Riau Diary (3)

For this third instalment of my Riau diary, I had consulted my sifu, Tengku Ali Bustaman (see his blog Dibawah Rang Ikan Kering) as to how to upload photos, so here I am.

Our second day in Rokan Hulu started by checking out of the Inn after a simple breakfast of nasi goreng and bread with tea or coffee and the tour bus left at just about 0800 hrs towards Daludalu which was about 33 kilometres from Pasir Pangarayan. The road trip this time was pleasent as there were few gaping holes. We did not see anyone standing in the middle of the road putting out their arms for donations to be handed into their baskets. We only came across a good number of these volunteers when we were on the road from Pekanbaru to Pasir Pangarayan the day before. After about three quarter of an hour, we turned off the road just before the bus stopped at the archway as shown in the photo, where the words " Benteng Tujuh Lapis" was written. Somehow nobody bothered to repair the torn bits of khat on the fascia of the " Pintu Gerbang". As we got off the bus some villagers, presumably the local self appointed guides began to show us the way which was quite obvious as the road is metalled. Invariably the area where the " Fort " was once proudly standing as the mute testimony of the heroic defence by Tuanku Tambusai's soldiers have been "invaded" by the villagers who built their houses since it's fall in 1838.

As we walked towards the further end of the Benteng along the metalled road, we realised that the whole place could have been settled by the local population after it fell to the Dutch since it was a good 170 years ago where the materials used for the Fort were namely earth, water and bamboo ( a special hardy type called aur berduri where the stalks of the bamboo leaves have thorns sprouting at the base of the leaves ). Today one could hardly see where the traces of the Benteng 7 Lapis are because of erosion. The Dept of Culture and Tourism of Rokan Hulu has been given the task of looking after the place as it had been declared as a heritage site under their local laws.