Day 4 – Lake Maninjau
On the fourth day of our journey, we woke up to the serene view of Lake Maninjau.
Freshened by the good night sleep at the Beach (Bagoes Cafe) Guesthouse, I walked towards the lake which was only 50 metres from my room to find Ed was already wide awake accompanied by cats.
The cats lined the edge of the lake as if they enjoyed the view of the lake. When I spoke to the owner of the guesthouse, it has been the routine for the cats to wait at the edge of the lake, just in case the fishermen while checking their karamba (floating fish net) threw dead fishes to the ground. So, they were not really into the calming scenic view.
A fisherman checked his fishing net early in the morning.
We went to the wet market for breakfast as suggested by the owner. We had lontong sayur which is a compressed rice cake served with coconut based vegetable soup. I ordered Sate Padang from the nearby stall. They were very delicious.
Moving around Lake Maninjau means one has to tour on a small road in the middle of villages. Some of the houses at Lake Maninjau exhibits the strong influence of Dutch architecture.
One of the quaint houses seen around Lake Maninjau.
The old mosque in Lake Maninjau, Masjid Raya.
Another mosque on the way to the Birth House of Buya Hamka. A personal favourite.
Lake Maninjau is paradise for shutterbugs for the peace and tranquil feel that are meant for postcards.
Our only destination in Lake Maninjau is the Birth House of Buya Hamka, a famous ulama and litterateur. It houses collections of Hamka and his family. Buya Hama resided in the house before he moved to Padang Panjang. However, when we arrived at the Birth House of Buya Hamka, it was closed. We were informed that the caretaker was out for coffee. We waited between 30-45 minutes before leaving the Birth House of Buya Hamka with empty heart. It was supposed to be the highlight of the trip to Lake Maninjau.
Luckily, the views of Lake Maninjau are one of the most beautiful I have seen given the fact that I had travelled a lot in Indonesia.