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Padang is typical of Sumatra’s modern landscape: a sprawling noisy place circumnavigated by tripped-out opelet blasting squeaks-and-beeps techno music. As the capital of West Sumatra province, Padang might have once been a showpiece, but the economic depression that has followed the 1997 currency crash means that the city’s infrastructure gets used but never renewed. Capital, more so than capability, feeds the modern machine.
Savvier travelers skip the heat and humidity and migrate to the beaches around Padang sandwiched between the Indian Ocean and the Bukit Barisan range, until they’ve adjusted to Indonesia’s frenetic pace. Or they spend a night in town and head off for surf or trekking tours on Mentawai Islands. Others plough straight through to the hill town of Bukittinggi or to Kerinci Seblat National Park.
THE MINANGKABAU
Legend has it that the Minangkabau are descended from the wandering Macedonian tyrant Alexander the Great. According to the story, the ancestors of the Minangkabau arrived in Sumatra under the leadership of King Maharjo Dirajo, the youngest son of Alexander.
Anthropologists, however, suggest that the Minangkabau arrived in West Sumatra from the Malay Peninsula some time between 1000 and 2000 BC, probably by following Sungai Batang Hari upstream from the Strait of Melaka to the highlands of the Bukit Barisan mountains.
Even if they don’t have Alexander’s bloodline, the Minangkabau reflect his wanderlust and love of battle, albeit in the milder form of buffalo fighting. Their success in buffalo fighting is believed to have bestowed the people with their tribal name, and the horns of the beast is the focus of their architecture and traditional costumes.
The legend of how the ‘Minangkabau’ named themselves begins with an imminent attack by a Javanese king. Rather than pit two armies against each other, the Minangkabau proposed a fight between two bulls. When the time came, the West Sumatrans dispatched a tiny calf to fight the enormous Javanese bull, but the half-starved beast was outfitted with sharp metal spears to its horns. Believing the Javanese bull to be its mother, the calf rushed to suckle and ripped the bull’s belly to shreds. When the bull finally dropped dead, the people of West Sumatra shouted ‘Minangkabau, minangkabau!’, which literally means ‘The buffalo wins, the buffalo wins!’
Linguistic sticklers, though, prefer the far more prosaic explanation that Minangkabau is a combination of two words - minanga, meaning a ‘river’, and kerbau, meaning ‘buffalo’. A third theory suggests that it comes from the archaic expression pinang kabhu, meaning ‘original home’ - Minangkabau being the cradle of Malay civilisation.
Culture
Though Muslim, Minangkabau society is still matrilineal. According to Minangkabau adat, property and wealth is passed down through the female line. Every Minangkabau belongs to his or her mother’s clan. At the basic level of the clan is the sapariouk, those matri-related kin who eat together. These include the mother, grandchildren and son-in-law. The name comes from the word periouk (rice pot). The eldest living female is the matriarch. The most important male member of the household is the mother’s eldest brother, who replaces the father in being responsible for the children education, upbringing and marriage prospects. But consensus is at the core of the Minangkabau ruling philosophy and the division of power between the sexes is regarded as complementary - like the skin and the nail act together to form the fingertip, according to a local expression. The importance of consensus is obvious from the construction of the traditional longhouses, in which the meeting hall is the largest and most central room.
Arts & Crafts
West Sumatra has a reputation for exquisite, hand-loomed songket cloth, and fine embroidery. Songket weaving uses gold and silver threads (imitation these days) to create patterns on a base of silk or cotton. The designs are usually elaborate floral motifs and geometric patterns. One of the most popular designs, used in both weaving and embroidery, incorporates stylized flowers and mountains in an ornate pattern known as gunung batuah, or ‘magic mountain’.
Weavers use another, unusually painstaking, technique called ‘needle weaving’. The process involves removing certain threads from a piece of cloth and stitching the remaining ones together to form patterns. This cloth is traditionally used for ceremonial occasions only. The Minangkabau are also renowned for their fine embroidery.
Another highly developed art found in West Sumatra is silverwork. Filigree jewellery, as fine as spider webs, is a speciality. There are many handicraft villages around Bukittinggi.
Dance & Music
Dance is an important part of Minangkabau culture. Dances include the colourful tari payung (umbrella dance), a welcome dance about a young man’s love for his girlfriend; the dramatic tari piring (plate dance), which involves the dancers leaping barefoot on piles of broken china; and the dazzling tari lilin (candle dance), in which female dancers are required to rhythmically juggle and balance china saucers - with burning candles attached to them - while simultaneously clicking castanets.
The most popular of the Minangkabau dances is the randai, a dance-drama performed at weddings, harvest festivals and other celebrations. The steps and movements for the randai developed from pencak silat, a self-defence routine, combined with themes from literature and gamelan music. Every village in West Sumatra has at least one all-male randai group of 20 performers. The traditional version tells the story of a woman so wilful and wicked that she is driven out of her village before she brings complete disaster on the community.
It is the custom for Minangkabau youths to spend some time in a surau (prayer house), where they are taught, among other things, how to look after themselves. This includes learning pencak silat. The style of pencak silat most often performed is the Mudo, a mock battle that leads the two protagonists to the brink of violence before it is concluded. It is a dramatic dance involving skilled technique, fancy footwork and deliberate pauses which follow each movement and serve to heighten the tension.
The percussion instruments used to accompany most of the dances are similar to those of the Javanese gamelan and are collectively called the telempong in West Sumatra. Two other instruments frequently played are the puput and salung, kinds of flute that are usually made out of bamboo, reed or rice stalks.
Padang is easy to find your way around and the central area is quite compact. Jl M Yamin is the main street and most things of interest to travellers are in this general area. The main opelet terminal is across from the market.
Padang’s Teluk Bayur port is 8km east of the city centre. The town’s new airport is 20km to the north; and the Bengkuang bus terminal is somewhat inconveniently located in Aie Pacah, approximately 12km from Padang.
INTERNET ACCESS & POST
Dipo International Hotel (Jl Diponegoro; h9am-9pm)
Post office (Jl Azizchan 7) Near the corner of Jl M Yamin and has internet access.
MEDICAL SERVICES
Rumah Sakit Yos Sudarso (Jl Situjuh 1)
Privately owned.
MONEY
Padang has branches of all the major Indonesian banks and there are ATMs all over town, including one at the post office. There’s a 24-hour money changing service with reasonable rates at the Dipo International Hotel.
Bank Mandirir (Jl Bagindo)
BCA bank (Bank Central Asia; Jl Agus Salim)
BII bank (Bank Internasional Indonesia; Jl Sudirman) BNI bank (Bank Negara Indonesia; Jl Bundo Kandung) BRI bank (Bank Rakyat Indonesia; Jl Sudirman)
TELEPHONE
Telkom wartel (cnr Jl Ahmad Dahlan & Khatib Sulaiman; h24hr) Huge Minangkabau-style building located north of the city centre.
Wartel (Jl Imam Bonjol 15H; h24hr) It is much easier to use this wartel in the town centre to make international or collect calls.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Padang city tourist office (Jl Hayam Wuruk 51; h7.30am-4.30pm Mon-Thu, 7.30-11.30am Fri) Tucked into a government office, busy with smoking and socialising, is a desk for basic tourist information.
West Sumatra provincial tourist office (Jl Khatib Sulaiman 22) Located outside the centre of town.
Sights & Activities
Padang’s old quarter along Jl Batang Arau is filled with old Dutch and Chinese warehouses overlooking the hardworking fishing boats eased into harbour for a day’s rest. The beachside promenade along Jl Samudera is where locals go for sunset strolls or morning workouts.
Adityawarman Museum (Jl Diponegoro; h8am-4pm Tue-Sun), built in the Minangkabau tradition, offers some less-appealing insights into Padang’s past and has a small collection of antiques and objects of historical and cultural interest.
Taman Budaya Cultural Centre (Jl Diponegoro) stages sporadic dance performances as well as poetry readings, plays and exhibitions of paintings and carvings. Ask at the tourist office for details.
Tours
Padang is used as the mainland launching point for tours of the offshore Mentawai Islands, which are famous for a hunter-gatherer culture and world-class surfing.
The various islands of the Mentawai chain are starting to sprout reclusive resorts if you’re hunting for a holiday away from the crowds.
Festivals & Events
A colorful annual boat race is held in Padang to commemorate Independence Day (17 August).
The highlight of the West Sumatran cultural calendar is the Islamic festival of Tabut, held at the seaside town of Pariaman, 36km north of Padang. It takes place at the beginning of the month of Muharam (based on the Islamic lunar calendar, usually January or February) to honour the martyrdom of Mohammed’s grandchildren, Hassan and Hussein, at the battle of Kerbala.
Central to the festival is the bouraq, a winged horse-like creature with the head of a woman, which is believed to have descended to earth to collect the souls of dead heroes and take them to heaven.
Nearby villages create painted effigies of bouraq and adorn them with gold necklaces and other paraphernalia. The effigies are carried through the streets with much merriment, dancing and music, and are finally tossed into the sea. Spectators and participants then dive into the water and grab whatever remains of the bouraq, preferably the gold necklaces.
Padang hosts at least one major horse riding event a year. Horses are ridden bare-back and jockeys are dressed in the traditional costume of their region or village - the aim is to gain prestige for the district where the horse is bred and raised.
Sleeping
You are better off coughing up a few more rupiah for the mid-range hotels than suffering in the budget holes.
MIDRANGE
Wisma Mayang Sari (Jl Sudirman 19) Clean and acceptable economy rooms hang out in this modern villa in the north of town.
Immanuel Hotel (Jl Hayam Wuruk 43) As sweet as a tall glass of Fanta, Immanuel is a small, friendly place with comfortable air-con rooms and a cast of outgoing long-term boarders.
Hotel Hangtuah (Jl Pemuda 1) Unchanged from the days of pillbox hats, Hangtuah is pleasantly retro, if a little noisy.
Dipo International Hotel (Jl Diponegoro 13) Dipo has some handy tourist facilities with a 24-hour restaurant, money changer, a Home Country Direct phone and internet facilities.
TOP END
Batang Arau Hotel (Jl Batang Arau 33) If you’ve got the loot to spare, you’ll like Padang a whole lot more from the vantage point of this refurbished Dutch bank building in the old colonial quarter. The four rooms are artfully decorated with black-and-white tiled floors, spa-sized baths and shady balconies overlooking the river and a shaggy hill.
Hotel Inna Muara (Jl Gereja 34)
Recently rehabilitated from sloppy to swanky, Inna Muara will tickle the bargain-hunters when promotional discounts are in full effect.
Eating
Padang is the birth mother of the cuisine that migrated across Indonesia. Even though everyone swears that Padang cuisine tastes better outside of Padang, pay homage to the native cooks with a visit to one of these famous franchises: Pagi Sore (Jl Pondok 143) and Simpang Raya (Jl Bundo Kandung 3-5). There are also several Padang restaurants along Jl Samudera near Jl Purus.
France Modern Bakery (Jl Batang Arau) If you’re still easing into rice for every meal, break your fast at this local bakery within walking distance of Batang Arau Hotel.
Taman Ria Pantai Padang (Jl Samudera) After sunset this collection of stalls dishes up everyday eats and uncommonly good views of the sea.
Nelayan Restaurant (Jl Samudera) Further north, Nelayan is the place for serious seafood fans.
Mirama Cafe (Jl Hayam Wuruk 38) Padang goes stylish, so to speak, at this up-market air-con spot for tidier versions of Indonesian standards.
Jl Niaga is lined with civil servant-friendly lunch spots and a night market dominates Jl Pondok near Jl Imam Bonjol.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Padang’s new airport is the Bandara Internasional Minangkabau (off Jl Adinegoro), 20km north of the centre of town. The following airlines operate international and domestic flights - for fares see the Sumatra Airfares map:
Air Asia (Hotel Huangtuah, Jl Pemuda 1) Flies daily to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Garuda (Garuda Indonesia; Jl Sudirman 2) Operates daily flights to Jakarta and thrice-weekly flights to Pekanbaru and Singapore.
Mandala (Pangeran’s Beach Hotel, Jl Veteran)
Flies daily to Jakarta and Medan; located 3km outside the town centre.
Merpati (Merpati Nusantara Airlines; Pangeran’s Beach Hotel, Jl Veteran) Flies daily to Batam, Jakarta and Gunung Sitoli.
Other airlines serving Jakarta include Adam Air (Jl Pemuda 2), Lion Air (Pangeran’s Beach Hotel, Jl Veteran) and Batavia ( Jl Damar 36). Tiger Airways flies to Singapore.
BOAT
Boats to Siberut (the largest in the Mentawai Islands chain) leave from the harbour on Sungai Batang Arau, also known as Sungai Muara, just south of Padang’s city centre.
The Teluk Bayar port is 8km from town and receives infrequent Pelni ships.
BUS
Padang’s Bengkuang terminal is inconveniently located in Aie Pacah, about 12km from town. A purple opelet from the market to the terminal.
There are frequent local buses to Bukittinggi (2 hours), but most locals prefer the shared minivans that leave from Minang Plaza. To reach Minang Plaza, take a white opelet from Jl Hayam Wuruk.
If you’re heading to Danau Toba, take a Parapat-bound bus (17 hours), which usually leaves in the evening.
Other destinations include Bengkulu (16 hours) and Sibolga (14 hours). To reach Kerinci Seblat National Park, take a Sungaipenuh-bound bus (6 hours).
For Medan and Jakarta, which both take a day or more traveling by land, it is cheaper and faster to fly.
Getting Around
Bandara Internasional Minangkabau airport is 20km north of the centre, on the Bukit-
tinggi road. Airport taxis charge between 60,000Rp and 90,000Rp for the ride into town. The budget alternative is to take one of the two white Damri buses that do a loop through Padang. From the
airport, tell the conductor the name of the street you’re heading to and they’ll sit you on the correct bus. Supposedly the Damri buses circle the city picking up passengers in time for departing flights, but locals were highly skeptical about this.
There are numerous opelet around town, operating out of the Pasar Raya terminal off Jl M Yamin.
AROUND PADANG
The key to enjoying Padang is getting out of the central city and into the sunset-facing beaches.
Air Manis
The closest escape from Padang is the fishing village of Air Manis, just south of Sungai Batang Arau. Overlooking the river is a Chinese cemetery - from there it’s a 10km walk to the village’s dark-sand beach.
According to local mythology, the rock at the end of the beach is what remains of Malin Kundang, a seafarer who was transformed into stone when he returned to his village after making his fortune but refused to recognise his mother. His boat got the same treatment.
If Air Manis is where you’d rather bed, Villa Puncak (Jl Air Manis 88, Padang Selatan), overlooking the beach, has a jungle-hidden stone-and-timber guesthouse where the only visible neighbours are monkeys and birds.
Blue opelet 402 goes from Padang to the bottom of the hill and from there you can hire a motorcycle to Air Manis. You can also turn it into a long stroll by taking the perahu across the river from Jl Batang Arau.
Beaches
To the north and south of Padang are several low-key beaches for a little surf and turf. Pantai Bungus, 20km south of Padang, is the staging point for outings to several offshore islands - the kind of places where you just sit and wait for the coconuts to fall. Folks say great things about the underwater
world around Pulau Sikoai.
Losmen Carlos (Pantai Bungus) can arrange snorkeling trips to the offshore islands. There are other nearby losmen, if you’ve had enough of our recommendations.
Hotel Pusako Sikuai (Pulau Sikuai) is a jungle-clad resort with upmarket chalets.
To reach Pantai Bungus, take a blue opelet labeled ‘Kabung Bungus’ (45minutes).
Further south is Pulau Marak, which has a gibbon rehabilitation center and miles of undisturbed sand, coral and wilderness. The island is accessible on a tour through Mentawai Sanctuary .
Pasir Jambak is the best of several beaches north of Padang. You can stay at Uncle Jack’s. Jack can organize snorkeling trips to nearby Pulau Sawo.
Opelet 423 will get you there. When leaving, taxis can be arranged to take you directly to the airport.
