The weather was suprisingly dry this week. As we are in the midst of rainy season, we could usually expect rainfall just about every evening here. Surprisingly, so far we've only had light rain in the afternoon! As for the temperature, I've been experiencing cool weather, as always. Being so high up in elavation means the air is a little thinner. Bukittinggi is one of those rare places that manages to stay cool despite being so close to the equator! The situation is pretty much the same at Lake Toba, which stays cool because it's nearly three thousand feet above sea level.
I saw plenty of cats, maybe two dogs, and a large number of monkeys while traveling through the jungle-filled mountains this week! Housecats and stray cats are very common in Indonesia. One can often find them in local shops, called warungs, inside restaurants, or even around Masjids (mosques).