Departure 2013-Oct-17 - 8.30     Arrival 2013-Oct-19 - 16.00

Even though Sulawesi is only a few hundred kilometers away from the south-tip of the Philippines, it was impossible to find a direct way down! No boats were running (due to the political situation on the Sulu Islands and parts of south Mindanao) and no flights were going. Eventually, I had to take a different route and fly from Cagayan de Oro to Manila to Jakarta to Manado … crossing the equator twice in only a few hours! 

Sulawesi is known to be the Philippines of Indonesia. Whatever this may mean, as long as the food has a bit more variety I am perfectly fine with that… The first lunch when arriving in Manado already proves this saying right: fresh grilled fish, steamed vegetables, rice and fresh juice for approximately 2 Euros….wow! Within one day here I find one other similarity with the Philippines: people here are open and friendly, literary everyone greets you on the street with a friendly "HELLO MISTER", for both, men and women!

Only an hour boat ride away from Manado is Bunaken, an island with a marine sanctuary being a paradise for divers and easy to reach. Sounds perfect, so I head over. The dive-sites ARE amazing: bright blue sea, crystal clear waters with 40m visibilities ("not so good at the moment" the divemaster tells me), and a crazy amount of fishes and turtles!  

Indonesia is said to have many of these little paradises and I hope to find them all …

Departure 2013-Oct-24 - 9.00     Arrival 2013-Oct-26 - 8.30

After a few days of diving I leave this paradise to head to the next: the Togian Islands. With this change of location I recognize that getting to places in Sulawesi isn't easy at all. Even the main roads are bad, narrow and winding up and down the mountains in serpentines. Just to get from Manado to the port of Gorontalo takes a day, to get to the next island takes another overnight ferry.

On recommendation by the hotel, I am at the ferry-terminal just when the counter opens (... as it might get really busy!). Even though the ferry only leaves between five and eight PM, at 2 o'clock I am there, German as I am. The first and only one in line, I have a free choice between all classes and seats.

The ticket I buy is valid for the tatami-class (or business class/2) which is a larger common room for 40 + x people with two fans, Obviously, foreigners are a rare sight in here and I am one of the fewer women without a veil. Nevertheless, the two older ladies next to me greet me with a handshake and a tooth-less smile, once I lay down next to them. This will be a cozy night ... sleepless for me though, as it feels like 40 degrees Celsius in here.

Yet again, when I arrive in my final destination (Black Marlin Resort) I am astonished by the scenery: islands, white beaches, clear waters, palm trees and peacefulness are surrounding me. Paradise, again!

Departure 2013-Oct-29 - 9.00     Arrival 2013-Oct-30 - 21.00

The ferry leaving the Togian Islands to go south to Ampana is one level down compared to the one coming here. The good thing is, this one only takes 4hrs and I get to see dolphins on the way! Nothing spectacular for the locals on board, extremely exciting for me as it is my first time ever seeing them!

The ride from Ampana to Poso then Rantepao leads you on a small road (which is actually the main highway) up the mountains and through the deepest jungle, through plains and then into the area of Tana Toraja. It is a beautiful and tiring ride that roughly takes two days.

The first stretch from Ampana to Poso takes you through an area with hardly any people; houses and small villages make a poor appearance. The driver tells me that up until 2007 there were fights between Moslems and Christians in this area and every once in a while these conflicts rise again. Although this area seems very peaceful, this explains why I see people on scooters and trucks with guns. Every once in a while, parts of the road are blocked and under repair due to the heavy rainfalls, a couple of times we have to wait hours until we can pass. The ride is sloooooow.....

The last bit runs through the plains, a richer area with many villages, religious people and mosques and churches every few hundred metres. I wonder how they can afford these large, magnificent buildings and also if they are ever filled with people. With the sun going down at 6PM we are still not on the final road to Rantepao, this remote town, which we will only reach 3 hours later. 

Rantepao is the village (…. uuuhm, "city") from which it is easiest to explore Tana Toraja, a highland area. I heard about its beautiful countryside, sights and rituals, knowing it would be slightly hard to reach. The first day there I need to recover from the two days of driving. This break gives me some time to sort out my schedule for the next days: riding around on a scooter, trekking, and luckily, I will be able to visit a traditional funeral ceremony.

More or less every tourist coming to Rantepao tries to see a traditional funeral ceremony in the area. Luckily, the Torajan people are extremely hospitable and it is rather easy to find a guide taking you to a funeral. The families don't mind tourists being around throughout the rituals, taking pictures and staring at the sight in front of them, eyes and mouth wide open. To show your condolence the guide has you hand over a carton of cigarettes or pack of sugar to the family. I guess this little gesture also helps tolerating us strangers there.

Depending on the size of the funeral up to one hundred pigs and 40 buffalos are being sacrificed throughout the rituals. In order to safe enough money for the celebration, the deceased sometimes has to wait up to a few years. Obviously mummified...

The funeral I visit is of normal size and when I arrive the families are in the middle of the ceremony, sacrificing animals: Some villagers are awaiting to bring their offering, hanging around in the shade, others are standing in a circle, chanting in the middle of the sight. In honour of the deceased many of the guests are wearing traditional costumes. The coffin is put on a higher stage, overlooking the procedure. There is a pile of pigs and parts of skinned buffaloes laying around and I am one of the "eyes-and-mouth-wide-open-tourists" taking pictures. I am impressed by what is happening around me. Am I still in the 21st century?

A couple of hours of "this" including the killing of four beautiful water buffalos is definitely enough for me! The guide and I take the scooters, leave the scenery and ride through the countryside of Tana Toraja. With its mountains, rice paddies, hugh boulders in the lush green, these unusual houses and barns, I feel like being in some sort of fantasy land. What a paradise this is! Stopping for lunch I am glad the "buffalo in black sauce" on the menu is finished and I don't have to try it.

Departure 2013-Nov-04 - 21.00     Arrival 2013-Nov-05 - 5.00

One of the best things in Rantepao is the low temperature, I actually feel cold here at night! What a relief after the Togian Islands, where it was too hot to sleep. However, after 5 days in the Highlands I get back on the road and take the night-bus to Makassar. There, I will catch a ferry to Labuanbajo in Flores ... traveling over land is just so much more exciting than "simply" taking a plane.

After a cold night in the bus I arrive in Makassar at 5AM the next morning. This leaves the whole day to source accommodation for one night, buy the ferry ticket, some snacks and food for the 18h trip the next day. Makassar is an overheated, crowded place with lots of scooters, bemos, cars, mosques and some dutch architecture. One of the few sights here is the Fort Rotterdam, thinking of all my dutch friends I go check it out but am not impressed at all. Good that I only stay one night in this town. It is more than enough!

continue with ... NUSA TENGGARA