The lakes of Sulut: Danau Tondano and Linow
Errr… Anyone still reading my blog?
My apology for the longggggggggg procrastination on my travel updates. Somehow it makes absolutely no sense to still linger on my yesteryear’s vacation stories, hah! By the way, did you guys know that AirAsia has suspended its flights to Manado, North Sulawesi since February? Seems like I made the right choice for going there last December! :D So those of you (Malaysians) planning to go there this year, you better change your travel itinerary! But if you really do insist on going there, you’ll have to cross the border to Singapore and get on board SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. I gotta warn you though, it’s EXPENSIVE.
Ok, back to my North Sulawesi tales…
Sulut (North Sulawesi’s alternative name), a place so foreign and wild to many, will not only thrill the most adventurous travellers with its majestic volcanoes and amazing scuba diving experience, but is also capable of satisfying the ordinary visitors with its relaxing atmosphere and friendly people. After days of soaking in the heat of Manado and Bunaken, we escaped into the pleasant climate of the Minahasa Highlands, famed for its refreshing cool air and some of the region’s most beautiful danau, the Indonesian word for lake.
A village church spotted on our way to Danau Tondano
One of the many caves used by the Japanese Army during WWII as a storage for supplies. You can see these alongside a stretch of road on the way to the lake.
Somehow this reminds me of Malacca. Does it not?
Horse-drawn carts were everywhere in North Sulawesi!
A memorial of the Dutch colonial masters who once controlled the region
Paddy fields were a common sight in the highlands
Located 600m above sea level, Danau Tondano is basically a caldera of a large extinct volcano from the prehistoric Quaternary Period. It’s the largest lake in the province and it hosts a number of fishing villages along its shore. When we finally reached our destination, it was time for lunch. There was this lovely restaurant by the lake built in timber and raised on bamboo stilts, and I loved the place so much! The cool breeze was so soothing that it never stopped caressing my face. Nice… And oh, the views! Boy, I must say they were truly breathtaking! Trust me… I could really sit there all day long just for the amazing scenery. :)
The kolintang, a traditional Minahasan xylophone-like musical instrument greeted us at the restaurant’s hallway
Beautiful Danau Tondano. I wish I could have a home here…
Ain’t this just picturesque? Just like somewhere from the Swiss countryside! :)
A giant Christmas tree on the lake!
A closer look at the bamboo masterpiece
The restaurant and its koi farm
Some aquatic plants… Water hyacinth?
Quaint bamboo gate
Row, row, row your boat…
Another famous lake in North Sulawesi is Danau Linow, a relatively small lake with high sulfur content. And because of that, the colours of the lake are constantly changing depending on the light and viewing perspective. Entry to the lake requires a fee (which IMO was quite expensive) and that includes a serving of coffee at the lakeside coffeehouse.
On our way there: Jubilant teens in santa hats were out in the streets for the forthcoming Christmas celebrations
The lake with its intensely green hues
Clouds in the sky? They were mostly hot vapours and steam from the surrounding hot springs and volcanic zones!
A canoe on the banks of the lake
A grasshopper ~ one of my favourite shots
I really thought that the lake waters were boiling hot, as was told by various guides. But curiosity got the better of me, and I actually went to feel it. Nope, it was cold! Perhaps I ‘touched’ the wrong side of the lake… LOL!
Love this! Another favourite shot of mine.
A path leading to the coffeehouse
A relaxing place for meetups and gatherings
Can you see the colours changing? :D
One of the treats that we had at the coffeehouse, hah!
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
- PART IV : Off to Bunaken
- PART V : Livin’ la vida Bunaken’s way
- PART VI : Bunaken’s blue, blue seas
- PART VII: Christ Blessing and the Waruga
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 . lakes . sulawesi . travels . volcanoes
22 sOleiLians
Livin’ la vida Bunaken’s way
Like many islands in the world, Bunaken Island has its own established island community where they live a simple and rustic life, reminiscent of the traditional Malay village life back in good ol’ Malaysia. The islanders are a pretty close-knit community, an element that is virtually absent in most modern-day societies. Still largely spared from the vicious encroachment and disillusionment with the material world, exuberance, optimism, and genuineness shone through each and every island folk I met in Bunaken. Man, I was in love with this place alright!
As always, a pictorial tour of Bunaken Island’s village life…
Quaint village houses on the island
Shacks and homes by the sea
Check out that huge satellite dish!
A shelter for a lazy afternoon snooze from the scorching sun
Like mainland North Sulawesi, the church is central to the lives of many in Bunaken
The church’s lofty façades and elaborate spires came as a surprise to us as we didn’t expect to see such a grand edifice on this tiny island
A church service for the kids, with decorations being put up in time for Christmas
Lovely kids filled the front-row pew
Look what we found… A boar! :D
Now we’d wandered into the Muslim quarter of the island
The village mosque topped with the characteristic bulbous domes
A small lane leading to the sea
This goat was busy nibbling on the shoot
Muslim mum and child. Bunaken’s Muslim inhabitants were said to hail from the Maluku Islands, the famed Spice Islands situated to the east of Sulawesi.
A bamboo stick was used to support the antenna! Nice lil’ trick…
The church easily dwarfed the homes around it
A village monument
Village men playing the traditional Minahasan musical instrument
The way this thing worked was kinda similar to a flute
Sunset in Bunaken. Alas, the sun refused to show itself. Bummer!
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
- PART IV :Off to Bunaken
c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere
f l u f f e r p u f f | beaches . churches & cathedrals . indonesia . mosques & minarets . religions & spirituality . sulawesi . travels
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 . travels
22 sOleiLians
