{"id":1789,"date":"2010-10-08T00:49:34","date_gmt":"2010-10-07T22:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/petitesbullesdailleurs\/?p=1789"},"modified":"2019-02-12T01:19:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T00:19:25","slug":"batutumonga-sulawesi-scooter-dans-les-rizieres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/batutumonga-sulawesi-scooter-dans-les-rizieres-20101008\/","title":{"rendered":"Scooter in the rice fields"},"content":{"rendered":"

Batutumonga. This strange and beautiful name is synonymous, for me, of a fantastic scooter trip in the heart of the Toraja country, in the center of Sulawesi. Sublime rice fields... but rotten roads! I almost slept in the mountains, because of a flat tire.
\n<\/p>\n

The rice fields of Batutumonga<\/h2>\n
The area of Batutumonga is a mountainous zone covered with rice fields in levels. At each turn of the road offers a new stunning panorama. If there is a corner not to be missed, in the Toraja Country, it is this one!<\/p>\n
During my previous stay in Sulawesi, three years ago<\/a>I had already offered myself the ride. I wanted to do it again, last July.<\/p>\n
It's easy. In my bag, before getting on the rental bike, I put some maps of the region, recovered from my previous trip.<\/p>\n
Well... \"maps\" is a big word: simple A4 sheets photocopied and distributed to tourists. Between a continuous line and a dotted line, it is difficult to know which path is really practicable for a two-wheeler.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"These$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tThese big black rocks that litter the rice fields are sometimes pierced with graves. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"Buffaloes$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tBuffaloes have very impressive horns. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n
$\"A$ <\/a>
A woman and a young boy getting ready to go winnow rice (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"On$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tOn the road in front of the church, rice was spread out on tarps to dry. (Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"Sitting$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tSitting in front of the church, an elderly man and woman, whom I assume is his mother. (Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n
$\"I$ <\/a>
I stop every 5 minutes to take new pictures... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"A$ <\/a>
A buffalo head adorns this other grave dug into a volcanic rock. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The pen-ball pen<\/h2>\n
So, I ask my motorcycle rental company: which is the best way to make a loop and come back to Rantepao without any trouble? Three years ago<\/a>the return route had been difficult. Not want to redo this long and tortuous journey by broken roads.<\/p>\n
On one of the maps I hand him, he indicates the \"right\" road with a blue line of ballpoint pen. He also scribbles the name of a village, if I have to ask for directions. With the tip of his finger, he also shows me the dotted lines of the \"wrong\" road... Very bad road<\/em>he says.<\/p>\n
Perfect. Thank you so much, terima kasih baniak<\/em>...<\/p>\n
$\"I$ <\/a>
I do not get tired of this landscape of rice fields staggered on a hillside. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"Rice$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tRice is dried along the road. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"Children$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tChildren play in the shade of the immense \u201ctongkonan\u201d roofs of rice barns and dwellings, typical of the Toraja region. (Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n
$\"An$ <\/a>
An unusual counterfeit Gucci dries in the sun along the road, with the harvest ... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The good road<\/h2>\n
I set off on the road to Bori. A small asphalt road, with some potholes and tarpaulins spread out where the rice dries in the sun. A nice picturesque road, taken the day before to go to the funeral ceremony<\/a>. Moreover, the festival continues in Bori. On the spot, one continues to cut up the buffaloes.<\/p>\n
This time, I cross the village without stopping and continue in the direction of the north. From time to time, I stop to photograph the work in the fields.<\/p>\n
$\"Fun$ <\/a>
Fun look at this lady working in the sun in the middle of the rice field. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
It climbs little by little. But the road is still a real road. It's the right road, no problem. Besides, I recognize everything.<\/p>\n
I find this fabulous point of view, where everyone stops for a souvenir photo, where the eyes look far over the rice fields and the tiny villages, with their graceful roofs tongkonan<\/em> curved. I stop again, a little further on, in such a beautiful valley, that I am so happy to see again... Rice fields, again, sown with big black and round rocks set in the tender green of the crops. Superb!<\/p>\n
$\"We$ <\/a>
It is not known if the famous curved roofs \"tongkonan\" symbolize the hull of a boat or the horns of a buffalo (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"Rice$ <\/a>
Rice fields as far as the eye can see ... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"I$ <\/a>
I find the landscape that had remained engraved in my memory: the rice terraces, the big black rocks ... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"Photo-souvenir$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tMandatory souvenir photo session with the \u201cfriends\u201d met on the road... (Toraja Land, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t $\"It$ <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tThis is THE landscape for taking photos of your sweetheart\u2026 (Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n
I have lunch up there, in Batutumonga itself, at the panoramic restaurant where all the tourists land. The walk is a classic of the circuits around Rantepao. But there are not many of us in the huge room. A young couple came with a scooter, like me. And two other young people with a local guide.<\/p>\n
The wrong road<\/h2>\n
Now I still have the choice: to go back the way I came. Or go back to Rantepao following the blue line of the ballpoint pen.<\/p>\n
Of course, it is the second option that tempts me. Inevitably, running with my nose to the wind, from village to village, stopping a little bit everywhere for new pictures, leaving without calculating the distances, I miss the junction where I should have turned.<\/p>\n
I can see that the road is less and less a road and more and more full of stones, holes, muddy puddles. I can see the big grey cloud in my back, which is getting bigger and closer. I even recognize very well two-three villages and all these landscapes which had subjugated me, three years earlier, on this rotten road that I had sworn not to take again.<\/p>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The view goes far, below in the valley, as we take height. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The grey sky that announces the rainfall makes the fluorescent green of the young rice shoots stand out even more (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The rain will fall on me a few minutes after this picture... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The shower<\/h2>\n
When I see a new handful of houses come up, I finally decide to ask my way to a young girl, who comes home hastily.<\/p>\n
She points me in a vague way in the direction I am going. She speaks very bad English and my meager Bahasa<\/em> is not enough. Of course, I left my little conversation book at the guesthouse.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, it is dark and it starts to rain heavily. She invites me to come and shelter under the veranda. She makes me push my bike under the eaves. It's the deluge.<\/p>\n
A smiling lady, who I assume is his mother, has already pulled out a chair and invites me to sit down. Kopi?<\/em> Well, a little coffee is not a bad thing, considering what's coming down... Might as well wait for it to pass.<\/p>\n
In the doorway, young children, two little boys and two little girls come to observe me, a little intimidated. As soon as I look at them, they take refuge inside, giggling.<\/p>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The sun is still shining on the almost fluorescent green of the young rice shoots, but the rain-soaked clouds are just waiting to burst... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The girls, at first shy, are gradually emboldened... (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
My new friend, Omi<\/h2>\n
The girl's name is Omi. An angel. I thought I could leave, after the kopi<\/em>, the short story of my life as a tourist in three words Bahasa<\/em>, the photos with her nieces and her brother, the promise to become her friend on Facebook ...<\/p>\n
I went 20 meters on the bike, with my rain poncho. And turned around right away. The rear tire was completely flat.<\/p>\n
After inspecting the tire, Omi's brother shakes his head. She turns to me, speaks to me, I catch a few words: tinggal, tidur, di sini<\/em>... Staying, sleeping, here. Obviously, I did not take the phone number of my renter. Obviously, the phone of my guesthouse does not answer.<\/p>\n
Not possible. I have to take my bus ticket to Rantepao in the evening, if I want to be able to get back to Makassar in time for my flight back to the North, to Manado. I want to repair.<\/p>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The adorable Omi poses for the souvenir photo. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"I$ <\/a>
I am greeted by the children's astonished smiles. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"Here$ <\/a>
Here I am adopted by the children of the family. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Omi takes back my bike, makes me sit behind her, and we drive, in the rocks and the holes, despite the flat tire, at a reduced speed, until the semblance of a village I had passed, a few kilometers earlier. For nothing.<\/p>\n
Tutup! Closed! <\/em>The repairman of the corner is closed.<\/p>\n
She is peeved. And transie.<\/p>\n
return<\/h2>\n
Omi takes me home. It's raining again a little. All shivering, she parked the bike in front of the house. His mother is waiting for a hypothetical ojek<\/em>, a guy who rides a motorcycle taxi, who could take me back to Rantepao. Of course, the few who pass are already taken.<\/p>\n
The clock is ticking. Almost 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I have roughly two hours of daylight left. It gets dark early here. As much as I know I can drive at slow speed on a crappy road, I don't feel like doing it in the dark.<\/p>\n
So I make up my mind. If I'm going to move, I'm going to move now. I saw that we could ride, anyway, with this flat rear tire. Not fast, but it's moving.<\/p>\n
I try to estimate the time needed to reach Rantepao. Omi is not sure, one hour, maybe two, maybe more... In Indonesia, time is elastic, always.<\/p>\n
Pelan, pelan!<\/em> they tell me when I finally leave, with my rain poncho and flat tire. Slowly, yes, yes. This, yes\u2026<\/p>\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
The huge black rock at the end of the road is the last resting place of many dead people. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Rantepao<\/h2>\n
Two hours. It took me a little more than two hours to reach the outskirts of the city. I arrived at the rental store, in Rantepao, in the pouring rain. My back and arms were stiff and my buttocks were sore. I exchanged my broken down motorcycle for a brand new scooter.<\/p>\n
Up there, in the mountains, I lived great moments of solitude, under the rain, in front of huge slushy pools, to determine which way to go: to the right, to the left, in the middle? I crossed them all, without any unfortunate skid, without falling in the yellow mud.<\/p>\n
I also made a lot of villagers laugh, as they went up to the heights, going back home. They all started by greeting me cheerfully, a little surprised to see a white girl with a green hood lost on this small mountain road drowned in fog. Then they all exclaimed, pointing their fingers at my wheel.<\/p>\n
Whew!<\/h2>\n
Stoic, stubborn, I continued on my way at an ultra slow pace. Making me confirm the way, at each junction. What a relief, when I finally found a good hard road, not too bad, which went down in twists and turns towards the plain!<\/p>\n
It gave me a good story to tell in the evening to Laurence and Eric, a couple from Lyon living in the same guesthouse as me, with their son Maxence.<\/p>\n
They too had rented scooters during the day and they too had a flat tire! More lucky than me, they had easily found a small repairer nearby, who fixed the wheel for them... My story also made Sebastian, the Norwegian with whom I had sympathized, laugh. in the bus<\/a>when he returned the day after his trek in the rice fields.<\/p>\n
I don't really like walking... I prefer to ride these little motorcycles, the equivalent of our scooters, that everyone in Asia uses. For the independence, the freedom that it gives. And then, with that you can go everywhere. Even with a flat tire.<\/p>\n
$\"Kids$ <\/a>
Kids scooter on the road in front of me. (Toraja Country, Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 2010)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
????<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Batutumonga. For me, this strange and beautiful name is synonymous with a fantastic scooter trip into the heart of Toraja country, in central Sulawesi. Sublime rice fields... but rotten roads! I almost had to sleep in the mountains because of a flat tire.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tpgb_global_settings":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[42,44,129,221,26,40],"class_list":["post-1789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voyage-sulawesi-indonesie-2010","tag-sulawesi","tag-tombes","tag-moto","tag-toraja","tag-indonesie","tag-rizieres"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013.jpg?wsr","tpgb_featured_images":{"full":["https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013.jpg?wsr",1600,1067,false],"tp-image-grid":["https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013-700x700.jpg?wsr",700,700,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013-250x250.jpg?wsr",250,250,true],"medium":["https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013-390x260.jpg?wsr",390,260,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013-770x513.jpg?wsr",770,513,true],"large":["https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/tana-toraja-6013-780x520.jpg?wsr",780,520,true],"default":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/wp-content\/plugins\/the-plus-addons-for-block-editor\/assets\/images\/tpgb-placeholder.jpg"},"tpgb_post_meta_info":{"get_date":"8 October 2010","get_modified_date":"12 February 2019","category_list":{"category":[{"term_id":125,"name":"Indon\u00e9sie : Sulawesi - juillet 2010","slug":"voyage-sulawesi-indonesie-2010","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":130,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Voyage \u00e0 Sulawesi, appel\u00e9e aussi \u00eele de C\u00e9l\u00e8bes.\u00a0Plong\u00e9es \u00e0 Bangka et Lembeh (nord-est). Visite du pays Toraja autour de Rantepao (sud-ouest).","parent":0,"count":15,"filter":"raw","term_order":"35"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":42,"name":"Sulawesi","slug":"sulawesi","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":42,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"L'\u00eele de Sulawesi en Indon\u00e9sie est une source de bonheur in\u00e9puisable pour les voyageurs amoureux de la nature, sur terre comme sous l'eau...","parent":0,"count":44,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":44,"name":"Tombes","slug":"tombes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":44,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":129,"name":"Moto","slug":"moto","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":134,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":221,"name":"Toraja","slug":"toraja","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":226,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Cette r\u00e9gion de l'\u00eele de Sulawesi (Indon\u00e9sie) m\u00e9rite vraiment le d\u00e9tour. Des paysages magnifiques, des traditions fascinantes, un accueil chaleureux.","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":26,"name":"Indon\u00e9sie","slug":"indonesie","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":26,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Entre oc\u00e9an Indien et oc\u00e9an Pacifique, au c\u0153ur du Triangle de Corail<\/a>, l'Indon\u00e9sie est \u00e0 mes yeux la plus belle des destinations pour la plong\u00e9e sous-marine. Impossible de se lasser de cet archipel immense, s'\u00e9tirant sur trois fuseaux horaires. Je vous emm\u00e8ne explorer ces fonds d'une richesse extraordinaire, de Bali<\/a> \u00e0\u00a0 Sulawesi<\/a>, de Komodo<\/a> \u00e0 Raja Ampat<\/a>, de Born\u00e9o<\/a> aux Moluques<\/a>...","parent":0,"count":182,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":40,"name":"Rizi\u00e8res","slug":"rizieres","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":40,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":12,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"}]},"author_name":"Corinne Bourbeillon","author_url":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/author\/cbourbeillon\/","author_email":"corinne.pbda@gmail.com","author_website":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/corinne-bourbeillon\/","author_description":"Journaliste, plongeuse et\u00a0photographe sous-marine, Corinne adore faire des bulles avec les\u00a0poissons\u00a0! La beaut\u00e9 du monde et\u00a0de\u00a0l'oc\u00e9an lui ont inspir\u00e9 ce blog. \r\n\r\n En savoir plus<\/a>","author_facebook":"","author_twitter":"","author_instagram":"","author_role":["administrator"],"author_firstname":"Corinne","author_lastname":"Bourbeillon","user_login":"cbourbeillon","author_avatar":"","author_avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7542464a0f3c6a1baf2af7786ad5764b10f9d60908fb1278a969310cf533aedd?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","comment_count":20,"post_likes":0,"post_views":0},"tpgb_post_category":{"category":"Indon\u00e9sie : Sulawesi - juillet 2010<\/a> ","post_tag":"Sulawesi<\/a> Tombes<\/a> Moto<\/a> Toraja<\/a> Indon\u00e9sie<\/a> Rizi\u00e8res<\/a> "},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}