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Wow Indonesian people are so friendly! The first two days in Rantepao Meena and myself hired a scooter and set out to explore the outskirts of Rantepao.
Firstly we headed south and visited Ke'te Kesu, a small village of traditional style houses, hanging graves, cave graves, rice paddies, collections of bones in open coffins with skulls placed to watch to goings and comings. It is a great example of how the Torajan people treat the dead like the living and shows their traditions have been the same for thousands of year. We then followed the road back towards Rantepao through rice paddies and amazing scenery to Karassik. Karassik is another town that has traditional houses and a great view over Rantepao. For lunch it was Mee Goreng, amazing. After trying to find out some information about funeral ceremonies that were taking place we accepted that we probably wouldnt see one until monday, nothing much happens over the weekend and everyone you spoke to gave you a different storey! One person tells you in the north, someone else the south and someone else there isnt any.
For the afternoon we headed north through beautiful rice paddies and small vilagers. An amazing place
to take photos, the rice paddies are so green. We visited Pallawa, a small village where we met a lady 8months pregnant with twins that was trying to sell us everything and anything. We also met a family who would be having a funeral from monday which they invited us too. Firsty they would move the body saturday and sacrifice a buffulo and pig then the ceremony would begin on monday for three days. After speaking with the family and taking photos with the children we headed back to Rantepao.
For dinner i discovered street food in Sulawesi! Fresh chillies and melon, vegie, eggy mixture deep fried and an amazing bread with chocolate and nuts in it fried with lots of butter. That you cant get addicted to! So bad for you but tastes great!
The second day we went back to the north of Rantepao to Bori and Parinding then back to the Pallawa village. In Parinding we got invited into a family home for lunch, pumpkin and rice soup. The family were so friendly and we enjoyed listening to her talk about her son and tell us her stories about how rich people in Indonesia spend
money, and men. We went on short walks and found some great views and women working hard in the rice paddies, men walking buffulos, and scooters with more luggage then you can fit in a car strapped to them, how they balance them i will never know.
After lunch we went back to the village in Pallawa, we gave a gift of sugar and they offered us tea, bikkies and a night at the village. They told us about the family and who was who and where they came from but the famly was so big it was impossible to remember! The men moved the body of the deceased up high into a platform looking over the village. They then moved the buffulo into the centre and slit its neck. The buffulo's often cost as much as a small car and are bought and sacrifised as a mark of respect to the dead. They did the same with a pig (the noise of a pig dying you never forget!) The pig was then roasted and the buffulo was skinned and cut up into pieces laid on palm leafs. The dogs and chickens ate the blood. Once cut the pieces
are cleaned and dried. The children use the hooves as toys tied to a string to play battles with.
After leaving the village we headed to Singki in the west to walk up the hill for a view over Rantepao. There are so many small villages around and the tradition and cultures is strong throughout them and mostly the people are amazingly friendly.
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mandy
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mum
love your blogs, hope the diving goes well,try n put some photos of you on , love you xxx