hallo ralf, how are you .... all the best fuer 2016 to you aus Putussibau ... . wir hatten eine traumreise als backpacker .... super toll eine bitte kannst du mir bitte 2 oder 3 von deinen besten Photos mit dem Orang Utang zusenden .... das waere super tolll ...... bist du in sulawesi wir fliegen am Mittwoch dort hin .... regards from jutta und charly
The king of fruit? Are you sure 'bule' isn't the word for 'he who stinks of durian'? I probably shouldn't have found your durian smelling bag story so funny, but I felt your pain too :)
Palau Tomia Yet another gem discovered by the Flying Dutchman...or do you prefer Cruisin' Dutchman. Helped aboard by a dreadlocked friend you must have thought it was the start of something special. This pic is a cracker.
Pulau Tomia I wouldn't dare to take credit for discovering this place, except for myself.
My dreadlocked CIA agent was indeed special. Might be something for the next James Bond.
I had a feeling thats where you were heading ;) Yes, there is so much to discover and so little information..i guess thats what keeps drawing me back to Sulawesi and more remote Indonesian archipeligos. Great blog, I enjoyed it heaps thanks.
Your hunch was right! Yes, this part of Sulawesi is really nice, but one has to discover it all by oneself. And I need much more time for that. Will have to come back one day. Locals keep telling me about all these places, I haven't a clue where they are. Today I... No that is for the next blog ;)
Hats off to his Dudeness Hats off Ralf... nice report and cool trip.. I missed Wakatobi when I was in Sulawesi. Sounds like a really nice area to explore..... Loved the Orangutan Crab Pic... one of my favorite little underwater critters haha
Thanks! And I only have done the easy part of Southeast Sulawesi so far. If you get here, go visit Muna Island as well, it is on the first stop (Raha) when you take the jet-boat from Kendari to Bau-Bau and vice-versa. I was going to, but ended up skipping it. But it should have some really interesting scenery and culture. I have discovered that on the rest of this part of Sulawesi there is no information at all. Not even on Indonesian sites... So much to be discovered, so little time left.
Pantai Bira I have fond memories of that beach in Bira...so beautyful and deserted. You should have visited the shipyards as the region is super famous for their shipbuilders. All traditional, all wood .... and they give you a tour of the half finished boats if you meet the right guy haha. Where did you take that ferry from? Makassar? Wonder where you will go..... interesting stuff. I went back to Makassar from Bira and then took a ferry over to Flores ...
Shipbuilders Yeah, I was told about the ship building yards, but to be honest most of the time I was nursing a cold and just relaxed a lot and when my cold was gone I did my dive and then I left. As for the ferry I took... Read the blog carefully and you will know, here is a hint, it left from Watampone ;)
Thanks for commenting!
Well written blog... I remember riding in a taxi from Ipoh to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, a very twisty turny road, where durian was being sold along the side of the road. The combination was even more nauseating.
I can imagine Durian on a twisty road, sounds like a bad combination. Personally I don't mind the taste of durian itself, though I don't belong to those who find it the best thing they have ever eaten. At times it is quite nice. But the smell... Phew, that is something different!
Nope, I still don't like durian You have very understanding friends to let you ride with them with the smell of durian wafting from your belongings. I think durian smells like a pineapple that a dog has urinated on that has been left to rot in the sun. I have tried durian pastries, durian cookies, even durian ice cream, and it still makes me gag. I think the worst thing about durian is that your belches taste like durian for the next four hours. I have to drink beer and eat chocolate just to get the taste out of my mouth.
Singing in the rain Raining cats & dogs, ants, and raining so much you don't care. Then it clears and what is before you is glorious. Stunning pics Ralf of a lest forgotten piece of paradise. I can hear the jungle calling.
The birds were singing anyway Even in the rain. The ants were less pleased after they rained on me, I brushed them off and they fell to a watery grave. Cycle of life I suppose. Some fish enjoyed them me thinks.
Cross borneo We had the same problems 20 years ago, the boats are very expensive.But I was lucky. On the pelniboat to Pontianak I met an Australian girl maureen , I told her about the trek and she joint me.in potussibau we were about to head back to pontianak,when around the next corner there has been three austrians who wanted to do it too.for all five of us it was possible.
I still know at this time I have been the firsttime a millionaire in my life, I exchanged a million rupiahs in one thousand rupiah bills,a big pile.at this time one thousand was still worth something.The Kapuas boats are more expensive than the mahakam boats.On the mahakam its a short boatride to the next village,than there are local boats that are by far less time expensive. The boatride down the mahakam is very nice.The walk is nice, but seven days of rice and fish 3times a day takes its toll.When we came to the first village there was a small bakery, we ate everything.
So good luck, and see you possibly next year in Sulawesi
Jens
Guide and boat Love the photo of you with the guide photo bombing you. (Photo 20) It looks like you served as a source of amusement for this guy - and that's a good thing.
Ha, ha! Yeah, I thought it was a funny picture. It is the boat driver actually. The guide took the photo. He was mighty interested in my camera. At one point I could hardly get him to part with it ;)
Jutta
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hallo ralf, how are you .... all the best fuer 2016 to you aus Putussibau ... . wir hatten eine traumreise als backpacker .... super toll
eine bitte kannst du mir bitte 2 oder 3 von deinen besten Photos mit dem Orang Utang zusenden .... das waere super tolll ...... bist du in sulawesi wir fliegen am Mittwoch dort hin .... regards from jutta und charly