Today we are off to see some of the various burial sites used by the Toraja. Their belief system is complex. Most of them are Christian, and their Christianity seems to combine seamlessly with their ancient beliefs. They are not animists by and large; they are not into spirit worship. Christianity came to Toraja when the Dutch came to the area in 1906. Only about 15% of the population are Muslim, unlike the rest of south Sulawesi which is heavily Islamic. However, first we are going to see the twice weekly livestock market in Rantepao. This is where buffalo and pigs are traded. Buffalo are imported from elsewhere in Indonesia to satisfy the almost insatiable demand for buffalo for sacrifice, and the traders bring them here. There are hundreds of beasts in several rings, on the ... read more

The pouring rain has stopped and it’s a beautiful morning. We enjoy the luxury of a lie-in – to 6.40! The unexpected pleasures of Rumah Saweh continue, with a “Dutch” breakfast of homemade yogurt, smoked salmon, pastrami, cream cheese, fresh passion fruit and excellent coffee. We wish we could stay another night, but sadly we have to move on. Yusruf takes us on an easy walk through the countryside to a nearby village, with some 400 year old houses, and he points out different plants and their medicinal uses, which he learnt from his grandma. As we set off, the villagers shout at him, he tells us “Oi Yusruf, why are those foreigners walking with ski poles there is no snow here hahaha”. So rude. We see durian, cocoa and mangoes growing on trees which we ... read more

After a pleasant overnight stay in a lovely hotel in Malang that was once a Dutch colonial building, we say goodbye to comfort and head off to visit Mount Bromo, one of the many hundreds of volcanoes in Indonesia. Our new driver Tommy offers us a quick visit to the Malang bird market, a street with hundreds of small and mostly colourful birds for sale. Owning caged birds are a symbol of prestige in Indonesia, and seeing them is OK, but we don’t like the sight of half a dozen rabbits squashed up in a small cage and are downright appalled at the sight of two tiny monkeys dressed in sweaters trying to escape their cage. Tommy takes the back routes to Tumpang, which finally afford us a sight of the real countryside. The villages are ... read more

We decide to skip the 3am departure to watch the sun rise over Borobudur, and instead allow ourselves a lie in till 6am, which allows time for breakfast and a very brief glimpse of the volcano before it vanishes back into the mist. Borobudur is an hour’s drive away, and August takes us on the back routes which are far more scenic and rural and much quieter than the highway. All the guide books say it’s vital to get there before 7.30am when the tour parties arrive, as it gets appallingly crowded. We are nervous that our need for sleep may result in a dreadful visit fighting off the crowds, so are pleasantly surprised, not to say relieved, when we arrive to find a peaceful car park and nobody ahead of us in the ticket queue. ... read more

5.30am and we are awake, groggy but unable to sleep further. We get up and splash welcome cold water over our faces and enjoy a most welcome cup of tea. The best to be said about the night is that the mosquito net worked. We smell even worse. After a breakfast of banana pancakes and scrambled eggs, we set off once more. We’re fortunate to see a second wild male orangutan, hanging nonchalantly in the branches. Our guide says that this morning we will go for a one hour trek to plant some trees, which she warns us will be extremely muddy and slippery after last night’s thunderstorm. We ask if we couldn’t go to a feeding station again, but she says it will be too late as feeding starts at 9am. At 9.05 we sail ... read more