Blogs from Sulawesi, Indonesia, Asia
May 9th 2012
The Boeing takes off from Ngura Rai airport and climbs hard. We pass Kuta Beach south, and our hotel as the engines thunder on. The pilot takes us high and then into a lazy bend to the north climbing all the while, turbines roaring. Our flight takes us completely overwater. There is no divert airport here, Its either Ngura Rai or Sultan Hassanuddin. The pilot wants the height. We swing to the right of Bali and then the left, working our way North, climbing all the while. On our left is mount Agun, at 3000m Bali’s highest volcano. On the right, the highest peak in Lombok comes into view, the dawn mists swirl slightly around its base, but the summit is clear. The sun shines on the slopes and the outline of Lombok becomes clear. The ... read more
March 16th 2012
On arriving Ampana we spent the night at Oasis Hotel and took the ferry the next morning to Wakai (main pier on Togeans). Actually instead of unboarding the ship we paid few rupies more and continued to Malenge Island, two hours sail. We enjoyed the island at Lestari Resort , 3 nights. The food was excellent, swimming perfect and we easily visited sea- gipsy village. Our next stop for another 3 nights was Black Marlyn Resort on Kadidiri Island. That place was also very panaromic but many mosquitos and management is thinking only money. Food is very basic. The trip we took with two German ladies was expensive but worth the value. We snokelled at reef # 5 , in another open sea area, Bolilanga Island and we had lunch at Fatillah Cottages on a small ... read more
March 5th 2012
Mr Dodo’s ( our internet friend) driver Umar took us from the Makasar Airport. Spent the night at Dodo’s homestay. Dodo arrenged us a good dinner at Lae Lae Sea Food Rest. Umar offered us a trip to Ampana four days by his mini van at an acceptable price. The next day we took a city tour of Makasar. The same day we headed to Tana Toraja. On arrival we stayed at Wisma Maria Hotel ( 10 US$ incl. Brkfst) The following day he guided us for the interests of Toraja. We were lucky to visit a funeral ceremony which was from a lower class. According to Toraja ancestry believes people continue on living after death. They don’t pronounce the word death . They say for the death he/she is sick. And they keep the death ... read more
Ausstehende Tauchfotos von Bunaken und Togian Islands, Sulawesi, Indonesien (verrückte Tierwelt)
Published: February 29th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Sulawesi » Menado
February 29th 2012
und hier noch die fehlenden Tauchfotos von den Togian Islands, in Zentralsulawesi (das Paradies) und Bunaken Island, ganz im Norden von Sulawesi, Indonesien, nicht mehr weit zu den Philippinen. für mich und für viele andere Taucher ist bes. Bunaken nach Sipadan, Borneo die Nummer 2 weltweit der besten Tauchplätze. Besonders beim Muck-Tauchen (ähnlich wie Schlammtauchen, also keine Korallen) und beim Nachtschnorcheln (war teilweise ganz schön furchteinflössend) habe ich die bisher verrücktesten Tiere gesehen, kein Wunder dass so viele danach süchtig werden, besonders wenn man schon lange bei den wunderschönen Korallen taucht, siehe die Fotos... read more
February 8th 2012
Firstly, sorry it's taken me so long to write something! The Internet at Tasikoki hasnt been very reliable! I'll try to start at the start: I was alittle nervous about arriving into Indonesian customs carrying all of those medical supplies, but there was no problem at all and they sent me straight through. I had two people from the centre meet me. I was very glad of that because as soon as we step out of the airport terminal there was a sea of faces staring at me! My driver Antony helped me get an Indonesian sim card and credit so that I could let Tris know I arrived ok. I also sent Dad a txt which he received but didn't tell Mum about! It was about an hour and a half drive from the airport ... read more
January 24th 2012
Bangka/Sauhong island lies just to the north east of Manado, across the banka strait from the Lembeh Strait. I went there to dive a particular spot which was as stunning as I had been told - I often ask dive guides there favourite spot and this one kept coming up, so I knew I had to get there. Bangka isnt the easiest of islands. There are three dive resorts and liveaboards do visit. Trips from Bunaken and Lembeh and vice versa are available. Your resort will arrange pickup from the airport and take you to Pantai Surabaya (which of course is nowhere near Surabaya) where your boat whisks you away to one of those rare places still largely devoid of bloody tourists. I spent a night on the mainland due to my Lion Air flight being ... read more
A plethora of Clitoria in a Sensual Jungle
Published: January 22nd 2012Asia » Indonesia » Sulawesi » Tangkoko National Park
January 22nd 2012
No wait! Before you hit the censorship button there is a purely botanical explanation for the blog title. Many many years ago while I was a teenager I had found a picture of a plant known as Clitoria in a Nat Geo Magazine. My brain obviously filed this tidbit of information in the archived files circa 1978 of stuff you may want to remember one day and closed up the file and put it into sleep mode. It turns out, those old worn neurosynapses fired when needed and retrieved this information when I did need it....in a jungle in Sulawesi Utara. I was back in Sulawesi after Diving Bangka and Bunakin and some of the mainland sites again and had set aside a few days for ''land based activities'' - I actually wrote that on my ... read more
January 9th 2012
As we sat around the dinner table, the man, British but now a permanent resident of the Togean Islands, remarked to us how you “don’t get here by accident” and how right he was... The journey began in Tana Toraja where we were told that there were no buses running to Poso over New Year, a necessary stopping point on the way to the Togeans. Our hearts sank like heavy stones in our bellies... Since we had both been battling with sickness, physically and with regards to missing home, we had been looking forward to our stay in the Togean Islands, and to be honest we needed the respite more than we would care to admit. We were approached by another European couple who wanted to share transport to a lake which is en ... read more
January 7th 2012
NOTE: Not suitable for vegetarians or animal lovers in general... What should you do when it’s the Christmas period; you’re feeling quite homesick and coming of the back of food poisoning? Why, venture into the heart of Sulawesi to a land where the people are completely and utterly obsessed with death of course... We’ve hit the wall! Almost 700 days into our trip, we’ve come to that point where we’ve questioned the worth of continuing. When you’re so far into a journey, the mundane just isn’t enough anymore – the things that amuse and amaze in the honey-moon period of travelling barely merit attention anymore and as such, it becomes more difficult. That’s not to say we don’t enjoy Indonesia; on the contrary, we’ve thus far found it to be one of our personal favourites, a ... read more
Toraja (Sulawesi) : pays des buffles et des morts.
Published: December 8th 2011Asia » Indonesia » Sulawesi
December 6th 2011
Si à Bali la religion est omniprésente, au Pays Toraja (Sulawesi), c'est le culte aux morts qui rythme la vie sociale. Une fois que vous avez un décès dans la famille, appelez rapidement un spécialiste qui injectera au défunt 3 litres de formol dans le corps pour bien le conserver. (Buvez du lait de coco si les effluves vous picotent les yeux) Puis maintenez-le chez vous au sec et à l'abri du soleil jusqu'à ce que vous ayez économisé assez d'argent pour les funérailles (quelques mois en général)... 800 invités étaient présents pour le modeste enterrement auquel j'ai pu assister. 24 buffles et 150 cochons ont été sacrifiés et dépecés, ça en fait des mouches à la campagne ça... Bien entendu, chaque invité doit participer (buffle ou cochon le plus souvent) et tous les cadeaux sont ... read more
