Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 232

another rare, smelly and gigantic flower:
A. titanum 's flowering stem often reaches
two-metres-high. Its genus name
describes it as “misshapen penis”, and it
blooms briefly just once every four years.
Yet another worthy reason to visit
Batang Palupuh is kopi luwak, one of the
world's rarest and most expensive brews.
Made from digested coffee beans picked
out from the droppings of palm civets,
the coffee has an earthy, caramel taste
- try it at Umul Khairi's home ( T 0819
758 6874, E [e-mail]; 100g
bag Rp200,000) next to the Taqwa
Mosque (see box, p.236).

Sumatra's most visually stunning
destinations. During the rainy season
there are waterfalls, some with crystal-
clear pools at their base, scattered along
the valley floor where tapir, boar and
siamang (tailless, black-furred gibbons)
are rumoured to roam. he valley (entry
Rp5000) begins just over an hour along
the road from Bukittinggi to Pekanbaru,
and about fifteen minutes past the city
of Payakumbuh. Most people still visit
Harau on day-trips, though some
travellers have begun to linger longer
thanks to a handful of accommodation
options. he most popular backpacker
spot is Abdi Homestay ( T 0852 6378
1842, E abdihomestay.blogspot.com;
Rp60,000), set in a tranquil spot near
a 50m waterfall and run by the ever-
friendly Ikbal. here are also nine
mid-range cottages at Echo Homestay
( T 0812 6619 1501, W echohomestay
.blogspot.com; Rp90,000).
Although the trip from Bukittinggi is
far more convenient on your own two
wheels, public transport is an option:
first, take a bus to Payakumbuh (1hr;
Rp10,000), an angkot to the gate
(15min; Rp3000), then an ojek to Harau
(10min; Rp5000). If you miss the last
bus returning from Payakumbuh, wave
down one of the many buses coming
along the main road from Pekanbaru.

Tanah Datar Valley
he Minang court of the fourteenth to
nineteenth centuries was based in the
valley and the entire area is awash with
cultural relics, megaliths and places of
interest. he largest town in the valley
is Batusangkar , 39km southeast of
Bukittinggi. Just a few kilometres away
is the village of Silinduang (Rp5000 by
ojek), which houses the elegant Istana
Pagaruyung , the reconstructed palace of
Sultan Arifin Muning Alam Syah, last
Raja Alam of the Minangkabau (daily
8am-5.30pm; Rp12,000). Sadly, the
building burnt down in 2007 after being
struck by lightning, but having been
painstakingly restored it is again the most
resplendent sight in the valley, with
intricately carved and painted wood
panels and five layers of giant, curved
roofs with pointed eaves. In the
surrounding countryside are many other
examples of Minangkabau rumah adat ,
including at the scenic villages of Rao
Rao , north of Batusangkar, and
Pariangan , between Batusangkar and
Padangpanjang, which is said to be the
oldest Minangkabau village and boasts
centuries-old tombs and hot springs.
Given the distances involved, most
travellers visit Batusangkar on a day-trip
from Bukittinggi (1hr 30min;
Rp18,000), via Padangpanjang or Baso.

4

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus Long-distance buses dock at the Aur Kuning
terminal, 3km southeast of the town centre. If you're
coming from Padang ask the bus to stop at the Jambu
Air crossing on the southern outskirts of town before
turning off for the terminal; you can get a red #14 bemo
(Rp2500) into the town centre from this junction. There
are frequent local buses from Aur Kuning terminal (daily
7.30am-5pm) for Maninjau, Batusangkar, Payakumbuh
and Padang, as well as long-distance buses (book
ahead). Tourist cars, or travel, link Pekanbaru, Padang,
Parapat (for Danau Toba) and Maninjau, and may be
booked through travel agents around town, among
them Travina ( T 0752 21281).
Destinations Bandar Lampung (3 daily; 24hr);
Batusangkar (hourly; 1hr 30min); Bengkulu (daily; 16hr);
Maninjau (hourly 7am-4pm; 1hr 30min); Medan
(16 daily; 20hr); Padang (hourly 5.30am-8pm; 3hr);
Pekanbaru (8 daily; 6hr); Parapat (2 daily, including 5pm
ALS [a/c]; 14hr); Sibolga (daily; 11hr).

Harau Valley
A fertile expanse of rice paddies and palm
trees hemmed in by sheer vertical cliffs of
100m, the Harau Valley is one of West