82. PADANG, SUMATRA

 














Shape, form, function, put together by hand

The huge Indonesian island of Sumatra is just a hop, skip and jump away from Singapore. Padang, in the west, is one of the island's 8 provinces.

It's a nice little place. Rustic, quiet and peaceful, I never felt threatened even in the crowded market bazaars or late into the night when the streets become quiet and deserted in some parts.

The Minangkabaus (literally - winning buffalo) have an interesting culture. Theirs is a matriarchal society where the womenfolk own and inherit properties and children carry their mothers' surnames.

Although Muslims, they continue to practice rituals which may be un-islamic but perfectly acceptable in their culture which has been handed down over many generations. Thus, many keep dogs, the men indulge in drink, they hunt for wild boars to sell its meat and use its blood in a ritual.




 














A river runs through it...
this river divides the township of Padang and most of the action is in and along the river. The town has a large Chinese population

 










 













Quaint old mosque covered all over with ceramic tiles


Scenes over Maninjau Lake






















Early misty mornings, the hills look dreamy




























Traditional headgear that complements the roof of a traditional house















 

















I'm fascinated by the Minangkabau architecture of their roofs, shaped like buffalo horns.. carvings on the wooden walls are decorative, they do not tell a story. Buffaloes are treated with reverence here



















 










The Japanese were here during WW2. This hellhole was built by forced labour and was an armoury and munitions dump and barracks of some Japanese infantry

 

The 100+ steps down into the hellhole
  

 
An old Minangkabau palace has colours and decor seen in a typical Tibetan monastery - this was at one time an ancient Hindu civilisation











A Dutch warehouse building - the Dutch were in Indonesia more than 350 years




 










These floral arrangements are huge greeting cards for a newly married couple at their reception. The families would be of some social standing









a flowering bud the height of a 10 year old




 





















 




this was lunch...







 




...and dinner








Only Mother creates sea bugs in such glorious colours and markings - they clean the sea floor and we eat them!




















friendly, warm and gentle people. Their young women do intricate, time-consuming work, needless to say, are paid little...



















The girl here is skinning tapioca, its like Private Beetle Bailey sentenced to hard labour for insubordination where he has to skin a mountain of spuds!


Workers are treated with respect by their employers who provide them with meals and in some cases, a place to sleep, more importantly, speak to them in soft tones. It's their culture. 

It's sad that when they arrive on Singapore's shores to work as housemaids, there are employers who treat them so badly, it must be a rude shock to them. Most of these young women are from poor rural areas, they are leaving home, family and country for the very first time in their young lives to work in an unfamiliar land with people who don't speak their language and they, theirs. 
The stresses and strain must be terrible. Little wonder, some snap.....

 
















 



...and I, like a Ma'am, relax while they work...!

 
...about a week after my return, an earthquake hit the area in and around Padang, causing serious damage - pity, I would have liked to experience the tremor...!