Fish farming in Lake Maninjau

Pic: A fish farm in Lake Maninjau



One of the attractions in Lake Maninjau that fascinated me was the fish farming.

Fish farms ring all round the side of the lake. At night they are lit up.

Young fish are bred in the fish farms and just like food crops are "harvested" when fully grown and sold to restaurants and some kept for self-consumption.

Cats roam around hoping for a free meal.

The lake looks inviting, good for a dip. But the locals say the water is dirty. Throughout my stay I did not see a single swimmer. But on a previous visit, I had a dip in the lake. Refreshing.

Mr Porcupine of Danau (Lake) Maninjau

I met Mr Porcupine at WF Restaurant where I was having lunch.

"Tourists used to call me Mr Porcupine," he said proudly.

"How did that come about?" I said.

"You see, at that time I was a tourist guide. I wore a necklace made of porcupine...what do you call...?"

"The sharp things on a porcupine?" I volunteered. Frankly, I myself couldn't recall the exact word.

"Yeah. People then called me Mr Porcupine. But now i have this restaurant. I'm no longer a tourist guide. You want to see pig hunting on Sunday? We hunt wild boars with dogs. Not here in Maninjau because there are no wild boars."

"What do you do with the wild boars?"

"We feed them to the dogs."

As mentioned in the preceding blog, WF Restaurant is the best eating place in Maninjau.

Rice Fields in Maninjau, West Sumatra

There is no sight more humbling and wonderful than a rice field. Billions in Asia depend on the humble rice as their staple food.

Passing by rice fields I'd pause to gaze in wonder at something that looks so fragile and insignificant like blades of grass but will eventually feed billions of people.

Rice cultivation in Maninjau, West Sumatra

Pic: Rice farmer in Maninjau


Pic: Rice cultivation extends from slopes of mountains to the edge of Lake Maninjau (click to enlarge)

Lake Maninjau or Danau Maninjau, to give it its Indonesian name, is one of those volcanic areas in Indonesia which can support padi (rice) or paddy cultivation. Rice is a staple food for Asians so though I've seen many a rice field I never cease to wonder at the sight of padi cultivation. Walking on the bunds in the rice field, taking care not to lose my balance, and observing the rice seedlings were exquisite experiences for me.

The rains had come, signaling the start of the padi planting season.

I met a farmer taking shelter from the rain.

"How old are you?" I asked him.

"Fifty-eight,'" he said.

"Still young."

"But I don't know why my hair has turned white."

"It's natural," I assured him. "How many children have you?"

"Seven," he said proudly.

"Seven?"

"Yes, seven."

Lake Maninjau in West Sumatra, Indonesia

Pic: By day it's a charming peaceful spot; by night it swirls with spirits and ghosts. A flashlight at night will prove useful. (Click on pic to enlarge it)

As Maninjau is subject to power failure or brown-outs it was fortunate I brought along a flashlight. It happened all the three days I was there.

If you are the sort who have a bladder issue and must take a leak every now and then at night a flashlight will prevent you from crashing into the flimsy walls of your budget room and causing a catastrophe.

Since most of the accommodation is situated by the lake side, visitors need to walk in the village lanes which can be quite dark at night. A flashlight may prevent you from plunging headlong into a muddy ditch, and emerging transformed in appearance. Imagine the effect on passing villagers steeped in superstitious beliefs in spirits and ghosts.

Accomodation in Maninjau, West Sumatra (Indonesia)

The best of the budget accomodation in Lake Maninjau (Danau Maninjau) is Muaro Beach Bungalows in Maninjau Town.

Reasons:

• cheap at 50000 Rp
• near the lake
• has own restaurant on edge of lake
• bungalows and restaurant just renovated
• convenience of being in town
  

As there is nothing much to do in Maninjau once darkness falls, it's vital to have a restaurant where you can eat and socialise.

A popular travel guide raves over Riak Danau, but when I checked it out it was run-down, lacks a restaurant and had hardly any guests unlike Muaro Beach Bungalows which was full during the three days I stayed there.

The best accomodation in Maninjau costs from 175000 Rp to 350000 Rp. The cheaper rooms don't face the lake.

Bukit Tinggi to Lake Maninjau by "Harmonius" bus Part 2

Descending down to Lake Maninjau the bus driver had to negotiate 44 hair-pin bends. One misjudgment would have sent the bus hurling down the steep hillside and crushed us to bits as easily as King Kong crushing hostile fighter jets, and onto the frontpages of newspapers.



Pic: "Harmonius" bus speeding in Maninjau.

Signage at each bend with huge numbers painted on them helped in the countdown to the bottom of the hill.

As the driver swung his ageing and overloaded bus round each bend with nonchalant aplomb, I grew anxious and glanced worryingly at the plastic bags swinging from the grab handle above.

The spectacular view of the lake below took my mind off my discomfort.

At 4.30 pm the ancient bus roared into the sleepy town of Maninjau. Phew!

Padang to Bukit Tinggi (West Sumatra, Indonesia)

The Indonesian uncle drove like a speed demon. Any crash would have sent us to the mortuary! Fortunately the road from Padang to Bukit Tinggi 90 km away was good with few potholes unlike the roads to Lake Toba.

Anything that moved earned a blast of the horn from the driver. Anyone too tardy to get out of the driver's way attracted a torrent of verbal abuse. His favourite term of abuse was "Dog!"

In about an hour we arrived in Bukit Tinggi which at an elevation of 930m is slightly cooler than the lowlands.

The Indonesian guy next to me in the MPV was kind enough to take me to the bus terminal, Aur Kuning, from where there were mini-buses going to Lake Maninjau.