Sahid Manado Hotel Manado

Kun pulssi oli vahan tasaantunut ja olimme taas indonesialaisen propelikonematkan jalkeen turvallisesti maan pinnalla Manadon kansainvalisella lentokentalla, rupesimme tehokkaiksi. Ensin ensimmaiselta pimean taksin tarjoajalta ilmastoitu autokyyti (Rp 200.000) satamaan ...

... us from one side of the jeep to the other. Tired and a little nauseated we arrived in Gorontalo at the middle of the night. Got a hotel, fell on our bed like stones and slept (that is, after killing a fist big spider which seemed comfortable at the end of my bed).<br><br>Today we went to a 30 meter waterfall outside the city. With only flip flops on our feet we were not really prepared for the sharp rocks that were our path, but somehow ...

... church choir came and sang traditional songs for us, and even got all of us to dance with them. It was great! They are very talented and have strong singing voices that can't help but put a smile on your face. It was very beautiful and heart-warming. After the children sang for us, it was then our wait staff's turn! We were serenaded at our table by our three ...

... our legs at an intended destination was at the amphitheater located in Kakaskasen. The theater is maintained for use for special events. Local dances are often held there, and it can also be rented out for weddings and such. A governor's box was located up above in the middle of the amphitheater, and it afforded the best view for the high profile attendee. The most ...

... returning to the resort. There was no hurry in getting back, as we had to head straight through a storm that had crept across the area. It rained like crazy! The boat handled it just fine and only one person felt any bit of queasiness. The rain couldn't possibly dampen anyone's spirits, what with how perfect the trip has been so far. We all stayed warm and dry ...

... and stood ass to stomach in line from 4pm to around 7pm, my plane was supposed to leave at 6pm but we didn't depart until 10:30. From Jakarta, the plane made two stops which left me arriving in Manado (on Sulawesi) at 8am the following day. I got a room and emailed Mike to find out his progress. He got in the next day and we quickly made plans to escape dirty crowded ...

... an amazing week! We ate soo much delicous food, including fresh fish dailly and had a very interesting time. We are next headed ot the Sangihe islands, procariouslly perched between Sulawesi and Mindanao in the Philipines. They are a volcanic arc, with 5 active volcanoes and 70 odd islands (and one submerged volcano). There is very little information about the coral and ocean life there, but we hope to contribute. There are also a number of endemic birds, good luck us! See you soon!

... because a screw had worked loose in Joan's new glasses. The optician fixed the problem for free. Then we headed to a coffee shop where we couldn't resist a three scoop sundae. We are now catching up on email and spending some time researching the next leg of our journey on line. Perhaps later we will have a cappuccino.... We will be in Indonesia until August 16th and we plan to divide that time between Bali and Java.

... lazy afternoons at the movies. One day we headed out into the spectacular surrounding highlands of Tomohan. Sarah climbed an active volcano, but unfortunately I still couldn't trust my bowels to hold out for the three hours it would have taken. We stayed at a pretty homestay where Sarah had previously been camping out waiting for me to arrive from India. She introduced me to "Beatrice" the manager who kindly offered to cook us some traditional Minahasan cuisine ...

... like fun. I'd have to say that it is a real tribute to his perseverance that he has been able to spend that much time travelling when he hates people from other countries, and despises customs other than his own. On top of all that, from what I saw his idea of hitchhiking was more or less getting rides and then taking off without paying for them. Innovative. Before we left we were fortunate enough to see him being "ripped off" with our very own eyes. He spent ...