IN BUKITTINGGI

Bukittinggi is one city in the province of West Sumatra, Indonesia.The city was formerly called the Fort de Kock and the former had also dubbed as the Paris van besides Sumatra city of Medan, and the town of Bukittinggi was also the state capital of Indonesia.

The city is the hometown of one of the Bung Hatta proclaimed Indonesia, also known as city heritage with the Clock Tower, a landmark in the heart of the height, shaped like a big clock Big Ben, as well as a symbol for the city which is also located on the edge of a valley Sianok named Canyon.


Clock Tower

Clock Tower is the designation for a tower clock located in the heart of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra Province. Clock Tower is the name given to the Minangkabau society that clock tower building, because it has a clock tower was a "large sieve", or "at large" (large sieve = large clock hours; "large sieve" means big in Minangkabau language).

 
Such a phenomenal building clock tower called the Clock Tower at the time of its construction, so since the founding of the Clock Tower has become the center of everyone's attention. It also resulted in the Clock Tower used as a marker or landmark of Bukittinggi and also as one of the icons of West Sumatra province.

Clock Tower was built in 1926 by architect Yazid Sutan Dental Ameh. This clock was a gift from the Queen of the Netherlands to the Rook Maker, Controleur (City Secretary) Bukittinggi in the former Dutch East Indies Government. Laying the first stone clock is done Rook Maker's first son who was then 6 years old.
Ground-plan (building footprint following steps overlooking the Upper Market) of the Clock Tower is 13x4 meters, 26 meters height.



Clock Tower is engaged in mechanical and consisted of four hours / four-face clock overlooking the four compass directions with each clock face diameter of 80 cm.

This clock tower has undergone several changes in the peak shape. At first the top of the tower clock is round and on it stands a statue of a rooster. When you sign colonize Indonesia, the Japanese occupation government changed it to shape pagoda top. At the time of independence, its shape changed again into ornaments traditional Minangkabau house.

Construction of the Clock Tower is said to spend a total cost of construction of about 3,000 Gulden, which costs quite fantastic for the size of the time. But it paid off with the famous Clock Tower is a landmark that once a symbol or icon of Bukittinggi. Clock Tower is also set as the zero point of Bukittinggi.

There is a uniqueness of Roman numerals on the face of the Clock Tower is. When writing Roman numerals usually include the symbol "IV" to symbolize the four roman numbers, then the Clock Tower is labeled with the number four roman under the symbol "IIII" (Generally IV).

Sianok Canyon
Sianok canyon is a steep valley (ravine) located in the bordertown of Bukittinggi, the District IV Koto, Agam regency, WestSumatra. The valley is long and winding as the southern bordertown of Koto Gadang canyon until the canyon Sianok Six Tribes,and ended up Palupuh. Sianok canyon has beautiful scenery andbecome one of the main attractions the province.

The gulf is about 100 m which stretches along 15 km with a widthof about 200 m and is part of the fault that separates the island of Sumatra in half lengthwise (Fault Semangko). This fault forms asteep wall, even perpendicular and form a green valley - a result of the movement down the earth's crust (sinklinal) - the fed TrunkSianok (rod means river, in the Minangkabau language) where the water is clear. In the Dutch colonial era, the gap is referred to as buffalo sanget, because of the many free-living wild buffalo in the bottom of the canyon.

Sianok rod can now be forded by the use of canoes and  in saranai by a water sports organization "Qurays". The routetaken is from village to village Sitingkai Lambah Stem Palupuh for approximately 3.5 hours. On its banks there's also rare plantssuch as Rafflesia and medicinal plants. Fauna encountered suchlong-tailed monkeys, gibbons, hoops, deer, wild boar, leopard,and tapirs.

Japan hole
Japan hole resort is one of the objects that exist in the city of Bukittinggi and is a historical relic of Japan's residence during his stay in London.
Because of Bukittinggi is very strategically located in the middle - the middle of the island of Sumatra, the Japanese invaders set as the center of Bukittinggi Japanese Army Defense Command in Sumatra (Seiko Sikikan Kakka) led by General Watanabe.

As for Japan's military fortifications made a tunnel under the heart of Bukittinggi, in addition to functioning as a defense as well prepared as a store of ammunition, barracks, dining, hospitals, courtrooms and a kitchen, a total of 27 rooms and is a complete complex, such as plan which can be seen on the entrance wall.


The length of aperture Panorama location is located approximately 1400 meters, while the overall length of which is under the city of Bukittinggi estimated to be less about 5000 meters, thereby preserved / maintained only 30% of the existing pit.

Japan's main usefulness of this hole is the basis of Japan's military defense than attack the Allied invaders then the construction is very confidential, and no one knows exactly when it began a pit japan built. Can be estimated only a few months after March 1942, when Japan seized the hand of Bukittinggi from the Dutch Government.

Unskilled workers to multiply this hole is taken from people - people in Indonesia who were arrested from other areas, such as from the island of Java, Kalimantan, South Sumatra, etc., while the catch of Bukittinggi itself was brought up again to another daetrah force employed on the project anyway - Other projects, such as Loge le to m, embuat railway that will connect Muaro Sijunjung with Pekanbaru Riau. Japanese defeat in the hands of trigger-Allied army.

Technical workers in the construction of this hole to be taken from people - people who work in Indonesia Coal Mine Ombilin Sawahlunto originating from the island of Java.
All unskilled workers are not sati orangpun who can save themselves, all of them died due to lack of food and the torment of the Japanese army. hole so that confidentiality is maintained.
Although this hole can be completed, but have not been exploited completely, because the Japanese hurried to its knees due to the Allied soldiers who dropped two Atomic Fruit Allied troops in the city of Nagasaki and Hiroshima on 7 and August 8, 1945, and continues with  Independence of the Republic of Indonesia on dated August 17, 1945 by Soekarno - Hatta.

When this hole is pretty crowded Japanese tourists visited by both International and Archipelago and is a favorite tourist attraction in London and even the West Sumatra.
From the gate, we menurunbi stairs as much as 135 pieces, if the staircase is the high average - average of 20 cm, thus the 135 steps means that we have fallen as high as 27 M. if we compare again where we stand now with the existing road above us, have a height difference approximately 5 M. from this calculation that the base hole diketahuilah ranging from 30 to 40 M of the ground surface. This depth was considered safe enough by the Japanese against Allied air attacks from.

"THANK YOU"
 

When I was in the Tower Sianok Canyon