Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 229

GETTING AROUND
Buses and angkots Local angkots (Rp3000) run from
6am to 10pm daily. Angkots run from Jl Moh Yamin, in the
market area. Look out for the route number and desti-
nation signs suspended high above the oplet waiting area.
Bendis Stacks of horse-drawn carriages hang out by the
central market, just east of the oplet terminal. Short hops
around town will cost around Rp10,000.

the exhibits at the Adityawarman
Museum (Mon-Sat 8.30am-4pm;
Rp2000) were destroyed. Traces of the
earthquake remain scattered throughout
the buzzing central market around Jalan
Pasar Baru, though Padang today is as
lively as ever. Its leafy boulevards,
café-lined coast, attractive nearby
beaches and idyllic islands - such as
Pagang to the south - make Padang
worthy of a stopover.

ACCOMMODATION
Brigitte's Jl Kampung Sebelah 1/14D T 0751 36099,
W brigittehouse.blogspot.com.au. Popular among surfers,
this quiet place has spotless rooms with fans and a/c
(Rp270,000), communal breakfasts and wi-fi. There are a
couple of cheap single rooms on the roof (Rp100,000).
Brigitte and her pleasant staff are knowledgable about
the region, partic ularly the Me ntawai, and provide a range
of travel services. Rp200,000
Hang Tuah Jl Pemuda 1 T 0751 26556, W hotelhangtuah
.com. A professionally run business hotel in a central
location, this is one of Padang's best-value mid-range
hotels. All rooms are well kept with a/c and inside bath-
rooms, while the pleasant balcony rooms (Rp351,500) also
come with hot water. Brea kfast is included, while wi-fi is
Rp30,000/day. Rp254,000
Tiga-Tiga Jl Veteran 33 T 0751 22173. An old travellers'
favourite, Tiga-Tiga has seen better days, and many of
its rooms are in need of a good airing out. The first-class
rooms (Rp220,000), however, are decent, with big
windows loo king out to the garden and functioning a/c.
Rp140,000
★

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Visas are available on arrival at Padang's
Minangkabau International Airport, 23km north of the
city centre. The 30min taxi ride to the city centre should
cost around Rp130,000. DAMRI buses also run between
the airport and Imam Bonjol Square (hourly 6am-6pm
except 9am; Rp20,000).
Destinations Batam (4 daily; 1hr 5min); Jakarta (16 daily;

1hr 45min); Kuala Lumpur (2 daily; 1hr 5min); Medan
(2 daily; 1hr 10min).
By ferry Pelni boats arrive at the port of Teluk Bayur,
7km south of town, from where blue angkots #432, #433
and #434 connect Taman Imam Bonjol to the city centre,
passing Jl Nipah on the way. The Pelni ticket o ce is
located at Jl Tanjung Priok 32 in Teluk Bayur ( T 0751
61624). For Pagang island, boats depart from both Port
Muara and Bungus Bay, 21km south of Padang (linked by
angkots; Rp7000), the latter being closer to the island
(daily 10am, returning 4.30pm; 1hr). Most Mentawai
boats depart from Bungus Bay. Full Mentawai schedules
are listed elsewhere in the chapter (see box, p.239).
Destinations

4

Yani Homestay Jl Nipah Berok 1 T 0852 6380 1686,
E [e-mail]. The best-value spot in town,
offering clean and spacious fan and a/c rooms in the home
of friendly, English-speaking Julius and his mother. It's
located beside the Buddhist temple and is only a 2min
walk to the beach. There's a common room with
a D VD player a nd X-box; wi-fi and breakfast are included
too. Rp80,000

Gunung Sitoli (monthly; 21hr); Tanjung
Priok (monthly; 2.5 days).
By bus Arrival and departure points for buses from
Padang are numerous. Minibuses - known as “travel” -
depart for regional destinations such as Bukittinggi and
Payakumbuh from the north of the city at Aie Tawar on Jl
Doctor Hamka, near the Basko Grand Mall and connected
to the centre by white and orange oplets (Rp3000).
Numerous travel agents, such as AWR (Jl Veteran 29A
T 0751 812508), are scattered along Jl Pemuda and Jl
Veteran, selling minibus tickets to most destinations and
offering pick-up from your hotel. For long-haul buses, use
ALS on Jl Bypass Baru Km 6 ( T 0751 776 2291).
Destinations Frequent daily departures for Bandar Lampung
(25hr); Bukittinggi (2hr); Medan (20hr); Pekanbaru (8hr);
Parapat (18hr).

EATING
It makes little sense to visit the homeland of Padang food
without sampling the city's traditional restaurants. There's
no menu: simply tell staff you want to eat and up to a
dozen small plates are placed in front of you. Generally, the
redder the sauce, the more explosive it is. At the southern
end of Jl Pondok, due south of the market area towards
the river, you'll find a wonderful night market of sate stalls,
and another on Jl Imam Bonjol, a few hundred metres
south of the junction with Jl Moh Yamin. Meanwhile,
the small restaurants on Jl Moh Yamin, near the junction
with Jl Pemuda, serve cheap, filling martabaks and sweet
roti canai . Along Jl Pemuda things can get somewhat
seedy at night.

INFORMATION
Tourist o ce Jl Samudra 1 (Mon-Fri 7.30am-4pm,
Sat & Sun 9am-3pm; T 0751 34186). Helpful English-
speaking staff and plenty of maps and brochures.