Some foam bed is stored in the uma or custom house in Butui Mentawai, District of South Siberut, Mentawai Islands regency, West Sumatra. The existence of manufactured goods were very striking compared with other uma content, such as animal skulls and cooking equipment are all made citizens of the Mentawai.
Every week there are only foreign tourists, usually from American and European-who stay 1-2 nights in the uma. There are two attractions there: own experience the exotic Mentawai tribal life and enjoy the clear, distant Butui River and surrounded by white sand and rocks in front of the uma.
Exotic style Butui are still added beauty of the journey to achieve it, namely taking pompong-wooden boat with outboard engine, for about 4 hours from Muara Siberut, the capital of the District of South Siberut, toward the village of Madobag. From Madobag, about 1.5 hours walking through the forest to get to the uma.
While Muara Siberut can be reached by motor boat for 10-12 hours from Padang, West Sumatra.
Exotic Mentawai
The presence of foreign tourists also make a number of places in the Mentawai overgrown with luxury resorts, especially in coastal areas that have good waves for surfing. In the resorts that moneyed tourists enjoy the exotic Mentawai which consists of 213 islands as well as for surfing.
Waves in the Mentawai Islands surf-by various organizations is the third best-universal after Hawaii and Tahiti.
In Mentawai, surfing is usually done in Nyangnyang Island, Coral Majat, Masilok, Botik, and Mainuk. The peak tourist visit there in July and August. At that height of waves in the Mentawai reaches 7 meters.
Biosphere reserves
In addition to beautiful, Mentawai also play an important role for conservation. Since 1981, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural (UNESCO) set Siberut in the Mentawai Islands as one of biosphere reserves so that its existence must be protected and kept away from exploitation.
Keeksotisan Siberut compounded by the four endemic Mentawai primates, namely simakobu or pig tail monkey (Simias concolor), bilou or dwarf siamang (Hylobates klosii), joja or Mentawai langur (Presbytis potenziani), and monkey Mentawai (Macaca pagensis).
To investigate the wealth of this Mentawai primates, Primate Center University of Gottingen, Germany, in cooperation with the Bogor Institute of Agriculture established the Siberut Conservation Project.
