Trekking in Mount Singgalang Bukittinggi

Mount Singgalang

There are many mounts in West Sumatera province, one of them is Mount Singgalang that is located in Agam district. It is at an altitude of  2.877 meters. Mount Singgalang covers some forestry areas, the Dipterocarpaceae Hilly Forest, the Dipterocarpaceae Upper Forest, the Montane Forest and theEricaceous Forest (Mountainous Forest). The Dipterocarpaceae Hilly Forest is at an altitude of 300 meters to 750 meters with the main plants are Seraya wood, Keruning wood, and Meranti wood. The Dipterocarpaceae Upper Forest is situated at an altitude of  750 – 1.200 meters with Meranti Bukit wood, and Damar Minyakwood as the main plants. The Montane Forest lies at an altitude of 1.200 to 1.500 meters above sea level with Mempening wood, Berangan wood, Damar Minyak wood and Podo wood as the main plants. The Ericaceous Forest or mountainous forest is located at an altitude of 1.500 meters with Kelat wood, Periuk Kera wood as the main plants. On the peak of the mountain, you will find two ponds named “Telaga Dewi” and “Telaga Kumbang.”

Telaga Dewi

Mount Singgalang can be reached by land from Ketapig Airport to Bukittinggi in approximately 2 hours with Rp. 10.000,00 – Rp. 15.000,00 for its costs. To reach the top of the montain, there are three ways that can be accessed, Pandai Sikek way (form Koto Baru), Kenagarian Malalak way (from Toboh) and Balingka way. If you decide to climb by Pandai Sikek way, it is started from Padang city to Koto Baru and continue to Pandai Sikek by any accessible public transportation. However, if you start the trip by Balingka way, it will be started from Padang to Bukittinggi (Padang Luar) continue to Batu Tagak. The last route to reach the destination is Tobah way, it is started from Padang to Bukittinngi continue to Tobah by any public transportations. Belows are the costs for transportation:

• Rp. 3.000 through Pandai Sikek way
• Rp. 2.500 – Rp. 4.000 through Balingka way
•  Rp. 3.000 – Rp. 5.000 through Tobah way

Where Mount Singgalang Access Location?

Mount Singgalang lies in Bukittinggi nearby Mount Merapi, but geogrpahically, it is located in Agam district, West Sumatera province. You may spend more nights as there are many hotels that can be found. There are two natural tourism destinations, Mount Singgalang and Mount Merapi. You will be offered with the various local cuisines from Padang that are commonly called Masakan Padang.

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Andong, Traditional Transportation in Yogyakarta

Andong Yogyakarta

Andong or Dokar is one of specific transportations from Yogyakarta. It is also known as delman, bendi, or sado. An anthropologist who once did a research on Andong indicated its small shape as the differing factor of andong in Yogyakarta to the ones in other different places such as Surakarta and Cirebon.

Andong was historically a chariot with 4 wheels, which was used only by the noble people, the Kings and their relatives for particular event. It was one of the icons to indicate social status of the priyayis (the royal families) in the early 19th century to the 20th century. The story started when Mataram Kingdom was led by Sultan Hamengkubuono VII (around the early 19th century). The lay people were not allowed to use andong during that period. They could only use a gerobak sapi (a chariot pulled by cattle) or a dokar for transportation. Andong was gradually available for the lay people during the leadership of Sultan Hamengkubuono VIII. It was limited for the traders and merchants though.

Going around the city with Andong is an interesting experience that tourists might not have at other places. To enjoy such an experience, tourists can choose the andong they wish. There are 2 kinds of andong in Yogyakarta: the regular Andong (which is also known as ‘not for tourism andong‘, and ‘for tourism andong‘.

Kusir Andong

Tourists can easily identify andong, which are meant for tourism because they are clean, well taken care of, and relatively new. The number of each andong is written in Javanese letters and put on the front side.

Besides, tourists will also be able to see the driver (kusir) in complete Javanese outfit: the blangkon, sorjan and lurik, and a black ¾ size pants. The friendliness of the drivers and their broad knowledge on the history of the city contributes special taste of the andong in Yogyakarta.

Andong Location

Andongs are generally available at the city of Yogyakarta, Sleman District, Bantul District, Gunung Kidul District, and Kulonprogo District. However, the andongs for tourism can only be found in Yogyakarta because of their limited numbers (100 units). People will find a number of ‘for tourism andong‘ parked along the jalur lambat (the streets meant for slow ridings), when they go to Malioboro Yogyakarta. They can also find the same kinds around the Beringharjo traditional markets and the North Townsquare (alun-alun Lor) which are located nearby Malioboro. Those who want to try the regular andong can go to any traditional markets in Yogyakarta since they are available there. The cost for renting ‘for tourism andong‘ with the destination Malioboro-the Sultan Palace-Ngasem traditional market-Tamansari-Pojok Benteng-Pathuk-Sosrowijayan-Malioboro is IDR. 20.000-30.000 (data on February 2008).  On the other side, the cost for ‘not for tourism andong‘ usually depends on the destination (how far the place to go is).

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