2010 journey to Indonesia

13th November 2010

I am about to embark on yet another journey to Indonesia...happy to leave work behind me and head to paradise on a new adventure. My plan is to travel to Sulawesi...although I have travelled to Sulawesi in the past, that was in 1995, so I was expecting lots of changes and new ventures to learn from.

I had five days relaxing in Bali with friends, which was the perfect start to the journey. I even organised a hire car for one day and went sight seeing to tourist spots that I hadn't been to since the mid-eighties... the Monkey Forest (not enjoyable but I took some great photos!), then further north to Kintamani to see the famous 'Gunung Batur' and 'Danau Batur' and then finally to 'Pura Besakih' - the 'Mother Temple' on the slopes of Gunung Agung...still as spectacular as I had remembered it. The visit to 'Pura Besakih' was a memorable experience...one with a tale all on to itself...(perhaps needing a later post..!?)

After five days in Bali, I took an evening flight to Makassar on the 18th November. I stayed in a nice, quiet place called Asoka Homestay in Makassar. Although there isn't a lot of cultural sights to visit in Makassar, I ensured that I visited the 'Trans Studio' - the biggest indoor amusement park in Indonesia. It was huge and the ceiling was covered with bright, shiny stars, which gave the impression that it was night and outdoors, when in actual fact it was daytime and indoors. Lots of rides as you would expect from an amusement park...my favourite entertainment was the 4D Spongebob Movie, where even the chairs moved around! :)

I also spent some time at a couple of malls in the city...I always like to check out where the locals like to hang out.

I also made sure that I had the time to try the two best restaurants in Makassar...the first a Chinese restaurant just down the road from Asoka Homestay, which was delicious and the second, the famous 'Lae Lae' - fresh seafood restaurant. Lae Lae is a huge dining hall with big shared tables...and it was totally packed with locals! The fresh grilled fish was really good and the sambal was to die for!

I also managed to organise transport for the next leg of my trip. My plan was to head north to Rantepao - Tana Toraja!!!