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-77-

May 31 - 

We left at eight o'clock, and took the road that parallels the bay for some miles. Here was my first view of the Indian Ocean, and of Sibolga's famous harbor, with the big conical island rising in the middle of it. Anyone who has the good sense to come down that road in daylight that we took last night, has a wonderful outlook over the harbor, but the ride along the coast was peaceful and pleasant, with coconut palms bending over the water, and caribou grazing along the wayside.

The road wound gradually up into higher country. At a thousand feet above sea level there were plenty of little native villages, with their industrious life being carried on in close proximity to the highway. We saw rice in all its stages - men and women preparing the fields and making the walls around each sawah out of wet mud, patting it into shape with their hands; the bright green seed beds, the transplanting, the harvesting, which was done in little sheltered platforms six feet or more off the ground, the winnowing being done by tramping on the paddi with their feet. Rice was spread out on grass mats along the roadside to dry, as was also coffee. Here, too, we saw for the first time the kampong rubber, wrung out in what looks like an ordinary clothes wringer, and hung on poles to dry. The road is used for all purposes - as a club for both ^[[m]]en and women, as a drying field for all native products, a place for dogs to sleep and chickens to roost and children to play. An automobile driver in this country must have infinite patience, which is perhaps why all the drivers are Malays, and one seldom sees a European at the wheel of his own car.

[[left margin]] ^[[Gas. tin covered sides - buff. wear shoes -]] [[/left margin]]
As we approached Padang Sidempoean we saw a  new type of buffalo drawn cart, with a sway-backed roof like those on Batak houses. All afternoon we passed these carts on the road, returning from the Monday market in P. Sid., taking the high road up over the plateau that was a new type of country to us - great folded mountain sides, covered thickly with buffalo grass, and few trees. 

We had lunch in the Pasanggrahan in Pad. Sid. Bill telephoned the Controller while we were waiting for the nasi goreng to be made ready, and came dashing over on his bicycle. He is terribly anxious to get us a rhino, and distressed to know that we are unable to get a permit. There are rhinos near here, and two were shot not long ago. It seems a pity we cannot have one live one.

The people around here are mix ed Malay and Batak. As we approached Kota Nopan we began seeing the Meningkabau influence - just before Laroe we saw the first Men'k'bau house, with its curious high-pointed roof ends.

Along this road, too, we saw for the first time a pig-tailed macaque climbing a coconut tree to throw down the nuts to his owner. So the old story of the only known instance where a monkey has been trained to do anything useful for man, is really true. Later on we were to see many instances of it.

Kota Nopan has a fine big rest house, and we had a good reistafel for dinner.