Makassar
April 26, 2009
Oh Makassar, Makassar.
Landed at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. See i so kalerful.
Again it was a FAM trip sponsored by the Indonesia Embassy and Air Asia to promote this new tourist destination in Indonesia, hopefully it would be a popular and well visited spot in the near future, like how everybody is going to Krabi now when i hadn’t even know it existed just 2 years back.
Makassar is the capital of South Sulawesi. It is hardly a popular tourist place, hence the rather miserable journey. I have only been to one destination in Indonesia and that is Bali. Makassar is nothing like Bali.
I was there for 6 days, together with other journalists from different publications. I doubt anyone of them can write as honest as i do, because nobody can write like, omfg bloody hell this place is shit, and get published in NST. But i feel bad because i know it was the best we were given, but i honestly think they needed a far more advance infrastructure system and basic facilities to make it a decent tourist place.
Everyday we traveled more than at least 5 hours (sometimes like, 10 hours) in a van together from places to places. I just slept throughout. And the each time van finally stopped, i would jerk awake feeling excited, because it would be either lunch or dinner time. Ocassionally it stopped by a Mosque, we spent some time, hopped back onto the van and continued our journey. There were times i thought secretly to myself, oh god please, i don’t wanna travel another 3 hours just to see another bloody museum!
The first two days were a little tough. I agonized secretly and it did cross my mind that i wanted to go home. I mean, how could traveling be so miserable? Then i recognized this familiar feeling and i was shocked when i realized this was what i felt a year ago in a certain competition. Oh come on. I’m on a bloody holiday!!!
By the third day however, i discovered something in me that encouraged me to start enjoying this trip. And i did. The places we went to, became more and more interesting. Especially when the local people treated us with warm hospitability. Strangers giving us broad smiles and i just thought people there look so worry-free, happy and innocent.
Although, of course, i still prayed to be checked into a better hotel each day.
Here’s the first day of the trip.
Yvonne from Air Asia.
Went to Paotere, a harbour in the north of Makassar where traditional Buginese sailing boats (pinisi) load and unload their cargo.
Goreng pisang, anyone.
It was omfg hot.
It says: Cuci muka/Kencing RP1,000. Harap Jujur.
Haha.
We then continued to travel like, maybe 5 hours or so around the coast of South Sulawesi to Bira Beach.
Boats by the sea.
They produce seaweed!!!
Naked boys having the fun time of their life in the water.
They shouted for our attention then posed for us. Sooooo adorable.
Stopped here for dinner! We had the famous Nasi Padang.
30 over dishes. Take only what you like.
But the food was so so only la. You know why?
Because it is called Restoran Sederhana.
Then continued to drive drive drive. After a few hours of super bumpy and rocky roads or so, we finally reached Bira Beach. There were two things that took me to utter shock.
1. It had the mostestestest beautiful starry sky i have ever seen in my life. I couldn’t capture it with my camera. But i swear it was such a sight i thought i walked into a painting.
But i must at least find a picture from the net that comes close to that to show you how breathtaking it was.
Something liddis.
Ok. Second shocker.
Right under the starry sky stood our hotel chalet resort accommodation for the night.
I think this pic somehow came out very glamorized.
I mean. If we really had to stay here, i would die. I would really die. Because i wouldn’t dare to breathe in case something poisonous from the ceiling dropped into my nostrils, or develop an imaginary fatal allergy towards the bedbug/dust mite whatever and die of a horrendous itch. And i wouldn’t drink because the water there tasted funny, and i would avoid drinking at all cost because i refused to go to the toilet.
Because this is how the toilet looked like. And there was no shower.
I almost cried. I swear. I felt like a 5-year-old who just got deprived of her daily lollipop. We spent the whole day at the sea side and my skin feels like lizard skin wtf and my hair was tangled and sticky like gooey seaweed ew and all i needed was a NICE SHOWER. HOT WATER. ARGH I WANT TO GO BACK TO MALAYSIA!!!!!!!
T_T
In the end, thank God, no, thanks to our embassy entourage, they reckoned they ought to check us in to a more comfortable place, and did so immediately.
So we moved to this other hotel chalet resort cottage place, which was a lot more erm… acceptable, but still, without water heater and shampoo. Actually, after i came back to Malaysia, i discovered that South Sulawesi isn’t as ulu as i thought it was, because i ran a quick hotel search on the net, i actually found at least 10 decent hotels (some even 5-star, blardy hiao) in Makassar alone. So just a reminder here, that you don’t actually have to go through the ordeal we, or at least i, did. Try Hotels Combined next time when you wanna search for hotels. Very resourceful, user friendly with detailed reviews. The hell. Next time i would really research properly on that site before i go on a holiday.
Anyway, after dinner Yvonne and i went on a frantic search for shampoo, and i almost shouted in hysteria when we found this little shop that sells shampoo packets. They were like RM0.30 each.
That, was my dose of luxury of the day.
To be continued. Stay cheesed.
so sad!!! you slept through the van rides? i’m quite weird coz i don’t sleep through a journey (even if its a boring one) coz I like to look at the landscapes! =D
ya i do too normally, but not when you pass through like, a total seven hours of the exact same paddy fields and wooden houses.
Hmm, pisang goreng or goreng pisang?
hahha i tot about it a looooooong long time, then i lazy to think.
fried banana , so terbalik the words is pisang goreng instead of goreng pisang.
usually bahasa melayu is terbalik one
Ya saya nak goreng pisang. Marilah kami goreng sampai dia hitam hitam.
Lepastu, itu pisang goreng yang berwarna hitam kita kasi orang makan, tengok reaksinya taruk pisang goreng yang digoreng oleh Kak Goreng Pisang wtf.
haha i sent u a mail. regarding one of the below comments.
Hahahahaha best hotel evar!
hehehe
Pisang Goreng lah!
blardy… kena lecture again what turf
pisang goreng, goreng pisang same same lah no?
it’s like cindy tey and tey cindy.
HAHHAHAH WHY U SO FUNNY ONE!!!111666
*LOL*
Watch out! i think there’s something crawling on the toilet seat! hehe.
Dun wot, you’ll survive, you always do.. you tough girl!
remember the fridge maggots? or pregnant cicak? LOL
heh at least the friggin cicak is in my posh kitchen.
hey pretty, what cam are you using, if you don’t mind me asking? and anywayyyyyyyyys, i would have went to a corner (picked one without any shit or creature crawling around uh) and cried my eyes out if that were to happen to me. wth. hahaha. =)
haih. i tell you, if each time i get paid RM1 when someone ask me what camera i used, i think i can buy a new camera d. G10 la.
its good thing lai de, it shows tht there are new visitors coming in every now and then
Eww the toilet so dirty..and the bed also..I can imagine it smells of dust.. T__T
haha i dunno. the one we moved to was at least acceptable.
journey of enlightenment it seems…
btw, wat cam are u using? hahahahahaha
Shut turf
Btw, M2U RM1 pls.
u can claim it from Canon Malaysia Sdn Bhd
that’s another fund management altogether.
blame it on yrself. u shud blog abt ur G10 officially, like wat xiaxue did to her L3~ then ppl will stop asking. hehe
i’m sure some people do not scroll down.
so wat cam r u using?
Haha see!!! some people dont scroll up.
RM1 kudasai
Nice suitcase though!
BTW, what cam are you using? It takes photos!
woot new nick.
you. are. not. serious. about. it. are. you.
oh god.
RM1 pls. Thx.
Sorry, law came into effect AFTER my post. You can’t retroactively prosecute.
*R*. anyone taught you to read fine print?
Omg you look like me/I look like you!!!!!!!!!!!
what turf. how can you insult me liddat/how can you insult yourself liddat
OEI WTFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!
ahhahaha no seriously look at the photos we look somewhat similar from some angles!!!
lol, what a humble restaurant!
perhaps they meant the price of food is sederhana…
haha thats what we thought. or maybe in indonesian got different nuance to the word.
Everyone, Rin lies..she does not use a G10 at all..she uses a Minolta Dynax 5D!! I’m being serious!
RM1 pls.
dun have wor..gib j00 £1 can?
I changed clause.whoever mentioned anything about my camera would have to pay RM1.
but dun hab RM1 wor..nemai i pay £
how about..RM1 about ur cam, RM2 about ur profession and RM10 about both?
how does that calculation work. i dont think i learnt that in school.
its from the PnP syllabus, u onli learn it if u attend the arranged classes held at atas eateries. wanna sign up? for u its free..hehe
Wow! The Paotere looks so beautiful. I think I should go there when I have a chance to go to South Sulawesi. And btw, why didn’t they bring u to North Sulawesi..? There’s a place called Bunaken which offers great underwater experience.
And, well it’s pisang goreng (not goreng pisang). Haha.. I laughed when I read “goreng pisang”.
Then, why the hell they brought u to Restoran Padang?? It doesn’t seem like you’re having a vacation in West Sumatera. And about “sederhana”, the price isn’t as “sederhana” as it looks.
no leh! it was a South Sulawesi trip ma. Yes goreng pisang. i mean, pisang goreng!!!
wah the hotel is so kalerful.
looks irish.
eh the photos turn out very nice! what camera u using?
wei you all feeling very charitable today meh?! RM1 everyday for the greater good of the world thing?
Toilet..!!!!
><
And I thought “Minolta Dynax 5D” was a name of a car T T obviously a n00b. So I went and google it. hahaha
so cute 1 lah u..haha.
haha i didnt know what it was
btw…can i get tix for chelsea-man utd match too? i hear u got some…
wei hou le wor lei dei yat gor yee gor!!!!!!!!
first of all such a holiday probably wouldnt be enough for me…
After all the holidays i had with my parents i am kind of allergetic/despise vacations in which i have to stay in a really small and uncomfortable place… (and my father despises it too)
Just that my mother is woman who thinks like….”ohhhhhhhhhhhhh camping how nice……being in the nature….who cares about a little rain…. everything soooooooooooo romantic and nice….”
since than i dont like camping that much anymore… and i really wish to have a bed that is at least a little as comfortable as the one i have at home…
but than again i dont really mind sleeping on the floor…
anyway this vacation does not sound like that much fun, but the pictures are pretty nice…
after the 2nd day even a smile was enough to make you happy?? hahaha sounds like there was not that much to be happy about ;)
the star-sky really looks awesome… but next time try to find one that is not totally photoshoped ;)
you can read “Galaxy” in it
at first i even thought… wow they have some weird star constellations if you can read letters in it
hope you still enjoyed yourself… at least you seem still pretty happy about the vacation
eh i dont think that is totally photoshopped but yea they PSed the word in it
ur camera is G10. now you pay me whatever money everyone gip u kthxbai.
ps- so hot why u wear long sleeves. siao char boh
*R*
wow, tht must be some trip. i’d totally go eww eww eww over the toilet too. *cries*
btw, what camera are you using? your pictures are so nice. (ok, kidding here. i know already) haha.
hhahahah RM1 pls.
Oh gosh, that toilet’s really awful. Lucky you didn’t have to stay there!
ya lo. thank cheesus
Poor Cheesie =O
This “Bathroom” reminds me on the “Bathroom” at my grand… eh no… wait.. the mother of the mother of my dad… so the mother of my grandmother of fathers site… well something like that.
What ever, I know how it feels. :’D The most distgusting thing by the “bathroom” at my relatives place was the moscitos. T___T Actually the wall was white, but when I came in the wall was grey, because so many moscitos were on it.
I begged for a normal shower.
Hope Cheesie survive this trip
great grand ma? hehe.
what turf. germany got mozzie?
nah. I think she means her relatives in Vietnam.
Well, if your trip was sponsored by the Indonesian embassy, aren’t you supposed to blog about how “fantastic” and “awesome” your trip has been? I mean I appreciate your honesty and it’s also somewhat funny etc.
But I was just wondering
haha because when it sucked how can i praise it? Rather impossible i reckoned.
Like, “OMFG THE HOTEL WAS SO AWESOME!! IT WAS ATTACHED WITH BUGS!! YUM!! SUPPER!!” ?
They should have restaurant SML.
hehehhe!
hahahah Restoran Sederhana! wtf!
memang sederhana
What? No erupting volcano photos?!?
haha, wait la! got better than that!
Wah! The toilet really ewwwwwwwww!
i’ve had some bad memories of holidays in langkawi, cameron highlands and frasers hill. And they are all due to baddddd accommodations. Cockroaches in wooden toilets in langkawi. icky beds that u made u stay like a statue cos u didn’t want to turn around in an icky bed – in cameron highlands. Dark gloomy rooms in fraser’s hill that seemed to house ‘other unhuman occupants’ that made three adults sleep in one room and left 2 room empty.
holidays are meant to pamper ourselves mentally and physically soooo first thing i do is to check/search for comfortable and clean accommodations.
ewwwww i had the worst experienced in Cameron highland too, like maybe 18 years ago. Got bedbug that smells really horrible, then got no hot shower. IN CAMERON!!! Imagine that.
So did u end up peeing standing? lol
no leh. more like standing the pee.
or go out n squat?XD
O.o
I was born and grew up there, all I can say is Makassar isnt really a tourist destination.
I’ll go back there for holiday once every 3 or 4 years (actually I try to avoid to go back so often).
Some of the historic and old buildings were demolished to build some Malls/hotels/roads. Better go countryside like Bantimurung or Tanah Toraja, more things to see and enjoy.
99% think their great-great-great-great grandparents own the road so create their own road rules. Specially those blue ‘pete-pete’ cars, they will stop anywhere at anytime. Unless you are a local who know your destination and your way, they do not have official timetables and routes. please avoid taking this transportation, take a taxi is better. Becak (or Rickshaw) is a good transportation for a short distant.
Be careful when you arrive at the Hasanuddin International Airport, there are many annoying people who offer cheap transportation to the city centre even though they know you are a local, they will pester you until someone will actually pick you up.
I dont know much about the nightlife there, as I left when I was not legally allowed to go to night spots.
Though all the above annoying issues, I still love Makassar’s food, good and delicious food, one of the best. Still and always dreaming about it.
i was in toraja! must say it was eye opening! hahhaa i took the Sitor to cyber cafe lo!!!
hahaha, sorry leh. malas to scroll around looking for anything related to your camera-questions. =P my bad.
Haha nevermai. RM1 pls.
I have to say that toilet makes my toilet look like a posh toilet..lol..seriously..That must be a whole new experience for you rite? :p
Anyway I got the same shirt you are wearing for my gf few weeks ago.. LOL (the rabbit in the hat from Zara Collection :p)
oh ya..you are going to be ‘rich’ when you collect all those RM1 :p remember belanja me..ahahaha..
wa zhong sam!!!!!! >_<
why so good one i had to buy myself wtf.
damn jeles.
They invited you to talk about their country right???? OMG…and they give you a nice bathroom??????? I understand how you feelllll!!!!!!!!!!! ‘Nangis Darah’
haha u mean “didnt give” is it hehehe
the bathroom is so sad! feel geli to even look at it…… *gulps*
omg… what a contrast feeling u had… pretty sky with a place to sleep like that… i’m going to manado soon too… hopefully i have the chance to see that pretty sky myself…
diving?
Ringo,
Interesting travel adventure. Nice photos.
The breaking news this morning all over American media is news about the growing Swine flu outbreak around the world. Any word or evidence of the outbreak in Malayasia or Indonesia? Have you heard any news about precautionary measures to protect oneself when traveling?
Monday morning here, and I am back to work!
Have a great week and safe traveling!
David
pork is best
restoran sederhana, price sederhana or not?
dunnoleh. we didnt pay also.
So times it is good to be in a less touristy place. At least cheaper ^^
haha not when it is sponsored. of course the more atas the better. my trip to perth was great.
Hey, it looks like a pretty decent place. I don’t mean the accomodations, I can slum it if I want to, but Makassar has character. The people, the sights. Looks fun!
Hmm…isn’t Makassar also a place in Egypt? Or is that Makarekh?
yea slum ahead. maybe can become millionaire
HAHAHHAHAH!!
hehehe. funny meh
Makassar? Hahaha.. Okay.. It’s good to read your blog.. Now I know such place exist
hehe ^^
Did I actually see the word “salary” in the middle of the starry sky pic????
it’s galaxy
whoa..the goreng pisang sure looks beautiful
hah, i know what it feels like to go on rides when on, we did 3/4 hours or so for each destination -.- veli veli diskusTING. lol, they have a lot of packet things there, when we found some, most of the things we bought were probably shampoo & soaps & body moisturizer (& food leh) -.-
lvoe you blog
D:DD:D:D:D:DDDD
well, i’m from makassar.
from your makassar posts, seems like they really bring you to hardcore villages to experience the culture first hand
having lived a quarter of century, i’ve only been tanjung bira and toraja once. hah! though i must admit i live 1/3 of my live overseas.
another fact: makassar is one of the big 5 cities in indo. when you’re around city and you know where to go, i think it’s not that bad. or maybe i’m just biased