{"id":87,"date":"2008-05-18T11:20:37","date_gmt":"2008-05-18T09:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/petitesbullesdailleurs\/?p=87"},"modified":"2018-11-05T02:59:49","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T01:59:49","slug":"du-pays-toraja-au-lac-poso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/du-pays-toraja-au-lac-poso-20080518\/","title":{"rendered":"From Toraja country to Poso lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

The continuation of my journey to Sulawesi!!!! It is Saturday, July 14, 2007. Departure from Rantepao<\/strong>in the heart of Toraja country at 7am under a bright sun. Arrived twelve hours later, at night, in a pouring rain, at Siuri Beach Cottages<\/em>on the western shore of the immense Poso lake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lake Poso, at last!<\/h2>\n

We can't believe our eyes when, after hours and hours of driving, the huge Poso Lake finally appears at the end of the road.<\/p>\n

\"-\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Siuri Beach Cottages<\/em>, where we spend the night, on the western shore of the lake, are about twenty kilometers from Tentena<\/strong> and 75 km from the city of Poso<\/strong>, further north.<\/p>\n

The real reward will be for the next day, when, waking up, by opening the door of our respective bungalows, we discover a splendid beach of blond, deserted sand, and transparent water, tempting, irresistible ...<\/p>\n

Quick, a direct splash before breakfast to check! A happiness, this bath at the jump of the bed. You can really swim, the water is delicious, not cold at all and the weather is nice.<\/p>\n

\"-\"<\/a>
Siriu Beach, on the west shore of Poso Lake. Blonde sand and transparent water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But be careful, a morning bath in the Poso lake has to be earned. The least we can say is that it is not easy to reach...<\/p>\n

The road ... a whole poem<\/h2>\n

To get there, we endured hours and hours of rotten road, where we rarely exceeded 50km\/h, because of damaged road, potholes, ruts, rocks, trunks and branches fallen on the road, stony passages, muddy sections...<\/p>\n

Not to mention all the living obstacles to be avoided: herds of indolent cows, intrepid dogs and children, families on motorcycles, women bending over under bundles, farmers' carts pulled by buffaloes, overloaded trucks or buses, spitting black smoke...<\/p>\n

But I really don't regret having cancelled my Makassar-Luwuk flight! This change of program allows me to discover Central Sulawesi, of which I would have seen nothing otherwise.<\/p>\n

Joining the small family of Dutch people (met a few days earlier in the bus between Makassar and Rantepao), I have the pleasure to benefit from the comfortable and robust 4\u00d74 style car, with air conditioning, that they rented to go up to the north. And frankly, it's not a luxury, considering the state of the road in the area.<\/p>\n

Our driver, Ynus, in addition to being a charming guy, is a good driver. He knows the roads by heart, he drives carefully (something rare enough in these regions to be noted), he stops as soon as he sees that the kids of my new Dutch friends are nauseous, in the beautiful winding roads of the mountains.<\/p>\n

The crocodile farm<\/h2>\n

And it gives us all the tourist and scenic breaks required along the way ... Including a sad crocodile farm, near Rantepao, halt accepted by Johan, the father, with my assent, during the haggling of the trip.<\/p>\n

On the program: skinning under our not very enthusiastic eyes of big snakes, brought by some farmers. The guy from the farm keeps the skin preciously to sell it. Then, the snakes' flesh is chopped into pieces. And it is a kid as tall as three apples who handles the machete, not a little proud to show us how he does it!<\/p>\n

The sections are then thrown into pasture crocos that rust behind high walls in a gurgling pond.<\/p>\n