18 replies to this topic

[spook]

Well hello SJers

Thought I'd chuck up some pics from a recent 5 week trip through the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

We weren't really sure why we wanted to go there. Mostly we noticed the island's odd shape, then we heard there was some cool stuff to check out.

Kicking off in the south we headed up into the misty hills of Tana Toraja. Volcanoes, rice paddies and boat shaped houses are hemmed in by mountains. When the rain stopped the scenery was out of this world.

Throw in a buffalo cult and some elaborate death rituals - cave graves, wooden effigies and coffins hanging from cliffs - and you've got yourself a pretty interesting place to check out.

Some shots below. Hope you like.














We're still just sorting through a bunch of other shots - after Tana Toraja we headed north for a couple of weeks of snorkelling and generally just being lazy on some beautiful tropical islands. Will post em late next week.

Cheers
Spook

[Mantas]

Wow, a month is a long time to be hanging out up there Spook. You must have seen some cool stuff. Looking forward to hearing more.

[thursday]

ace pics as usual.

[spook]

cheers thurs.

[TubbyBeaverinho]

were the pigs already dead? That'd be 1 cool month Spook.

[spook]

The piggies were still alive. It was at a funeral and they were sacrificing (and cooking them up) ad a rate of 1 every 10 minutes or so.
Lots of pork. It didn't look that tasty though. I respectfully passed on the pig and got stuck into the arak instead

[Indo]

They love the pig fat.

[spook]

Yeah, they even had pig fat satay. i don't mind a bit of tender grilled fat on my meat, but not a whole skewer of it

just uploaded some new shots from the togean islands in central sulawesi. we spent two weeks lounging around on a couple of islands.

the first place we stayed was a nice low-key beach resort place. super comfy ,great vibe, but not the nicest beach. good snorkelling nearby, and we could paddle outrigger canoes to the other islands. pretty fun.

then we went and stayed somewhere a bit more basic for the second week - just a hut on a beach and grandma grilling fish for us twice a day. no power, not even enough water to have a mandy (ladle shower). but the weather was fantastic, isolated beaches you could swim to just around each headland and mind-blowing snorkelling. the highlight for me was swimming with a school of 25 huge napolean fish.

[Mantas]

Looks awesome Spook. What was the marine life like? Many other fish around?

[Creek Boy]

Originally Posted By: spook

Yeah, they even had pig fat satay. i don't mind a bit of tender grilled fat on my meat, but not a whole skewer of it

just uploaded some new shots from the togean islands in central sulawesi. we spent two weeks lounging around on a couple of islands.

the first place we stayed was a nice low-key beach resort place. super comfy ,great vibe, but not the nicest beach. good snorkelling nearby, and we could paddle outrigger canoes to the other islands. pretty fun.

then we went and stayed somewhere a bit more basic for the second week - just a hut on a beach and grandma grilling fish for us twice a day. no power, not even enough water to have a mandy (ladle shower). but the weather was fantastic, isolated beaches you could swim to just around each headland and mind-blowing snorkelling. the highlight for me was swimming with a school of 25 huge napolean fish.

Those are some of the finest pics Ive seen all year

[thursday]

they are really good pics. Love em.

What was the food like? Really rustic style?

[spook]

Marine life was pretty fantastic Tubby. We were only snorkelling (not scuba diving) but what we saw was pretty impressive. Stunning coral and ridiculous amounts of tropical fish. As good as anything I've ever seen.

Food was good but basic Thursday. 3 meals a day, fresh fish for lunch and dinner, sambal and veggies. It was tasty, but a bit monotonous. I've had better food holidays, but on the whole it was fine.

The islands are starting to get fairly popular with tourists. Apparently they used to be very quiet but now larger numbers of people are heading there. There's one main island with 3 resorts (Kadidri Island) but it's apparently very busy and not that nice.
We stayed at a local homestay/resort called Fadhilla about an hour or so away. Basic but comfortable bungalows, good food, good vibe. Beach is not so flash (although the snorkelling is still good nearby) a.

For the second week we stayed at a beach called Malenge an hour or so away. Facilities were very very basic. But the beach was fantastic and there was amazing coral just metres off the shore.
If I ever head back I'd avoid the busy July/August months. I think earlier in the year the islands are more or less deserted.
It's a nice place to chill out. Just don't expect luxurious facilities.

For most people I would guess that the popular Thai or Malaysian islands would be a better destination, especially in terms of infrastructure and transport, but if you're thinking about heading to Sulawesi, then the Togeans are definitely worth checking out.

[Creek Boy]

Those first 3 pics should be on post cards

[TubbyBeaverinho]

totally agree, those pics are amazing!!

I'd love to visit there, reckon I'd go hungry though as I can't eat seafood!

[spook]

Yeah, the crazy thing was we met a bunch of people who were complaining about eating fish all the time. Jeez, if you don't like fresh seafood, maybe you shouldn't go to a remote island....

[stemik]

wow, great pics. I would love to visit there.

[Man_In_Japan]

Sod visiting, I'd love to live there in the summer.

[Jynxx]

Paradise.
Nice one mate ! Wish we were there.

[thursday]

Originally Posted By: spook

Yeah, the crazy thing was we met a bunch of people who were complaining about eating fish all the time. Jeez, if you don't like fresh seafood, maybe you shouldn't go to a remote island....

food paradise.