Thank goodness we did not book our accommodation in advanced. By now, we realized that the interesting places which were included in our itinerary were far from one another. After visiting the Great Palace of Pagaruyung, we went to Lembah Harau / Harau Valley to find accommodation for the night. What we found in Harau surprised us! I had in particular marked this place called Echo Homestay after reading a review by this post : Echo Homestay : Between the Stunning Valley.
After traversing the paddy fields along the way, we ended up in between huge granite cliffs as high as 200metres. At the entrance, we were stopped by the locals who had requested us to pay IDR5,000.00 each. And the search for a place to stay began. There were few homestays, most of the homestays either did not have visitors or not in operation. We drove past the Echo Homestay. It looked posh and expensive, we proceeded to find other cheap places instead.
But first, we stopped to enjoy the view of Lembah Harau for the first time.
Echo Homestay, Lembah Harau
Mas Imam was very patient accommodating to our wishes although he was tired of driving. We bumped into Syafik Homestay which was located near a fish pond. It was quiet and eerie at the same time. Knowing that we did not have other options than Echo Homestay, Lembah Harau, we headed back to Lembah Harau praying that they still had available AND affordable rooms for us. It was getting dark, we crossed the bridge and walked to Echo Homestay. At Echo Homestay, you could not park your car just outside the homestay because you need to cross the river using the bridge.
To our relief, they still had standard room for the price of IDR160,000.00 and a dormitory room for IDR90,000.00. Lily and I got the standard room with toilet attached. Once we confirmed our rooms, we went for dinner near the town. So, we had the famous Murtabak Mesir. Why is it called Murtabak Mesir was unknown to us. Later, when I googled Murtabak, wikipedia solved the mystery as murtabak is a common stuff pancaked found in Saudi Arabia. The Murtabak Mesir we had that night was a savoury pancake stuffed with beef and egg. The huge size of Murtabak Mesir and the delicate taste of its meats filled our stomach for the night.
When we went back to Echo Homestay, Lembah Harau, we were greeted with loud traditional songs. I was told, there was a reunion dinner for the guests.
The next morning, I was awaken by Lily who was preparing for her conference call. There was monkey in the toilet (open air, sky roof), she said. I took notice of her concerns and went back to sleep. By the time, I became awake for real, I was wary to take bath in the toilet for fear of monkey invasion. All went well, we were served cold nasi goreng for breakfast. Not long after I took a stroll around Echo Homestay. What a beautiful place it was.
Our cute little shelter at Echo Homestay, Lembah Harau.
The Rumah Gadang. Since the big group (that had the reunion last night) had an early checked-out, I sneaked into the room to check out its interior. It was very huge and the design took after a Spanish cottage. Renting the whole Rumah Gadang is an excellent idea for a family vacation.
Just across the road from Echo Homestay, there was a wall with an “Echo” sign. That is how to the homestay gets its name. Shout your name in the hole, then you will hear the echo of your name.
As the management of Lembah Echo is now revising the rate, for reservation or inquiry to: email: lembahecho@ymail.com | Whatsapp: 082170044611 | bbm: 74F43762
Waterfalls of Lembah Harau
There are seven waterfalls in Lembah Harau. We visited all four waterfalls. The waterfalls are divided into two areas known as Sarasah Bunta and Sarasah Aka Barayun. The one that was closer to Echo Homestay and Abdi Homestay was Sarasah Aka Barayun which has one waterfall of similar name. The Sarasah Aka Barayun waterfall was very close to the road that we felt the sprinkled of waters on our face when passing by the waterfall with the car window winded down. We saw a group of kids playing with water while we took photos. Minutes later, they were already in their school uniform and ready to ride bendi , a local tricycle.
We continued our search for waterfalls to the other side of Lembah Harau which is Sarasah Bunta which has 5 waterfalls. Here, only 3 waterfalls are within walking distance from the parking area.
The second waterfall was Sarasah Aie Luluih. A beautiful waterfall with water falling through the stone wall into a natural swimming pool. According to the legend, by washing your faces at Sarasah Aie Luluih, it will cure your pimples and make your face beautiful and skin younger.
The third waterfall was Sarasah Murai. It was believed that during those days, murai birds frequently took its bath at the waterfall while mating, hence the name Sarasah Murai.
The fourth waterfall was the Sarasah Aie Angek. You may want to try the activities such as flying fox at Sarasah Aie Angek.