The day of the first bath

March 7th

Today we wake up in Poso – the second biggest city in Central Sulawesi region if I am not mistaken. We slept on the last floor (3rd floor by Latvian standards, 2nd by UK) and it was one of the highest buildings around. There is no wifi here, but a good reception for mobile data, so I upload Ilgoni’s article before heading out.
The breakfast is arranged at 6:30 and incuded in the hotel price, but instead of fried rice that they had promised us for breakfast just before 7am we get some jam sandwiches and cream buns, plus tea/coffee. The receptionist can only say ‘sorry’. But I’m not surprised a bit. Everything happens slowly in Sulawesi, and likely the rice would take even longer time to be prepared.

We head out, get some petrol and then continue in the direction of Ampana, that is east. After a couple of kilometers we can see the Celebes sea on our left side and it will stay there all the day. It looks lovely and soon after we cannot stand to stay in the cars anymore. We stop and most of us get in the water which is very warm. Much warmer than one gets in Latvia at any time. I could perhaps stay in the whole day. After the first impression some people go to get their snorkeling gear and only then I realise that we have been swimming above a real coral reef. The corals are perhaps not the most beautiful I have seen, but there is still a big diversity both in the shape and the colour. And there are many nice and diverse fish among them, I like the stripy ones the most. After we head back to the cars we notice a motor-cyclist has stopped to ask us for a selfie. We have got used to this by now…

Near the town of Marowo we ask the locals for hotsprings. Air-pana is the Indonesian word for it, directly translated as water-hot. The locals say it’s about 7 kilometers ahead. Unfortunately when the locals arrange some motorcyclist to show us the way, he hears ‘Ampana’ and leads us 30km ahead to that town. Well, we will try to find them again on our way back, I guess…

In Ampana we find some bigger shop to get some supplies for the next 3 or so days (bigger than a kiosk several of which can be found in every village and considerably more in every town along the roadside of the main road. Also we find a post office which only has 10 (very basic and not at all touristy) postcards in total. We have been said that there is no water in Pangkalaseang village which is our ultimate destination for observing the eclipse, so we try to buy some. The biggest bottle the shop has is 6l and there is only 2 of those. We take both and hope to buy the 20l bottle in a kiosk on the roadside where we saw them being sold. But it turns out that one needs to have the bottle and it can be only filled in the kiosk with filtered tap water. Filtered tap water is not ideal but we still thought better than none. Yet it turns out one can only get water here if one has the bottle itself. Our big bottle is still full of water so we leave without any more.

More beautiful sights, more palms, more winding roads and another swim in the sea. In the evening we arrive in the Pagimana village and find a guesthouse between the main road and the sea. It has whole 2 air-conditioned rooms and an extra we had not expected to find here – wifi. Most of us squeeze in the 2 rooms leaving 3 other people to try to not suffocate in a non-AC one with an open window. Some fish are swimming in an enclosed area next to the guesthouse. Most of us pick some of them for supper while I will eat chicken instead. The guesthouse also has some beer which most of us have been craving for a couple of days already. The fish and chicken are delicious even though the supper is not cheap by the local standards. We talk and joke a bit. Then Ilgonis suggests going for a walk and most people join. I stay to translate Gunita’s article.

When they come back they have given the Big Dipper constellation a new name – ‘Bucket’ as that’s what we have been using instead of shower for last 2 nights and will do tonight as well. They have also made some new friends and learned about a road ahead which gets closed between certain times. We need to make it there before it closes around 8am, so tomorrow everyone must be packed by 6:30, then have breakfast and leave at 7am sharp. Time for some sleep, it has been another beautiful day!

The day of unfound tarsiers

March 5th

We were sleeping in two rooms of hotel Victory – twelve people. There are 54km to Poso which Imants and Agnese drive within 1h 10min. The locals said it will be at least 2 hours. After fueling up we go to a grocery store.
We get from Poso to Wuasa within 4 hours. On the way there were four checkpoints with passport checks and proceeded by taking photos together with them, treating with fruits in the mood of good-willing mutual interest. We successfully get to Wuasa where we don’t manage to stay in guesthouse “Mona Lisa” as all the rooms have been taken already. We get a place to stay elsewhere in the direct presence of the religious buildings of different confessions.

We settle in and go to Lore Lindu nature reserve. We have prepared well for the dangerous walk in jungle. As a result we walk along a swampy lakeside path already in dusk. The return path is done in the darkness already. We heard loud voices of frongs and cicadas. In the darkness after the jungle at home we have a dinner together. Time from time the electricity turns off. We sleep 4 in each room paying 150’000 for a room. The washing was Indonesian style by taking water by a bucket from barrels. In the double room which we get it is quite tight for 4 people so I decide to sleep outside as I had done it in Tentena already. However my sleeping doesn’t last long as the local dogs get interested in me and so I need to go back in the room.

Agnese’s notes:
The road from Poso to Wuasa is narrow and winding but with 90% of good asphalt. Half of the way it is going uphill, we measured the highest place to be 1700m above the sea level. The views are beautiful! And the nature completely different from what we had got used to. Canada came to my mind. Meanwhile on the way up it was a real rainforest with trees looking like tripods (their roots growing down in the air before they reach the ground). In about 3 places downhill one had to cross big muddy puddles, but no problems for our drivers there. In the Napu valley after the crossroads for a place called Watutau the road became worse for one stretch (many potholes) but still not as bad as I had imagined.
The overnighting places in Wuasa are located all on the same street – Mona Lisa, also “Di Wuasa”, where we stayed and Sandy where it’s likely possible to order meal as well. There was not place to be found in this town with working mobile data, however, even though otherwise the coverage was good and theoretically available Edge speed internet.
There are no Tarsiers near lake Tambing, at least the ranger of the park was not ready to bring us to look for any even though previously I had got such information.

The day of beautiful views

March 4th

Since we were staying so high up the mountain around 1400m above the sea, it was agreed to get up early in the morning to see the sunrise. We did not see the Sun in all the beauty – here he was shyly hiding in the clouds at first. But it was worth to get up – the views were fantastic. Clouds below us, above us, we ourselves almost like in a paradise. Yes, the suffering yesterday was worth it. Meanwhile the hosts had prepared breakfast – two pancakes with bananas for each.

After the breakfast we go to an open-air museum. We drive for a tiny stretch of road and I got stunned because a fantastic view opened up to the valley from the hill. That is how I imagine Indonesia. Majestic palms on the hill-sides but at the very bottom rice fields as small patches on a patch-blanket. When we came down from the mountain we noticed buffalos on the edges of the rice fields. Is that one golden? No, just rolled in some mud. The mud here is special. In the museum there are the same houses with boat-style roofs which are characteristic to the Toraja people. In the museum we are allowed inside these houses. It’s not a long walking around as we get surrounded by the merchants. Everyone tries to sell her goods. I have to say that they know their job well and some of us will go home richer by some necklaces, scarfs and bronze buffaloes.

Next our road leads to Poso. On Sulawesi island in most hotels it is not possible to wash normally, it was also not possible in our homestay. The nature compensated us this shortcome by offering a stream on the roadside where we washed naked behind a cover. On the way we stop at a palm forest, those are date palms. We didn’t get to Poso as it was already past 10pm. We didn’t want to spend few more hours on the road. Luckily we got a place to stay in Tentena hotel with a proud name “Victory”. The hotel was indeed a high class, no need to was from a barrel with a bucket but can use even a warm shower. We quickly prepared the dear Chinese instant noodle soup for supper and go to sleep. We sleep 6 people in our triple room. 3 are sleeping on extra mattresses. Rudolfs is sleeping on mattress under our bed, but he is not complaining. Rudolfs is never complaining, just smiling sweetly.

Agnese’s notes:
Down from Batutumonga we were driving along a road on the eastern side – with a turning point not far before Palawa village when looking from Rantepao. If we had come up along this road yesterday, there would have been no problems, but we didn’t know it.
To see the Toraja houses we went to Palawa village not far from Rantepao (Northeast). The entrance fee again 20’000IDR per person.
The road from Rantepao to Tentena mostly very winding, goes over several mountains, lots of serpentines. Meanwhile, the last about 20km there were roadworks, so we were driving it very long time.
In the hotel Victory or Victori (phone nr. 452-21841) there was also a free wifi available.