Texts & pictures: Manado


	North Sulawesi

Manado | Return in the promised land | Bastiano's | Sunset | Scubana | Divers | On board the Scubana | Claire has fun on board | Strolls on Bunaken | People of Bunaken | On the way to Tangkoko | Tangkoko beach | The tarsius | Animals of Tangkoko | The forest | The strangling fig tree | Plants | Bitung | Sea front of Manado | Manado markets | Streets of Manado | Woloan | Tomohon market | Strange meats ! | Lake Tondano | Transports | Crops | Streets of Tomohon | The farmed slopes of the Mahawu | The climb of the Mahawu | The crater | Panorama | Flowers | Lake Linow | Parade spectators | The parade | Wasting time | On the roads

Manado

Nature's generosity and the kindness of the people can be seen in this local market of Manado.

Top of one of the many Protestant churches which are scattered throughout the region of Manado.

Corals of the perfect bay of Bunaken, with the volcano island of Manado Tua

and the beach
Endemic species : the babirusa was only "discovered" by a Frenchman on the tenth of the expeditions he led in the eighties, and is now an endangered species

like the maleo, the eggs of which the local people are very interested in since they are 4 times bigger than a hen's

Because of my growing passion for the underwater world, I took advantage of a 3-day week-end to go discover the island of Bunaken, near Manado. The corals and fish are magnificent, and I met my first sea snake, but what a shame I could not dive on the vertiginous wall with such visibility.
It turned out that the real enjoyment of the trip was meeting the charming family of a colleague. They hosted me in the best of ways, and enabled me to discover the touching Minahasa culture. Being Protestants, we went to their church, to attend what is truly a celebration, with songs and joy, amongst a generous and tolerant community, as I saw during the sale of basic goods (sembako) at cheap prices, and by their attitude with their employees, considered part of the family.
They took me to discover the countryside, with each village having its own big white church, with the plantations, rough landscape on the slopes of volcanoes, and view on the Manado Bay where the sunsets are breathtaking.
The boat outing to the marine park of Bunaken was, aside from snorkeling, the opportunity to buy beautiful seashell, and to keep on discovering all kinds of local dishes, sometimes quite intriguing, and, in any case, always spicy.
Before going back to Jakarta, we had time to go visit the market, where there is such abundance of fresh products, and where the richness of the seas is so blatant. By car, we then went to the eastern tip of the peninsula of North Sulawesi, near Bitung, to see a private collection of the most intriguing endemic species: the tarsius, the babirusa, maleos, the cassowary, couscous, as well as pythons, eagles, crocodiles, a shark, a ray, and a turtle. I did end up having to leave, but not before promising myself I would come back to see them, and get my diving license in the meantime.