![In the Heights of Bukittinggi (1).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/242NmG6WXipY4VWAba9QMdq1urVbVZ1E62dkuLN81s1Vt2xCSa9843tdq88B2V9Qubz6W.png)

Would you believe that this town that is hidden in the mountains of West Sumatra used to be the seat of power of Indonesia? This is what I learned in the last leg of our West Sumatran trip with co-teachers in September 2016.

![Bukittinggi_mountain background (1).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/2458UesT8GCro6B7ewK8QFX6yFtUBUoHLgM34CAZ3gC3rzfUxXypWMCNPmsfGd3Tv4gdz.png)

We went to [Bukittinggi]([//]:# (!pinmapple -0.312518 lat 100.398106 long Bukittinggi d3scr)). The name literary translates to "high hills." And yes, the place is so elevated the scenery is reminiscent of Baguio City. 

![Bukittinggi.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23vYhHyGc9Ag9PvBzNebZaHV83sdqBg9c5iqN4aQr79uFitgvkfUx8RAsGUUs5sHW92ec.png)

It was a Sunday, and the plaza was full of people. There seemed to be a festival or something, but there was no program.

![Drums.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23xeffhcJ5tFvt3pG3xAowCWNZT4tiZUJy2gFufpJ9nwzKRtghZVEkVrKUaKHEJfDzfay.png)
Judging by the massive drums behind us, we could have just missed the festivities by an hour or so.

Afterward, we went to the plaza to behold the oldest functioning clock tower on this side of the world, the Jam Gadang (Minangkabau for "Big Clock"). We couldn't resist taking photos. 

![Jam Gadang up close.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23xVZpynejBt3sqBiXUJ4cK7ezXUr2w47Bm8qzrdAEqY3Xk122h1kcjSFDn8xgWksy5KK.png)

![GH 1_jam gadang.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23xKrGZYUp6vtvfq9w7AimPBpU8BmBrqbywMX6M2srKqHva6fhV9doSzavbdJneM4UpTJ.png)

Then we went inside the maze of the public market. The crowd was so big it seemed to swallow us whole. And the crowd became our security. Ahead of us were our friends who didn't mind waiting for us anymore. We have agreed to meet somewhere at a particular time. 

![Bukittinggi market.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23rBE6PwnyudAtaesgo3iVZ6YcXWmVgebdBWrEQtsx2HPwnxNjoUnyqgukLiWeyt3k1m9.png)
This is the facade of the market or *pasar* as they call it.

So we were in this narrow alley with shops left and right. Merchandise hanging from the ceiling or the roof of makeshift tents. Mendicants asking for spare change. Walking street musicians entertain shoppers as they look at wares and trinkets. 

<center>![Minstrel on the road.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23r1o4d5NJSMxGsXMZNzVUfHQY4SPJdmLPowxJdUUu5ZnhwnxTdJehSHkBRqZgxBghCoA.png)</center>
This is a *pengamen jalanan* or street musician. 

I thought we were already heading home after the market. Turned out, there was one more special stop we could make before sundown. And boy, was it a significant lesson in World War 2. 

![Lobang Jepang gate.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23u5vyA6mXFhPR1MEim7QEjDcQih5RoEGPAzdcHyHk2i6ZJvATPQRFDv48J7x6VNy9xcf.png)

We went to Lobang Jepang, a military complex of the Japanese during World War II that is now turned into a museum. It is literary a tunnel network of caves. I imagine that this is similar to the ones in Corregidor Island, but I've never been there, so I can't really compare. This was my first time to enter an actual World War 2 underground military complex. It is a whole military village underneath. The entrance is at the top of the hill, much like an anthill network.

The entrance staircase is enough to remind us of the horrors of war. It is so steep and high that you'd get vertigo. Of course, underneath, you are just guided by the yellow lamps that are equidistant to each other. 

<center>![Lobang Jepang stairs.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23tmBLGbFqFq7pK5ctLF3Nb7kAxkLUs8RkSJWkZ7goYhgR6Vo2pAVSbhpffNLL53tGQWX.png)</center>

I can't remember if there was a guide, but I was tailing the group anyway. I was soaking it all in. At that moment, I was back in the 1940s. I saw rooms carved into the earth. Some were offices with a table, a chair, and some tools or instruments on the table. Others had metal bars, which I'm guessing were prisons. Some rooms had labels at the top, so you'd know what they were for. Some were just empty. Some had a no-entry sign. There was also an infirmary, which is to be expected in a garrison. 

<center>![Lobang Jepang tunnel.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23uExMdWshVYseTwHs1mbCHtEEBVehFeyT7r7iscKsobeKrSgub8d9U8ji3sURvyioDj6.png)</center>

I've read that Bukittinggi used to be the center of government during the Japanese occupation. Well, this is a strategic location, being high up the mountains and hills. 

![Lobang Jepang Ruang Amunisi.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23tbnXeutco37iDMWVH3vouKUvwmX8rX87kBrHtgfHLq26wJxuW5s7aY4Bf1vteeWzsRe.png)
*Ruang Amunisi translates to "Ammo Room."*

Going back up to the 21st century was a huge relief. And the sight of Sianok Canyon welcomed me. It brought a sense of calm and peace, and I said a quiet prayer to the fallen soldiers who fought during the war. 

![Sianok Canyon.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/244KR8RWQBvR55uk43KnLwZU7i6G6sxuS5zJWq9iD2knbEzvxAhLZNgLeNSvKe27WafVA.png)

Then I rejoined my friends for more photos. 

![Panorama.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23rz6XHdye5sGikxnZhxUtw5qToisjkygnnjgRkCPZpeTXYNXK5bnv7wdNQtauZ8vNyGh.png)
*With our back to the light and running after the daylight as the sun was setting*

<center>![Japanese soldiers.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ate.eping/23tvip5bACSVaUaQNMzLjtHLve9aSwPRXogxyntTV2N2psMZ9BhUeFBD2kmCr9c2LtFWa.png)</center>
<center>*A statue of Japanese soldiers reminds us of history*</center>


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