High in the mountains of West Sumatra, a railway line built by the Dutch in the late nineteenth century snakes between volcanoes, lakes and rice terraces. It was laid to carry coal from the mines of Sawahlunto down to the port of Padang, and the whole system, mines, company town and railway, forms the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto, listed by UNESCO in 2019. Batu Tabal is one of the small stations along the route, near the shores of Lake Singkarak, where the line runs right along the water's edge.
The railway was a remarkable feat of engineering, with steep sections that required a rack and pinion system to haul trains up through the Anai valley gorge. Much of it is now disused, though occasional tourist trains run on parts of the line. Rusting tracks, small station buildings and old bridges are scattered across the landscape, slowly being reclaimed by tropical vegetation.
This is the land of the Minangkabau, one of the world's largest matrilineal societies, where property and family names pass through the female line. Their traditional houses, rumah gadang, have dramatic curved roofs rising to sharp points like buffalo horns, and you will see them in villages around the lake. The region is also the birthplace of rendang, the slow-cooked spicy beef that is often listed among the best dishes in the world, and Padang restaurants, where many small dishes are laid out on the table at once, are found across Indonesia.
Riding here is spectacular and demanding. Roads around Lake Singkarak and between the towns of Padang Panjang, Solok and Bukittinggi wind through hills, terraces and forests, with views of volcanoes such as Marapi. Traffic can be heavy, with trucks, buses and countless scooters, and driving is on the left. The road down to Padang through the Anai valley passes a waterfall right beside the road. Rain is frequent and heavy, especially in the afternoons, and roads can flood or suffer landslides.
Fuel is available in towns and larger villages, often at small roadside stalls selling petrol in bottles as well as at proper stations. Solok and Padang Panjang are the nearest large towns. Try fresh fish from the lake, called bilih, fried crisp, or a full Padang meal at a roadside restaurant overlooking the water.