h i s t o r y for December, 2009...
Off to Bunaken
North Sulawesi’s tourism industry is still at its nascent stage, and thus it’s relatively unknown outside Indonesia. However, there is this one place that keeps luring travellers from all over the world to come ~ the Bunaken National Marine Park. Unassuming and serene, it’s been hailed as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, rivalling Malaysia’s own Sipadan Island and the many atolls in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Since its reputation as a superb dive site has not wandered far from the circle of professional divers, Bunaken remains one of Indonesia’s best kept secrets.
To get there, you can either charter a boat (available throughout the day, recommended for big groups or when the sea is rough) or hop on one of the public boats (available daily except Sundays, it usually leaves for Bunaken Island in the afternoon and returns to Manado in the early morning) for a small fee if you’re travelling alone. Since there were 6 of us, we opted to charter one. The moment we reached the harbour, we were instantly approached by several boatmen, who in turn were eager to earn some tourist bucks in this wet season (in other words, the low season) which lasts from November to April.
Boats of all sizes docked at the bustling harbour of Manado
One of the larger boats with a labourer
Now, the interesting part kicked in. The price offered will always be around Rp 500,000 for a round-trip per boat, and every traveller should know the basics to haggling. After some intense bargaining, we managed to get one of the men cut the price all the way down to Rp 350,000, which sounded pretty good to us. And the next thing we knew, we were all set for our excursion to Bunaken! :D
Look… Our boat had arrived!
Hotel Celebes! We stayed in the most expensive suite the previous night (the one shown within the white frame, talk about going on a budget!), but the price was pretty reasonable since we were such a big group.
Guess how old was he? 30? 40? Nah, this man was over 60! Unbelievable…
Shrouded in clouds, the Mt. Klabat looked equally impressive from the sea
The Bunaken National Marine Park covers an area of 890.65km², of which only 3% is terrestrial. It encompasses several islands off the coast of Manado, and for this tour, we were heading to the eponymous island of the marine park, Bunaken Island. Being the most developed of the bunch, Bunaken is home to a wide range of accommodations, ranging from budget homestays to full-fledged dive resorts where everything is priced in euros and dollars. All prices include 3 meals a day and free flow of drinking water, coffee, and tea. The journey from Manado took us approximately 1 hour to reach.
Bunaken, I see thee!
Getting there…
Bunaken, here we come! :D
Entry to the park costs one Rp 50,000 per day or Rp 150,000 per calendar year if you’re gonna stay on the island for more than 3 days. As far as I know, the entrance fee contributes to the fund which is responsible for the conservation of the marine park. So new visitors to the park, please don’t complain if you’re asked to pay for the permit upon arrival. For the sake of the extensive coral reef system and aquatic life at the Bunaken National Marine Park , this is the very least that we earthlings can do to protect them.
Our boatman, Frankie, himself a Bunaken native
Found this kid at one end of the pier
Our accommodation, MC Cottage Bunaken (aka MC Homestay) on the less crowded Pangalisang Beach
The chalets overlooking a small patch of garden and the wide open sea
The room with very basic facilities, and electricity was only available from sunset to sunrise (the standard island-wide)
The garden at our chalets’ doorstep
Lunch!
The islands that constitute the Bunaken National Marine Park
(light blue: coral reefs; light green: mangroves)
Peekaboo… Lil’ boat, where are you?
Serenity was felt everywhere on the island
The flat, low-lying island of Siladen on the horizon
The lounge at dusk
Look… It was a full moon night!
How spellbinding and romantic…
Compilation of MANADO & NORTH SULAWESI TRIP 2009
- PART I : The forgotten frontiers: Tales from Manado and North Sulawesi
- PART II : Great churches of Manado
- PART III: In the shadows of volcanoes: Manado Bay and its harbour
c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere
f l u f f e r p u f f | beaches . indonesia . sulawesi . travel . volcanoes
25 sOleiLians
In the shadows of volcanoes: Manado Bay and its harbour
Break of dawn… At a quarter to 6, the moon was seen enjoying its last presence in the sky before it was overpowered by the rays of the morning sun
Afternoon… Boats comin’, boats leavin’
Night time… At last, tranquillity and peace returned to the harbour, drawing a sweet conclusion to a hectic day
Walk down the Manado Boulevard for a panoramic view of the Celebes Sea, an ancient ocean basin that harbours about 580 of the world’s 793 species of reef-building corals
Volcanoes, North Sulawesi’s natural landmarks
Manado, a picturesque coastal town in the shadows of Mother Earth’s darkest secrets
Colourful houses added zest to this tropical paradise
Towering above the town is the majestic Mt. Klabat, the highest volcanic peak on Sulawesi Island. Long dormant with no verified historical eruptions, who knows the beast might wake up some day…
At 1,995m above sea level, you’ll need approximately 6 hours to reach the summit of this sleeping beauty. But be forewarned, it’s a tough climb.
Here’s a HD video of Manado Bay from the restaurant balcony of Hotel Celebes, our accommodation for the 2nd night…
Compilation of MANADO & NORTH SULAWESI TRIP 2009
- PART I : The forgotten frontiers: Tales from Manado and North Sulawesi
- PART II: Great churches of Manado
c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere
f l u f f e r p u f f | indonesia . sulawesi . travel . volcanoes
24 sOleiLians
Great churches of Manado
Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, with those professing the Islamic faith numbered at over 200 million. While most of its Islamic heartlands lie in the more populous western provinces, the vast island republic’s small but burgeoning Christian population finds solace and greater political autonomy in the far-flung islands of the east.
Religious distribution in Indonesia. The colours indicate the area’s predominant religion.
(Credits: United Nations Development Programme Indonesia)
The Indonesian Government officially recognizes Christianity as 2 separate entities ~ Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The former was introduced by the Portuguese (notable efforts were carried out by the renowned 16th-century Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier in the Maluku Islands) while the latter arrived with the Dutch who later ruled the archipelago for three and a half centuries. As a result of being a former Dutch stronghold and an important Christian missionary centre during the colonial era, more than 70% of North Sulawesi’s inhabitants are Christian, rendering it the only Christian-predominant province out of Sulawesi’s 6 provinces. The Minahasans, the province’s largest ethnic group, built one of Indonesia’s largest Protestant churches, the Calvinist GMIM (abbreviation of Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa, the Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa).
In North Sulawesi, you won’t feel like you’re in Muslim Indonesia, but rather somewhere in the Philippines albeit with a strong Protestant flavour. There are churches, plenty of churches wherever you go. For Malaysians, try replacing every surau/musolla/mosque you see on any stretch of road in the country with a church and that’s what you get, North Sulawesi. The province is further divided into 9 regencies, and the regency of Minahasa boasts one of the highest proportions of Christian adherents in the country (a staggering 97%!) as well as having the highest density of church buildings in Indonesia, with approximately one church for every 100m road. This is totally not an exaggeration. During our stay there, we saw churches being built right opposite each other, only to be separated by a road; churches built adjacent to each other; churches set apart by one or two homes, etc.
Being the provincial capital, Manado is home to some of the largest churches in the region. Most of the great churches are concentrated along the iconic Sam Ratulangi Street. Besides the Roman Catholic Church and the GMIM, various Christian denominations are also represented, including the Seventh Day Adventist, the Pentecostals, the Salvation Army, the Assemblies of God (known as Gereja Sidang-sidang Jemaat Allah in Indonesia), and so on. Priests and pastors of the empty churches in the West would have envied the vigorous religious scene in this part of the world: churches are jam-packed with believers during mass and church services, and every Christian home is adorned with crucifixes and biblical-themed paintings and artworks.
Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Gereja Hati Tersuci Maria), more commonly referred to as the Manado Cathedral
The cathedral’s main façade. I bet it’d look splendid once the scaffolding is removed.
A magnificent dome crowned the top of the cathedral, and its stone walls and stained glass windows gave it a distinctive European touch amidst a tropical setting
The bell tower up close
The nave leading to the apse
Lights streamed in through the windows and glass at the base of the dome
Biblical tales depicted on the window glass
A few steps away from the cathedral stood this large GMIM church
Catholic and Protestant churches side by side: Can you spot the Manado Cathedral too?
The church with its multiple spires, a common characteristic of GMIM churches
A night shot of this Pentecostal church was shown in the previous blog entry
Mikrolets whizzed past this contemporary GMIM church
Beautiful fairy-tale-like GMIM church in another part of Manado
Bringing back the nostalgia of the Dutch colonial era through its architecture
A castle? A palace? Nope, it’s a church! :D
Compilation of MANADO & NORTH SULAWESI TRIP 2009
c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere
f l u f f e r p u f f | churches & cathedrals . indonesia . religions & spirituality . sulawesi . travel
28 sOleiLians
