Night bus
ENToraja country has to be earned! From Manado (North Sulawesi), you must first fly to Makassar in the south, a one-and-a-half-hour flight. From there, it's an 8-10 hour bus ride to Rantepao.
Litha & Co
Bad luck: unlike my trip three years ago, I didn't manage to catch the morning bus. At the Litha terminal, I'm told that there are only places left on the night bus...
Ah! The joys of night bus... You come out with a worm-eaten back, a stiff neck, bad knees, a foggy mind and tired eyes, after long hours of sleeplessness.
There are the bumps in the road, full of potholes. The daring maneuvers of the driver, who has mastered Indonesian-style driving (I honk and overtake). The sudden burst of bright light at bathroom stops. The loud snoring of a belly-flapping neighbor just behind. Not forgetting the delicious melodies of syrupy Indonesian songs that the bus's loudspeakers suddenly start spewing out for no reason, in the wee hours of the night...
Saya orang perancis
All right, then. The nice thing, though, is that you can practice your Bahasa Indonesia with the other travelers. A little lady pushes herself onto a bench and beckons me to come and sit next to her. Here I go again in the inevitable exchange of courtesies, punctuated by big smiles...
Dari mana? Where are you from? Saya orang perancis, I am French. Yes, I travel alone. Yes, I speak a little Indonesian... But just a little, eh? setikit setikitI've already used up my meagre vocabulary! What's more, I've forgotten my Small Indonesian pocket at home.
The other nice thing is that you meet new people. Three years ago, I made friends with a Dutch family on the Litha bus (which was far more comfortable than the ones I took this year). Afterwards, I even continued my journey as far as the Togian Islands with them. This time it's a young Norwegian, Sebastian, who lands in the seat next to mine.
He also travels alone. He's been around Africa and India. But this is his first time in Indonesia.
Like me, he has his little tricks for coping with long bus journeys: an iPhone full of music, an airplane pillow to support the back of the neck, and a little wool to combat the polar cold of the air-conditioning that's systematically cranked up to the max. We burst out laughing when we realize how ridiculous we are, trying in vain to optimize the narrow comfort of our barely reclining seats, with our little inflatable bladders wedged around our necks.
At dawn, we arrive in Rantepao. Here, I'll be the guide.
I haven't forgotten anything, I recognize everything. I make the bus stop in front of the restaurant Rimannorth of the city. I need a coffee. A good kopi black and fragrant, as they know so well how to do it here in Toraja country. Despite my fatigue, I'm so, so happy to be here!
The sequel, the sequel!
I know you have to go diving, but "we" would love to hear more about your Toraja journey...
It must be really nice for you to be ready for those long trips instead of staying in a dive center being pampered by the staff and watched by the fish 😉
Good evening,
I'll take note... 🙄
It makes me furious to move away from kata and continue on this side ( I have a qwerty keyboard with my new mac ,and qq diff with the accents shortcuts that are not indicated... 😛 😡 0, 1 min watch in hand to write side (less now 😆 )
Good pursuit, meeting, fun ... and good bubbles
fred
Yeah, a story that makes you want to go there. The feeling of being there.
Continue to tell us, you tell well.
Romuh
Hello and thank you for this report and these photos which make you want to go and visit Sulawesi (which will be soon...).
Oh dear ! more than a fortnight for us and us Sulawesi! enjoy, enjoy!
@Malene: I'm teasing on purpose... 😆
No, actually, I need some time to sort out my photos from Toraja country (in addition to those from today's harvest: hairy frog-fish, blue ring octopus, mimic octopus and a few nudis... 😉 ). But the next post won't be long (tomorrow?).
If there's one region to discover in Sulawesi, it's Toraja country. The landscapes of mountains and rice paddies are splendid, the welcome of the locals is warm as can be, and their traditions, particularly funeral traditions, are fascinating... But I'll be back (again) soon to tell you all about it. In the meantime, here are my impressions from 2007:
• https://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/pays-toraja-ceremonie-sulawesi-indonesie-20070711/
• https://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/a-lemo-les-morts-vous-regardent-20080327/
• https://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/des-cranes-des-grottes-et-une-piscine-20080415/
• https://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/balade-dans-les-rizieres-de-batutumonga-20080421/
@fredometeo: If you get the chance, I highly recommend a trip to Sulawesi. It's really worth it!!!
🙄
@Romuh: Thank you !!! Patience, patience, it happens ...
😉
@My girl: Oh, well then, have a good trip !!!
🙂
@nani: Oh, yes, I enjoy it thoroughly! You should, like me, love Sulawesi ... Good preparations!
😀
I love your earthly adventures too!
@Manta: Merkiiiiiiiiiiii! 😀
I love it... I'm "weaning Twitter and Facebook" (a stupid bet), but will be back "liking" next week! Thanks for making me travel!!!!!!
@ Marie-Julie: Weaning is over today... You're allowed to "link" again... 😉
You'll love my rice bikeuse adventures (which I'll tell in a future post), stuck between the rain and the night, with a flat tire, in the middle of the mountains ...
😀