"V in Vondelpark": The Celebes, Sulawesi

Friday, April 5, 2013

The Celebes, Sulawesi

This island used to be called Celebes, now we call it Sulawesi.

Thanks to my geographic class at the elementary school, I still recall that it is one of the five biggest islands in Indonesia, listed in alphabetical order below:

Jawa (Java)
Kalimantan (Borneo)
Sumatra
Sulawesi (Celebes)
Papua

Among those five islands, I had lived in Jakarta (in) Java for many years... A few years ago when I still worked for a mining contractor in Jakarta, I had traveled to Kalimantan-Sumatra-Sulawesi for work only.

Soroako (Sorowako), south Sulawesi

This plane took me to Soroako (Sorowako), south Sulawesi

Here's the short memoire with limited pics. As at that time I didn't know that I would be a traveler and blogger -:)

Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar

Makassar – Ujung Pandang in the South

It used to be called Makassar, and the name was changed to Ujung Pandang and now it is back as Makassar again.

Mandala Monument, Makassar

These days, this city can be considered as the gateway as this capital city of South Sulawesi is often used as transit of planes flying within Sulawesi or to further areas in eastern Indonesia.

Fort Rotterdam, Makassar

Look at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport that has been re-opened, after renovation in 2008, how ready they are… The airport is named after the Indonesian national hero, Sultan Hasanuddin, who was the ruler of the Sultanate of Gowa in 16h century. I had to remember his name for history lesson at school!

Pantai Losari, Losari Beach, Makassar

Unfortunately, my trip to Makassar a few years ago was for business reason. There was not enough time to explore the city, except a few hours driving around down town and back again to the airport.

It is a good reason to come back!

Typical of post office building around Indonesia

China Town, Makassar

Manado in the North

If someone mentions about Sulawesi, first thing comes out on my mind is Manado. It is the capital city of North Sulawesi. Once we talk about Manado, we talk about Bunaken which is known as favorite for diving and snorkeling.

Airport in Manado

Once people talks about Manado, I recall my Manadonese friend, Gustaf. Biar eksis gue tulis lengkap nih. He speaks Manadonese local language, so it is always good to go to Beautika, the Manadonese restaurant in South Jakarta with him. Plus his knowledge about Manadonese food is excellent!

Yummy Manadonese Food @ Beautika Restaurant, Jakarta

Shame on me, I had never been to Bunaken for diving. I went to Manado for work!

A view from the hill - North Sulawesi

At that time, we were working on a tender for a mining company in North Sulawesi and therefore we had to visit Manado. There were not many things that I could explore within such a short period…