From Diary 5 5. The girls try eagerly to serve breakfast at seven, but Morten is still sleeping, and I wish I was. It is a tough life to be on vacation with us! The plan for the day it - once more - to find some volcanic activity at Mt Soputan. The map we finally found last afternoon have given us some confidence to try again.
Unfortunately, Morten have, in his wisdom,
chosen to leave it in the boys car last knight. We had it for almost six hours!
Well, we still have a rough idea, and at nine, we walk up to the big bus
terminal. A small tour around the marked before we head for the first little blue,
which brings us to Sonder. On the edge of town, I spot a swamp with pink Lotus.
We been here before, and
find the blue to Kawangkoan right away. He drives with only us onboard, and we
reach Tombaso fast. The driver on this blue do speak a bit of
English, and he tell Morten how to get to Mt Soputan. The blue for Tombaso, and
then - lost in translation. We get straight over in the Tombaso blue, and the
other passengers agrees on where we ought to jump of.
It is a sealed, but narrow road, leading towards the volcanoes, and we start walking. The first we meet is a extremely large horse racing course. There are even a race today, but we head on. Then we reach a tremendous large drilling rig. Could be for thermic energy?
Then
A Calotes is sitting in some
sunflower-like bushes, and golden skinks are disappearing right in front of us.
I spot what could be an ant-plant on a little
Right next to these small ant-plants is ant-fern with a significantly ant-rhizome. I have never seen it before, not even on photos, but it sure attract ants! There are several orchids in the same tree, and I spend some time crawling around in it, while Morten wits underneath with the charm of a vulture or hyena. The light is fare from good, and the three kind of ants slightly annoying, but I want photos!
There are many local farmers passing us. All
are real well dressed and real smiling and eager to have a look at us. I Giant bamboo are grown for their stems. The new shoots are 25 centimetres in diameter, when it reaches the first meter in height. Within long, it will reach 20-25 metres or even more. The path narrows in, but it is still sealed with volcanic glass with tar. It get steeper and steeper, but the farmed fields continues. It is all kind of vegetables, from tomatoes to onions. No weed at all, but they do weed a lot.
The fields are all laid out in the same way:
Meter vide walls with lines across. Must be good at holding on the water and
soil. Must take a tremendous amount of work, but that don't seem to be a problem
on Sulawesi. I got a feeling of these people are fare from lazy, but they only
work what they have too. Then they have the energy to smile and maintain their
gardens too.
We reach one peak, but there are still a long
way to the big ones. In one tree, I spot some head-sized ant-plants. That causes
for some neck-breaking crawling again, but I am
We make a loop around the peak. More views, more trees with ferns, ant-plants and orchids. I even find a parasite plant on a orchid. On another tree, an new Asclepiadaceae is flowering. Here are cows scatted around. Most we have seen are Indian oxes; big, white animals with a rope through their nose.
Even
It starts to drip when we reach the village, and
Jump off at the centre of the town, and walk down main street. It is still raining a bit, and we decides for dinner, even though it is only half pass five. Find a clean looking restaurant for once. They don't bring a menu-card, just all their courses. We dig in, and end up paying 5,50, but then we are stuffed! Pass the Cool Supermarket on the other side of the street to get a bit of snag to the long evening. I got way too many un-finished photos in stock, and spend the evening sorting, reframing and resizing them. Meanwhile, we look at our finances:: We have used 100 each during the last eight days, and we have not been saved on anything - except on the 100 volcano guided tour. Compared with the 100 a day diving part, it is cheep!
The volcano, which can be seen from the town, are located less than three kilometres outside town, from the other end of the rather large Tomahon. We drive up a real bad gravel road, and passes a stone- and gravel query. We can see the steam coming up from the side of the huge cone, and start walking, when the road get too bad.
Where the road ends, the dried-out river
starts. It is mainly bare rock, formed by
By the way: The area is actually closed due
to recently volcanic activity. There was no guard at the "entrance", and we
think we have it all to our selves, until we meet a volcanist on his way down to
town. We have a chat with him, seeing his photos of the crater and the burning
sulphur at night. He is on his way down to get fresh water in the city.
Ten minutes after, I have found him one. It
may not be big, but it is colourful and easy to photo, as it is on the bare
rocks. A lot of photos later, we let it continues its journey down river. The
loose rocks in the river is a story by them selves. Here are all from pumice
over iron to black, volcanic glass and some that look like they have been liquid
- which thy have.
The loos gravel in the area look like it have
been coated with half a centimetre of concrete. All the trees in the greater
area is dead, and only a few straws of grass are alive. The volcanists go into
the crater to take measurements wear masks. One of them lost his temperature
probe this morning due to heat! No wonder they monitor this crater: Tonohon is laying right at the foot of the giant volcano, and the river forms a briliant highway for lava. I'm just glad it is not closed-closed. We continues up to the craters edge. The crater is around 4-500 meters vide and 250-300 meter deep. When we reach it, it is filled with white steam. The wind is driving it up the main cone, and we sit down right at the edge and wait for at photo and a peek down to the bottom. The wind drives the steam around, and we with it. Then, the wind clears the crater partially, and we spot the blue-green lake and the red and yellow sulphur deposits. If there should be any doubt: IT IS AWESOME!
We walk around the crater edge, avoiding the
strong chemical steam. We might find a way down, but honestly: We have no desire
to. I get to push a few rocks down, and they seems to fall for ever! There are a
constantly hissing from the deep below, besides form that; not a sound. Steam
are coming out on many
It seems like the intensity variates, and
sometimes, we have a clear view to the bottom. The scenery changes constantly,
and I end up with more than 100 photos and ten minutes of video. All we need is
some sun, but after an hour admiring, all we get is rain. We start heading back,
but stops numerous time to admire the view to the cone, city and area in
general. On the way back, we have a closer look at the interesting rocks and boulders in the area. The gravel have been cut by rain water, and the sides is covered in crystals. On the top, there are only a few plant species, but as we head further down river, there become more species like tree ferns. The river have started to fill, but is is drained in many places, and I get down without having to step in water. Due to the rain, there are not many insects, but a green cicada caught my eyes. So do a few flowering plants, and when we have passed the quarry, I find ant-plants and ant-ferns. Here, as so many other places, many plants seem to be non indecorous.
Back in town, we catch a a small blue, which
brings us the ten kilometres back to the terminal. It is time for lunch, but I
don't feel like nasi- or mie gorang, and talk Morten into a bakery
with coffee. Not that great, but as a Dane, I admit to be spoiled!
Just like on Bonaire, here are dressed-up cars with speakers and dresses-up people. On Bonaire, they looked like Rasta-men, here they look like a mix between KISS and Dark Wader in his young days. Some Santa Claus and Christmas music is involved too, and I guess it originates from a Dutch tradition.
Back at the hotel, we arrange a tour to some
hot springs this afternoon with the son of the house; Areel. An hour with washing cloth
and loading photos, and we are ready.
We follows Areel to the cafes, and get a
coconut-milk-beer, tasting quite a lot like buttermilk. Then we leave him at the
hot pools, and head up the mountain. The sulphur steam holes are all over, and
so are the trash. This is the first place we find it in amounts worth mention,
and it is annoying. There is a concrete stair going around the whole area. We meet several groups of people on their way down. One group insists on getting their photos taken along with me - which causes Morten great enjoinment!
On the top, there are places of worship for five religions:
Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhism. The surrounding nature
is slightly disappointing, except from some Dutchman's Pipes.
It is getting cloudy and eventually darkens,
and we get the soaked Arial and head back. He ask if we have had snake, dog and
bat, and we end up at a local restaurant, getting the most. Arial is a real nice
fellow, and truly interesting to chat with.
He will finish as doctor this month, and he have travelled quite a lot in Asia. We see some of his awesome photos from the region, and end up arranging a sun-set tour tomorrow at 4;30. Sounded recently at the time... We have been eating chicken, snails, fish, dog, pig, bat, carrots, beans and some weird stuff too. And: Bat is not bad at all. On the way home, Areel find Morten a bottle of the local moonshine, made on coconut. Like most other moonshine, it is characteristic... Home to write diary, and way too late to bed.
7. Morten have set his alarm at four -
way out of sync with my sleeping pattern! We set off at half pass, driving
through the still sleeping town. On the north-eastern end of town, a real rough
road leads up Mt Tomohon. It turns into a narrow but new sealed road, leading to
a new parking lot.
We head upwards in the beginning light, through the tall elephant grass by a narrow path. At the peak of Mt Tomohon, there are a fantastic view all the way round. The surrounding peaks, Tomohon city, Manado, the sea and the great lakes of the area. There are a little wildlife around us, among it; a huge tick, and the longest Daddy Long-leg I ever seen.
We walk down, and drive on to Bukit Linow, a
large lake with both fresh and sulphuric water, bobbling up in one end. It have
not opened yet, but a little down the road, the view is fantastic. We sit an
chat with Areel, while we see the light change over the multicoloured lake.
A short drive in the area, and it is opening time. The entrance is a bit steep; 2, but we get a thin cup of coffee included. There are hot springs, bobbling up in the lake, and there are different birds on and around it. Some ducks, cow herons, a fishing eagle, swallows and a willy-wagtail. Skinks are catching flies along the shore along with dragonflies.
Around eleven, Areel have to return home, and
we have a break at the hotel. I am still more than 300 photos behind, along with
the explaining tags on 200 more. Wish I could save it for a cold winter day at
home - but then I wouldn't have a clue what to write.
We head home through town, which don't offers that many temptations anymore. We stop at a little internet cafe next to our hotel to book a hotel in Singapore. Then through the Cool Supermarket on the other side of the road to buy some calories.
Tickling with photos, interrupted be a dinner
at a nearby restaurant. We are ready to leave Tomohon for this time, but we
might return one day. The area is so beautiful, the climate perfect and the
people fantastic. I finally catch up with my photos close to midnight - it have
been a long day! 8. We start the day slowly, Saying goodbye ant thanks for all to the hosts at the Home Stay. Then walking through town after the last packing. A round on the market, pass the hen-pusher and into the small bus for Manado. It is by the main road through the island towards the capital, and it is a narrow but sealed road.
We
We passes the harbour, but the Rex Hotel elutes us. End up spending one euro on a taxi, and get a decent room for 7. Drop our small back-packs, and head out in the city again. We have to pick-up our large diving-gear-backs at the diving office at Mega Mas, and have to ask a few times before we find it.
On the way, we pick-up some lunch at a
interesting Muslim food court near the harbour. A real nice meal for two, with
coffee and juice for 1,60. Then we try to find a few things, just to check the
price. Some things can be bought for one tenths of the Danish price - same brand
and model! Morten buys a watch, and we get some hints to where to go on our next
visit to Sulawesi by the manager.
We find the shop where we left our gear, and
Alfonso have some advices on where to go as well. Out to catch a taxi back to
the hotel with our heavy gear. Drops it off, and head out again. No chance we
sit on a hotel room during the day! Manado is a interesting and real friendly
town. Like all other places we been, people greets us with "hallo mister", when
we passes them on the street.
They most be more use to tourists around
here, and we even see two. Sulawesi should get 3-4000 tourists a year, most go
to Bunaken. No wonder there are so few further south! This island have a huge
potential as a tourist country, but it feels like we have it for our selves -
which suits us fine.
After a lot of walking, we head back, trying to get a bit lost - which we usual manages fine. Success again, and somehow, we end up in China Town - which we didn't know excited. Large temples and typical shops, but it is getting late. We find back to the hotel, and discovers a restaurant next to it. By some freak accidence, we end up ordering the same menu as we got for lunch. This time it cost 6,50, and it is not quite that good. Back at the hotel, we try to get our things packed for flight. Once again, we have way too little soft where (cloth) to protect our hardware (computers, photos and alike). 9. Up at seven, find a bakery that sells coffee, walk through the centre, try to find fitting jeans (no way they have my length). I find the flatten seeds of Gnetum gnemun, and buy a packet. They are a real disappointment: Taste mostly like dry, tasteless pasta. In Singapore, I learn they are meant to be deep-fries, and then they are crispy and bitter, and quite good. Back to wait until it is time to leave for the airport. The pre-ordered taxi bring us swiftly to the airport, and within 90 minutes, we are in the air, towards Singapore for new adventures. The Sulawesian adventure turned up to be slightly cheaper than I have feared, and way more exciting and interesting as I have hoped for. It is some total awesome islands, which I most likely will be re-visiting in the future.
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