Experience the best of Padang

Padang sits on the west coast of Sumatra, between the Indian Ocean and the Barisan mountains that run along the island. It is the chief city of the Minangkabau people, who trace descent through the mother's line and build houses with long, upswept roofs shaped like buffalo horns. The old town, near the Batang Arau river, holds colonial warehouses from the Dutch era, a Chinese quarter and the Siti Nurbaya bridge.

Air Manis Beach, just south of the city, is known for the Malin Kundang rock, which legend says is a disobedient son turned to stone, and boats leave for the islands off the coast. Mount Padang offers views, and the Adityawarman Museum is built in the horned-roof style. The cool highlands of Bukittinggi, with its clock tower, Lake Maninjau and Lake Singkarak lie inland, and the Mentawai Islands, known for surfing, lie offshore.

Nasi Padang, steamed rice served with many small dishes, is the city's gift to Indonesian eating, and rendang, beef cooked slowly in coconut milk and spices, is the best known; satay with a thick yellow sauce is another local dish. It rains in most months, as the city is just south of the equator, and the drier season runs roughly from May to September.