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The last day in Sulawesi with time to walk around and reflect. Of course, today was gorgeous and sunny. Too bad there wasn't another opportunity to hike up Mount Mahawu. Ah well... Walked into a bakery (move over Dunkin Donuts)...View image... and total strangers invited us to sit down with them for a while. Visited a nice-sized supermarket (always walk through local stores to see how the people really live) and again had trouble walking out when more people wanted to know what country we came from, shake hands, what's my name, etc..
Lunch with Jeremy and his friends at a wonderful restaurant, Raja Sate BBQ & Asian Resto, JL Pierre Tendean Boulevard No. 39, Manado. Very yummy sate, including goat sate. Delicious and wouldn't have known what it was if Jeremy didn't tell me. Got to try a shrimp in curry and coconut milk concoction called Udang Masak Woku. Also, yummy and don't miss Raja Sate when you get to Manado. The absolute best meal we had in two weeks excluding that great noodle dish and the fried sweet potato chips.
 lunch at Raja Sate
Continue reading "A Manado Rest Day and Sulawesi Hindsight" »
Instead of the sun coming out tomorrow, it came out after lunch. Too late to retry the hike up Mount Mahawu...visible in the distance...View image... Continued onwards with the Highland Tour. The Japanese occupied this area during World War II (1939-1945), and forced the locals to dig extensive caves near Lake Tondano where they stored food, water and holed up during air raids. There are five different areas in North Sulawesi with caves like this and approximately 50 Japanese soldiers with ammunition took shelter in each cave. Today, the caves are a tourist attraction but very few are open to visit because they are filled with bats.
Pulled up to one and A.J. pulled one unlocked gate back to enter. The other two were padlocked. The inside was dark and spooky and none of us wanted to explore too deeply. A.J. pointed out the air holes in the rock ceiling and places in the walls to hang kerosene lamps. (Watch the video...) Backbreaking labor for those poor Sulawesi people to tunnel into the very hard rock.
 inside a Japanese cave
Continue reading "Japanese Caves and Lake Linow/Leno, North Sulawesi" »
Into the Tomohon Local Market. This time having difficulty trying to keep upright in the mud along the outside, and avoiding slimy floors inside. There were the communal taxi cabs and buses lined up in a big parking lot and buyers and sellers making their way, umbrellas hoisted above. ...View image... A.J. brought us here because I expressed a desire to see one of the typical Minahasan foods, rat. Have absolutely no objection or moral qualms about dead rats skewered and ready for sale but alas, they were sold out.
Instead, dead dogs for sale. I'm not judging what people eat but had a hard time reconciling the fact that we, Americans, usually consider dogs to be pets and "members of the family." I don't have one myself but seeing dogs in a cage ready to be killed and barbecued, then laid out on the table for sale, gave me major heebie-jeebies.
 line-up of shared cabs waiting in Tomohon
Continue reading "Tomohon Local Market and Lake Tondano, Sulawesi" »
A long "you win some, you lose some" day scheduled with two "soft" adventures. First, to Mount Mahawu (Ma-ha-woo) for a one-hour trek to the crater's edge and then a Highland Tour. Freddy (Safari Tours & Travels) was ill today and A.J. is our new guide.
None of Sulawesi's volcanos are exactly dormant and Mahawu is no exception. Set at 4,344 feet, you can see Bunaken and Manada Tua Islands as well as the bay of Manado. The deep crater has a steaming lake and smelly sulfur pools and there are also two pyroclastic cones (volcanic rock fragments) in the northern flanks. Sounded great, right? But, it's pouring down buckets of rain today. A very heavy downpour. Nonetheless, we were game and headed through Tomohon to the base of Mount Mahawu.
Continue reading "The Mahawu Volcano Trek and Sulawesi Prefab Houses" »
The Tarsier Spectrum (Spectral) is the smallest monkey in the world. Only 10-15 centimeters long/4-6 inches...that's tiny! Tarsiers are nocturnal (that's why we have to hang around until dusk) and eat insets only. Have hair like a bear, trails like rats, big eyes like owls and can even be compared to bats. Why? They are active only at night and their little ears stand up, Endemic to North Sulawesi, we were ready and primed to see these tiny things.
Freddy hiked us over to a "Tarsier Tree" without any other tourists around. The guides usually congregate at one tree they know and there were quite a few tourists standing around, waiting. Sat around at Freddy's tree for at least 30 minutes while it got darker. Freddy and local ranger kept shining flashlights/torches into the tree crevices looking for one until Freddy decided that the Tarsier's had packed up their belongings and moved to another tree somewhere in the forest. The Government has never done a Tarsier census so who knows how many Banyan trees are inhabited by them and exactly how many Tarsiers are in Tangkoko.
 tourists waiting for Tarsiers
Continue reading "The Sulawesi Tarsier Makes an Appearance -- It's About Time!" »
There is much to be said for making independent travel arrangements. Whenever something of interest struck us, either Jo-Jo or Freddy would instantly say..."do you want me to stop"...we'd leap out of the car and investigate. Certainly can't do that on a tour and without a guide, who knows what's happening. Invest the extra money and get a guide in a remote destination. Worth every Rupiah.
Bumped into the reserve in the afternoon with Tangkoko volcano looming above. Entered the park, registered and was assigned an "official" local guide to accompany us along with Freddy. Local guide in vehicle with us, drove further into the park past a few home stays. Jeremy had suggested not staying overnight because he considers the home stays to be beyond basic and didn't recommend it. Your choice.
 Banyan tree
Continue reading "The Great Tangkoko Tarsier Spectrum Hunt, Sulawesi" »
Time to meet with Jeremy, across the street at Safari Tours & Travels my "go-to" tour operator who did such a fantastic job coordinating Sulawesi for us. ... View image...
Decisions, decisions. Should we white water raft or visit the Tangkoko Nature Reserve to see the Black Crested Macaque and Tarsier Spectrum (the world's smallest primate). A chance to see a Tarsier won out even though both of us chickens were a little nervous about jungle trekking. ex-Marine's mantra is...snakes, damn it...snakes! We needed to take a good flashlight/torch, cameras, wear long pants, shirts and slather up with insect repellent. There are lots of "no see ums" in the forest, gooknownee, part of the mosquito family but not malarial. Met new guide Freddy, settled logistics and went off to do a few things since we didn't have to leave for Tangkoko until noon..
 Jeremy and Freddy, Safari Tours
Continue reading "An Excursion to Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Sulawesi" »
After breakfast, set out for the last long drive to Manado, capital city of North Sulawesi. We're looking forward to Manado, the major stopping-off point for spectacular diving and snorkelling at Bunaken Marine reserve and lots of day excursions to choose from. Already waffling back and forth on rafting or Tangkoko Nature Reserve for one day. Perhaps the Volcano hike or Highland Tour on the other free day. So little time...so much to do...
But right now, really looking forward to a respite from the long drives. We drove and drove. Lunch time came and went because every local restaurant Jo-Jo investigated along the way was either too dirty or served typical Minahasan food. To remind you, Minahasan food consists of bony dried fish, dog ((rintek wuuk in Minahasan), rat (tikkus) and fruit bat (paniki) usually prepared with large quantities of red-hot chilis. Now you know the Minahasan words for these exotic foods while traveling in Sulawesi. Eat...or not...
 heading to Manado
Continue reading "Manado, North Sulawesi" »
After breakfast... Let me tell you about breakfast. There was rice. Jo-Jo went to the market and scrambled up a few eggs. Bless the man. Coffee? Sulawesi grows and exports excellent coffee. Their method of brewing leaves just a little bit to be desired. (At least at "Hotel" Asmora Guesthouse.) They put coffee grounds in a cup, added boiling water and waited what seemed forever for the chewy grounds to settle to the bottom before drinking. Don't ever try to drink "to the last drop" because the bottom is 1/4 inch of sludge. Sure perks you up! One scrambled egg and two cups of sludge later, it was back in the vehicle. Even Jo-Jo was dragging today and said he had to finally tell all the happy election campaigners to shut up during the night. And poor Odin looked as if he'd been run over by his car. Ten hours yesterday. Aother six today. His leg must be numb.
Back in predominantly Muslim areas, there are small workshops that concentrate on making metal mosque tops. ...View image... Every now and then, we'd pass by a group along the road...
 for want of another word, mosque toppers
Continue reading "Another All Day Drive From Moutong to Gorontalo, North Sulawesi" »
This was going to be a brutal driving day. Probably over 10 hours and Jo-Jo said the worst of the trip. Oh...good grief. Meclizine down the hatch and off we went. Village after village. Rice field after rice field. Nothing new or different and finally lunch in the village of Tolai. ... View image... I would go back to Tolai only for the best fried noodles ever, $1 U.S. for a gigantic plateful, and the all time greatest home made sweet potato chips (crisps), 10 cents a bag. Had I only known that these noodles and sweet potato chips would be the best, and only time, we'd ever see them again, would have taken bags to go. Without exaggeration, must have snarfed down in seconds without taking any time to chew.
Next up. Wera Salopa in Tonusu, a 12 step waterfall. All right. I'm prepared for your comments..."Sheila, stay home, yadda yadda..." ...but, if you've seen one waterfall in your life, you'll be underwhelmed. I'm going to assume that if you are in Sulawesi, or plan to visit Sulawesi, you've seen waterfalls before. Pretty...okay? ...View image...
Continue reading "From Tentena, Sulawesi to Moutong with Wera Salopa Waterfall Along The Way" »
Finally, something a little different. Balinese Villages along the way. The Indonesian Government began an initiative to move people from densely populated areas of Indonesia (Bali was one) to less populous areas like Sulawesi. The Government stopped this program in 2000. Of course, everyone has an opinion, pro or con, as to whether the program was helpful. Jo-Jo believes it was. The Balinese people have done very well in this area of Sulawesi with its extremely fertile soil.
It was easy to pick out the Balinese Villages with distinctive and graceful architecture. Each house has a main gate for each entrance, the north and east corners are considered holy and sacred and this is where the house temple is located.
Continue reading "Balinese Villages in Central Sulawesi" »
The Pendolo market was nothing special with the exception of our slicing/dicing demo man. But a walk through the Tentana market was something else. Bats for sale. Bats roasted with a blow torch. Bats being scrubbed clean. Bats with wings, and bats without wings. Something for everybody.
These are fruit bats from the jungle. The locals catch them in nets when the bats come to the fields looking for fruit to eat. Duh.... The farmers wait until they've collected about 20 bats to a cage before bringing them to market. The cost is 25,000 Rupiah per bat (less than $3.00 U.S.) and couldn't get a definitive answer whether one bat is enough for a festive dinner..."I'm serving 8 at dinner...how many bats should I buy?"
 scrubbing the ickies off bats
Continue reading "Fascinating Markets of Sulawesi and Tentana" »
Today was a long driving day and the remaining few days in the car would turn out to be equally long or longer. (Oh...my poor butt...) The majority of road traffic consists of bicycles, motor bikes, SUV's and trucks. That's it. It's striking how courteous the Sulawesi drivers are compared to some other countries. No "fingers"...honking...cursing. They let each other pass, signal when the way is clear and no road rage. How unique is that!
At very long last, Pendolo, a small village on the south shore of Lake Poso that is a transit spot for visitors from Toraja before heading on. It's possible to visit the Megalithical Bada, Besoa and Napu Valley or ghost grinding stone or proceed to North Sulawesi (our goal). The Hotel Mulia Lake Hotel was so crowded 10 years ago you couldn't get in. Then came the terrorist attacks and intra-religious warfare in this region, and now, no tourists. One night. One dinner and breakfast before hitting the road again.
 tranquil Lake Poso
Continue reading "Pendolo on Lake Poso, Sulawesi" »
After breakfast, we left for Pendolo on the shore of Lake Poso. The drive would take us through Palopo, a small Muslim port and the capital of the Luwu regency, and perhaps have a chance to encounter Sago making and other sights along the way.
First stop was to visit a very, very old water buffalo, 28 years old, which is extremely old for a water buffalo especially after seeing all the previous sacrifices. Big "Buff" is the only one left with each horn spanning 2m/6' in Toraja Land. But this poor old guy was going to be sacrified in December for the Buffalo owner's dead father's funeral. This was July and father's corpse was still peacefully reposing in the family house. I read an interesting fact about this: If you visit a home with a dead person, you are supposed to pay your respects both on entering and leaving the house as if he/she is still your host!
 buffalo boy tending his long-horned water buffalo
Continue reading "From Toraja Land to Lake Poso: Big "Buff" and Sago in Sulawesi" »
Until we visited Sulawesi, I had no idea that some of the world's best diving takes place here. This is one of the few places that has such unusual bio-diversity within a small area. Deep vertical walls and droff offs, clear waters, and little "critters." It's simple to either base yourself in Manado and do day-trips to the reefs, or just outside Manado at one of the dive resorts that offer all-inclusive packages
If you don't dive, or perhaps only one of you is here for the diving, there are quite a few places close to Manado to relax. Perhaps, Gangga Island Resort & Spa, Tasik Ria Resort & Spa (a resort 40 minutes outside of Manado. The three main diving locations are: Bunaken Island, Lembeh Straits and Bangka Island, all close to Manado. Non-divers, there are also glass-bottom boats that give you a chance to marvel at this extraordinary coral reef.
Continue reading "Diving in Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
I promise...no more hanging graves, coffins, skulls, bones after this article but several extremely interesting stops today. The first was a visit to "The Baby Tree" and what secret is buried within. This was a baby grave tree for dead infants between the ages of newborn to two-weeks old. The parents believed that if they buried their baby inside a living tree, the baby would still be alive. The Torajans ceased doing this about 70 years ago and now bury babies in graves.
Odin parked the car and we walked down a shaded forest trail to a big Banyan Tree. This was The Baby Tree with the burial openings covered. Pardon me for being fanciful, but I could imagine bereaved parents bringing their baby to this quiet, peaceful area for burial. And it really felt as if the baby's spirits were there with us.
 The Baby Tree, Toraja Land
Continue reading "One Last Day in Toraja Land at Kete Kesu and The Baby Tree, Sulawesi" »
It was always a pleasure to return to the Toraja Heritage Hotel, usually by late afternoon, relax, digest what unusual things we'd seen each day and eat dinner. Three meals a day were included and a few days during the trip, we skipped dinners after eating lunch around 2 or 3:00 pm. Just not hungry.
Londa with its hanging graves was exciting but there was still Lemo, the Royal Graves of Suaya (the oldest effigies) and "The Baby Tree" to see. Stick with me! Each sight was unique and only can be experienced in the Tana Toraja area of South Sulawesi but these action-packed days were also filled with other interesting encounters, one, of the "third kind" when we came across a brilliantly colored Millipede...looked at some old wooden spoons in a local shop....View image...darn...why didn't I buy one!
 striking millipede
Continue reading "Lemo Effigies and The Royal Graves of Suaya, Sulawesi" »
Didn't want to leave Toraja Land without a visit to the Rantepao daily market, the first stop today. Outside the large market, many palm wine sellers. Some wine jugs had a very high alcohol level...View image... Inside the large market, we learned about and saw:
- Blue duck eggs ...View image...speckled pigeon eggs...View image...mixed in with ordinary eggs;
- Eels are raised in rice paddies and is one of the Torajan's favorite foods. The eels, sold alive, resembled nothing more than slithery snakes, one of my bugaboos, big ugh;
- Sago is sold in blocks. We'd see sago processing along the road into Central Sulawesi...View image...(we hoped)...more later on Sago;
- Rambutans. A red hairy, spiny fruit that you crack open, pop out the seed inside and eat the remaining white Litchi/Lychee flavored fruit. They were just coming into season and not completely ripe. One of my favorite fruits in Asia.
 slimy, slithery eels for sale
Continue reading "The Rantepao Market, Monoliths and Tombs of Londa, Sulawesi" »
In the previous articles and videos, you've seen how important funerals are to Torajan culture, visited a village where future funeral preparation were in full swing but there are still more details to consider when a person dies. The most important is a final resting place. Will you be buried in a modern grave? ...View image... A big rock? (Exactly how many big rocks are left for burial in Toraja Land.) Or in one of the dramatic village cliffs only available for burial if that is your village's site.
Of all these final resting places for the Torajans, today's hiking route took us past both some modern graves... and the extremely picturesque and interesting huge rock tombs where each person in the family is piled one on top of another when they die. ...View image... Some had effigies sitting outside in front of the tomb, or on top of the rock. A few had the coffin litters on top never to be used again and crumbling with age. ... View image... And still others had intricate and beautifully decorated doors with offerings to the deceased in front of them. Soft drink bottles filled with palm wine, and food.
 offerings to ancestors
Continue reading "Hiking Past The Stone Graves of Toraja Land - Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
The two of us definitely had vivid dreams last night and all the animal carnage did cause a temporary drop in food consumption. The Torajans aren't the only people in Indonesia to include sacrifice for special occasions. The Sumba of East Nusa Tenggara. and Dayak, both Borneo and East Kalimantan (the Indonesia side of Borneo) are two other tribes that still sacrifice. With two full days left to explore the area around Rantepao, there was still a lot to see and do. The weather looked good this morning so Jo-Jo decided to take us on a half day hike between villages. He asked a very wise question, do we prefer uphills or downhills to help make a decision. Uphills every time. Easier on the knees and with the mud everywhere, less chance of sliding down the hill.
In the car, bounced and jerked the way up a mountain outside of Rantepao until Odin stopped and let us out. He'd wait for us in Batutumonga. If you are interested in a long distance hike, easy to arrange for as many days as you choose. Just remember that it is very hot and humid, trails are extremely slippery (it almost always rains during the night even if it isn't rainy season), and you'll sleep in local houses. The Heritage Toraja Hotel even leaves huge hats scattered all over the property to protect from the rain instead of umbrellas. ...View image...
 Sheila wearing her rain hat
Continue reading "Hiking In The Mountains of Toraja Land - Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
The second and, thankfully, last funeral of this trip was called a reception to pay condolences to the family. Jo-Jo's wife comes from this village and he was REALLY looking forward to taking us there. Greeted by the sight of colorfully dressed Torajans in native dress. Taken aback at the bright colors, Jo-Jo said the only difference between clothing for a wedding or funeral is the people were wearing a black shirt under the outer garments. Oh...
Past the entrance and the main village square stretched before us filled with the already sacrificed buffalos being butchered and hacked into pieces for distribution. Major dismay and consternation on our parts, exhilaration for Jo-Jo as he merrily greeted members of his family and friends from distant villages. Raw meat (and the odor of raw meat) everywhere with entire buffalo heads littered on the ground and I felt as if the dead eyes were looking at me. ... View image... (Stop looking at me...)
 meeters and greeters and the funeral
Continue reading "Paying Condolence Calls in Ba'tan Village....e-e-wwww - Sulawesi" »
There was no way either of us wanted to eat lunch after the Buffalo bloodbath. Instead, Jo-Jo took us on a little excursion to see a stone statue of a man who lived to be over 100 years old and his stone sarcophagus. The only stone sarcophagus in Sulawesi. ...View image... The peace and quiet was wonderful. Wandered by fields of sweet potatoes, cacao pods, the inevitable rice fields with people harvesting and trees laden with coconuts... View image...
Took a turn down a narrow road with schools on either side. Small children gaping at us. Teenagers...View image... on the other side buying snacks from a local vendor. Tofu and Water Buffalo meatballs. Back in the car and heading for lunch, Jo-Jo told Odin to stop. We could hear some kind of drumming from a village along the road and jumped out. Jo-Jo said, "I want you to see this. It's a future funeral."
 frying up some tasty buffalo meatballs
Continue reading "And now, for something different before Funeral Two in Sulawesi" »
Odin left us off on the road at Bori and we started slip-sliding our way up a very muddy incline into the center of Bori. Sweating buckets in long pants, dark shirt and sarong, Jo-Jo led us to a place of honor next to a son of the deceased inside the newly erected viewing stands. His father was 90 years old and died 8 months ago. There were only about 12 other tourists and at least 200 locals, predominantly family.
The stands surrounded a big square and a parade of water buffalos was taking place while the elders tried to reach a concensus. Which buffalo will be donated to a church? Which ones to sacrifice and in what order? Decisions, decisions...all broadcast over a handheld microphone and speakers. Jo-Jo changed our viewing spots to the one directly under deceased Dad's coffin, primo seating. A loud quabble between eldest son of deceased and another village chief on how much buffalo meat his village was going to receive from the slaughter. This went on for a while with a big shouting match (not that we understood what they were saying). We just sat watching the buffalos standing patiently awaiting their fate...
 this big guy didn't have much longer to live
Continue reading "Funeral One Began With Buffalo Prayers - Sulawesi" »
Ready for Torajan Funeral Number One in Bori Village, Jo-Jo picked us up carrying black sarongs to wear. There was a downpour last night which resulted in mud. Not just ordinary mud but boot sucking mud The sarongs would have dragged in the mud, the sun was out and the humidity was incredible. Instead of wearing the sarongs, we just draped them over our shoulders.
Funeral rites are elaborate and expensive. If you are a nobleman, you have a very big death feast with thousands of attendees lasting several days to one week. A middle-class family will customarily observe over 4-5 days. The funeral season usually runs from June to October during the dry season. What happens....you may ask when someone dies in the rainy season?
 deceased's beautifully decorated casket
Continue reading "The Elaborate Toraja Funeral Customs in Sulawesi Are Not to be Believed" »
Ready for lunch in Rantepao (pronounced Rant-A-Pow), the cultural center of Toraja with hotels and tourist-oriented restaurants. By the numbers...there are four restaurants, six big hotels that are 3*** and 4****, smaller hotels and home stays. It will cost about 200,000 Rupiah ($22 U.S.) to stay at a backpacker hotel including breakfast and for cheap...cheap....cheap...a homestay runs around 100,000 Rupiah/night ($11.00 US).
Typical and distinctive Tongkonan houses on all sides of the road on the way to lunch. The bamboo (or tin) roofs are shaped like boats which supposedly honors the ancestors that sailed from southern China as early as 3,000 BC. This graceful and colorful architecture, set on pilings and grouped among the mountains and rice fields, was an jaw-dropping sight.
 typical Torajan village
Continue reading "Rantepao, Capital of Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
The loud call to prayer at 4:30 am even with ear plugs in from the dueling mosques...View image...of Sengkang. This was going to be another exhausting day in the car but also exciting entering Toraja land with its unique traditions. Approximately 1,000 tourists visit Toraja each year with Dutch the majority. Sulawesi is promoted big in Europe and more tourists visit as a result.
First stop, the Sengkang local silk weaving industry village. Under the stilts of each house in this village, women were toiling away at the extremely loud looms.... ( Wonder what kind of hearing loses they are subjected to after a few years...View image.) Changing threads of different colors in intricate patterns, weaving scarves and sarongs, and then exporting and selling in the local cooperative. My favorite parts? The colorful bird in a cage and indigo dyed thread drying in the sun...
 beautiful bird
Continue reading "In Tana Toraja (Toraja Land), A Most Unusual Sulawesi Destination" »
- The majority of tourists come from Holland, Spain, France and Germany.
- There are 32 provinces in the Republic of Indonesia. The North Sulawesi terrain is extremely mountainous and hilly.
- Indonesia has some of the most active volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The most active volcanoes are Kelut and Merapi on Java. Mt. Soputan (located in Tombau, around 60 km from Manado, Sulawesi) vocano is still active and steams and spews volcanic ash occasionally.
 Lokon Volcano outside of Manado
Continue reading "A Few Interesting Sulawesi, Indonesia Facts" »
The best part of the Lake Tempe boat trip was walking through town afterwards back to the Apada Hotel. There are three big mosques in Sengkang (pop: 600,000), and the evening call to prayer was a major loudspeaker duel between them. Each one calling out the prayers in a different fashion, at a different place in the prayer, with no one in unison. Quite amusing.
We walked away from the shore, past little shops, always on the lookout for motorbikes and cars zooming around the corners, taking in the local activity. (Loved the name of the local chicken franchise, Dobby Chicken.) Hotel Apada arranges a typical Bugis dinner on request. Jo-Jo requested and we dressed for the occasion...shorts and t-shirt. The Apada would supply sarongs to dress us up a bit. Kept mispronouncing "Bugis" with the emphasis on "bug" instead of the correct way, "boog."
 Dobby Chicken
Continue reading "A Typical Bugis Dinner in Sengkang, Sulawesi" »
A fast lunch, great fried chicken, and a wedding being held behind the small, local restaurant (neither bride nor groom had arrived yet) before continuing on today's long ride to Sengkang unrelieved only by pee stops, people sightings...View image...pedicabs...View image...laundry drying on hedges...View image and the omni-present rice fields.
Sengkang is the capital of a former Bugis kingdom. A very busy and historic market town overlooking Lake Tempe. Checked into the Apada Hotel in the center of Sengkang. The Apada Hotel had very simple accommodations and was formerly the house of the last Buginese princess. No matter. Dropped the bags and immediately set off by motorized canoe (long tail boat...and a very uncomfortable long tail boat to whit) to cross Lake Tempe and visit the floating villages.
 local children for the send off
Continue reading "Lake Tempe on The Shores of Sengkang, Sulawesi" »
After breakfast, it was off to Sengkang, a small village in the former Bugis Kingdom on Lake Tempe. Pretty hungry this morning because average meals haven't exactly been "Whopper sized" -- more like a skimpy "happy meal." It was going to be an all day ride to Sengkang with a boat ride on Lake Tempe once we got there. A museum stop was scheduled to see a collection regarding former Bugis Kings but today was Sunday and it was closed.
The lush, rice fields spread in all directions laden with stalks heavy with grains and golden under the abundant sunshine. People in the field were harvesting what is the third crop of the year in some parts of Sulawesi. I happen to love rice and could happily eat it daily but it's always a shock to see exactly how labor intensive growing rice is when you are accustomed to buying a box in the grocery store.
 lush rice terraces of Sulawesi
Continue reading "Rice, Wonderful Rice Growing in Sulawesi... Do you REALLY know how it gets to your table?" »
The beautiful and sweet children in the Seaweed Village came running from every direction to call out their names...View image..., say hello and practice their English. Took lots of photos and promised to send copies to one and all. PLEASE: If you take pictures of people and casually say you'll send them a copy...DO IT! It may be the one and only photograph they'll ever get of themselves and the Sulawesi people treasure them. Hard to believe but they do. Jo-Jo said it's common to prominently display both photos of themselves and any picture with a tourist. That's how proud they are of them.
It wouldn't be a vacation if I couldn't do my world-famous rendition of "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes) in Sulawesi with the children. Guaranteed to bring down the house, entertain the kids and adults and...so much fun! Left this legacy in Mali, Tibet, Ethiopia, Cambodia...along with the "Hokey-Pokey" in a Laos orphanage and along the banks of the Green River, Utah with my grandchildren, trying to warm up after a chilly downpour....
 adorable seaweed village kids
Continue reading "Eventually, we'll get to Bira...Sulawesi" »
Some quick Sulawesi facts from Jo-Jo:
- Indonesia is the biggest Muslim country in the world with approximately 250,000,000 followed by Pakistan and India.
- Cacao is the biggest export along with rice, and in case you weren't aware, this is where ex-Marine's dearly beloved CHOCOLATE comes from. Also known as "Nectar of the Gods" by the Mayans (and billions of other people in the world). We'd see many Cacao plantations along the entire distance of this route, over 2,400 kms/1,491 miles on our way from South Sulawesi to North Sulawesi. The unripened green pod resembles an avocado, turns yellow when ripe, and red after that. The pod is split, beans removed, dried, bagged and sold.
Continue reading "Salt Pans and Seaweed Villages, Still on The Way to Bira, Sulawesi" »
Up very early from jet lag, ex-Marine and I spent some time enjoying the Hotel Panti Gapura. The main restaurant is in an old boat....View image... There is a nice sized swimming pool, traditional island-style individual cottages, and the main hotel building with ordinary rooms. Very attractive and I was already sorry that we didn't spend an extra day here to just relax and explore Makassar. Makassar is the biggest city in Sulawesi but we had very little time (actually none) to explore it. Supposedly the market sells dogs and rats. There are 10 small islands off-shore Makassar inhabited by fishing villages. We watched the boat traffic coming and going...View image... with people bringing in their daily catches and going to work on Sulawesi.
Checked out from Hotel Pantai Gapura by Jo-Jo, our guide for the next 12 days. Jo-Jo is Torajan, has been guiding for 17 years, spoke great English, and is very personable. Into a big Caraka Travelindo van with Odin (from Papua), our driver. Sulawesi was called the "Celebes" during the 16th century by the Portuguese and the island remains much as it did then, ethnically divided. South Sulawesi is split between the highland Torajans and the lowland Bugis. It is thought that the Toraja people originally migrated from Laos, Vietnam, Yunnan and Malaysia. The isolated tribes in the central highlands date their ancestry from China, and the Minahasans in the far north are of Filipino-descent. During the late 19th century, the Dutch began controlling the entire island.
 Hotel Panti Gapura cottage
Continue reading "Tana Beru on The Road To Bira, Sulawesi" »
What a long, backbreaking journey. Chicago to Singapore via Hong Kong arriving in Singapore at 11:45 pm so we thought. Instead, a five-hour delay right off the bat at O'Hare meant a 1:30 am arrival in Singapore. Certainly not worth going to a hotel since the next leg was a 7:00 am flight to Jakarta. By the time we picked up luggage, taxi'd in to Singapore and then headed back to the airport at 5:00 am - for three hours sleep? Forget it. There are a few other Singapore options. Discovered the Singapore Airlines Club was open all night and crashed on couches until the Garuda Airlines flight left. Definitely not happy about flying Garuda, one of the world's unsafest airlines but it was the most convenient choice. And then was really unhappy reading the Asian Wall Street Journal with an article how all Indonesia airlines are so unsafe that the European Union bans them from flying to Europe.
In Jakarta, Indonesia with both pieces of luggage (a big PLUS) it was time for Visas On Arrival Very easy but -- TRAVEL TIP: They just raised the rates from $20 to $25 US. All you need are passports, two photographs and money. Walked from the International side of the terminal over to the Domestic side for check-in and discovered there is a departure tax of 30,000 Rupiah/person. Oops...hadn't changed into Rupiah yet. Paid in dollars that converted to two extra dollars than if we had paid in Rupiah. Know he hosed us but what can you do.
Continue reading "It's A Long Journey to Sulawesi" »
Air? We did a convoluted itinerary for multiple reasons. One, was to fly United Airlines, Chicago to Singapore, and then turned in United Airlines miles to get free Singapore Airlines economy tickets from Singapore-Jakarta. Two, needed tickets from Jakarta (CGK)-Makassar (UPG) with a return from Manado (MDC)-Jakarta (CGK). Purchased Garuda Airlines through our travel agent, something we rarely do. Safari Tours & Travels would have purchased e-tickets for us but with all the connections, etc., I felt more comfortable using her. You can certainly purchase on-line through BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter and search Kayak for schedules. TIP: Try to use miles accumulated on airlines for First or Business Class on long-distance flights (the only way we can afford to fly in those sections) and economy on short-hauls. It may only be 20,000 miles for a short-haul ticket.... .
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Visas? Visas are required for all visitors to Indonesia. Eleven countries are eligible for a "Visa Free" facility. Read the visa information section on Safari Tours & Travel site. As U.S. citizens, we could get a Visa On Arrival in Indonesia. You need a valid passport, onward or return tickets, and two color passport photos. There is a $25 U.S. charge for a 30-day visa. Check your nearest Indonesian Embassy for up-to-date information.
Travel Insurance? Some don't buy travel insurance, we always do...just in case. These trips are too expensive to risk losing everything if any problems arise. Contact Travel Guard for insurance needs. I recently read a big article in a reputable magazine advising against travel insurance and saying people don't really need it and can afford the expense if they lose money by cancelling. Are they kidding? Afford to lose $5,000 U.S. when ex-Marine had kidney stones two days before a trip? We said a big prayer of thanks for Travel Guard. Yes. There are lots of papers to fill out, but they reimbursed the entire amount. I say...TRAVEL INSURANCE.
 
Continue reading "Planning A Sulawesi, Indonesia Trip" »
Indonesia. When Indonesia is mentioned, I think only of Sukarno, Bali...or Jakarta...or terrorists kidnapping tourists...and have never gotten past that. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I did visit Bali and Jakarta as part of our first whirlwind trip to Asia in 1980. Ah yes...I remember Bali well. Steve's back went out on the beach and completely locked up in spasm. He crawled back to the room and one of the tour group had heavy-duty muscle relaxants that we massaged down his throut (similar to force-feeding a goose). Jakarta? We spent one day there and I remember nada.
The good news is the U.S. State Department has finally removed Indonesia from the "warning list" after seven years. There was a conflict between Muslims and Christians in the center of this island but that's over now. And then I stumbled across an article in an adventure magazine about Sulawesi. I never realized Indonesia has 17,500 islands...that would take a few lifetimes to visit them all! Contacted Safari Tours & Travels, Manado, a highly recommended tour operator in Indonesia specializing in Sulawesi and a slew of e-mails from Jeremy instantly started flowing.
 Sulawesi map
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