Coal built this corner of West Sumatra, and the buildings at Salak and the Ranith pumping station are part of the machinery that moved it. The Dutch colonial government developed the Ombilin coalfield after a geologist found rich seams near Sawahlunto in the nineteenth century, and the whole system of mine, railway, power plant and port was later recognised by UNESCO as the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto. A power station gave the mines electricity, and a pumping station supplied water, because a steam age needs both.
The surrounding landscape is nothing like the industrial image. The highlands of Minangkabau country are steep, green and wet, with terraced rice fields, palm and clove trees, and villages of curved-roof houses that look like buffalo horns. Solok, the nearest big town, is known for its rice, and not far away lies Lake Singkarak, a large, cool lake in a tectonic basin that is one of the pleasures of the region. The Minangkabau are the world's largest matrilineal society, with property passing through the women of a family, which gives the culture a particular character.
For riding, this is a rewarding but demanding part of Indonesia. The roads that climb from Padang toward Solok and Sawahlunto wind through forest and ravines, with tight bends, steep gradients and trucks grinding uphill in clouds of exhaust. Surfaces are often patched and uneven, rain arrives in torrential afternoon bursts, and landslides can close sections after heavy weather. Mornings are the best time, when the air is clear and the mountains show. The dry season, roughly June to September, is easier, though rain is never far off near the equator.
Solok, about twenty kilometres away, is the place for fuel, a meal and a rest. Minangkabau cuisine is famous across Indonesia, and Padang-style restaurants serve rendang, slow-cooked beef in coconut and spices, alongside curries, chillies and rice, with dishes brought to your table in a crowd of small plates that you pay for by what you eat. Fill up before the hills, carry water, and wear a rain jacket, because on this side of the island the sky changes its mind quickly.