Sumatra Vacations: Padang, Indonesia's capital of spicy food

West Sumatra bounded in the north by the province of North Sumatra, in the west by the Indian ocean, in the south by the provinces of Bengkulu and Jambi, and in the east by Riau province.

85% of the population are Minangkabau, notable in the annals of anthropology as the world's largest matriarchal society: children take their names from their mother's side and, on marriage, the husband moves into the wife's family. Culturally, the hallmarks of Minangkabau culture are their famously spicy food, served all around Indonesia in Padang restaurants (named after the capital), and the soaring-eaved rumah gadang house, shaped like a series of buffalo horns.

On the other hand, the tribal inhabitants of the Mentawai archipelago, a group of islands about 100 miles off the coast of west Sumatra, cling to a traditional agrarian lifestyle that is totally different from that of Minangkabau.

Most people in West Sumatra uses Minang language in their daily conversation. It's somewhat similar to Malay language, due to the fact that Melayu language is the origin root of both languages.

you can see this on Padang :

Museum Adityawarman, Jl. Diponegoro (Lapangan Tugu), +62 752 31523, 39587, TuS 8AM-4PM
Taman Budaya (Cultural Park)
Pantai Air Manis (Sweet Water Beach). It is most famed for Batu Malin Kundang (Stone of Malin Kundang), a stone shaped like a prostrating man. According to local legend, this stone is Malin Kundang , the ungrateful son who disowned his poor mother after coming home as a rich man from his travels. His mother cursed him into stone, as well as the remains of his ship, which can also be seen near his stone. There is a tidal island from the beach here, with nice clean (by Indonesian standards) water and sand.
Pantai Padang (Padang Beach). You can ride the bendi (a horse-drawn carriage) along the beach, and stop by the rows of shops to eat some rujak as you watch the waves.
Sitti Nurbaya Bridge, a beautiful bridge especially at night. Sitti Nurbaya is the eponymous character in a classical literary novel.
You go down the south of Teluk Bayur, up and through steep hills (don't try and take a bus, there is an [Angkot] that goes all the way).
Ramayana. World class shopping area with a variety of goods. A must see.