Our Air Asia flight to Manado was very smooth and in less than 4 hours we were ready to explore another Indonesian island. Visa on Arrival, baggage collection, tracking down a taxi and agreeing a price was all done quickly and effortlessly.
Tomohon
It took some time to locate Onong’s Guesthouse but it was well worth the effort. The huge wooden and bamboo chalets are set well apart from each other in an extensive and wonderful jungle-like garden. The rooms were quite basic but comfortable and we had a hot water shower. The balcony was huge and it was very relaxing sitting in among the greenery listening to the birds. We also had great views down into town and of Gunung Lokon.
We had hoped that our first adventure would be walking up Gunung Lokon but unfortunately it was out of bounds due to increased activity. So instead we had a leisurely afternoon checking out Tomohon to see what it could offer in terms of restaurants. We were soon back to relaxing on the balcony! In fact we only ventured as far as our guesthouse for food and to be fair it wasn’t too bad. Indonesian food has never been a big hit with us but the local Minahasa food is supposed to be worth trying. We’ll endeavour to check it out but will be giving dog, bat and forest rat a wide berth!
Indonesian holidays tend to be early to bed, early to rise and we did indeed crash out early since we’d been up since 3am. However, we did not expect to be rudely awoken at 5am with someone banging on into a microphone. We hadn’t realised we were going to be in the country as they were approaching a general election and last minute campaigning was in full swing. Fair enough – get people to hear your message but at 5 bells and did he have to sing?!
Following breakfast, and armed with instructions on how to get to Ruraken, we were ready to attempt to get up the second Gunung on our list. First we had to jump into a mikrolet (minivan) to get to the bus terminal. Our first surprise of the day was finding out that Tomohon was much more extensive than we thought. We’d both imagined that we be coming to a hill station but the town stretches for miles and even has a KFC. There are no hotels or tourist attractions in town so we were much better off staying in the leafy outskirts. We soon found the stand for the Ruraken mikrolet and one pulled in almost immediately. We climbed aboard and got comfortable only for the driver to get out and not reappear for 20mins!
Luckily there was plenty of people watching to keep us entertained while we waited. With Tomohon being such a big town it boasts a large produce market. In fact this area of North Sulawesi is a little like the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia where a wide range of vegetables are grown. A bulk of the produce finds its way to Tomohon and everyone from the outlying areas descends on the market to stock up. It was great fun watching people, veggies and sacks of rice being strategically shoe-horned into these small modes of transport. The sacks of rice are simply slung up onto the roof and there is no attempt to tie them down. Not sure how it all works but we didn’t see a single grain of rice spilt. The chickens tied up by their feet, dangling out of the door, their beaks millimetres from the tarmac didn’t look impressed!
Anyway back to our journey – the driver returned and off we set. Judging from the chuckles from our fellow passengers we were charged well over the odds but since it still only amounted to 10-bob we probably got the last laugh. Little did we know the start of the walk was only 10mins from town! Nevermind at least we knew we were in the right place and the sign informed us it was only 2km. At the end of the track we joined a short, steep path that leads to Gunung Mahawu’s crater rim. The walk was lovely and peaceful as we’d managed to lose all the election convoys and rallies. The views from the crater rim were great as, not only could we see down into the crater, but, we could also see over to Manado and the sea, and look down on Tomohon and across to Gunung Lokon. From this angle we could see the smoke pouring out of the lower slopes of Lokon and appreciated why it wasn’t safe.
The highlight of the walk was being able to circumnavigate the crater rim via the narrow path that ran right round the volcano. We’ve never been able to do this before and it was lovely being able to view the mountain and surrounding area through 360 degrees. At one point we past a very long bamboo ladder and wondered why on earth anyone had bothered to carry it up there. All became clear once we could see the small crater lake and where people had carved their names into the soft rocks around it. The crater sides are very steep and frankly they must all be bonkers to want to go down there!
We wandered back into town, had a look around the market and stocked up on picnic supplies. As we were wandering through town looking for somewhere to eat we got caught up in yet another election rally. This time the sky blues were out in force and they’d even closed the main street to traffic. Hundreds of people were in the procession and they were all signing away and generally enjoying themselves. Even the ponies and traps had joined in the fun and they were decked out in the party’s colours and flying the flags.
Another early bath and yet again woken in the small hours by some woman banging on! Even though we were a 4-hour flight away from KL we were still in the same time zone but it was broad daylight by 6.30am. Malaysia is in the ‘wrong’ time zone so it doesn’t become fully light until way after 7 o’clock.
Danau Tondano
We knew we wouldn’t be travelling any great distances during this trip but travel on public transport is generally slow. We gave ourselves plenty of time to move on to our next destination and it proved to be just as well – Sunday service is alive and well in this part of the world! We knew it was going to be a 3 mikrolet journey and the first to the bus terminal was flagged down promptly and we reached the terminal quickly. Limited service equated to NO buses or mikrolets. Luckily there was one chief waiting to fill his vehicle before heading to Tondano. We made up the necessary number of passengers to make the trip worth his while so we were off straight away. Very lucky considering the bus station was deserted. Once in Tondano we located the Remboken mikrolet instantly, only to sit in it for yonks waiting for more customers. In fact we were just about to offer to pay double when the all important, one more customer, appeared and we finally got going.
There are only 2 places to stay around the lake so we decided to stay in the one nearer town assuming there would be a couple of restaurants to choose from. A short stroll soon made us realise we’d be eating where we were staying! It’s a shame there aren’t any tourist facilities as the lake is lovely and the surrounding area is very pretty. We’d have loved to have stayed a couple of nights and done some walking and/or cycled around the lake. Although the Lonely Planet says it’s a great area for hiking we had no chance of finding a path, map or guide. However we did manage to organise a taxi for the following day’s activities and all at a very reasonable price.
Our room wasn’t particularly cheap but it was very comfortable and we had a balcony over-looking the lake and the fishing villages. Balcony picnic lunch was enhanced by kites and kingfishers circling and darting around trying to catch fish. Even though we could see dark clouds gathering we decided to have another stroll into the village. Everyone we met greeted us and we encountered genuine friendliness and helpfulness almost daily. In fact it did start raining but as luck would have it we were passing a small shop and were offered shelter until the torrential downpour passed.
We’d had to pre-order dinner and it was just as well as by early evening we were just about the only people around. More dull food and yet another early night but then we did have to be up at 4.30am. See what I mean about early starts during trips to Indonesia?!
Gunung Klabat
This old volcano is the highest peak in this area of North Sulawesi and at only 2000m far from the highest hillock we’ve climbed in recent years. That said it still took us 6hours up and down - mainly as the going underfoot was much tougher than we’d anticipated. We’ve become accustomed to climbing active or recently active volcanoes in Indonesia and hence near the top there is no vegetation to deal with. Gunung Klabat is clad in dense jungle and so the walk was much more reminiscent of those we do here in Malaysia. Thick greenery all the way up, so no views and hardly any view from the top either. The dense jungle continued right down to the crater lake which is virtually obscured by plants now. A good indication as to how old the volcano is and how long it’s been since there was any sign of activity.
Usually people climb up through the night to be at the top for sunrise but we didn’t fancy that this time. To be honest we wouldn’t have been able to see much through the trees anyway. Doing the walk this way, and it being a weekday, meant that we had the entire mountain to ourselves. I don’t think it would have been much fun sharing the path with the weekend crowds, as much of the walk involved using all 4s to haul yourself up tree roots and other challenging obstacles. We knew by setting off a little later in the morning we were running the risk of the cloud descending. It was cloudy at the top and we’d just finished our picnic before feeling the first few drops of rain. Luckily it didn’t amount to much and even less made it to the forest floor. Just as well to be honest, as the going was tricky enough without it being slippy too.
We clambered back into the taxi muddy but not exhausted and ready to move on to the next port of call. Time to go looking for wildlife. On Gunung Klabat all we saw were the tail ends of mice dashing off, a frog and a couple of pathetic leeches. Would we fair better in the national park and be lucky enough to see marsupials outside Australia? After all we had crossed the Wallace Line.
Tangkoko National Park
The journey over to Batu Putih (the village at the entrance to the park) was great as the roads were virtually empty and the scenery lovely. Although there are coconut, papaya and banana plantations all along the way, they’re not on an industrial scale of the oil palm plantations here in Malaysia. In among them there is lots of natural vegetation and as we reached the park the scenery improved. Batu Putih’s sign boards would lead you to believe there are 3 homestays to choose from but the reality is that Mamma Roos is the only one built and open!
It’s a shambolic place that is badly maintained and even more poorly run. The rooms are decrepit, the food shocking and trying to get information out of anyone was nigh on impossible. Full board deals are the norm in this area and it seems to give places license to charge more. Food in Asia is CHEAP and the stuff they had the cheek to sling on the table was dreadful and frankly the place was well over-priced. Still it had to do and finding rare and interesting animals was the reason we were there.
Even though we’d been up early, had a long journey and had conquered another Indonesian peak we were in time for the evening guided walk – the Tarsier walk. These incredibly cute animals are one of the world’s smallest primates at only 12cm long. Mind you their tale adds a further 24cms. The park entrance fee seemed steep at RM30 a head but it did include a guide for the 3-hour walk and we hope that some of the money will help to protect the park and the creatures living in it.
Setting off at 4pm to find a nocturnal animal when it doesn’t get dark until 6 bells seemed a little early but hey we’re not the experts. Little did we know we’d be walking for an hour before finding a likely tarsier tree. They love to hang out inside the hollow remains of a tree that has been strangled by a fig vine. As soon as we reached a suitable tree the guide shone a torch inside and sure enough one was just waking up ready for a night’s foraging. It was great that we’d found one and even better to hear they live in family groups but we weren’t impressed we’d have to wait until 6pm before they started moving around. We were just starting to get fidgety when the family group of 5 tarsiers began to get busy.
The tarsiers emerged from inside the tree and clung onto the vines very close to us where they rubbed the sleep from their huge bulging eyes. They are incredibly good jumpers for such tiny creatures and move extremely quickly – literally in the blink of an eye. It was amazing watching them leap from tree to tree and it was well worth hanging around waiting for nightfall.
Tangkoko National Park is also home to the indigenous black macaque so we were up once more at 4.30am to go on another guided walk. Once again we felt we were setting off way too early but as luck would have it we managed to delay the start of the walk. We’d accidentally locked the door from the inside and of course there wasn’t a key in sight. Luckily the owner knew how to break into the room through the window so all was soon sorted out. Plus there was no way Steve was venturing into the forest without a brew!
We set off through the forest in a different direction and before too long the sun started to put in an appearance. We reached the area where the monkeys had slept for the night only 5/10mins before they started to stir. We were watching them move around high in the tree tops for some time but the other tourists and the researchers didn’t seem to be in the least bit interested. We thoroughly enjoyed watching their antics in the canopy and sliding down thin tree trunks to descend to the forest floor. The macaques have got so used to people that they literally walk right past you. The troop was very big and it was fascinating watching them calmly go about their daily business. They are jet black and tailless so resemble mini chimpanzees.
We were following the troop through the forest when the other guide spotted something moving around high up in the trees. Much to our unexpected surprise it turned out he’d found 3 cuscus. Even though they were a long way up they were using bare branches to move around so we got to see them very clearly. These marsupials turned out to be much bigger than we’d thought and are probably about the size of a civet cat. It was amazing watching cuscus and listening to the wing beats of hornbills, while black macaques were all around us and virtually stepping on our toes.
We didn’t want to crowd out the monkeys as they already had the researchers following them every day so we decided to see what else was waking up. Before too long we saw a pair of endemic red knobbed hornbills who have particularly striking colours on their beaks. As we were returning to the park gate we past a likely tarsier tree and luckily for us a couple of said cuties were just returning home. All-in-all it was well worth another early rise and we couldn’t believe we’d been lucky enough to see all the animals that the park is famed for.
Following the shabbiest of shabby breakfasts of all time we had our bags packed and were ready to move on. We had intended to stay for 2 nights but the guesthouse didn’t inspire hanging around! A shame as the national park is a gem. Luckily someone was heading into town so we jumped into the back of their truck and set off for Manado. We got dropped off in a random town somewhere and hopped into a mikrolet bound for Bitung bus terminal. We’d read there were loads of express buses to Manado from there – think we need to buy a newer Lonely Planet – there were NO buses in the terminal. Luckily our mikrolet driver was willing to change his route slightly and take us to where we could catch a Manado bus. Yet again a fine example of how friendly and helpful people in North Sulawesi are.
Once on board the right bus we gritted our teeth and mentally prepared ourselves for a trip on an Indonesian bus. Our previous experience meant we were expecting to get to the end of the journey having; sweated buckets, been deafened by Indonesian pop music and felt like we’d competed in a smoking competition. Imagine our surprise when they closed all the windows, put out all cigarettes and turned on the air conditioning. They didn’t even put the radio on so for once the journey was very pleasant.
Manado
We checked into Hotel Minahasa, a lovely place built in what was originally a private colonial house with huge gardens. The grounds extend up the hill at the back of the hotel and at the top there is a small pool. From there you get great views of the city, sea and surrounding hills. From this terrace we could see how green Manado is and it has very few high-rise buildings. The city is basically a collection of kampungs (villages) that have gradually merged into each other. To be honest there’s not much in Manado but we did find a great restaurant, Green Garden Cafe. It was so good to have some tasty food after the appalling stuff we’d been given over the previous few days.
Unusually for us we now had a day to spare and had contemplated a side trip but in the end decided to have a relaxing day wandering around Manado. To be honest it was great not being up before 5 bells for once! Our wanderings took us down to the port area where there was much activity. We found a roof top restaurant in Celebes Hotel so whiled away an hour or so watching the hustle and bustle below. There was a steady stream of cargo being loaded and unloaded from trucks and smaller boats.
To our amazement there were even a couple of lads in a tiny wooden catamaran fishing in among all the chaos. How we chortled at the sight of them trying to catch fish in such polluted, rubbish strewn water. They carefully placed their net into the water to make a neat circle then, one of them jumped into the middle to scare any fish into the net. Unbelievably with the first cast of their net they hauled in over 20 huge fish. These were then transferred straight into buckets of water and carried over to a market stall – you can’t buy fresher than that!
Bunaken
Most tourists to North Sulawesi are divers and they don’t bother staying in Manado as they head straight out to the islands. Bunaken is supposed to be one of the top 10 dive sights in the world but I’m sure there are more than 10 in the top 10! We had worried that Bastinos Resort would be so diver centred that we wouldn’t get the best treatment. Our worst fears were realized as soon as we got off the boat – they were only expecting 4 guests but there were 6 of us. Considering we’d booked ages ago and they’d taken our credit card details we expected to be welcomed not laughed at. Not a good start and things didn’t get any better on being shown a room overlooking a building site. It turned to be the best room they had so we had to settle for it. Steve was not a happy bunny and by this point had renamed the resort – I’ll leave that to your imagination!
Unfortunately the beach wasn’t clean enough for sitting on and there is no natural shade. In other words people really do only go for the diving but we’d been assured it was good for snorkelling too. In fact the reef was only about 100m from the shore and we’d been advised to wait until the tide had come in before venturing out. Unfortunately that meant it was too far for me to feel happy swimming out there but of course Steve went. He said the drop off was just amazing and the corals were beautiful with loads of fish darting about. Finally, after years of looking, Steve saw his first lion fish and it had a friend too.
The next morning we hired a local fisherman’s catamaran and set off to explore some different snorkelling sites. The sea is so calm and clear that all along the way we could see fish, corals, sponges and sea grasses. I plucked up the courage to get into the water and was very glad I had as the variety of coral and fish life was amazing. I didn’t venture away from the boat so didn’t see the coral drop off wall up close. I did see if from the boat later and it looked incredible but I wouldn’t have been happy with suddenly being out of my depth. Although Steve saw much more than me I enjoyed the experience and I was lucky enough to see a pair of bright blue ribbon eels.
Getting back into the catamaran was far from easy and I had a seriously humiliating wardrobe malfunction moment. That was enough to put me off from going back into the water which was a shame but it didn’t stop Steve. The highlight of the day was when he found a sea snake. Now that was almost enough to tempt me into getting wet again but then I remembered it would need to surface for air. Sure enough up it came and swam around on the surface for a little while before diving back down.
Later in the afternoon I decided to try and pluck up the courage to swim out to the coral wall from the beach. I just couldn’t do it but I did snorkel around the shallows for ages and saw loads of different fish. Basically I found the fish nursery and it was great seeing all the same fish Steve had talked about in perfect miniature version. So in the end we both had great snorkelling experiences and got to see loads of new things. Still can’t name most of them but the resort had some good guides that helped us to identify a few new things.
On the way back to Manado the lad sat on the prow of the boat suddenly started getting animated – he’d spotted some dolphins in the distance. The driver changed course so we could have a closer look. In fact once we got closer we ended up with dolphins all around the boat and didn’t know which direction to look in. They were swimming along the side of the boat and we saw mums and babies leaping through the waves together. Some of them were putting on a great show – leaping about and one of them cleared the water by a couple of meters. We followed them for about 20mins and all told we must have seen 50 to 60 dolphins. A fantastic grand finale to another thoroughly enjoyable trip to Indonesia.
Travel Information
For general info check out http://www.visit-manado.com/
Transport - We hired a car and driver for the day Lake Tondano to Tongkoko via Gunung Klabat for 400,000 Rupiah. From the airport to Tomohon was 150,000 and from manado back to the airport 70,000.
Hotels – in Tomhon, Onongs is highly recommended 250,000 rupiah a night.
http://www.tomohon-onong.com/resort_in_tomohon.php
In Manadao – The Hotel Minahasa is great value from 150,000 – 300,000 with a great pool with views - http://www.hotelminahasa.com/Index.htm
In Batu Putih for Tongkoko National Park – the best of a bad lot is Mama Roos, 250,000 full board - http://www.aktun.com/mamaroos/
Food - The Green Garden Restaurant on Jalan Sam Ratulangi was excellent and the restaurant at the top of Celebes Hotel near the port has great views. There are also lots of food stalls along the seafront but the place is getting a makeover so it’s a bit of a building site at the moment.
