DREW'S DELIBERATIONS

Bali
We arrived in Bali and rendezvoued with Dana as planned at the Dempasar airport. Michele knew from previous experience that she wanted to get up to Ubud (the cultural center of Bali) right away as the beach scene didn't interest her much. So, we caught a ride up and ended up staying in the same guesthouse that Michele had six years earlier. Our home in Bali was in a great little bungalow with two rooms for an astronomical $6 a night including breakfast for the three of us. Our first day in Ubud we took a self guided tour of the surrounding rice paddies. This area is very beautiful and relaxing. Ubud is a nice mix of tourist services and local tradition. Michele likes to say that Bali has found a way to make tourism pat to sustain their culture. The food and accommodation are excellent but you know you are in Indonesia. The people here practice a mix of Hinduism and Animism. A guide we hired told us that the Muslims sometimes look down on them as idle worshipers because they use statues to help them get in the proper frame of mind for prayer. He pointed out that if they use the same logic in reverse they would assume that Muslims worship floors. The town was celebrating an anniversary of a local temple which started with a procession from town. The woman beautifully dressed in colorful lace carry offerings of fruit on their heads piled 2-3 feet high. Ubud offers performances of Balineese dancing, I must admit to being less than enthralled by the two that we attended although I did enjoy the chanting that accompanied the "fire dance". During our week on Bali we managed to see quite a bit of the island by hiring a guide/driver that took us to snorkeling and to other points of interest. One important aspect of this place that I will have to leave to my companions to describe is the endless shopping opportunities. Not being much of a shopper, in an atmosphere where you must bargain for everything and often the beginning quoted price is 500% of the actual price, I was quickly overwhelmed and decided not to buy anything. The night before we left for Sulawesi we stayed in Kuda beach as it was close to the airport and we had a morning flight. Suffice it to say that Michele was right to steer us up to Ubud.

Sulawesi
Our initial destination in Sulawesi was Manado, at the northwest end of the island. Manado is a small city with virtually no tourism. Diving was our primary goal here so we wasted no time and headed directly from the airport to a dive resort just north of town. Dana and Michele were both certified divers so we negotiated a five day deal for them to do two dives a day and for me to get my open water diving certification. The resort (Nusentara Dive Center, NDC) was comfortable and the staff friendly. I had a five day class one on one with a PADI instructor that included six open water dives. Most of the reefs we explored were "wall" dives where the reef vanishes off into the depths as far as you can see. Small currents push you along effortlessly as the scenery rolls by. The coral and sea life were spectacular! The volcanic hills above Manado are home to the Minihasa people who trace their roots back to Mongolian stock. The three of us spent two days hopping from beemo (minibus) to beemo, climbing volcanoes and visiting points of interest in the high country. Returning to NDC for one more day of diving the three of us actually got to dive together as I was now certified. The following morning we said goodbye to Dana as she was flying out and Michele and I headed for Tankoko Nat'l Park to do some jungle trekking. Our base of operations for Tankoko was the coastal community of Bata Puti. We lodged at a homestay that included three meals a day. A guide is required to enter the park. Ours was a very nice and knowledgeable local, with a good eye for spotting wildlife, who did all of his trekking in women's bathroom slippers at least 5 sizes too small. A 5 am departure our first day ensured that we were in place to witness a group of macaque (black monkeys) descend from the trees to forage on the forest floor. They are very used to being watched by humans (but thankfully not fed) and come literally tumbling out of the trees all around you. One used my back as a springboard on the way down! Highlights of our visit included Tarsus, a monkey that reaches all of 6" tall at maturity, a large tarantula, a Cuscus, a tree dwelling marsupial and many birds including Hornbills. After three nights in Bata Puti we headed back to NDC for Christmas dinner (did I mention that this area is over 80% Christian) and a ride to the airport in the morning. On our last beemo connection back we were informed that Dana was still diving! Her plane had been delayed so she decided to stay for a few more days. We all shared Christmas dinner and then Michele and I headed off for South Sulawesi and the mountains of Tana Taraja. The people of this region are fairly recent converts to Christianity and many of their animistic rituals still persist today. The first impression, last impression and pretty much every impression in-between is that these people are infatuated with death. The funeral rituals are at the center of the Torajan culture. Bodies are put to rest in caves, on cliffs and in mausoleum type structures. Often effigies (carved figures resembling the dead person) are placed by the remains. Families will spend everything they have and more on a funeral that usually does not take place until the person has been dead for over six months due to the preparations for the ceremony. The funerals can last 5 days while guests bring water buffalo, pigs and assorted other sacrificial offerings. Our Asian adventure has now come to an end and we are headed "down under". Look for our next update in a couple of weeks.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page