Bukittingi

July is supposed to be already high season in Indonesia. And effectively, accomodationwise it is: For the first time, I'm having trouble to get a free room that's at the same time nice, clean and affordable. Unfortunately, weatherwise high season still hasn't arrived: it's raining almost every day, if only for a short while. But the weather doesn't stop me from exploring the amazing surroundings of Bukittingi! There's so much to do. Today I climbed a volcano, mount Merapi, although the sky didn't look too good and was very clouded. But at a clearing in the forest I turned around and saw that I had already climbed higher than the clouds, which lay in the valley below me. And then, all of a sudden, the muezzins started singing and the sound seemed to come straight out of the white clouds. That was a magical moment!
The last two days I spent at beautiful lake Manengua (say: "Manu Chao"), and you can marvel over the "Bukittingi"-album at its tropical beach vibe.
Isn't it strange that the island Sumatra is best known for its impressive lakes instead of a shoreline? I haven't seen one beach (excluding the ones on the lakes) yet! Actually, I did have plans to spend some days in Banda Aceh, a famous divespot on the coast. But coming back from the jungle in Bukit Lawang, I learned that in the province of Aceh last Tuesday had been an earthquake, which has claimed several lives. The epicenter of the quake had been some 300 km away from Banda Aceh, but even so I didn't feel well going there. Banda Aceh is the place where the disastrous 2004 tsunami hit, which makes earthquakes there even scarier.
Instead, I came here to Bukittingi. And guess what? Two days ago, only 100 km away, an equally strong earthquake struck! Luckily, this time without any damage or deaths.

I'm slowly nearing the end of my trip, and the atmosphere here in Indonesia feels very similar to Thailand, where I started last September. A tropical landscape, hot and humid weather and heavy rainshowers now and then. I like this - feels as if a circle is closing!