From the vibrant city of Padang, it was a half day drive tour on one of the most dangerous roads in Indonesia to the town of Sawahlunto. Along the way, I saw old colonial cement plants, sampled many fusions of Indonesian and Dutch dishes in a local restaurant which is opened for almost a century, drank tea from a former Dutch tea plantation. Dutch industrial heritages on exploiting natural resources from Sumatra are everywhere. When I reached Sawahlunto, area of Ombilin Company Town to be precise, it was already dark, so I directly went to stay and sleep at the heritage Ombilin Hotel, the only hotel during colonial for government officers and important company guests.

Next day early morning I walked around the town to see main component of company town such as Santa Barbara Catholic Church and Co-Operative Building which are just opposite the road, both are built in Nieuwe Indische Bouwstijl or Dutch Indies Style that can be seen in many Indonesian old town quarters in Java. The Assembly Hall (Societeit Glück auf) is in ruinous state after fire damage. On the main road of market area, few buildings are worth to visit for its unique architecture, Comedy House and Pek Sin Kek House, both are built in the so-called Sino-Portuguese style, similar to those shophouses in Malaysia and Singapore. On the hill next to market area is the old Sawahlunto Train Station which is now a museum that displayed old steam trains, the historic Ombilin Railway Track is still in good condition. Nearby Nurul Islam Mosque is probably the most interesting building to see, originally a steam power plant but converted to mosque after mine closure, and its minaret is the chimney of power plant! Then I walked back to Mining Administrative Compound, the main attraction is the old management buildings and Dutch High Officer & Engineer Residences on the main square. The former Head Office Building is probably the most iconic with its old clock tower. I really enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere of the town, it reminded me Luang Prabang in Laos with the same vibe of sleepy Asian colonial town. 

After ended my self-walking tour, I met my guide at hotel lobby who took me to see the town in different perspective. At first, he reminded me that despite we are in the heartland of local Minangkabau people and culture, Ombilin Company Town is different as its residents are descendants of “Enemy of Netherlands” from other parts of Indonesia archipelago. My guide took me to the Goedang Ransoem, Soup Kitchen Building, I was impressed with German steam engines for cooking, then my guide started to tell stories of forced labors, chained company slaves, miners standard and the hierarchy between Dutch, other Europeans, Chinese merchants, Chinese officers, Collaborators, or local called them “traitors”, and the Enemy of Netherlands in this town was downhearted to hear. From the viewpoint, Puncak Cemara, when I mentioned the unique layout of town that separated labor quarter from factory area with administrative area in the center, my guide told the story of how chained labor paraded through the main square from their ghetto to factory and reminded me again that the whole town was the prison! After heard many unheard stories of mistreatment during colonial time and WWII tragic stories when Japanese slaughtered many miners and forced women as comfort ladies, my guide ended the tour at Kerkhof or Dutch Cemetery and reminded me that despite bad memory, locals preserved this cemetery while other Dutch Cemeteries in Java and Padang had been bulldozed. 

On my way to Batusangkar to see the famous Istano Basa Pagaruyung, one of the iconic sights of Indonesia Tourism, my driver stopped enroute for me to see the big three silos of Coal Processing Plant Compound which is remarkable well preserved; Mining School, its red color and many windows are the most eye-catching building in the area, as well as the delipidated condition of Salak Power Plant. Along the road between Padang Panjang to Padang, especially the mountainous zone between Padang Panjang Station and Kayu Taman Station, the historic abandoned Railway System which is a part of this World Heritage Site can be admired easily. There are many rail bridges crossing the river gorge, the most impressive one is Tinggi Bridge which is not only crossing the river but also the main road highway. The railway section near Padang is clearly well maintained for frequent train services between Padang and Pariaman. I noticed that the main road between Padang Airport and city center is built next to the railway, so for casual world heritage site travelers, this World Heritage Site can be tick off effortlessly! On my last day in Padang, I went to see inaccessible Emmahaven Coal Storage which I only saw its roof and found out that the old coal port has become the big dusty port for cement and palm oil. 

I have mix feeling of this World Heritage Site, at first, I only thought Ombilin mine as industrial heritage celebrating superb Dutch engineering and idea of industrial urban planning, but after learned those dark histories of colonial mistreatment on locals in Sumatra, I felt bad and apologetic of what happened during that period. I also learned that many leaders of Indonesia independence revolution come from this region, they witnessed the atrocity and really distrusted the Netherlands, not like Javanese leaders, resulting failure of Netherlands-Indonesia Union. If history does not bother me, I really enjoyed visiting Padang and Sawahlunto regions and this World Heritage Site for its beautiful natural and agricultural landscapes that in my opinion better than Bali, amazing vernacular architecture, and culture of Minangkabau, fine and interesting industrial heritage, delicious Nasi Padang cuisine and friendliness of locals.