After so much time snorkelling and lazing around on white sand beaches we were ready for a change. We took a bus heading northwards to an area in the South of Sulawesi called Tana Toraja. The area is high in the mountains with even higher mountains surrounding it. The temperature was a pleasant 26/28 degrees C - much cooler than the 40 degrees in Makassar. The nights are cool enough to sleep without a fan or air-con. This area is known for it's strange customs and funeral ceremonies. We booked ourselves into a pleasant little guest house with mountain views, then joined up with four other travellers and hired a car plus driver/ guide for two days to see the area and learn about their strange customs. On the first day we visited a traditional village, ... read more

The Bemo pulled away and we breathed a sigh of relief that we'd found a bed for the night. We tried to organise our things in the tiny room using every available nail! The bed wasn't a full size double bed so it promised to be a sweaty night. The bathroom or 'mandi' was along the wooden walkway outside, there was no running water just a large tiled tank in the corner with cold water and a scoop. The scoop was to be used for throwing over you to wash and also to pour down the toilet to act as a flush. We took a walk along the beach and to the village close by, as it was Sunday it was full of locals but we'd read that throughout the week the whole place was desserted. ... read more

I've had lots of requests to see photos of the beaches and under the sea around the Bandas, so at last I've updated the blog and added photos., there's lots so keep scrolling down if you don't want to miss any! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 2nd 2011 We have now been on the Banda Islands for almost three weeks. The main reason we came here was tales of how outstandingly beautiful the undersea world wasl, miles and miles of pristine coral reefs and drop offs teeming with fish. We were not dissapointed, we did a snorkel trip almost every day and were increasingly amazed at the site that met our eyes each time we jumped in, our trusty boatman took us to numerous sites bordering several of the Banda Islands. We tended to do a couple of stops ... read more

Vita – The name of our guesthouse on Bandaniera. A place to spend long lazy days. This is the kind of place you’re happy to just do nothing. Seven rooms all face out onto an open courtyard with two tables large enough to seat six people, a great place to meet and exchange travel stories with other travellers. In front of the courtyard is a lovely tropical garden with a couple of hammocks strung between two palm trees. Perfect to while away a hot afternoon. A huge tree casts a welcome shadow over pots of delicate plants. A hearty breakfast is brought to you within minutes of popping a sleepy head out of your front door. Fresh fruit – pineapple, papaya, mango and melon. Not to mention the big bunch of tiny bananas that was always ... read more

We left our big backpacks with the owner, Pete, at Beta Hotel so we could travel light to Puala Saparuha for a few days. We caught the Bemo to Tulehu then jumped on an Ojek – (motorbike taxi) to the port where we located the correct ferry, bought a ticket and prepared ourselves for the long wait while cargo was loaded on. We managed to find out that the ferry left at 1pm and would take two hours – all by speaking Indonesian – hope you’re all impressed! Once on Saparua we were pounced on by Ojek drivers and Bemo drivers all eager to take our money. One quoted us 50,000 rupees to take us to our chosen destination. The average price should be 5,000 rupees per journey. We surprised him by saying ‘tidak’ the ... read more