The last day

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 19th

To sleep in the airplane is not easy, but needed. Somehow I manage to devote about 5 hours for the sleep, however, when there are 4 hours left till the destination, I don’t manage to fall asleep in any way anymore and have to watch films. After a while lights get turned on in the saloon. It is a sign that breakfast can be expected soon. We land in Istanbul at 5:50 in the morning. We need to spend some time in the security controls, where Vitolds has to part from a folding pocket knife that was left in his hand luggage. We have almost 3 hours till the next flight, which each of us spend entertaining themselves in the airport departure area. At least as much as it’s possible to be entertained there. Boarding is announced one hour before the departure. We meet at the gate, where we get boarded on the bus outside and get driven to the airplane. It is cool. My clothes are traveling in the check-in suitcase, so I still do with a t-shirt, shorts and sandals.

Around 11am we have arrived in the Cologne airport already. Finally we get to see our luggage. Nobody is missing anything. Now I can also put on more suitable garments for the climate. To get rid of the baggage suitcases, we go to the Ryanair check-in desk. Huge queue, but no one to service it. After a while, however, the queue begins to move forward after all. We meanwhile manage the weight of the suitcases to match the permissible limits. Success. I check-in my suitcase and then run to the adjacent desk, because all the boarding cards for the people flying are in my phone. However, it is not a problem and everything is quickly sorted. Someone has found a suitable place to spend the time and around 13 o’clock we move to the cafe S-Bahn in the adjacent terminal building.

After a while I receive SMS from Agnese (she went to Germany separately, by a different flight): “Where are you?” I answer equally “logically”: “In the adjacent terminal, eating is happening”. Despite this, she finds us. We spend another hour in the cafe and then go to check-in Agnese’s luggage and to yet another security control before the last flight today. The Germans are exceedingly hard-working and seek out thoroughly. They are interested in both bags with food and boxes with gadgets (chargers, batteries, screwdrivers, etc.). After consultation among the security-colleagues I get everything returned and let to take with me. Danke Schoen! Typically, that the Ryanair passengers have already lined up in a really long queue for boarding still well ahead the start of it. We have no desire to stand, so we wait until most people are already on board. It has its cons – there is not really place for the hand baggage anymore. I stuff it under the chair, as I can somehow endure these inconveniences for the couple of hours of the flight. Despite the tense posture I manage to get some sleep.

When I wake up, we have already flown into Latvia. At 19:50 the aircraft lands at the airport “Riga”. Land is covered with snow in places. It’s a bit strange after the 3 weeks spent in heat. The bus drives us to the entrance, there we await our luggage (how nice that everyone has everything) and entering the waiting room, we meet the first welcomers. The final group photo still and then in groups we disperse to home.

The trip is over. Long live the trip!

The Day in Jakarta

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 18th

Light breakfast in the morning in the cozy hostel, the suitcases put inside a lift which will also serve as our luggage storage, then also our arranged taxis are here. We are going to the national monument of independence. We drive up to a large park, where we get out. Monument in the center of the park. The park area is very large. Everything is clean and tidy. For Jakarta residents, this is a favorite place for sports activities. We have reached the monument. With high-speed elevators we go up to the 115-meter high tower’s viewing platform. Stunning city panorama. The park is surrounded by beautiful skyscrapers. From the top everything it is so clean, beautiful and neat. Then we go to the History Museum, which is located 3 meters below the monument. The museum exhibition is arranged in a circle. There is 51 diorama in total, in which the whole history of Indonesia is reflected. Impressive. Indonesian history, like history of many nations, is dramatic.

In the evening begins our way home but we still have time – half a day. We have decided to go to the zoo, because we want to see those primates and birds, which we did not see in the wild. To the Zoo we go by taxi. It is more convenient, and, to some extent, a small city tour. The tickets are incredibly cheap for the zoo. In the zoo all of us disperse according to their interest. Ilgonis is looking for the dragon that he didn’t see on the island, Agnese – for tarsier, Andra – for gorilla. Me and Vitolds are delighted by orangutans. How wise they are! How they know how to communicate with us, to show themselves. Unfortunately Agnese must leave sooner and without seeing tarsiers, as her plane leaves earlier, but we will be together again in Cologne.

After an hour also the rest of us, more or less satisfied, leave the Zoo. By taxi to get our belongings from the hostel, then to the airport. We spend 3 hours in the taxi, after all it’s a 9 million-people city. We see the un-polished side of the city, many spend their lives miserably. Near the airport there is an unimaginable congestion. Then we notice something interesting – stretch by stretch there are guys with motorcycles standing who are ready to deliver travelers, being late for their flights due to congestion, by motorcycle, including the baggage. Motorcycles here are able to go through the eye of a needle.

We are finally at the airport. We change our clothes. Unspent millions of rupees exchanged for some miserable euros. We are in the Turkish plane, where we are awaited by wine and a hearty dinner. Goodbye Indonesia! It was nice to get to know you at least a little.

To Jakarta

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 17th

We wake at Miko hotel in Makassar. Breakfast is [agreed] at nine o’clock, but before that Agnese, Andra, Imants and Rūdolfs go to the post by taxi. After breakfast, five of us go to the market, where we create photographing festival for locals. We all return to the hotel and by a van go to the airport to fly to Jakarta, where we also land successfully. With three Blue Bird taxis we arrive at a rather the nice accommodation The Packer Lodge. Here there are comfortable beds for everyone in one’s own niche. Shower and toilet works even without buckets. There is a possibility to get beer which we hurry to use. We cozily sit and eat a bit. In the evening, some of us still find the strength for a walk through the city, going to the Dutch Square. Around it there are pedestrian streets with a rather lively night-trading. We enter a fine restaurant with live music, where we get kindly shown all the rooms, but after all of that we get back in the streets again. As this is the capital, the locals no longer show the desire to take photos with us. We have got knocked out of the usual. After 11pm we return and disperse over our shelves. In our room they are in two floors – 8 pcs. It is much more comfortable than in many other places. We fall in a sweet sleep after this saturate day.

Hati – hati (be careful)

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 16th

Today we must return to Makassar, because we have booked flights to Jakarta the day after. The travel distance is a bit less than 400km and the estimated driving time (as advised by motel employees) is around 7 hours. So the plan is relatively simple. However Sulawesi still has some obstacles in store for us.

We had spent the night in Wisma Surya motel in Palopo. The Wisma Surya motel is of a low standard. Facilities are dirty and poorly maintained (for example some of the door locks do not work properly). Travelers also need to share their rooms with cockroaches. On the other hand, the rooms have air conditioning (probably one of the most important things here), the price is low and the staff is friendly.

Last evening we had a small car accident and one of the cars lost a wing mirror. During the morning preparations we fix the problem ourselves (we decide not to waste time in search for a car repair service). The lost mirror is replaced with two makeup mirrors, fixed side by side with some duct tape. As the result, each of the two mirrors has a bit different view angle. Anders finds this convenient and perhaps even better than the original design. We also discover that the same car has a flat tire. Rūdolfs is very quick to replace it with the spare wheel and we are ready to leave (the time is around 7am).

The traffic in populated areas of Sulawesi can get really heavy. When we leave the motel the streets are densely packed with small motorbikes (maybe people are rushing to the work or school). After only few minutes we experience another accident – one of our cars gently touches a motorbike next to it [or the other way round]. As a result the motorbike loses its balance and the riders fall down. We stop the car to see if anyone is injured and how to deal with the situation. One of the motorbike riders is a young girl who seems to be a bit shocked by the accident. She is offered a seat next to a small kiosk on the side of the road. Here we wait the police to arrive. The happening attracts some local people. Several policemen arrive one by one, but the situation is a bit confusing as the police don’t seem to have a specific and quick procedure to go through. There is a man in the crowd who speaks English and he is prepared to help us to communicate with the police. Finally someone takes the girl to a hospital (probably someone from the family) to check her physical condition. I believe, it would be fair to say that this situation is nobody’s fault. In this chaotic (by European standards) driving culture things like these are meant to happen time to time. However our group is not in the position to waste the time and we are prepared to take the responsibility by paying a small compensation to the girl. The girl is examined in the hospital and no injuries are found, but there is some minor damage to the motorbike. Finally we have to agree to pay 2million IDR (approx. 140 eur) to the girl to be allowed to continue our trip without the administrative procedures.

During the two hours while dealing with the situation, the other car has obtained a new wing mirror and we are all set to go. The route takes us South along the ocean coast, and later West to Parepare. In this way we avoid going through the mountain areas. It seems that the fruits sold on the side of the road are specific for different areas in Sulawesi. We decide to taste Srikaya – a fruit which looks like a large pine cone. We find it sweet and very tasty. We also try Salak, which we are not so keen on.

Shortly after Parepare we get on highway. Now, for more than an hour, we can drive faster than in any other place during the trip. But little do we know that soon we’ll be slowed down to our lowest speed. The traffic in Sulawesi can get very heavy (it can’t be said enough). We enter Makassar from north in late afternoon and this requires a lot of mental strength. The road gets more and more packed until it is almost entirely clogged with cars and motorbikes of different sizes. Here we spend about 2 hours to drive 2 km. Ilgonis, who is driving one of the cars, leaves the drivers seat and manages to find a place to relieve himself from the liquids accumulated in his body. The car line has not moved a single mm by the time he is back.

The traffic jam ends on the large road junction, where one of the roads leads to the airport. We still must pass two toll roads (8500 IDR and 3500 IDR) before we reach Miko Hotel in the northern part of Makassar. Miko hotel is the same place we spent the first two nights in Sulawesi. Here we have also agreed to return the rented cars. We have arrived to the hotel before 8pm (11 hours after we have left Palopo). We have a lot of leftover food – instant noodles, rice, tin cans with fish, corn and peas, bread, jam etc. We decide to have this food for dinner and the reception kindly provides us with some hot water. We have the cafeteria area all to ourselves and we spend our last evening in Sulawesi in a good mood.

The long and winding road back

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 15th

Yesterday’s ship was boringly tedious. The six-hour journey reminded of Syrian refugee movement across the sea in boats to Europe, the difference maybe was the density of persons per square meter, which was much smaller than for the refugees. Therefore bearable. In Ampana the repaired car awaits us. We start the journey to Tentena. Night trip and at 1:00am we are already in the our known hotel Victoria. Again, the Internet and communication opportunities and cheap beer. Next happiness is the lux rooms with both a western style toilet, shower and an embroidered heart-shape at head of the bed.

For breakfast, the traditional pancake with bananas. And we are ready for the road. This time take a different road. First the Saluopa waterfall. To it through a beautiful tropical garden leads a walkway. Coffee bushes, durians, cocoa trees and something like pawpaw fruit. Next shaded trail runs along a creek, which is formed from the water of the waterfall. Then comes the stage of the waterfall itself where the water is forming beautiful patterns, creeks on the rock wall. And finally the last stage of the waterfall which has a pool at the the bottom, where a water column falls in. So there we are swimming and having a massage. It was refreshing and great.

At the entrance we buy durians. In the car they give off not too pleasant scent. After a while we become accustomed to it. However, we do not know how to eat these wonderfruit. Ilgonis gets in contact with the locals who cut one with a large knife and show what is edible there. Large stones and a little flesh. It is then for eating. Durian doesn’t delight us too much, so that durian pleasure goes to the locals.

We go through the local villages. In one village at every home there are Indian-hindu formations. Looks like this village represents Hindu supporters. On the other hand, Christians are already preparing for Easter. Preparing celebration space, bring palm tree branches for the celebration. In some villages there are crosses near the houses. Elsewhere the whole street is scattered with crosses. Again the narrow roads. It looks like the region is the rice granary. Rice in different stages of maturity. Planted in one place, in another already being harvested. The road runs along the Lake Poso. We stop at a place where there should be orchids. But nothing, they are not there. However, there is a lake and a naked bathing.

We continue the journey and whoops. A bar in front of the road. Roadworks. Need to stay bored for 3 hours. It is expected that only at 17:00 the road will open. The road builders do not want to work and, therefore, the road gets opened sooner. The mountain road turns into a flat coastal highway. It starts to rain. The gray car has a problem again. The oncoming car breaks the mirror of the gray one. What to do, how to live on? The car has an insurance. We are going to find the police to confirm the accident. The policeman doesn’t want to do anything, only a photo taken together with white people. The lease owner gets called, who says it is an ordinary case in these latitudes, and no report is required. We are looking for a hotel. The hotel was the worst of our entire trip. Settled for the night we are looking for where to eat. Some fish and beer. And have a good night.

Agnese’s notes:
The road on the west side of the lake Poso is good enough albeit narrow. The sights are definitely better on this side and since there were roadworks on the other side, it might be that this road is also faster.
As it turned out later, the car owner wasn’t saying that all is ok and that no report and even no mirror fixing is required, even though that is exactly what the policeman told us after calling the owner. Don’t trust them with the first time, ask to confirm again and again…
There were 3 rooms with air condition in the Wisma Surya guesthouse of Palopo town, but they were not very clean. However, it was possible to arrange normal food for the breakfast instead of bread with jam only.

The Ampana kingdom far far away

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 14th

Morning for the sun and snorkelling weary vacationers begins unusually early. The first group gets up and eats breakfast 7:00. Then the captain by a boat on the calm sea carries them to the port in Wakai. The second group, which we are in as well, their breakfast of rice receives at 8:00 and are waiting for the captain with the boat to get to the port from which a speedboat would get us all to Ampana. Suddenly rises a great wind, the sea begins to billow, palm trees are shaking in the wind, flowery curtains in the chalets flap like flags. Our boat is severely delayed, finally we spot it swinging in the waves. For some reason the boat at a high speed passes our bay. It turns out the big waves make it impossible to drive up to the shore, so the boat is taken to a quiet bay behind the horn at the side of the village. The captain refuses to take us to the port in a storm, because waves can damage the boat. We begin to fidget, because we need to get in time for the speedboat that will take us to the Ampana to the cars. We are ready to offer the captain additional fee of 100,000 rupees, that is certain to inspire him for heroic deeds. We say goodbye to the hostess who was feeding us with delicious food all the four days. Also the captain rushes to say goodbye to his wife and for the safety on the sea brings a son-in-law. We ask Antonio the Catalan, who remains on the island, to pray for us so we arrive without issues. We are worrying all that we won’t make it in the time for the speedboat, going on the foaming sea. It seems that we cannot really get further away from our hospitable island. The engine puffs silently and slowly pulls us across the waves forward. Towards the harbour, the waves subside, and since the further ride is on a downwind, we realize that we will come in time – 10:00 precisely.

But when we arrive at the port we learn that the speedboat is delayed because of the storm. Boringness at the port building begins. We walk around the local shops, market. We are taking pictures of goats, rosters, dogs and the fish put up for sale. Ināra purchases a bright, flowery dress. Now she feels like the most beautiful girl in the village. Some storm survivors get some cold Bintang beer at a local hotel and for a moment feel a small surge of happiness. We buy cooked, warm eggs for lunch. We learn that because of the storm the speedboat will not come at all today. We are stuck in the islands. Some kind locals offer us to arrange a boat right here on the spot. Begins haggling for the fee. For a giant price (3.5 million rupees per boat) we are offered to be carried in two boats, one of which would be very slow. Then, after Agnese’s trip with the local official on a motorcycle there appears another better option – an offer to take us for a slightly lower price, and all by a single boat. Only this will happen much more slowly, like with a ferry. We understand that this is estimated as 4 hours. We take 6 other foreign tourists with us on the boat.

We leave at 13:05. As we will later need to conclude, we will be on the way more than 6 hours instead of the 4 hours. For a long time it even seems that the ship is more roaring in our ears, than moving forward. Landscape among the islands remains unchanged for hours. We don’t notice any waves in the sea, so it is not clear why the speedboat was afraid to come. We are lying criss-cross on the plank floor. An association arises with the Syrian refugees in boats crossing the Mediterranean. All the way we are tossing about, changing postures. Somewhere we get squeezed one way or another. We play a “board game” – “No, thanks” for a bit – as if there is no table it can not really be called a “table-top game”. While the engine is roaring we also try to waste time by a game – Silent Phone – in which one to another whisper in the ear the 8 titles of Latvian University museums which are well-known to Ilgonis. Only three museums remain and return to Ilgonis – the History, Oceanography and Literature, of which there actually only the first one exists. Still lying on our backs we wave our arms and legs for a bit, but after that continue to be located in a horizontal position, stunned by the the boat engine and stiff. A new association rises with the cartoon about Shrek, when Shrek with his beloved Fiona and the Donkey were sitting in the chariot and went to Princess Fiona’s parents to the kingdom far away. Donkey completely bored asked every minute – Have we arrived yet! – Shrek tired to answer him and shouted to donkey – Hold your tongue!- After keeping silent for a little, the Donkey found another entertainment. He blew up the mouth and time by time puffed loudly very close to Shrek’s ear. Also we like such donkeys were tossing and turning in the far way to Ampana and to ourselves quieter or louder asked – Have we arrived yet! – I guess someone also made the the annoying mouth-pops in between, just the engine of the boat was louder and no one heard.

Finally, already in complete darkness (around 19:30) we arrive in the shores of the far-away Ampana (60 km from Wakai) in the same spot where we left the cars. With a great pleasure we get back also our repaired car – the grey one. We fill the petrol, shop for groceries and go on to the winding road through Poso to for us already known hotel Victory in Tentena. At 1:00am we are kindly welcomed and given 4 in rooms for 3 people in each. Finally there is also a warm shower, as well as enough time to spend sleeping. From the top someone gives an indication that the breakfast will be at 7:30 tomorrow. When lying down it feels like we were still on the ship as everything is swinging a little all around. Someone whispers quietly in the bed – Have we arrived yet! –

Agnese’s notes:
The price of the speedboat Hercules was 150’000IDR per person but we got the money back when it turned out that it won’t come. Initially we chose the speedboat as the ferry is not going from Wakai to Ampana on Mondays and we could not wait till Tuesday.

If the boat turns over, prepare to grab your belongings!

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 13th

I started this day, the last in the Togian islands, by waking up early – before 7 o’clock – to watch for birds before breakfast. It was a small success! I saw several new ones, including the Black Naped Fruit Dove – which was very beautiful. Apparently the trick to birdwatching is being early, who new!?

Those who did not go to Taipr island yesterday, me for example, then jumped into the boat right after breakfast and set off over relatively rough waters (at least for our boat). We passed by several resorts on our way to the former “Taipr Paradise” resort, situated on a small island. Now deserted, you can walk around in the empty shells in this once paradise. But that was not our purpose here! Taipr is surrounded by coral reefs and we had an hour or two to explore the wonderful world below the surface. There were lots of fish and thankfully for me – nearsighted and without contact lenses – many of them were curious about me and swam forward so I could almost touch them. It was certainly the best of the places we had visited for snorkeling so far in Sulawesi. On the way back the boat had a tough time in the waves and rocked worryingly. Irina, our host and guide, leaned over to me and said “If the boat turns over, be prepared to grab your belongings!” At first I thought she was joking but then I remembered that she had already told us about how unstable this kind of boat was and that they had actually turned over with a tourist group once. But all went well and we were back exactly on time for lunch.

In the afternoon, while the tide was low, most of us walked along the shore to the village on the other side of the island. Our main goal was to buy palm sugar, which is produced here. When everybody was happy with their share of the brown sweets, we strolled around the village and greeted its inhabitants. A while after coming back, there was a “quacking” sound from the forest, high up in the canopy. We could not see what it was at first, but finally two magnificent Knobbed Hornbills appeared. This hornbill is endemic to Sulawesi (they live nowhere else) and sadly there are signs that their numbers might be in decline. It is listed as “vulnerable to global extinction”. After dinner there was a big Latvian song sing-along and later some went night snorkeling. Not me though, I was very much inspired by the day’s events, and sat on the veranda of my cottage and wrote this story.

The day of the kind jellyfish

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 12th

We have already well settled on Togian island and a barracuda for lunch is nothing out of ordinary anymore. Some of us will go to the jellyfish lake today. On contrary from the other group we already have their stories and a suspicion on what awaits us in our hands. We will be joined by Anton, a Catalonian who arrived this morning. Hence at the breakfast table we talk about Baltic Way and the independence of Catalonia. We humm “Saule, Pērkons, Daugava” [a Latvian song that was taken by Catalonians for their independence movement]. Seems that Anton recognises it.

We leave for the lake. An absolute happiness since there still is the morning freshness. We go past two villages. The houses are built on stilts, between them and the steep cliff are only couple of meters. No freshwater. That is brought to the villages in boats from our island as there is a spring on it. After 30 minute ride we reach the Jellyfish lake. That is indeed a lake as it’s not connected to the sea. Very long time ago it has been a part of the sea, so the water in it is salty, but now only rain water is supplying it. We find out from our hostess that there are only 2 lakes like this in the world – the other is somewhere in Americas.

When jumping into the lake, we feel like jumping in a pot of soup as the water is foggy and seems almost hot. There are indeed many jellyfish. Judging by eye looks like 3-5 individuals in every cubic meter of water. The jellyfish are all of the same species – supposedly also blood-relatives. Their tentacles are lighter or darker brown, but the surface almost transparent with violet stripes. The smallest are in the size of a cherry, the biggest around the size of a small watermelon. All of the jelyfish without regards of the size are very peaceful, it was possible to take them in hands and if wished so, also count the tentacles which Agnese also did. Unfortunately when moved close to the surface all the beauty got lost.

Next we go to a wonderful beach with white sand where there are no stones and nothing is hindering getting to the corals. Here the water is completely clear, many fish and lovely corals. We only get out of the water when Irina patiently calls us. On the way home we get a small drizzle. Huh, how we would want for a bigger one!

On the lunch we finish another barracuda. Everyone has such an apetite as would have worked hard. After the lunch we are snoozing in the hammocks. After a short rest the other group gets in the boat and goes to an island where there is an especially great diversity of corals. They return shortly before the sun set excited that they haven’t seen anything like that before. The main event – Vitolds has swam around the whole island! The rest of us will wait for tomorrow impatiently to see it all with our own eyes.

Day of laziness

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 11th

There was a strong rain during the night. Rūdolfs who was sleeping in the tent without the additional roof had to evacuate to the bungalo. Some rain continued in the morning. Caramelized doughnuts for breakfast were tasty. Agnese went to Wakai to pay for the car repair and the speedboat on Monday and she brought to us, guess what? Beer! Some people drank beer while it was cold, others decided to wait until evening.

Bravest men went to snorkel outside our bay where the corals are far better. For the lunch we had a giant grilled barracuda (!). After that half of the group went for a boat trip. We saw small islands and local houses but or goal was a lake of jellyfish. And there were many. Water in the lake is even saltier and hotter than in the ocean. We swam in a clear water, people could touch the jellyfish because they don’t sting. A lot of underwater pictures and video were taken. But I loved the best our second stop – a beautiful Bounty style bay with white sand and excellent corals. I snorkeled there in all directions. I and Rudolfs, we saw a clownfish.

After coming back to our Sunset Beach I laid in a hammock, drank beer and watched the setting sun. It sounds like a clichee, but you know, it works very well. After the diner we enjoyed a moonset and looked for the crabs along the beach. There is a lot of different crabs. Local cats helped us in this venture.

Agnese’s notes:
The ferry is not going from Wakai to Ampana every day but the speedboat is. Yet it only has place for about 17 people so it was important to buy tickets early for our big group.

The light day after the Big Eclipse

  By | |
Leave a comment

March 10th

It seems that after the big eclipse, the car problem and the night drive in 2 teams of 6 people all the possible in Indonesia has been fulfilled. However it is not so. The adventures won’t finish, the mechanic from Luwuk will come to help. After all of that we wake up in the morning at Ampana ferry pier in different places – some in the cars, others in the ferry waiting room on the stools. Like some seals.

In the terminal on the floor the ants eat up the remainings of the dead cockroaches. Toilet, as fitting in a public place, is rather “criminal”. Roosters are singing, next to the small cafe’s near the pier dogs ar chasing chickens. For the breakfast we have avocados that we bought yesterday in the market – big, dark, ripe and delicious. For the tea ordered in the local cafe the sugar has been added richly, not easy to drink from it, more similar to syroup. However warmth and some joy comes from it. We buy 12 tickets from Ampana to Wakai, each for 58000 rupees. We leave the cars at the pier to wait for us returning from the small islands.

On the ferry we make ourselves comfortable in the economic class – some on the chairs, some on specially designed sleeping-shelves. We decide that 80% Indonesians are smoking as there is smoke smell everywhere. Meanwhile in the business class there is an AC, feeling like in a fridge. As guests we get some karaoke songs dedicated to us. All the songs are like “schlager” [pop songs usually about love associated in Latvia with German culture] – melodic and similar to each other. We get happy about the Bintang (Indonesian word for star) beer cans in the fridge of the ferry cafeteria. In the water there are unknown long fish swimming, visible are many schools of little silvery fish. Sometimes some flying fish disturbed by the ship flies by. Everyone sleeps for a long stretch of road to renew the sleep resources “sweated out” during the night drive.

After 4h of journey we notice islands. When we get out of the ferry we arrive in a considerable scorch, the hostess Irina is waiting for us, divides us along 2 boats and brings us to a lovely corner of paradise on the Togean island. Palms, white sand, small houses on stilts, hammocks, warm sea. Some warming up in snorkelling. Wonderfully delicious dinner with fish, rice, fruits, the palm wine bought the previous evening. We introduce ourselves to 4 Finnish people and sing some songs (Ai Sulavesi stūru stūriem, Maza zaļa vardīte, Anders’ solo about frogs in Swedish and some more beloved Latvian songs).

After the dinner we hold an improvised disco on the beach in the light of shining plankton. Suddenly around 20:30 the generator breaks down. In a complete happiness we go to sleep. There is no light, no TV, not possible to charge the electronics. Nothing is disturbing our tender sleep – neither in houses, neither in tents, nor in hammocks. Only the she-dog Lucky steals the wet clothes hung out for drying (especially Rudolf’s) and chews them at the trunk of a palm with much care. Some bigger crabs get found and involved in a photosession. Silently are lulling and singing cicadas. In our camp and in Indonesia all is calm.

Agnese’s notes:
The ferry is named Tuna Tomini and it goes several times a week from the harbour east of Ampana.
Some of us took the mattresses for sleeping from the business class on the ferry. It seems to be fine, just need to pay 10’000IDR for the “rental”. If you want to sleep – absolutely worth it!
The electricity gets switched on at around the sunset time around 6pm and off at around 11pm in the Sunset Beach “resort” normally.
The boat cannot accommodate 12 people plus the captain and Irina at the same time, so we had to split.