SIBOLGA ICON : SUNSET, CULINARY AND TUNNELS

                      Sibolga sunset

Wherever I go, miss my small town, beautiful scenery, sunset, delicious seafood menue, and warm neighborhood. People who raise in Sibolga miss the beautiful sunset very much and they realized it up after they settle far away in another regions of the country or another states.

When they lived there, the sunset is the part of their life and never paid much attention how beautiful the panorama is. They used to watching sun down until twilight and the steady wave sparkling softly far from the end of the ocean.

We can find this location in www.googles.map, somewhere in west cost of Sumatra island. Pinangsori, a small airport, located close to  Sibolga could reach from Jakarta or Singapore  via Polonia airport, Medan. Unfortunately, the flight schedule not in daily basis.

But we may rent a car who will take 6-8 hours drive and we won't be boring, just take a  look outside the window,  passing a special panorama  rubber plantation and palm plantation, before watching a very amazing lake Toba, 3 hours drive from Medan. I think you would tempted to stay overnight in Parapat a small town beside the lake beach  to enjoy the view.

The next day you may continue your adventure for another 4 hours passing rice field a long the way to Balige and Tarutung town. From this last town please remind the drivers not so speedy because the car will run in a lot of turning road. Before entering Sibolga, capital of the district, on top of the hill ask the driver to stop , step down for seconds and watching  the ocean 9 kilometers away and a bay surrounding by a couple of small islands. Really amazing view.

The tunnels

One kilometers under the hill, the car will enter two narrow tunnels separated about 70 meters, where cars go down slowly and  give way to the car going up. The driver assistant will shouting loudly to give information in order to avoid collide to the wall in either sides. The passager keep breathless until pass the second tunel.

This tunnels build by Dutch government in 1930 and continue by Japan in 1940s. Up until today we may talk to senior citizen as a life witnesses and they will tell how they forced to work very hard to build that tunnels.

So many sad stories of  families works in this tunnels when Dutch government forced people work unpaid. The history book write as a "rodi job".

The third icon of Sibolga is a delicious culinary especially in sea food cuisine mixing with special cooking ingredients grow in the village. The rich of coconut trees along the beaches and on inland using for spice ingredients. That is why, people Sibolga origin always miss their home town and eagerly back home regularly in holidays, Christmas and Idulfitri. We may find  place to lunch or dine in town or in tourist destination in Pandan beach, outside town. The famous kind of fish like aso aso, kembung, crabs, small cuttlefish/cumi cumi  (photos)

Last decade ago, Sibolga attracted travel association and then arrange an European ship to come to visit Sibolga regularly, spend 1-2 days in town, go around town by manual becak. They love it.

Now we expected the local authority,  should take necessary step toward promoting and attracting tourists to come here again and to help people for additional income for better life. Horas bah.