There was only Noah who snoring flounder due to residual effects of drunk last night at De Kock Cafe’s 1st floor. I tried to remain quiet to bath under shower at edge of room. Even until I was ready to wander, his snoring didn’t change at all.
Cafe’s 1st floor remained wide open without a guard when I left hotel in half-dark, quiet and still cold.
Down through same road when yesterday afternoon hunting for the charm of Gadang Clock Tower, only this time, I was alone who looked very rushed in the quiet of morning.
Nagari Bank and Novotel were once again overtaken without expression, I had seen them yesterday afternoon. Likewise, I passed Gadang Clock Tower without any impression. Same, maybe because I snatched its charm a day ago. I just thought to immediately landing my step in a city park.
However, before entering the park, I was a little interested in the charm of a golden yellow large building. It is Balai Sidang Bung Hatta as mainstay Convention Center in Bukittinggi city.
On 7:10 hours, I began to enter the park which is located under Istana Street surface in west. While a gray high building which is owned by Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) Bukittinggi limited my eyes to east.
Park focal point lies in an artistic black monument in its middle circle. That’s the Unknown Heroes Monument which was designed by sculpture artists from Padang Panjang City, i.e Hoerijah Adam. Hoerijah Adam name itself was later enshrined as a name of Dance Workshop in Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta after Merpati Nusantara airplane accident of Vickers Viscount type which she rode in the Indian Ocean.
This monument was built to commemorate heroes resistance who couldn’t be identified with certainty in opposing Dutch Colonialism on June 5th, 1905. The resistance itself was due to application rejection of a 2% income tax for natives over all forms of trade which they undertaken.
Laying of the first stone was carried out by General Abdul Haris Nasution on June 15th, 1963 who was then serving as Chief of Armed Forces Staff. And two years later this monument was inaugurated.
On one side of monument, there is a loud quote from a famous writer who is also an Indonesia National Hero, none other than Muhammad Yamin:
“Noble Dead without Tomb
Deciding Soul and Leaving Name
Become Cloud in Space
Becoming Froth in Ocean
Spread Out Its Fragrant in Air“
As it turned out, Bukittinggi kept a lot of history of nation struggle which I had only just found out after visiting it.
It was fun….Backpacking while getting to know about nation history.