Introduction
General Information
Trip Planning Resources &
Contacts
Padang
Keresik Tua
Letter "W" Waterfall
Sungei Sangir
Sungei Penuh
Tapan Road
PADANG
A layer of haze enshrouds Padang town.
Padang
is the third largest city in
Sumatra. It comprises mostly of low rise buildings. It’s a
quaint town
where horse carts share the roads with all sorts of modern vehicles.
Besides the tall characteristic Minangkerbau (bull's horn-shaped)
rooftops, the few tall
buildings are either hotels or shopping centres. There is a chinese cemetery located south of town. Being on a hill, it offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Looking downhill towards town, it is hard to miss the thick cloud of smoke that blankets Padang. If you have several hours to kill before your flight back, that is one of the few decent places in Padang to birdwatch. Please refer to my sketch of that area. There are lots of Eurasian Treesparrows about in Padang. But the parks and wooded areas do not have many other species of birds.
Birds
seen at the Chinese cemetery
include Coppersmith Barbet, Yellow Vented Bulbul, Greater Coucal,
Peaceful
Dove, Greater Leafbird, Scaly Breasted Munia, Pink Necked Green Pigeon,
Olive
Backed Sunbird, Scarlet Sunbird. A Long Tailed Sibia and several Java
Sparrows
were seen caged in town.
Pantai Padang, a stretch of beach a short walk from the city, comes alive in the evening when locals congregate there. Lots of food stalls line the road and it is a great place to watch the sunset. For last minute shopping, visit the largest shopping centre there – Matahari. It is located at the heart of the town.
An interesting novelty dish there is Bakso Tenis. It is basically spicy noodle soup served with just one huge tennis-ball sized beefball.
Early morning view from the bridge that leads from Padang town to the Chinese hilltop cemetery.
GETTING TO PADANG
Two budget airlines now ply the Singapore - Padang route, no doubt to cater to the significant number of surfers who hang ten at Mentawai Islands. SilkAir & Tigerairways regularly offer great discounts.
In a recent Tigerairways' promotion, a return ticket went for as low as S$80. To get rock-bottom prices, one usually has to make a booking a few months ahead. On occasions, there have been promotions to fill empty seats for near term departures. Check their websites regularly to scout for good deals.
Maps/Sketches: Sketch of Padang & Sungei Penuh
