Religious tourism, contrary to what the term may imply, is far from being reserved to those who are of a religious bent. In fact, many of the great sites of the various world religions are also amazing sites to see for those of us that lead a more secular life. While the majority of those visiting will certainly be of the related belief system, there’s no reason that the rest of us can’t visit as well.
With the vast majority of Indonesia being Muslim, it is a bit of a shock to encounter pockets of Hindu culture spread throughout the islands. Before Islam came to Indonesia, Hinduism was a mainstay in the culture. Now, after years of change and development, Bail is the only island still defining themselves as Hindu.
My travel guide warned me that the Hotel Asia in Bukittinggi in West Sumatra has lovely, clean rooms, but also a lot of noise from the street. Though I was able to fall asleep with the sounds of cruising cars and motorcycles, what caught me off guard was the call to prayer at 4:45 this morning.
