinis. Use a bathing suit that covers your thighs and torso perfectly. Or you can try the traditional way, namely by using clothing or traditional cloth.

3. On average, the peoples of West Sumatera are people who like to trade, so do not hesitate to haggle when you buy something.

4. Minang society is people who are warm and friendly. They will be happy to assist you when you need help. Show a friendly attitude, and be polite, then they will respect you more.

5. If you have any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for help from the police. Of course, this is the most secure way you have.

6. It would be better if you have a road map of west Sumatra. There is also a good idea if you have a local language dictionary. Community will be pleased to see you learn their language.

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Shopping in the city of Padang

If you visit West Sumatra, surely you will come first to the city of Padang. If you come through the Air Line, then you will land at Minangkabau International Airport (MIA). You can choose to stay back in the city of Padang. This will benefit you, because almost all Tourism destination in West Sumatra will be easily reached from the city of Padang.

Right in the center of town, you can choose different hotels and high-class medium which is along the coast. From there, you can plan your next trip. You can also buy all your needs in advance, so that your journey easier. In the city of Padang, there are several modern market, you can visit. Among these are:

1. Plaza Andalas
Located right in the center of Padang City, making Plaza Andalas was the most crowded place to
visit for shopping at Padang. Besides the ease of visiting the Plaza Andalas, its location is in downtown, will make you easy to choose a variety of hotels located near the Plaza Andalas.

2. Minang Plaza
Minang plaza is located north of the city of Padang. If you take the bus from Minangkabau International Airport, then you will first find this place where to shop than other. In this place you'll find all your travel needs. Not some far from Minang Plaza, you'll find Pangeran Beach Hotel, one of the best lodging in the city of Padang.

3. Matahari Dept Store
Matahari Department Store located in downtown, and adjacent to the traditional market of Padang. In addition to easily accessible by public bus, you are also have a chance to see the transaction in Traditional Markets, which was directly under the Matahari Dept. Store. If necessary, you can come to a traditional market Pasar Raya Padang, where you can buy fresh ingredients for meals or other things and what you need.

4. Gramedia.
Gramedia Book Store is the largest stationery of books shoping the city of Padang. Located in downtown, Gramedia could be your choice to get the road map you need, as well as Indonesian and Regional dictionary if you need it. In this place you can also buy the equipment of sports and tour you need.

5. Silungkang Stores
For souvenirs, in Padang you can find it in Silungkang Stores. Silungkang store is approximately 1 mile from downtown and your easy to visit by public transportation. In this place you can buy a various of Minangkabau traditional souvenirs that made with craft, with affordable prices.

6. Christine Hakim Kripik Stores
Kripik Christine Hakim Stores, is one of best known traditional grocery store in the city of Padang. In this place, you can buy "Kripik (chips)Balado", Minangkabau traditional food. But you can also get others Minangkabau traditional food .

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Payakumbuh City

Payakumbuh, is a city that known as one tourist destination in West Sumatra. Payakumbuh save many areas of visit places that present the amazing natural scenery. From Bukittinggi city, you only need to take overland travel for 30 minutes at a cost of approximately Rp. 20.000, -. You can view your travel itinerary in the city Payakumbuh, on the following maps:

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Visit Maninjau Lake

Maninjau Lake West Sumatra, is one of the most splendid lakes in Indonesia. This volcanic lake is situated more or less 461 meters above sea level. This lake, 100 m2 in size with the maximum depth of 500 meters, is associated with a legend. It is said that from the local folklore called "Bujang Sembilan" (roughly translates as "Nine Young Men"), one of these men died by plunging himself to the crater. The crater then expanded, forming a lake.

Maninjau Lake has a five starred resort located on the top of a hill. With pleasant, inspiring sceneries, staying around Maninjau Lake will be a dazzling experience for you.

Maninjau Village is located near the lake. Buya HAMKA, one of the most notable novelists in Indonesia, was born here. HAMKA wrote the phenomenal Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijk. Another famous person born here is Rangkayo Rasuna Said, one of Indonesia's national hero. Her name is immortalized as one of the protocol roads in Jakarta.

Getting There

Located only 35 kilometers away from Bukittinggi, you can visit this site by using a car or a public transportation.

Where to Stay
You can stay at various inns and hotels in Bukittinggi, or at Maninjau Resort, which is closer.

Moving Around
From where you stay, you can use a private car or public transportation to view the magnificent scenery.

Dining Guide
You can eat at several nearby restaurants or hotels. Bear in mind that West Sumatran food tends to be spicy.

Souvenir Tips
You can buy traditional Minangese crafts within the area or in Bukittinggi. Various songket (hand-woven cloth), slippers, shoes, bags, money pouches made of songket, and other unique items are also available. You can also buy traditional West Sumatran snack such as cassava chips coated with chili sauce.

Other Things to See or Do
Simple water recreations can be done in the lake. Unfortunately, since the locals consider swimsuits improper, you shouldn't swim in this lake. You can swim in the resort or in other hotels. If you stay at the resort, you can also use the fitness center and jogging track.

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Bukittinggi City

Bukittinggi Cuty is your first destination on your visit to West Sumatra. This city is known as a tourism town in West Sumatera, because it has a lot of tourism places with the great number of tourist visits every traffic year . From the city of Padang, you could go to Bukittinggi with a tour bus trip, which can be easy found in at Minangkabau International Airport. You would travel for 70 minutes at a cost of approximately Rp. 50.000, - only. Here is a map of Bukittinggi that you can learn.

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