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the Degree Confluence Project
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Indonesia : Sumatera Barat

10.0 km (6.2 miles) WSW of Malampah, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia
Approx. altitude: 365 m (1197 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 0° 80°W

Accuracy: 1.6 km (1749 yd)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View West in direction to the confluence #3: View North #4: View East #5: View South #6: GPS reading #7: On the way to the confluence

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  0° 100°E (visit #1) (incomplete) 

#1: General view of the area 3 km away from the point

(visited by Thomas Weber)

22-Feb-2008 -- On the map this confluence seems to be very near to the hill town of Bukittingi. So, when I stayed there, I gave it a try.

Bukittingi is probably the most touristy place in West Sumatra. Today, with the decline of tourism in Indonesia, this means that there were not more than 20 westerners in town. To make the trip easier I hired a motorbike with a driver in my hotel. Mr. Fonzy from the hotel wanted to do the trip with me. But since he had his job to do, we couldn´t start before noon the next day. As it turned out, this was a bit to late.

The first part of the road was on the Trans Sumatra Highway, a sometimes very narrow road with many potholes, going in curves up and down the mountains. Though in a beautiful landscape this is a very time consuming way of traveling.

After about 50 km from Bukittingi, in the village of Kumpulan a smaller road turns to the left, leading towards the confluence. In the first part it leads north, away from the confluence, but later turns south again. On my bigger map I saw this road leading to Kinali would eventually pass the confluence. But the road lead along a river valley to far to the south, away from the point. Fortunately there was another smaller road leading more to the west. But that one too later went south again. We turned around and still 3,5 km from the point there was a small dirt road in northwestern direction. After some 100 m it turned out that the road was to bad for a motorbike with two people on it. So I decided to continue on foot. Since it was already quite late in the afternoon, I said I would be back one hour later, to drive back to Bukittingi before dark. I was lucky to get a lift one another motorbike for the next kilometer. Here a path through oil palm plantations forked off to the east, but after another kilometer it turned north up to the Talakmau volcanoe, away from the confluence.

I crossed a small creek, climbed up a hill and stood in front of a rice field, 1,6 km away from the point. Since I saw a motorbike crossing the field, there should be a possibility to continue further in direction to the confluence. But I didn’t have more time to proceed and I went back.

On the way back we took another road and passed Lake Maninjau. This could be a faster approach to the confluence, but for the return to Bukittingi it turned out to be a detour. So it was already nine o’clock when we finally arrived in Bukittingi.


 All pictures
#1: General view of the area 3 km away from the point
#2: View West in direction to the confluence
#3: View North
#4: View East
#5: View South
#6: GPS reading
#7: On the way to the confluence
ALL: All pictures on one page
  Notes
Just about 9 km SSE of 2919 m high volcano Gunung Ophir (also known as Gunung Talakmau).