Day 134 – Shy mountains and imposing lakes

Sunlight and clouds

Sunlight and clouds

It was probably the coldest night we have had in a while. Up in the mountains with proper rain, it cooled down rapidly. I was wearing my pyjama, socks, a fleece jumper and a fleece jacket with hood on top of it. Still too cold to sleep properly under the thin fleece blanket.

The morning looked promising and the breakfast was so good that Flo even ate the rest of my omelette…something that has never been heard of before.

Highest Volcano in Indonesia

Highest Volcano in Indonesia

Gunung Kerinci still played “shy mountain” with us and refused to show its peak. We still got good views on it and the surrounding tea plantations. The road was equally nice, first leading around the base and then into the National Park. If the roads were in better repair (and you ignore the fact that then more trucks would use them), Sumatra would be motorbike heaven. All the roads winding up mountain sides and back down into valleys make for a fun drive.

After lunch with a great green chili-eggplant dish, we reached a lake, Danau Alas. This was mostly remarkable because it has been months since we’ve seen a proper lake. The road then continued on towards Danau Singkarak which is quite big. Driving along, the road is so close to the edge of the water that a meter to the left, you’d be in the lake.

Another amazing road, and the sun came out, too.

Another amazing road, and the sun came out, too.

We enjoyed the view and took an afternoon break at the shore. There was a nice little place where two women and their children were actually swimming or playing in the water before it started to rain. The rain made us move once more and we arrived in Bukit Tinggi at about 3.30pm. The Lonely Planet recommends Rajawali Home Stay for keen motorcyclists. The German host, Ulrich, knows a lot about roads and tracks in the area.

After the short night, I was very tired so I went to bed after a street food dinner while Flo took the time to blog and chat to Ulrich.