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Beautiful Manado Bay at sunrise, with the extinct volcanic island of Manado Tua (top left) looming on the horizon

Ah… The joy of being back in the blogosphere from the comfort of my home. This trip was rather fruitful and enjoyable, and I’ve become a few shades darker. My skin has started to peel off by itself due to the sunburns I got during my island getaway. It’s a pretty gross sight, but I have no regrets. A tan is always great to have, ain’t it (of course not at the expense of getting sunburns, silly me!)?

Now now… Did the word ‘Sulawesi’ ever cross your mind when I asked you guys to make a guess on the place I was about to go? Well, understood. Most of you would probably cite the ever-so-popular Southeast Asian holiday destinations, i.e. Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Siem Reap, or Bali. And our dearest blogger friend, Jem, even cited her home state, Sarawak! :D Dear, since when a Malaysian would require US bills to get around a state that’s clearly part of Malaysia itself? :P Good guess, anyway. In fact, who the hell with the sane mind would have thought of Sulawesi?

A slice of Vegetarian Quiche at Chocolat, LCCT airport for breakfast while waiting for our much-delayed flight to Manado

To make things clear, I’ve never been to any of the aforementioned destinations before and they’re of course included in my list of places to travel, just like so many of you. But being the typical kyh, I prefer to stay off the beaten track and be adventurous once in a while. So when I was about to decide on which destination to fly to on AirAsia’s website, my eyes were searching for places that I’d never heard nor seen before. And this seemingly foreign destination, Manado, popped up in front of my eyes. Exotic as it might sound, I immediately went to look for more information about the place. Besides the official travel portal managed by the government of North Sulawesi, tourist information about this coastal town was scarce, and there were little to none bloggers who had given this nascent tourist destination a good write-up.

First take on AirAsia’s Vegetarian Fried Rice. The portion was too little for me.

But from what I’d read from the available information on the net, Manado and North Sulawesi as a whole seemed like a promising travel destination for an adventurous traveller. The only thing missing was mass commercialism and exposure to the international community. But I’d prefer it to stay that way. While commercialism brings in foreign bucks and the much-needed boost in the local tourism industry, the indigenous culture and pristine natural beauty would eventually fall prey and disintegrate at the whims and fancies of the conquering hordes of international tourists. That I’d never want to see.

So after having some rounds of discussion with my friends, Manado it was! Thanks to AirAsia, we got our return air tickets at a very reasonable price. In fact, I paid more for my domestic Alor Star-KL return trip than the return air fares for KL-Manado! Funny yet ridiculous.

Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes) is one of Indonesia’s major islands and the 11th largest in the world. With the Wallace Line running through its immediate left, Sulawesi is home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity, with many animal and plant species endemic to the island and found nowhere else in the world. The province of North Sulawesi (locally known as Sulawesi Utara, abbreviated as Sulut) occupies the northeastern tip of the bizarrely-shaped island. Stretching north towards the Philippines are the archipelagos of Sangihe and Talaud, which form the northernmost frontier of the province. Sitting firmly within the Pacific Ring of Fire, almost all volcanoes of Sulawesi are concentrated on this part of the island.

After 4 hours of being bound to the flight seat, I was ecstatic when I caught my very first glimpse of Manado!

After delays and delays, we finally touched down in Sulawesi. My virgin entry into the world’s largest archipelagic nation, baby! This part of Indonesia shares the same time zone as Malaysia. In spite of this, there was this one thing that took us days of getting used to. The break of dawn as well as night time hustled in wayyyyy earlier than in Peninsular Malaysia. Now I truly understand how it was like when my East Malaysian course mates told me the exact same thing about their place.

Sam Ratulangi International Airport. 8pm? Nope… It was half past 6.

It was drizzling when we stepped out of the airport. The next thing we knew, throngs of cabbies were rushing towards our way. Thankfully, there was this Chinese Manadonese couple whom we met on the plane that helped us to settle the mess and get us a reasonable price. Locals know best. You just can’t go wrong with them. And hence, we hopped on our cabs for a half-an-hour ride to our hotel at the town centre.

The road conditions of Manado and the rest of North Sulawesi were rather good, much to my surprise. They were on par with the ones we see in most Malaysian towns. Very unexpected from this part of the world. And yes, the people drove on the left, same as Malaysia! I’d always thought it’s the other way round, since Indonesia is not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. British legacy, geddit?

Dolphin Donuts, serving Javanese, Chinese, and Western food

4 hours of direct flight from Malaysia must have got all of us hungry. Speaking of food, I was a bit wary since the ethnic majority in North Sulawesi, the Minahasans, literally ate every living animal imaginable! Cats, dogs, bats, snakes, you name it. Wait a minute… Does this remind you of the mainland Chinese? Haha! Our Buginese driver, Acho, jokingly commented that if tables (4-legged!) were edible, the Minahasans would definitely jump at that too! But our fears were proven to be unfounded, as there were various eateries and food establishments (including fast food joints like KFC and Pizza Hut) in Manado to choose from. And most importantly, they were exotic-animals-free.

Gado-gado! Been longing to try this Indonesian salad dish ever since I was introduced to it by the Jakarta-based food blogger, Selby

A very Indonesian-looking rice dish!

Our hotel was located at the happening Sam Ratulangi Street. Here you’ll find departmental stores, hawker stalls, shops, cafés, and huge churches, among others. It was bustling with human activities from dawn to dusk. Mikrolets (aka angkots), North Sulawesi’s iconic blue-hued shuttle vans, dominated the roads here more than any other vehicles. And they offered cheap options for budget travellers within Manado as well as inter-city rides.

Post-rain Sam Ratulangi Street on a Tuesday night. The huge domed building is a Pentecostal church.

This hut sold beautiful souvenirs from Manado and other parts of Indonesia. But they were all so pricey!

Our hotel! We managed to squeeze 6 of us into one room but yet still able to churn out a comfortable space for a good night’s sleep! :P

read these too...

• 12 surprises in North Sulawesi
• A walk at Manado’s wet market
• Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve: Double disappointments
• Off to Bunaken
• On top of Mt. Bromo: A moment to behold

c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere . yummylicious
f l u f f e r p u f f | food . indonesia . sulawesi . travels

13 sOleiLians