We spent the first couple of days in Bukittinggi, a small mountain town nestled near the active Mount Marapi volcano. Bukittinggi is located about 930m above sea level, so while it is very near the equator, it has a reasonably cool climate and low humidity. So it was a pleasant diversion from the sweltering Singapore climate. On our first day, we visited a park overlooking Sianok Valley, which is a big canyon very close to the center of Bukittinggi. While there, we hired a guide to take us through a series of caves built by the Japanese during WWII. In addition, he led us through the bottom of the canyon, and then up the other side to the small village of Koto Gadang. He had a lot of knowledge about the local plants and customs, and really made the entire afternoon an enjoyable one. We met with some of the local silversmiths in Koto Gadang, saw water buffalo and giant fruit bats, and then hopped a minibus back into town. Jack slipped off the narrow trench separating some rice fields, and wasn't too excited about being a muddy mess. One the second day, we took a ride down to Lake Maninjou, a volcanic lake that is about 90 minutes from Bukittinggi. But we ended up getting a lot of rain, so we spent most of the afternoon at a restaurant, which had a nice gazebo sitting out on the water. The boys entertained the crowd with their new guitars.
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