Sunday, 1 Feb 2026

We had an early breakfast at Monopoli Hotel. The morning weather was really pleasant at around 19-20 degrees.

We started the day by dropping by Menara Jam Gadang square. It was built in 1926 during the Dutch colonial period. At the peak of Jam Gadang you can see the iconic Minangkabau design towering over the city.

We moved on to Bung Hatta House, which was located in the city too. It was a mere 5 minutes drive from where we were. Bung Hatta, the famous vice president of Indonesia (1945 – 1956) during the Sukarno era, was born and grew up in this house.

It was fascinating to see the traditional house, not dissimilar to a Malay house in Tanah Melayu during the same period. Bung Hatta is of Minangkabau descent, so his maternal family line takes precedent and was shown in a family tree in the living room.

Further down from Bung Hatta’s house, we stopped by a Oleh-Oleh shop (souvenir shop). They sold all sorts of crackers, local coffee and batik products.

We then drove to the scenic Lembah Harau. I could see a number of homestays and the occasional European tourist chilling at the homestays. The view of the mountains and paddy fields were really scenic. We visited a famous waterfall in the area.

We had lunch at Nasi Kapau. The restaurant was just outside of Lembah Harau. Bang Doy said this is similar to “nasi campur” (English: mixed rice) back in Malaysia.

After lunch we visited the Kelok 9 highway. The old road had 9 hilly corners (Indonesian: kelok) before reaching a straight path. It was a narrow, slow and dangerous path whenever a large vehicle is driving through. The new flyover (photo above) removes the dangers of the kelok. It is now an inspirational sight to the locals. There are many cafes and viewing points for visitors to appreciate the engineering works of the flyover and the beautiful view.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel for a short rest before dinner.

I took the opportunity to explore the nearby areas in daytime. I passed by the Bung Hatta memorial.

From the memorial, I walked further to the weekend market at Jam Gadang square. It was lively with all sorts of stalls and activities.

In the evening, we went for dinner at Gon Raya Lamo, a minang restaurant. It seems to be a famous restaurant in the area. The selection of Minang dishes were really tasty too.

Related posts: West Sumatra part 1, part 2