Tentena (9-11 Apr)

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It's done! The leg of the journey that I had some apprehension over - Rantepao to Tentena. It turned out to be a rather long 12h plus as expected, but mercifully the bus was actually pretty comfortable, and save for a few segments, the roads were in decent condition. And none of the passengers smoked on board! (Ok one guy did bring his lit cigarette in after a bathroom break, but he stubbed it out soon after). Hopefully the worst of my intra-Sulawesi bus journeys are now over, though there will still be a few more several-hour rides to come...

And so from the Torajan highlands, bypassing vast swathes of picturesque vegetation, I'd arrived in Central Sulawesi, in the small town of Tentena which sits on the edge of Indonesia's third largest lake Danau Poso. Coming here of course reminds me of my other visits to Indonesian lakeside towns, specifically Maninjau and Toba in Sumatra. The feel is definitely similar, though Tentena is probably closer to Maninjau than the more touristy Toba. I've read that Tentena is also growing as a destination for domestic tourists, but this must surely be the low season for them as on my second night here I think I was probably the only guest at the guesthouse!

Stayed at Victory Hotel.

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Photos

Danau Poso
LP says some of these traps are used to catch the local sugili (eel) that can grow up to 2m in length. They are also apparently delicious (of course).

Rantepao-Tentena
The road from Southern to Central Sulawesi is fringed with such sights.

Rantepao-Tentena
No surprises here. Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil in the world. Here we see some new plantings.

Rantepao-Tentena
Somebody's making some moolah mining the country's rich natural resources...

Rantepao-Tentena
A few slightly hairy moments en route. Here we pass a bridge collapsed into the sinking mud. And it's raining.,,

Rantepao-Tentena
Barrelling through another Central Sulawesi town.

Banana Pancake Trail
Yes apparently Sulawesi is very much on it. That mashed up-looking thing in the small dish is the banana!

Selling meat by the road
In fact it's pork. Christianity is quite prevalent in Sulawesi, and the religion lives harmoniously alongside the ubiquitous Islam in Indonesia. Or at least for now. Central Sulawesi was the scene of some violent clashes some years ago between factions from the two different religious groups.

Es Soda Susu
Somewhat an Indonesian quirk - condensed milk in crushed ice topped with your choice of soda. I still remember my first encounter with it back in May 2012 in Pangandaran beach in Central Java (I remember the mosquitoes too), on the first leg of my apparently still-ongoing sojourn.

Some kinda choreographed dance
Not traditional though, it was done to techno music. At Hotel Victory where I stayed. I've seen lotsa girls dancing to techno music in dimly-lit bars in Thailand before, but none so young!