As light begins to seep in around the edges of the curtains I'm roused by the soft 'click' of the door. Dave, camera in hand, heading out to capture another sunrise.
I want to follow - sort of. Mornings on the shore of Lake Maninjau are damply cool, and the bed is dry and warm. I stay put and try to doze, but the insistent slosh of waves outside our room and the occasional roar of a bus barreling down the Maninjau's main road keep me awake. Finally I'm lured from bed by the rattling of dishes as our guest house's owner places a pot of strong Sumatran coffee outside the door.
One cup downed, quickly. I meet Dave outside on the road, just as the last of the night's black leaches from the sky
'Nasi pisang, nasi pisang!'
The high cry of a young boy selling a hearty breakfast to go: a mound of black sticy rice cooked in coconut water, topped with shredded coconut and a still-warm butterflied, deep-fried banana, the lot wrapped in a banana leaf.
Banana and rice quiet our bellies and we walk, as the town wakes up.
It's our last morning. In another couple of hours we'll taxi to chaotic, noisy Padang, and we want to take in the quiet. We pass tumbledown traditional houses, the occasional thatched-roofed shack on stilts, come-hither signs advertising 'internet' and 'lakeside bungalows' from a time before Maninjau's tourist industry collapsed in the wake of the Bali bombing. A beautiful, timeworn wooden mosque, and the town's meeting hall with its winged Minangkabau roof. On the signboard above the hall's window a poem, penned by former Indonesian leader Sukharno:
If you eat pinang (areca nut)
Eat it with green sirih (betel nut).
If you come to Minang,
Don't forget to go to Maninjau.**
Across the street, a small eatery is already open for business.
Another dose of Sumatran coffee offers an excuse to sit awhile and watch the town come to life.
We spy a curry pot and lontong - rice cakes - in the display case. The shop owner smiles and nods as Dave raises his camera. Yes, the curry is her handiwork. She made it this morning.
It's barely 7am but suddenly a plate of lontong with nangka muda (young jackfruit) curry sounds like the best breakfast in the world.
And it is - smooth, coconuty, and tongue-tinglingly spicy, tender chunks of artichoke-ish nangka muda supplemented by short pieces of long bean and bitter rimbang, tiny pea eggplant said to be good for the eyes when eaten in odd numbers. On top, a tangle of chewy bean starch noodles, a flourish of fried shallots, and a shower of crumbled rice crackers that match the table's pink plastic covering make the dish almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
As we spoon up jackfruit and rice cakes, we contemplate a plate in the middle of the table heaped with tofu isi - stuffed tofu.
Our host urges us to try a piece, and then emerges from behind her display case with a freshly fried batch.
We can't resist her smile, and then we're glad we don't. Stuffed with a savory mix of bean thread noodles and finely diced mushrooms and shallots, then dipped in a thin batter and deep-fried, the tofu isi is a perfect combination of chewy and shatteringly crispy, the hot tofu a foil for a cool, flavorsome stuffing.
One piece, two pieces, three pieces. We worry we won't have room for lunch. We pay our miniscule bill, bid good-bye to the shopkeeper, her husband, her mother, her son, and her neighbor, and wander back to our room to pack.
**Many thanks to EatingAsia reader CW for transcribing, and translating, the poem.
In Maninjau, we stayed at the Tan Dirih Guesthouse. The Tan Dirih's four rooms are simple but immaculately clean, with fairly comfortable beds and private hot-water baths (a pleasure when the rain sets in and the temperature dips). Each room faces the lake and has a small sitting area outside. The price - about U$12 - includes a pot of coffee or tea, delivered to your room in the morning. Find contact details in the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet guides to Indonesia.
Lontong with jackfruit curry is served across the street and just up the road, in the direction of Pariaman.












Oh Robyn, what beautiful pictures and.. you've made me very hungry, despite having just had lunch. Who says that hunger has anything to do with whether you have food in your stomach or not?
Posted by: Akiko | 2006.11.03 at 21:14
Wonderful pics, and I love the pantun (Malay poem) on the building, which translates as:
If you eat pinang
Eat it with green sirih
If you come to Minang
Don't forget to come to Maninjau
(Jika anda memakan pinang
Makanlah dengan sirih yang hijau
Jika anda datang ke Minang
Jangan lupa datang ke Maninjau)
Pinang - areca nut
Sirih - betel leaf
Hijau - green
Loses its rhyme due to my bad translation.
Posted by: CW | 2006.11.04 at 07:58
Thanks Akiko.
CW, thank you for translating the poem! I tried but failed to enlarge the sign on my computer enough to read the words. I'll add your translation to the post.
Posted by: Robyn | 2006.11.04 at 11:45
After reading your posts about Sumatra, I think I will have to go the next time I go home.
Posted by: Rasa Malaysia | 2006.11.05 at 13:46
As always, simply beautiful.
- Chubbypanda
Posted by: Chubbypanda | 2006.11.07 at 06:14
as usual nice classical posts, bringing back nostalgic & sentimental scenes reminiscent of de old- world romantic bygone era where simplicity and originality rule. Must say your cameraman Dave is well in touch with the feel & essence of the subjects.
if u guys r back in KL I have a few 'classical' spots to recommend you !
cheers !
Posted by: toniXe | 2006.11.07 at 10:55
I'm going to lake Maninjau next month. I was there 12 years ago and it was my favorite place in Sumatra, with fond memories of getting lost in the forest and drinking strong ginger tea by the lake.
Dave I love your photographs. What camera did you take the photos with?
Kind regards
Rolf
Posted by: Rolf | 2007.11.22 at 22:21
Hi Rolf - thanks for the compliment. These photos were shot with my Canon T-90, using Fuji Velvia slide film. I've recently made the transition to digital, but still feel that somehow it can't match the saturation and 'texture' I get with film.
Dave
Rolf - I bet you'll find Maninjau quite different to 12 yrs ago, in that there are hardly any tourists these days. Sumatra in general is really suffering from a drop in tourism. Such a shame, bec. it really is a very special place.
Wishing you a lovely time in Maninjau!
Robyn
Posted by: David | 2007.11.23 at 09:15
That too beautiful thing too eat is called Ketupat Sayur Padang. You can find it too in Jakarta, but I think the one in your picture so much better :)
Posted by: vicong | 2011.05.18 at 06:00