The sun rises very early in Makassar, not quite as bad as in Manado but it is still very bright at five something.  We had decided on an early start to beat the heat. Out the door at 0800, it wasn’t too hot yet. But within minutes we were drenched from the humidity.  We went […]

We took the bus back down to Makassar today.  It was meant to be 8 hours but it took 9h40 … allowing for one flat tyre, comfort stops and picking up passengers. This is the end of my Tana Toraja adventure.  It is one of the most interesting trips I’ve ever done.  Normally everything of […]

Pasar Bolu The market in Bolu (near Rantepao) isn’t a weekly affair … but occurs every six days.  We were lucky to catch it despite our short stay of only three full days. In summary, people bring their buffaloes and pigs here so other people can come make their purchases: The buffalo section is essentially […]

Above:  The newly prepared grave took over 2 years to carve out manually. Cliff graves at Suaya We started the day visiting Suaya which had a cliff-face filled with effigies similar to yesterday’s at Lemo.  We learnt that the ones here are original whereas those at Lemo had been replaced after being pillaged. Text continues […]

Above:  Cryptic signs showing the availability of dog meat. Driving through the towns and countryside our guide and pointed out shops which sold dog meat.  These are indicated rather discreetly by way of cryptic signs and codes, eg. “Ada” (meaning “Have” or “Available”) or red plastic bag hanging on a stick. I found the level […]

Background Tana Toraja (or Toraja Land)  is famous for the traditional burial ceremonies amongst its Christian population. When people die, they’re preserved (formerly using balsam but now with formalin) then kept at home for up to a few years while funds are accumulated for an elaborate ceremony or while relatives are brought together for the […]

Above:  Very spacious seating but the air-con wasn’t working properly. After a leisurely morning we departed Makassar on a bus journey to Rantepao.  The scheduled departure was 1300 and the supposed journey time 8 hours. After a small delay due to air-con failure and a few other mechanical problems we arrived 11h15 later … at […]