Lake Maninjau

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We had a quick breakfast and pick up supplies for the road before Leni guided us to the Japanese Tunnel. This tunnel was built so the Americans couldn’t find it or bomb it. We paid a minor fee and fed some monkeys on our way to the entrance. The tunnel was deep and had a few different exits, some went over the river, others inland, but the worst part about this tunnel was how many Sumatran lives it took to build and carve out of the rock. Passage ways seemed to run on in every direction.


 There were rooms for Japanese soldiers, an extensive armory, storage facility, and a jail and execution room with a dead body hatch where the decapitated bodies were tossed. The heads went somewhere else. The floor of the tunnel was dug up and it turned out to be a mass grave of body parts separated by force and tossed in heaps. I don’t remember the number of dead but I know that the locals don’t like to think about it.


Here's DK flat-billin' with the reptiles.



 After we walked out of the tunnel we came across some snake handlers which were pretty cool. DK and Ayen both held snakes while Mark and I had a laugh with the school kids all wanting photos with us as part of their English lessons and photo collections. It was great to see so many smiles and happy kids at such a sad place.



We eventually got back in the car and headed for Nuansa Maninjau Resort situated at the edge of the caldera holding Maninjau Lake and maybe 5000 villagers.


The Maninjau Resort was somewhat of a shock because again it was a beautiful hotel with an impeccable staff of gardeners, wait staff, pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, etc. There were a few empty bungalows but not many. We went straight to the pool and took in the view of Lake Maninjau and the surrounding mountains.
More Adventure Travel to come;http://www.davidcdagley.com/