INDONESIA - SULAWESI - MANADO - 14 TO 16 FEBRUARY 2019

I stayed at the Swiss-Bel in Manado. The entrance foyer looks quite grand and the staff are good.

As far as cities go, I think Manado is pretty good. I stopped there on the way to and from Morotai. It was an easy place to get around either by walking , the mini vans or taxi. I preferred the walking as you can see/experience more. 

I had one long hike that went for hours through the streets and along the waterfront. I visited temples, churches, shops, malls and the seaside. I finished by having a great iced latte.

INDONESIA - BALI AND MANADO, SULAWESI - 31 JANUARY TO 3 FEBRUARY 2019

31 January 2019

A very hot day. I was picked up by the shuttle bus at 12:20pm and soon enough I was at Sydney International Airport. I checked in, proceeded through customs and after an hour delay due to strong winds I was on my way to Bali, Indonesia.

This was to be a 5 week trip in Indonesia with most of the time spent in Morotai. Morotai is an island in the far north of Indonesia in the Maluku Island group. Sometimes trips do not go according to plan. Not that things went wrong just that they don't go to plan.

I arrived at Bali, was picked up by Nyoman (200 000R) and driven to my hotel in Legian, the Grand Kumala. It was late when I checked in so a had a quick bite to eat and went to sleep.

1 February 2019

I woke and had a long morning walk along the beach towards Kuta and back. There was a lot of plastic and other crap on the beach but on the way back there were a number of people cleaning the beach and placing the rubbish in large plastic bags. I was later to learn that the rubbish is taken to a rubbish tip in Bali and there it sits. There is recycling of some materials. Rubbish not taken to the tips is dumped illegally behind villages and in the rivers.

Back at the hotel, I had a great breakfast and set off for my beginning of trip jobs. I cashed my Australian dollars, bought a Telekomsel sim card and a small amount of data which I needed to top up in Morotai and food supplies in the Bintang Supermarket. At the market, I caught up with Kirki, who was from Sangihe. She was very surprised and happy that I visited Sangihe last year.

I had a massage but the oil was too thick. It took me three showers to get it off.

I had a tasty lunch at a Greek restaurant in Jalan Double Six.

During the course of the day, I met Katherina from Greece who was 70 years old and Richard and Tina from New York City who were now living in Miami.

I finished the day with beers on the beach and watched the sun set.

2 February 2019

I was going to have a morning shower but there was no water. There was also no internet. I let them know at reception and went for a very long beach walk and sit. When I got back an 1 1/2 hour later, I walked into a flooded bathroom with hot water gushing out the tap … I had left the tap on … Opps!

I had breakfast, sat around the pool and had a good massage at Sicilian Spa.

It was time to leave for my domestic flight to Manado.

There were no dramas. My flight stopped a short while in Makassar. At Manado, I got a taxi to the Novotel, which was close to the airport. The hotel and the room were nice. I was upgraded to a better room.

3 February 2019

I had a restless sleep and a good breakfast, then caught a taxi to the airport for my flight to Morotai.

INDONESIA - SULAWESI - MANADO - LAST STOP - 4 AUGUST 2018

3 AUGUST 2018

Back at Manado, we disembarked and I found a taxi straight away. We stayed at Swiss-Bel via booking.com for 800 000R. The room was smaller but it didn't matter.

We hung around the pool, had KFC across the road and dinner at the hotel. On our previous stay the meal was small so we order more this time and this time the meals came out big. Haha!

4 AUGUST 2018

We woke at 5am, jumped in our taxi at 5:15am and was at the airport in 20 minutes. The ride is usually 45 minutes but the taxi driver was on a mission for some reason. 

Our Lion Air flight left at 6:45am and we reached Denpasar, Bali by 10:30am. On the flight we met Ruben,from Holland, who had just finished his first ever project in Makassar building at island. A great story he told.

INDONESIA - MANADO - BACK AND GONE - 31 JULY 2018

30 JULY 2018

Manado airport was easy to get bags and a taxi.

We decided to go up market and stay at the Swiss-Bel Hotel.  The taxi from the airport was 100 000R. The hotel room was huge and the bed very comfortable. The foyer was in a classic style with bar and cafe.

We hung around the pool most of the day till the afternoon. I rang Captain Riski +6282338984820 and arranged a boat for Bunaken tomorrow at 10am for a 500 000R drop off at Jonath's Lodge.

We ventured outside and caught a minuvet (blue van) for 4 000R each to the Boulevard near the waterfront. I needed a laptop bag. On the third floor of the IT Centre, I purchased one for 400 000R. We needed a bit of exercise so we walked from there to the Centro Mall. At the mall, we had iced coffees and dinner. At the end of dinner, we asked where the taxis were and the guy rang an Uber for us and guided us to the waiting car. Very nice. The car was 17 000R to get to the hotel.

Back at the hotel there was a guy playing a piano and a lady singing melodic songs. We parked ourselves in the bar and listened to them while enjoying a few beers. Nice.

31 JULY 2018

I woke early and watched the sunrise from the hotel window.

Jacinta woke later and we packed our gear and had a great breakfast on the second floor restaurant. 

INDONESIA - SULAWESI - MANADO - GOING NORTH - 22 JULY 2018

Nyoman picked us up at 4:30am for our 7am flight to Manado.

We checked in and flew to the first leg of the journey which was Surabaya in Java. Our connecting flight was delayed for 3 hours. Eventually, we got to Manado and caught a fixed price taxi (120 000R) to the Green Eden Hotel.

We settled in, then caught the elevator to the rooftop bar and restaurant. It was such a good view over the ocean and town. We had a few beers and great food.

We decided to try and get the camera fixed. We visted three malls, asked numerous directions and eventually found a canon camera shop. They tested the camera and it was kaput. I bought a new one and was happy. 

We caught a microvet ( a sort of van/taxi)  back to the hotel (4 000R)  and were too tired to do much more than relax and pack for tomorrow's trip to Sangihe Islands.

Stayed - Green Eden Hotel - jalan achmad no 17 - 516 848R - phone 081341803398

SULAWESI, MANADO - BOAT, MALL AND POOL - 17 JULY 2017

We woke, packed a bit, had breakfast, paid the bill ( which took 1/2hour), finished packing, got on the boat, motored to Manado in pretty wild seas, landed at first harbour inside the river, walked a short distance, hailed a taxi and checked into 4 points hotel in Manado... how easy can it get.

At reception, we organized an early check in, transport to the airport tomorrow and a takeaway breakfast.

We showered and I washed my hair (salt water showers in Bunaken). We wandered down to Manado Town Mall which was beside our hotel. We looked at the shops and had lunch and coffee.

Back at the hotel and we hit the roof top infinity pool and bar and enjoyed a few beers until the rain came.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the room aircon and reading.

In the evening, we wandered back to the mall for dinner. We were going to go for a street wander but it was too wet to walk outside.

SULAWESI, BUNAKEN - CROSSES, BOAT TRIP AND ISLAND VILLAGE - 13 JULY 2017

We woke, had breakfast, packed and loaded the car for Manado/Bunekin.

Our first stop was stations of the cross. There was a bit of confusion as Denny thought we meant the cross on the hill. Well, it turned into a great drive. We turned off the main road and were soon going upwards on a massively eroded and loose gravel road. Denny was determined that we would get to the top and I was pretty sure he was going to snap an axle. We got to the top and were rewarded with panoramic views over Manado, the ocean and distant islands. The cross was big and rarely visited by tourists. Wonder why?

Next we stopped  in Manado on a hill opposite the statue of Jesus. It was very impressive. 

We stopped at the first harbour and waited a short time for Captain Ricky and our boat to Bunaken Island. The boat trip was fun even when it began to rain. We got soaked even though we were under cover but were dry by the time we reached Bunaken.

On arrival at Two Fish, we were given a long spiel about the hotel and facilities, then we settled into our rooms and went to the large open dining area for lunch. Everyone was seated at one long table and it was all very quiet and subdued. I found that too hard to handle and started talking to a few people. The food as great.

We swam in the pool and when it cooled down in the afternoon, we went for a walk to and through the village. The village was basically two narrow bricked streets. It was relatively tidy and the houses were varied and mainly single storey, except for the enormous church.

Back to the hotel for dinner and sleep.

SULAWESI, TANGKOKO - DRIVE, HIKE AND SWIM - 7 JULY 2017

We woke, had breakfast, lazed about the hotel room, checked out and were on our way to Tangkoko National Park.

The drive took 2 hours from Manado through traffic then narrow roads and finally along narrow and windy mountain roads.

We arrived at Tangkoko Hill Cottages, met Franky - the owner, and settled into our room. The room was clean, aircon/fan, a good bed and a small verandah. Thee room was 400 000R per night with three meals (+6281340302444) 

Lunch and all other meals were serve in a large dining area on a small hill inside the property. The lunch was rice with about five dishes of meat and vegetables. It was very tasty.

Later, we went for a walk along the road and through the village to the black sanded beach.  As we walked, we smiled and said hello to lots of people who smiled back and said hello.

The beach was long, steeply sloped, strewn with local boats, black sand and cresent in shape. One end of the beach which was at the far end of the village had a headland and the other end stretched off towards Tangkoko National Park. In the water, boats were anchored a little offshore and there were a number of large wooden fishing platforms moored close to shore and out to sea.

We walked along the beach and sat in a quiet shady spot under a tree. I had a swim in the ocean. It was eerie swimming as the sand was black, the water clear and the current strong.

We wandered back to the hotel and had dinner. We met two lovely Swiss girls and two German guys - Felix and Jo. One of the girls, worked in an Internayional School in Singapore that other lived in Switzerland. The girl from Switerland was beaming with excitement over her whole trip. It was so nice to see such enthusiasm and geniune happiness.

Malaria tablets night.