Report Text : One Day Tour City of Sawahlunto

Sawahlunto is about 94km from Padang, 38 km from Batu Sangkar or 137 km from Bukittinggi. If you want to go to Sawahlunto, you can start from any these three places and take a bus, a taxi or jon a trip arranged by travel agency. If you start from Padang, you can get Sawahlunto in two hours.
If you take a bus from Padang, you will have to pay Rp8,000. A taxi will cost you Rp200,00. If you join a trip, you will have to pay the travel agency Rp20,000.
At present, the tourism Art and Culture office of sawahlunto municipality prepares a tourist package called "One Day City Tour of Sawahlunto". If you take this package, you will be taken around the town on a tourist train, locally known as dresin, or a tourist bus.
A tourist train is available every day at Sawahlunto station. It starts at 10:00 a.m and will take you to Muara Kalaban station, which is about five kilometers away. This tourist train can accomodate a maximum of 12 passengers and the return fare is Rp75,000.
On the way, you can see the tower of the old electric power plant and will be plunged into darkness as you enter the 900-meters-long tunnel.
If you wish to travel by bus, you can charter a  tourist bus. It is big enough for 25 people and the charter fee is Rp250,000. The bus will take you around the old town, visit the living museum, the former open mining pit, the location of Ombilin Mines Training College (OMTC) and the grave of Prof.M.Yamin in Talawi, was one of our national heroes and also one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Indonesia. He was the person who conceived the idea of the five principles of Pancasila. Yamin was also one of those who initiated the Youth Pledge and drew the picture of Gadjah Mada, the symbol of Military Corps.
When you visit OMTC, you will get infromation about mining activities through a simulation system of underground mining. You can also visit the geological museum and a coal mining laboratory.
At the end of your tour, you can by local handicrafts as souvenirs.
(Taken From : Bahasa Inggris SMA dan MA, 2008)